This episode came out after Michael Jackson had been arrested and was on trial for child molestation. Parker and Stone do an excellent job by targeting Jackson's accusers as much as---if not more than---Jackson himself. The criticism of Jackson is about his fitness as a parent, and NOT about any rumors of him being a child molester; in fact, this episode seems to show some empathy towards Jackson, showing him to be a "lost boy" who simply wanted to relive the childhood he was denied as a child performer. On the surface, it may seem like this "South Park" episode is simply lampooning Jackson's incredible personal idiosyncrasies (as displayed on "Living With Michael Jackson"), but within these potshots at Jackson lie a serious appraisal of the man's personality, and how that may affect his ability to raise his children. I liked that the episode focused on Jackson's children, and seriously analyzed their well-being and happiness based on Jackson's apparent fitness as a parent.
To be honest, Parker and Stone had only the Bashir interview to go with in order to make their judgement, and that special, I think, did not reveal the "real" Michael Jackson as a man, much less analyze his children's happiness or his fitness as a parent (we will never know unless Jackson's children speak up themselves). Nonetheless, Parker and Stone are to be commended for not joining with the herd in casting Jackson as a man guilty of any crime or as being a particularly "evil" person (as most comedians are wont to do), and for actually criticizing the police in their investigation of Jackson. So far, this has to be the best parody of Michael Jackson ever shown, if only because it tries to understand the man.
To be honest, Parker and Stone had only the Bashir interview to go with in order to make their judgement, and that special, I think, did not reveal the "real" Michael Jackson as a man, much less analyze his children's happiness or his fitness as a parent (we will never know unless Jackson's children speak up themselves). Nonetheless, Parker and Stone are to be commended for not joining with the herd in casting Jackson as a man guilty of any crime or as being a particularly "evil" person (as most comedians are wont to do), and for actually criticizing the police in their investigation of Jackson. So far, this has to be the best parody of Michael Jackson ever shown, if only because it tries to understand the man.
