Just saw episode 609- Free Hat

I just saw episode 609 "Free Hat" and I must say, that is exactly the South Park I've been waiting to see. I've been getting sick of people blindly idolizing George Lucas's self-indulgent re-releases of Star Wars and all the re-re-re-releases of other movies that followed as every other studio began doing the same thing. I've been waiting for someone to knock these studios and directors down a couple of pegs.

I especially enjoyed when the kids were at Lucas's house searching through his movie collection: "Star Wars Episode 1, version 300", 301 and 302. And "First Day of School Digitally Enhanced", "Wedding Video Digitally Enhanced" and "Kids Swimming Lesson with Digitally Enhanced Weather". Then there was that advertisement for the re-release of South Park episode 1 with enhancements such as the new space aliens and where Matt and Trey claim they always wanted to have Imperial Walkers and giant lizards in the background. And in the end when Spielberg and everyone else got melted and exploded after seeing the re-release of Raiders of the Lost Ark. There was also that joke running throughout the entire episode where everybody thinks their walkie-talkies are guns. This episode ranks right up there with the NAMBLA episode and the movie when Bill Gates got a bullet in his head.

I liked this episode, too. I didn't think it was great, but I loved some of the scenes, like:

Tweek making hats, and finding his "center of calm", only to be interrupted by Cartman!

The kids appear on "Nightline" and have to answer why they want to free a serial baby killer.

The re-release of South Park Episode 1. "When we first made South Park, we didn't want to use construction paper; we just had to because it was cheap."

Some thoughts:

It's interesting that Lucas is subordinate to Spielburg.

Did anyone else think at first that "Hat" referred to Mr. Hat?

That was the funniest part. I love it when they rip on Lucas.

It seemed about right to me. Spielberg has seemed to become more pyscho in the last couple years, while Lucas at least has his heart in the right place. I think that's what Matt and Trey were trying to show. That and the fact that picturing Lucas as Steve's bitch is pretty funny.

On Fri, 27 Sep 2002 05:33:47 GMT, Inspector Gadget wrote:

For me it's not so much Lucas re-releasing - I'm always up for more Boba Fett appearences. But when Spielberg releases a "dumbed-down" ET the Extra-Testicle then I start to get really ticked off. Like I'm totally sure that the FBI/CIA wouldn't use guns on some kids who were hiding an alien. The government is so paranoid and wants to control information that it wouldn't surprise me if they gunned down a whole schoolyard to keep the secret safe that aliens existed.

----- "There'll be someone else sitting here for Comedy Central. And that person... or woman... will have to face the fact that this is the network built on... South Park." - Craig Kilborn, The Daily Show

"That's a big Twinkie." - Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), Ghostbusters