The South Park: Post Covid Blu-ray presents two extended episodes that debuted on Paramount+ in the Fall of 2021: “Post Covid” and “Post Covid: The Return of Covid”. The two-part story illustrates writer/director Trey Parker’s ability to continue delivering the series’ trademark blend of juvenile humor and insightful social commentary at Season 24.
Post Covid sees a 40-year jump into future as Covid finally comes to an end. Stan has moved away. He suffers from depression and alcoholism due to the family tragedy he caused. Kyle still lives in town. Renowned scientist and humanitarian Kenny died while searching for a Covid cure. Cartman has converted to Judaism, is a rabbi, and is married with three children, all of which Kyle believes has been done solely to rile him.
Kyle and Token think Kenny’s death is suspicious since he was seeking the truth about those origins of Covid, but Stan isn’t convinced. Kenny had been experimenting with time travel to solve the Covid issue and was assisted by a scientist named Victor, who is now locked up in a mental institution. When news breaks that Kenny died from a new Covid variant, panic ensues. South Park gets quarantined by the military because one unnamed person is unvaccinated.
South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid opens in present-day South Park at the start of Covid lockdown, which turns out to be modern-day Stan’s dream. Continuing to reference Terminator, a plan is conceived to go back in time and stop what led to the Covid apocalypse. But not everyone wants the past changed and a rebellion forms.
The video is available in 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC displayed at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1.The computer-generated colors appear in strong hues. Blacks are inky and whites accurate, contributing to the image’s contrast.Some items have been given the appearance of texture and the animators create depth in some shots through layering and sharpness. The image is free of defect. The audio is available in Dolby TrueHD 5.1. Dialogue, except for Kenny’s muffled voice, comes through clear in the front center channel. Music and ambient effects can be heard in the surrounds. The subwoofer offers limited support. The Blu-ray has no extras.
South Park: Post Covid is an entertaining mix of goofy and serious. Among the things these episodes mock are technology and our reliance on it, business mergers, and the state of stand-up comedy. The story also offers thoughtful moments as it suggests forgiving friends we disagree with and understanding people come to and hold different viewpoints, although not all viewpoints are equal. The Blu-ray delivers an authentic experience of how the shows aired, but it leaves one wishing for extras about them.
