12 Reviews of Christmas - South Park: It's Christmas in Canada (2003)

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, last night's screening for Spider-Man: No Way Home was an absolute blast for me, but now it's time to get back to 12 Reviews of Christmas with a return to that little effed-up mountain town in Colorado: South Park. Now, South Park has done a number of Christmas episodes, but today, I'm reviewing a personal favorite of mine, with the season seven episode It's Christmas in Canada. 

            One December night in South Park, as the Brovlofski family is celebrating Hanukkah, they get some unexpected visitors with the Canadian couple Harry and Elise Gints, who were the birth parents of Ike, whom the Brovlofskis adopted years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Gints reveal that they've come to return Ike, who they refer to by his birth name of Peter, home to Canada with them, as a law by the new Canadian Prime Minister requires that all Canadian children in adoption must be returned home. Mr. and Mrs. Brovlofski argue with Mr. and Mrs. Gints over the situation, leading the matter to be settled in court. 

        Unfortunately, the American judge is unable to overrule the laws of the Canadian Prime Minister, thus is forced to grant custody of Ike to his birth parents under Canadian law. Ike is taken back to Canada, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Brovlofski in tears, and Kyle trying to figure out a way to get the Canadian Prime Minister to change his mind. 

         Meanwhile, as Stan, Cartman, and Kenny look into store windows at things they want for Christmas, a gathering at Town Hall leads to the adults in South Park deciding to use the money they would have spent on Christmas presents to help the Brovlofskis in their trying time. Stan is disheartened, Clyde starts crying, and Cartman is pissed, and runs straight for Kyle, blaming him and his family for ruining Christmas. Kyle, however, reveals his plan to get Ike back. He calls Mr. Kim of the restaurant City Wok, hoping to use his cheap air service City Airlines to book a flight to Canada. After haggling the price from $6,500 to just $62, the boys head to Canada. 

       Unfortunately, Mr. Kim's plane starts to break down, and he bails out, leaving the boys behind when the plane crashes in Canada, where some local Canadians greet them and ask why they've come to Canada. Unfortunately, the revelry is cut short by Scott the Dick, who is angry with the boys for ruining Canadian soil...and for being American. Yeah, Scott is a real dick. Anyway, the local Canadians tell the boys to follow the main road to Ottawa in order to find the Canadian Prime Minister. Along the way, the boys meet a Mountie, who wants to appeal to the Prime Minister over a law taking away the horses from the Mounties, a French Canadian, who wants to appeal to the Prime Minister over a law banning the French Canadians from drinking wine, and a fisherman in Newfoundland, who also wants to appeal to the Prime Minister to overturn a new law. The fisherman ultimately points out that they all went in the wrong direction, but takes them down river to Ottawa in his boat. 

        Upon arrival, the doorman initially denies them all entry, buy after seeing the boys cry, lets them all in to see the Prime Minister, who appears as a green floating head. Scott the Dick arrives with Ike and Mr. and Mrs. Gints, leading to Kyle telling of what the real meaning of family is. The Prime Minister, despite being moved by his speech, denies any changes to his laws, and kills Kenny (because of course Kenny has to die). However, Stan notices a curtain covering a space in the wall, where it's revealed that the new Canadian Prime Minister is none other than Saddam Hussein, making yet another bid to take over Canada. Saddam is captured, and his laws all rendered null and void. Mr. Gints gives Ike the choice to return to Colorado, and he chooses to do so happily. Unfortunately, Cartman's watch reveals that they've missed Christmas morning, and he and Kyle now have to duke it out. After one punch to the nose, Cartman cries like a little bitch, and the boys' new Mountie friend offers them the chance to celebrate Christmas in Canada. 

           What made this episode funny, aside from the fact that it's mainly set in Canada, is the fact that it's also a parody of The Wizard of Oz. From the journey to the traveling companions to the music. Heck, even the reveal of the "man behind the curtain" was a nod to The Wizard of Oz.  I also liked the return of a previous recurring South Park villain with Saddam Hussein. And showing him with a super thick beard and disheveled long hair hiding in a spider hole was really funny. 

           Overall, this was a really funny Christmas episode. I'm giving South Park: It's Christmas in Canada a rating of 5/5. This is Chuck signing off, and I'll be back tomorrow with a long awaited review of Elf with Will Ferrell as 12 Reviews of Christmas continues. 

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