Entertainment
South Park’s Latest Episode Brings Back Fan-Favorite Character
By Robert Scucci
| Published
As South Park continues to barrel forward with its politically charged storylines, a new sense of balance has finally emerged with Season 28’s latest episode, “Sora Not Sorry.” Feeling like a much-needed return to form that the series has been hinting at for several weeks, the boys are finally back in town, and so is one of the show’s best side characters: Sergeant Harrison Yates. While the overarching story involving Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Satan, and Peter Thiel is clearly gearing up for a big conclusion in the coming weeks, it now moves quietly in the background as new conflicts and character arcs take the spotlight.
Fully aware that I’m one of those blowhards who has complained endlessly about South Park’s fixation on Donald Trump and the absence of small-town absurdity that made the series timeless in the first place, I finally feel like I can cool my jets. This is the best episode Trey Parker and Matt Stone have belted out this year, and it’s not even close. The front-and-center plot belongs to the boys and their antics while 47 continues doing his thing. At the same time, the episode delivers a timely takedown of generative AI and creates the narrative shift needed for a clean break when Season 28 ends on December 10.
The Boys Are Back In Town
“Sora Not Sorry” opens with Butters having the time of his life using Sora 2 to generate videos of Red unwillingly receiving a golden shower from Santa Claus. Still bitter that Red feigned interest in him purely to score a rare Labubu doll in Season 27’s “Wok is Dead,” Butters gets way too comfortable with generative AI as the video spreads through South Park Elementary. Red fires back instantly with an AI video showing Butters violating Totoro, and things escalate from there.
Meanwhile, Cartman becomes another Sora 2 victim under Peter Thiel’s supervision. Liane starts receiving wellness updates featuring several of Cartman’s famous catchphrases from earlier eras of South Park. They are obviously fake given how dated the references are, but the production quality is convincing enough to fool everyone.
These beats converge perfectly when Sergeant Yates, convinced the videos are real, decides actual cartoon characters are part of a sprawling child trafficking ring. Preparing for yet another questionable sting operation with Detective Mitch while posing as Rocky and Bullwinkle, Yates is confronted by Studio Ghibli reps who are furious that their intellectual property is being used without authorization or compensation.
Donald Trump Has Become The B Story
The unfortunate reality about recent South Park is that Parker and Stone wrote themselves into a corner with their Trump arc, so they have no choice but to see it through to a proper conclusion. The good news is that this episode finally treats it like a B plot instead of the main event. J.D. Vance continues plotting to use Peter Thiel and Cartman to stop Satan’s butt baby with Trump from coming to term.
In full manipulation mode, Vance seduces Trump, leading to a graphic night of passion in the Lincoln Bedroom that is recorded by a security camera and leaked to Fox News. Caught between Vance’s scheming, Satan’s outrage, and Fox News’ reaction, Trump manages to convince everyone that the very real video of his affair with Vance was actually generated by AI and is nothing more than fake news.
We May Get The Tidy Resolution We Deserve
It feels like Parker and Stone heard their fans loud and clear. This episode puts the boys and Sergeant Yates front and center, returning South Park to the chaotic, small-town energy that defined its golden era. One of my biggest criticisms of Seasons 27 and 28 is that the Trump storyline became one-note. Now that the boys have been pulled back into the fold in a more significant capacity, their separate story about abusing generative AI to mislead the masses is tying the entire season together. The commentary on media manipulation works on both fronts, and it is clear that all of this will need to be addressed by the time we reach the finale.
South Park suddenly feels like it is firing on all cylinders again, and in a way that shows how effortlessly Parker and Stone can juggle multiple storylines without making it feel awkward or forced when they put their minds to it. They still have to push toward the serialized Trump conclusion, which still bums me out. However, the new Sora 2 angle involving the boys and Yates sets the stage for what looks like the opening chapter of an epic three-part finish.
If they keep balancing both stories the way they did in this episode, I have no doubt that Season 28 will end stronger than I expected. The loose ends are tightening, and thanks to the boys, everything is finally starting to make sense again.
South Park is streaming on Paramount+.
