'South Park' Season 15, Episode 12 Recap - '1%'

It was only a matter of time before "South Park" got around to mocking Occupy Wall Street, just as it was only a matter of time before they took on Broadway (which happened last week). This time, though, Randy had nothing to do with it: it was all Cartman.

South Park Elementary took the Presidential Fitness Test, which reduces the entire school to an average. Since Cartman is so fat and unhealthy, he actually took the entire school down with him, requiring extra PE classes for everyone instead of recess. "We're paying for your being fat," says Craig. Cartman responds indignantly. "You're the 99% ganging up on the 1%!" he yells.

Get it?

What follows is, somewhat fittingly, a mishmash. Cartman holds a "tea party" (GET IT?!) with his stuffed animals after Clyde Frog is kidnapped and nailed to a tree. One by one, Cartman's stuffed toys are picked off and killed until we realize at the end that it was Cartman doing it all along (as Polly Prissypants) in an effort to grow up and get rid of his stuffed toys.

Meanwhile, Jimmy and Butters find the workings of the Presidential Fitness Test to be unfair to the 99%, so they start a small protest outside the office (and near the Red Robin, so it becomes "Occupy Red Robin"). The media goes nuts over it, and it becomes a blocks-wide affair due to the ridiculous numbers of police officers and media trucks.

That whole kerfuffle turns out to be an opportunity for puns and math jokes as Butters breaks off to start another "movement" as he "occupies the rest room" (GET IT?!?!?!). Then, the 5th graders step in and start their 83% movement, protesting against the entire 4th grade, which has the 4th grade class and the 5th grade class fighting against each other in all-out "class warfare" (GEEEEET IIIIIIIIIT?!?!?!?!).

The episode is kinda all over the place, and Stan pretty much sums up the Carman storyline at the end when he says "What. The hell." But maybe that was the point: just as the Occupy Wall Street movement is all over the place and a little unfocused, so was this episode. But it still meant well and had some good things to say.

And, just like the real Occupy Wall Street, we got some pretty good jokes out of it.