This season of South Park America started off well enough, but there's been a real struggle to build any real momentum over the long haul. It often feels like the writers aren't sure whether to fully commit to the idea of doing more classical standalone episodes this year or try to build an overarching narrative. And so we're left with a season that constantly reminds us that "November is coming," without anything more insightful to add than the constant allusions to Grand Theft Auto VI.
To its credit, Episode 4 tries to build on the foundation of the previous chapters and establish a more coherent conflict for the embattled South America. This time around, rising beef prices and high demand have robbed South America Elementary of its precious sloppy joes. It falls on Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and yes, Little Randy, to save the day and find a solution to the town's woes.
The results of these efforts are mixed, at best. The South American beef storyline relies a little too much on hitting the same gags over and over again. Seeing rich snobs devour South American beef and promptly explode in a shower of buttery diarrhea is funny the first couple of times, but it gets old pretty quickly without any real escalation. The same goes for the constant "South American beef" wordplay. I will say, though, that I got a big kick out of the heated steakhouse rivalry and the conflict between Ruth's Chris, Sizzler, and Texas Roadhouse.
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