http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2010/04/28/is-it-ok-to-type-this/ Responses to Media and Culture Fri, 12 Feb 2016 19:35:04 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.5 http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2010/04/28/is-it-ok-to-type-this/comment-page-1/#comment-4079 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:03:46 +0000 http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/?p=3465#comment-4079 What makes these episodes different from the “Cartoon Wars” series, i.e. why did the SP brand of satire seem to “work” then, but not now? I think you hint at it in your complaint about the messy narratives of “200” and “201”. There’s really no B-plot to speak of, unless you consider all the messy hey-it’s-an-anniversary-episode-so-let’s-break-out-the-oldies meta-references to be one. But “Cartoon Wars” had that fantastic “Family Guy” B-plot at a time when the show was peaking in popularity, and it was tied to the episodes’ larger discursive targets about how cartoons address controversy. In “200” and “201,” Mohammed seems to be just a way for them to call Tom Cruise gay again and bring Scott Tenorman back into our lives (which was actually kind of awesome). This isn’t to downplay the importance of their contribution to the dialogue on Islam and free speech issues, but in making that a secondary concern, Parker and Stone exposed themselves even more as clumsy storytellers.

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