feministsouthpark:

Cold takes: S27E4 Wok is Dead
This episode opens with Betsy and Nelly, which makes me think Trey might have heard some crazy stories from his daughter about the labubu craze. It was nice seeing them featured in this capacity, and I’m always looking forward to see Betsy consistently getting prominent roles!
It’s been so long seeing Dougie and Butters just hanging out as friends! His last speaking role might have been in season 13. They are still a trio of melvins, only Scott replaced Pip, which honestly makes sense.
Before the episode had come out, the press release mentioned: “Butters has to get a labubu for his girlfriend” and people were out here guessing who that mysterious girlfriend could be. Charlotte returning? Butters started to date someone else? It was a huge surprise that it’s Red, even if they’re not really dating of course, it’s just Butters thinking they do. (Although the way Butters acts makes it seem like he’s thinking of it as a one-night stand), so I’m not even sure if it’s going to be ever brought up again.

I assumed Red asked multiple boys (like maybe Kevin Stoley), to make sure that she gets that rare labubu, but that wasn’t addressed. I wonder what the Red/Kevin shippers feel now (because there’s a lot of them).
~~Dr. Janus~~ Tuong Lu Kim sells Crayon Shin-chan keychains? As a fan of Crayon Shin-chan (it’s pretty much considered to be the Japanese equivalent of South Park, so if you like South Park and Japanese culture, I honestly recommend it) - I’m super happy they made this reference! I wonder if Trey has actually seen it though.
And of course the Chinpokomon sculptures are here as well. As they should be. I like how it’s consistently the only brand that has a South Park equivalent instead of being the real thing. It makes the South Park world a bit more special.
Wing is back?!?
I’m so happy they’re remembering all these characters! Sure, she appeared in season 18 for a moment, but this is the first time she actually speaks since her introduction in season 9! And she seems to be a good moral compass for her husband.
Up until now, Tammy Thompson was an anchor of Channel 4 news. Is she now permanently a member of Fox news or she just got shoved in these scenes?
Vice Principal Strong Woman finally appears, but she doesn’t talk. At least she seems to be on civil terms with PC Principal, but we still have to wonder how she feels about the christian thing.
Love to see Sophie and her mom in speaking roles again! Lola finally has a confirmed surname, Lola Paxton. And her mother speaks for the first time! She was previously seen in S13 Margaritaville, walking with Lola in the background, and while her design wasn’t nearly as detailed, the hair color is the same, so we can assume they just updated her design.
Not gonna lie, when Satan told he can’t leave because of the box, I thought there was a labubu inside.
First time seeing the interiors of the McArthur house! The labubu cupcakes are very creative and it’s always nice to see Heidi, even if much like Strong Woman, she doesn’t have speaking lines.
The family picture on the wall is really wholesome, it just radiates suburban family energy.
We get introduced to a previously unseen school secretary called Bev, and she is iconic during her scene with Jesus, I hope we see more of her!
Red’s bedroom is our next new location! She likes butterflies, Wicked and Chappel Roan, owns a stuffed pig toy, I don’t know this exact kind, but it looks similar to the IKEA KELGRIS pig, holding a heart. If anyone knows it, more information in comments is welcomed! Nice to see her having a cheerleading picture with Bebe, although it raises the question why Bebe wasn’t at her birthday.
Here’s another picture of all the guests, drawn in a fun new angle.
Theresa actually had a speaking line! Ever since Moss Piglets, she is one of my favorite girl characters, definitely underrated.
Not too long ago I predicted that Satan and Jesus both being important in this season might lead up to a confrontation between them. I’m happy it turned out to be right, as ther “bibilical showdown” really makes a lot of narrative sense. Although I assumed it would take place later. But instead we get…
Satan’s pregnancy. Bring the theories, how is this going to play out?
Damien gets a little sister or brother, is he going to be finally addressed? I’m afraid that since this baby is going to have Trump’s genes, it’s going to be some kind of fiendish freak, moreso than Damien. But maybe it will just be a gag and he will give birth to the actual human Trump children who will then immediately walk away as adults or something. Or maybe Jesus will tell him to get an abortion, and this will take us to an abortion storyline?
At the beginning of the episode, the counselor office still had most of Mr. Mackey’s decoration, but now Jesus fully owns the role. His picture with his dad is sweet, but the Ye book scares me.
The episode ends with him being complimented by Red. My new prediction is a confrontation between Jesus and Mr. Mackey! Jesus doesn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that he took another man’s job in the slightest. I honestly doubt they want to phase Mackey out like they did with Principal Victoria. May the best counselor win!