YMMV / South ParQ Vaccination Special

• Ass Pull: Mrs. Nelson dying of COVID-19 at the end of the episode. There is no previous foreshadowing that she even had contracted the virus (in fact she is shown to have an overall good health condition throughout the episode, as she is able to go to school to teach her class) nor that it would be fatal for her. Can be justified as Mr. Garrison made a deal with the higher ups so everyone would like him again, and it is implied that he got her killed in the process in order to get his old job back.
• Catharsis Factor: After he abused his adopted son Alejandro in Season Finale and tried to teach QAnon's beliefs to children in this episode, it can be hilariously cathartic that Robert White gets transformed into a giant penis with eyes at the end of the episode.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • A recurring joke in the episode is that South Park residents will do almost anything to cut the line and get vaccinated. The end of the episode sees the entire town volunteered to take the vaccine. Sadly just a few months after the episode aired, demand for the vaccines has dropped significantly in the United States, with around 30% of the population hesitating or refusing to be vaccinated, all despite COVID-19 getting confirmed cases of stronger and more contagious variants.
  • When Stan catches Kyle swapping some of the vaccines for soda, Kyle says he doesn't want his mom to die, to which Stan responds he doesn't want his mom to die either. In the Post-Covid Special, we find out that Stan's mother killed herself not long afterwards after Stan accidentally caused Shelly's death.
• I Knew It!: More than a few people predicted that Mrs. Nelson would be Killed Off for Real in order to make way for Mr. Garrison's return as the fourth-grade teacher.
• Just Here for Godzilla: For those who haven't watched seasons 20-23, still tuned in to watching this episode, if only to see Mr. Garrison go from a Trumplica back to his old self.
• Misaimed Fandom: Despite the episode depicting QAnon as bigots whose conspiracies rely on Insane Troll Logic, there are members of QAnon who took the episode as supportive of their beliefs.
• Squick:
  • The very graphic depictions of children being tortured by the Hollywood Elites.
  • The various abominations Mr. White is turned into, capping off as a giant penis.
  • The prank on Mrs. Nelson does look like menstrual fluid. It's no surprise that she freaks out.
• Tear Jerker:
  • Seeing Stan, Kyle, and Cartman break their friendships with each other, especially since it clearly stings for all of the boys to accept that they've drifted apart. On top of that, they shut Kenny out of the conversation despite the fact that he's clearly distressed by all the fighting and breaks into tears several times during the episode.
  • Ms. Nelson dies at the end.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • Considering that Donald Trump was infected with COVID-19 and Mr. Garrison was a stand-in for him in South Park, it would have been an amusing subplot for Mr. Garrison to have to cope with having COVID-19. Not to mention that it would have also been very cathartic after the previous episode had him burning alive the pangolin (and the scientist holding it) that could have provided a vaccine sooner just so more Mexicans would die.
  • The reason why Garrison became President in the first place was because of the influence of the Member Berries and the build up of those little bastards might have a huge part of the plot throughout season 20. By the time of this special they were never seen and mentioned at all. The build up went nowhere and if the Member Berries don’t show up in the next season then their appearances will end up becoming a Big-Lipped Alligator Moment. Member Berries could have tied in very well with the QAnon subplot, as the Mr. Garrison loving group could be still supporting him due to their consumption of Member Berries.
• The Woobie:
  • Mrs. Nelson. The episode shows that she was already struggling with being denied a vaccine because apparently the government didn't consider teachers important enough to get one, and then she falls victim of a mean-spirited prank by Cartman and Kenny (the former even dragging down Stan and Kyle alongside them despite having nothing to do with the incident), making her have an emotional breakdown and quit her job. When the boys decide to get her and the rest of the school faculty vaccines (although that's only because they don't want Mr. Garrison to be their teacher again), she understandably doesn't believe them at first, thinking it'll just be another prank. When the boys are finally able to get her a vaccine and just when it seems she and the boys are finally going to be in good terms with each other again, she is revealed to have contracted the Coronavirus and dies shortly after before even being able to get her own vaccine. And she's disrespected until the end with Priest Maxi throwing a party at her funeral and everyone else joining in and forgetting about her death completely.
  • Kenny. He's distressed by the tension that has been building up in the group and just wants to hang out with his friends like they did before the pandemic. Despite the distress he showed over the situation (to the point of crying) and the fact the rest of the boys do still consider him a friend, Stan, Kyle, and Cartman still decide they can't go back to the way things were and go their separate ways, ending their friendship while keeping Kenny Locked Out of the Loop so he doesn't become sad. At the end of the episode, the boys decide to "share custody" of Kenny leaving him only being able to hang out with them on a one-on-one basis.

---