South

Warning: Spoilers ahead

While previews of the new episode of South Park showed Towelie heading east to Washington DC, for most of “Sickofancy” the show looked to the west, mocking the egotistical founders and ketamine parties of Silicon Valley.

“Sickofancy” kicked off with another ICE raid, this one among the marijuana crops of the Marsh family’s Tegridy Farms. Only one employee remained: Towelie. Randy and Towelie turned to ChatGPT to help, and wouldn’t you know it, the AI thought all of their ideas were spectacular. 

Some of the best early jokes play off the contrast between the way Randy talks to ChatGPT and the way he interacts with his wife. But things really got going as the plan to save the business turned into a LinkedIn fever dream. Tegridy Farms became Techridy Farms, and before long Randy and Towelie were listing buzzwords and microdosing ketamine. And to think, all they have to do is restrict themselves to a microdose! As Towelie put it, “This is going to be easy.”

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Meanwhile, the B-plot found business titans and foreign leaders simping for President Trump. As he did in real life, Apple’s Tim Cook presented Trump with glass-and-gold plaque, alongside assurances that the President does not have a small penis. Other IRL bribes also made appearances, including the Qatari government’s definitely-not-bugged Air Force One, and Mark Zuckerburg showed up, too. As we can only assume happened in real life, every one of these rich dignitaries praised Trump’s wee-wee.

But as longtime viewers might have guessed, not even the South Park version of Donald Trump is as exciting as Randy Marsh on a mission. ChatGPT, ketamine, ChatGPT, ketamine: “Sickofancy” mocks both addictions, but saves most of its scorn for the AI. I don’t know to what extent Trey Parker and Matt Stone used ChatGPT for this episode, but the LLM’s business acumen felt realistically stupid, not exaggerated. It’s already programmed to kiss your ass, and if it’s willing to tell you that your dream of selling salads made of french fries is wonderfully exciting and sure to succeed, do the writers even need to write a joke?

Eventually, the big plan is revealed: To save the business, Tegridy just has to sell to more customers. To sell to more customers, all Randy and Towelie have to do is make sure that marijuana is legal in every US state. Easy! Higher than usual, Towelie packed off for Washington DC to tell the President, where he joined a line of dignitaries offering bribes. With a Star Wars reference, Towelie himself was taken by Trump as a gift, to meet a grisly fate

Unfortunately, Randy kicked his ketamine habit before the episode could circle around to Silicon Valley’s No. 1 ketamine plug, but maybe Elon Musk will make an appearance later. Besides, “Sickofancy” had enough plot for half a season of Yellowstone: The episode ended with the Marshes leaving Tegridy Farm, which they had occupied since 2018.

And then there’s Satan. Before the credits rolled, the Dark Lord (who had been unsuccessfully using ChatGPT to get out of a toxic relationship) discovered Towelie in the bathroom covered in white stains. Their final interaction was more ominous than funny, and while Satan has been a minor character throughout Season 27, “Sickofancy” hinted at a bigger role for him to play. As South Park would have it, Donald Trump’s White House is worse than hell.

“Sickofancy” was less political than the last episode’s satire of ICE and Kristi Noem, let alone the genuinely shocking season premiere. But sometimes it’s nice to take a break from politics and do some ketamine. Elon Musk would probably agree.