While I’m a HUGE fan of those special Halloween episodes of beloved series, I have to confess I don’t have the same love towards the Christmas specials. It’s not that I have anything against Christmas — I love Christmas. I’ll even admit to getting really excited when I start to see the decorations go up in November.
But there’s something about Christmas specials that bring out the worst in a lot of shows. I loved Xena, but I can’t sit through “A Solstice Carol,” and while the “Amends” episode of Buffy was not horrid, it was far from the highlight of that season.
But there is one show, a show we’ll refer to as fantasy-adjacent, that has always lifted my spirits during Christmas time, and that show is none other than South Park. Specifically, a brilliant episode called “Red Sleigh Down” expelled my inner Grinch.
South Park — “Red Sleigh Down”
Five Torches (Out of Five)
To begin with, has there ever been a better villain than Eric Cartman? Who else can do the things he’s done and yet still retain our love and affection? In all of fiction, he stands alone.
Sure, South Park may have hit a creative lag over the past few years, but “Red Sleigh Down” aired during the sixth season, when the show was still fresh and at a creative peak.
The episode begins with Cartman arguing with his friend, who is acting as his accountant and tallying up all the times he’s been naughty versus all the times he’s been nice, only to realize that this year, Eric will actually owe Santa 306 presents. The only way to rectify this situation, Eric is told, is to do the nicest thing that anyone has ever done … ever.
After hearing the the children in Iraq don’t celebrate Christmas, Cartman decides the nicest thing he can do is to convince Santa to spread Christmas cheer to all the little Iraqi girls and boys. Unfortunately, while flying over Iraq, Santa’s sleigh is hit by a rocket, and Santa lands in enemy territory, where he’s quickly captured and tortured.
The boys plan a rescue mission, and they know the only person who can help them is their old pal … Jesus. So Jesus arms himself to the teeth, and the crew head out to Iraq to bring Santa home.
(Okay, if at this point you’re offended, you should probably stop reading now.)
They land in Iraq, and Jesus takes out dozens of Iraqi soldiers. They free Santa, who quickly takes out his interrogator, and head out. On the way back to the sleigh, Jesus is killed by an Iraqi soldier. Santa takes his friend’s weapons, and he and the boys fight their way out of Iraq, ultimately setting off bombs that create Christmas decorations, forcing the celebration of Christmas on the Iraqi people.
I’ve always appreciated South Park for its brash audacity, and all of its offensive material tends to get a pass from me because it’s pretty egalitarian — no race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, or gender is safe. It allows you to laugh at the ridiculousness of life, and sometimes, you just want to see Santa Claus blow somebody away.
If only more shows could get this creative with Christmas episodes.
Looking to buy something mentioned in this column (or any other media)? Support TheTorchOnline.com by purchasing it through this link.
![[Bloglines]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/bloglines.png)
![[Digg]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Fark]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/fark.png)
![[Google]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[Squidoo]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Windows Live]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/windowslive.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
The period of time between the beginning of October and the end of December is a very special time of year, a time when television shows, websites, and retail stores alike dress themselves up in holiday themes.
This episode set up many plot points that would affect the rest of the season: Spike’s slow but inevitable crawl towards the side of good, Angel not truly being out of Buffy’s life, and the group’s awkwardly growing distant from one another. By this point in the show’s life, the lead actors were a well-oiled machine, playing off each other with great comic timing, and the episode boasts one of my favorite lines by Xander, who had been cursed with all sorts of diseases (venereal and otherwise) by a vengeful spirit: “Can we get back to me and my new syphilis?”
Back again for another highly opinionated — some might even say downright cranky — look at the week in fantasy. You’ve been warned!
Elf
Meanwhile, think about all the great TV Christmas specials:
