Animated Atrocities: Mr. Garrison's Fancy New...

Show: South Park
Episode: S9 E1
Year: 2005

Chief Complaints: 

-Gross oversimplification of the transsexual lifestyle (major) 

-Implying that plastic surgery is a way to grant wishes

-Not knowing the difference between being satirical and grossly ignorant despite knowing better

-Disgusting unnecessary imagery 

-The degradation of a once funny and great character 

-Testicular implosion in the kneecaps

 

VAGINA! Did you like that buildup? Because that's the funniest thing about this episode, and it isn't even IN the episode! Within the first minute, we are treated to live action footage of a sex change operation to explain and show us how the process of turning a penis into a vagina goes about. That's about the only accurate information shown here and it made me sick to my stomach! Those girls’ reactions are basically mine horrified because it actually could have been great social commentary. Also, I don't want to show you Kyle with testicles in his kneecaps.

 

Let's get to the main issue here: Mr. Garrison gets a sex change operation in order to become a straight woman as opposed to a gay man because he doesn't understand a goddamn thing about how sexuality works. I understand that Mr. Garrison is SUPPOSED to be portrayed as ignorant about the process and implications of such a procedure, but the way it's presented here, the episode makes you think there's no turning back once you get the surgery and that you can just magically change your gender whenever you want! I barely know anything about transsexuals to be honest, but what I do know about the surgery is that it isn't that easy! In order to get a sex change, you not only have to live as that gender for an entire year to get used to the change, you have to have regular doses of hormones among other procedures over the course of months to reshape your body to prep you for said surgery!

 

Mr(s). Garrison did all this so she could be straight. At the time this episode aired, gay marriage was illegal in Colorado, so I wouldn't be surprised if people have actually attempted this to get married because they're ashamed of their sexuality! It doesn't make what's happening here ok in the least though! It's bad enough he doesn't understand a single thing about what it MEANS to be a woman! He did this as a spur of the moment decision because he can't accept being gay even after he came out of the closet!

 

Keep in mind I'm not judging someone for their lifestyle or for feeling they need to change. I'm chewing out an asshole in a series that should know to be more tactful when talking about stuff like this! If you're trying to do a parody usage of transsexualism like in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, DO IT RIGHT! Speaking of which, remember that One Piece episode I reviewed? Emporio Ivankov, a character with the power to change genders at will, is a more accurate representation of the LGBT community than Mr(s). Garrison, and has a far better understanding of what this sort of thing actually means than South Park does! Most of the time when South Park muddles the message it's trying to deliver, it’s among the worst of the worst, and this episode is by far the worst in the series!

 

The whole "man trapped in a woman" excuse for a sex change is a shallow one at best. Most people who truly get sex change operations and understand what they're getting into do this because they've struggled their whole lives with their sexual identity and feel as if they were meant to be someone else. That the feel of a penis just doesn't feel right on them, nor does the build of their physique; at least that's my interpretation of what it means to want a sex change operation and mean it. Beyond that, this episode doesn't really understand plastic surgery at all, as if you can use it to magically become whatever you've always dreamed of like a dolphin because you think it's more natural!

 

This is largely why I find supermodels disgusting. That shit ain't real! These people changed and altered their bodies (read: destroying them) because they felt insecure about their appearances. Most people who get liposuction don't do it because their weight is fatal, but because they "wanna make their body hot." Surgery should only be a LAST RESORT when it comes to changing your body, especially when you're doing cosmetic changes! Don't use it for stupid shits like to get a modeling career for underwear or become a fucking dolphin, GERALD!

 

Yes, I'm aware this episode is trying to portray these things as comedic and over the top, but it doesn't really work here because of the context. South Park has become a major influence on society much like The Simpsons and was able to tackle heavily charged topics like homosexuality and put a comedic spin on things to get their message across. Humans are sheep that tend to take things in as they see regardless of context, so if you don't do the job properly, it's going to fuck them up. I get South Park isn't a teaching series or anything, but even so, it's made people more aware of parts of our society that we at one time weren't knowledgeable about. Take the episode "Cartman Sucks" as a great example of the good the show has done in giving us the truth about an aspect of humanity we didn't fully comprehend.

 

You can't just get body-altering (read: life changing) surgery on a whim just because you think it'll fix your problems! Rhinoplasty is one thing, but completely altering your body's internal structure to become something you don't understand? As sad as it is to say, I imagine plenty of people have gotten sex changes because they think it will make them straight or whatever without fully grasping the true implications of such a procedure. And despite what people think, sex changes actually can be reversed depending on various complicated factors, but only after you transition and not on a switch. But there is a point where your body just can't take any more surgery and it eventually breaks down. I kind of imagine Gerald becoming a dolphin is what most people think of furries; that they want to become an animal, so ridiculous!

I will give the episode some credit, however: it did get some things correct about the ideas of a sex change. Beyond the procedure being shoved in my face the doctor at the abortion clinic informs Mr(s). Garrison that he merely got a vagina and the body of a woman through surgery, but not the actual parts of a woman such as a womb or ovaries that allows them to have children. Which is one of the biggest struggles people that have this surgery go through. The episode and staff obviously understand how a sex change works, but not the actual implications of it. It’s kind of a bit of both the vehicle and the road taken that makes this episode so bad, I should say. Still doesn't excuse Garrison for essentially wanting to get knocked up just to get an abortion or get a period though.

 

If you want to see a guy trying to live the life of a woman without making fun of the LGBT community, I suggest you watch the anime I My Me! Strawberry Eggs. It's essentially a better version of the movie Tootsie and at the same time understands the struggles of living as someone else in a sense. Whereas this just felt like a senseless change that nearly resulted in South Park jumping the shark into oblivion. By the way, in the end, we get to see testicles exploding and Kyle nearly dying because he's an idiot. It wouldn't have mattered if you got to the testicles in time, they're no longer usable testicles. And Mr(s). Garrison accepting that she's not a "real woman" doesn't really make up for any of this.

Cringe-Inducing Audio: 0
Cringe-Inducing Visuals: 10
Lackluster Writing: 9
Annoyance: 7
Disturbing Content: 8
Unecessary Cruelty: 7
Rancid Morality: 3
Low Production Values: 0
Unfortunate Implications: 10
Character Derailment: 8

Final Score: 62/100


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