South Park season 27 episode 2 has finally dropped after the sitcom’s controversial premiere, but its best satirizing of world events isn’t even featured – here’s what you missed

If you watched the controversial premiere, you’ll know that South Park season 27 episode 2 has had a brief hiatus following an explosive return to our screens. We’re now back on track with South Park Elementary counselor Mr. Mackey being fired due to budget cuts, then getting a job with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the latest episode. Unsurprisingly, episode 2’s plot is the source of content for my new, spontaneous award: the South Park burn of the week.

As we know, the Paramount+ show has never shied away from proving hot takes on world events, and South Park season 27 has got off to a fairly explosive start. We’ve seen a deepfaked version of President Donald Trump in full nude mode in episode 1, with episode 2 quickly following up with the horrific death of Superman’s sidekick Krypto, who gets shot in the head by US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem (RIP, you were a good boy to the very end).

But for me, the best critique of US politics from South Park this week wasn’t even seen in episode 2. If you’ve been chronically online over the last few days, you might know what I’m talking about. If you’re a well-rounded, rational person with hobbies and a life (unlike myself), let me catch you up.

South Park claps back at The White house in this major burn not seen in season 27 episode 2

As I’ve touched on, ICE is coming under heavy fire in South Park season 27, making up a prevalent part of both episodes we’ve seen so far. However, in an unexpected turn of events, the White House has tried to use being the butt of the joke to their advantage. As you can see from the X/Twitter post above, the White House’s official account posted a (pretty sinister looking) screenshot of South Park-ed versions of ICE agents in order to try and recruit people to join their ranks. Not only was the post immediately criticised by fans, but the South Park creators themselves, who replied: “wait, so we ARE relevant? #eatabagofd*cks.”

Not only is the show no stranger to parodying Trump long before season 27 arrived on the scene, the clapback is a direct response to a Variety interview with White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers on the events of episode 1. "Just like the creators of South Park, the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows,” Rogers said in response to the deepfake. “This show hasn't been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention."

The Department of Homeland Security (NHS) additionally told Newsweek: “We want to thank South Park for drawing attention to ICE law enforcement recruitment. We are calling on patriotic Americans to help us remove murderers, gang members, pedophiles, and other violent criminals from our country.”

It’s too early to tell yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if episode 2 rivals the astonishing viewing figures of season 27 episode 1 (that received 6 million), making it the highest-watched South Park episode since 1999. The X post in question currently has 15.2 million views, meaning there’s a good chance more people will be tuning in as the weeks go on. If we’re being honest, the show is likely only just getting started with its scathing satirizations of Trump and the US government, so I’d suggest keeping one eye on new episodes and the other on their social channels.

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