Tweek x Craig

The past few episodes of South Park have been heavy on social commentary. At times it felt heavy handed, like the show had sacrificed jokes for a serious message. But Tweek x Craig offers a reprieve from the heavy commentary, which comes across as a breath of fresh air.

South Park Elementary got an influx of Asian-American students. They were all girls and were using Tweek and Craig as their subjects for Yaoi drawings.

(Side note: I didn’t know what Yaoi was before this episode. If you’ want to read about it, here’s a link to it’s Wikipedia entry. Long story short, it’s just idealized romantic fiction for girls that uses two guys.)

As the artwork spread, so did rumors the two were gay. Neither of them were, but they didn’t know how to handle the situation. No one listens to their objections. Not P.C. Principal, not their friends, and not their parents. It  had a point though. Since everyone believed the two were a couple, we saw various ways people reacted.

Stan was confused,  wondering why the Asian girls turned Craig and Tweek gay.  He asked his dad, but Randy is as clueless as he always is. Randy’s confusion gave us gems like “We’ve only had a Whole Foods for a few weeks and we already have our fist gay kids.” Randy, bless his heart, calls government officials in China for clarification on how they decide who is gay.

Then there’s the parents’ reactions. Tweek’s family is loving and supportive, while Craig’s dad seems to have a hard time handling the situation.  There’s a montage of various people in town using the drawings of Tweek and Craig as symbols of what relationships should be like.

Of course, this caused a great deal of frustration for the boys. They came up with a plan to break up in front of the Asian girls, thinking the artwork would stop.

Tweek went overboard in the planned breakup and painted Craig in unfavorable light. But what followed between the two is ironic as Tweek comes to help Craig out.

Craig was pissed, claiming the smear job would make it harder to get girls. Tweek replies with a heartfelt response and we’re treated with a montage of the two hanging out and playing the part to rehabilitate Craig’s reputation.

While all that was going on, Cartman and Cupid Me have their own side story. There’s laughs in that story, some I’ve probably missed. But it was still entertaining.

One scene in particular, Cartman has to talk Cupid Me out of the local gay bar to help Craig and Tweek get back together. During their conversation, the camera changes perspective, showing Cartman talking to himself.

Cartman/Cupid Me wasn’t as rich as the main story, but it didn’t have to be. It had one job, to show us that Cartman is fucking nuts and either very narcissistic or a bit gay.

Tweek X Craig was a fun story and was a much needed break from the heavier social commentary of some of the previous episodes.  A