South Park: The Complete 3rd Season - The Complete Third Season

Animation, Comedy

Trey Parker	Stan Marsh/Eric Cartman/Mr. Garrison/Ned/Big Gay Al/Various others
Matt Stone	Kyle Broflovski/Kenny McCormick/Pip/Uncle Jimbo Kearn/Various others
Isaac Hayes	Jerome McElroy
Mary Kay Bergman	Ms. Cartman/Wendy
Jose Brown	Narrator/Various weapons
Mike Deleon	Jack/Clones
Kathryn Feller	Dolly/Various
Neill Glancy	Various
Marc Schaefgen	Various
Matthew Black	Various

Director	Matt Stone; Eric Stough; Trey Parker
Producer	Trey Parker; Matt Stone
Writer	Trey Parker; Matt Stone
Musician	Darren Mitchell

The third time's the, for want of a better word, charm for South Park on DVD. Instead of mere episode intros as on the first two boxed sets, Trey Parker and Matt Stone finally oblige us with actual episode commentary, or, as they call it, "commentary-mini." On this optional audio track, Trey and Matt goof for about five minutes or so at the top of each episode, certifying some as favorites ("Tweek vs. Craig," "Jewbilee," and "Worldwide Recorder Concert," which is described as "a reverse after-school special from hell"), championing others popularly dismissed by South Park's otherwise loyal fans ("Jakovasaurs," "Sexual Harassment Panda"), and provocatively dismissing all of season 2.

The third season was frantically produced simultaneously with the feature film, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. This was the season, Trey proclaims, "where South Park turned the corner... and became good (as far as we were concerned)." Among their most inspired conceits is the so-called "Meteor Shower Party" trilogy, three episodes that unfold over the course of one night, each focusing on a different kid. "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery" pays homage to Hanna-Barbera-style animation and Scooby-Doo, recasting Korn as the Mystery Inc gang. "Rainforest Shmainforest," featuring a game Jennifer Aniston, cuts rainforest crusaders down to size. "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" takes its irreverent cue from the album of the same name, and contains an outrageously obscure reference to the 1978 made-for-TV Star Wars Holiday Special. Throughout the season, South Park is, as usual, a gleeful equal-opportunity offender, but the show's true gonzo spirit is truly illustrated in such surreal touches as the employment of live action in "Tweek vs. Craig," the singing of "The Morning After" backwards to save Chef from the spell of "The Succubus," and the Seinfeld-worthy argument over whether the term should be "pirate ghosts" or "ghost pirates" in "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery." --Donald Liebenson