Randy Marsh Takes it to the Next Level in New South Park, S23E01 “Mexican Joker”
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
Let’s get right to the point: there’s nothing Randy won’t do. For God’s sake, the man got testicular cancer just so he could get a legal medicinal marijuana permit. Clearly the man loves his bud. But this time, in 2019, Randy really gets fired up. The last we saw of Randy – at the end of Season 22 – he was flying high with his new hemp and marijuana farm called Tegridy Farms. Business was a-boomin’.
Where Do We Begin?
Enter 2019, Season 23, Episode 1 (titled, “Mexican Joker”): A true family affair, Tegridy Farms strives for greatness as a local mom-and-pop farm. Having grown to unbelievable highs, Tegridy Farms now sits at a crossroads. Randy now must ask himself: Do I fight the corporate machine as a family-owned operation OR conform to corporate greed and protect my investment? It’s easy to see that Randy walks a thin-line as it is, but he has himself convinced that he’s not going to be part of the 1% collective. That is… until he learns that the locals are starting to grow their own weed.
Led by a slow month of sales, Randy decides to get out there and make some personal home deliveries. This is where he discovers that the locals are growing weed (much like the beer homebrew movement) and sharing seeds. Randy loses it and enlists Stan to be the “child face” of Tegridy Farms in a low-publicized courtroom “battle” against amateur weed growers. Randy’s friend and partner (?) Towelie sees Randy’s change and parts ways. He says something like, “You’re becoming the thing you fought against.” Money changes a man, that’s for sure.
Who Is Randy, Really?
If there’s one thing we know about Randy, it’s that he does what he feels is right. Although Randy may be absolutely insane, he is also passionate and with strong convictions. Very few TV show characters are as unwavering as Randy Marsh. But of all the crazy things he’s done, this one may take the cake. In “Mexican Joker,” Randy teams up with a billionaire weed company to blow up the aforementioned local weed operations, murdering people in the process. It’s violent. It’s nuts. And it’s SO Randy. But is this also the moment where Randy truly takes it to the next level? Clearly Towelie was right – he’s one step away from being Big Marijuana himself. What led to Randy’s sudden change in corporate greed? After-all, isn’t a local pot farm supposed to be about integrity and fighting the man?
Conclusion
“Mexican Joker” is, overall, a pretty rocky episode to kick off the new season. But I’ve come to accept that Parker and Stone don’t care what we think, so I roll with it. It is what it is, right? With intertwined stories of the Joker movie, ICE detention camps, corporate juggernaut grip over small businesses, and probably some other things I’ve missed, it’s hard to get a bead on “Mexican Joker.” There are two dominating stories here: Cartman and Kyle’s story and Randy’s story. I wasn’t overly impressed with either, to be truthful, but Randy’s story is slightly more interesting.
If there’s an underlying message in “Mexican Joker,” I don’t know exactly what it is. The episode is absolutely all over the place, albeit in a surprisingly easy-to-follow manner. It’s all there, but it’s also incoherent. You’re confused, aren’t you? The confusion is not because the episode is “thought-provoking,” but because there’s just too much going on. Where will South Park take us next week? Tune in to Modern-Neon to find out!
Surprise spoiler: Randy actually has no ‘tegridy. And I love it.
*Featured Image: Source: Comedy Central
David “Nerdberry” is the proud founder and owner of Nerdbacon.com, a video game reviews and news website. Nerdberry owns a local pressure washing business in North Carolina, has a family, and a little house. With a college background in film and a personal love for dissecting movies, he feels aptly suited for Modern-Neon. The jury is still out on whether or not Modern-Neon wants him. We’ll see. But he is excited to be part of the team here in an effort to help it grow!
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