The South Park Season 28 Finale Brought Back Some Fan Favorite Characters (But Not Who You'd Expect)

This episode contains spoilers for "South Park" season 28, episode 5, "The Crap Out."

Christmas has once again come to "South Park" in the season 28 finale, and very few people feel all that jolly about it. President Donald J. Trump (Matt Stone) and the sycophantic branches of his administration have only brought further hardships upon our favorite redneck mountain town ever since the insane season 27 premiere, "Sermon on the 'Mount." Mr. Mackey (Trey Parker), for example, can hardly get by after becoming embroiled in Kristi Noem's ICE raids. Even Stan's (Parker) South Park Sucks Now crypto scheme ("The Woman in the Hat") ended with Kyle's cousin receiving a cruel prison sentence. One of the saddest developments, however, is Stan having to shack up in his grandpa's nursing home after Randy (Parker) finally sold off Tegridy Farms. He's so disillusioned by the rampant cruelty and general quality of life that "The Crap Out" sees him hoping for a Christmas miracle, and he sure gets one.

Looking at the title of this week's episode and remembering that it's the holiday season, Stan pleading with the inside of a toilet bowl signaled all but one thing: the triumphant return of Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo (Parker). The sentient feces hasn't made an appearance in the show since season 22's "The Christmas With a Poo" in 2018, so his emergence would have fit in line with seasons 27 and 28 bringing back long-dormant characters. But I guess Stan didn't have enough fiber in his diet, because he's instead greeted by none other than the Woodland Critters of "Woodland Critters Christmas," one of the series' best episodes. Watching this live, I too found myself with Stan yelling "oh no" at the return of South Park's most demented little bunch of talking animals.

It's crazy to think that the Woodland Critters, with such inspired names as Deery the Deer and Chickadee-y the Chickadee, made their inaugural appearance back in the show's eighth season over 21 years ago. The heartwarming story about a reluctant Stan helping a bunch of forest animals find safety takes a memorably twisted turn when they turn out to be Satanists who love participating in bloody group play. The Antichrist is set to be born, and it's all Stan's fault. The reveal that this tall tale is actually from the mind of Cartman (Parker), with all of its increasingly crazy plot twists, like an abortion being performed on a possessed Kyle (Stone), is the cherry on top. The Woodland Critters last appearance on "South Park" was in season 11's "Imaginationland" trilogy, where they killed and, well, assaulted so many fictional characters.

It was a surprise to see them again, even though we really should have seen their return coming given the butt baby affair between Satan (Trey Parker) and Trump. Every time Stan wonders how this is even possible, the Woodland Critters hilariously shoot down trying to apply any semblance of logic with "are you really gonna overanalyze a crap out [...] crap outs have no rules." It doesn't really matter, considering how many surrealistic happenings transpire in "South Park" on a routine basis. Yet, it's made even funnier when a desperate Stan pleads for their appearance to make "a little bit of sense."

Everything seems to fall into place when they tell Stan that they're here to see the birth of the Antichrist, which coincidentally lines up with Satan coming to South Park.

"The Crap Out" essentially concludes a bunch of plot threads over the past 10 episodes which, in retrospect, makes the decision to abruptly start a brand new season of "South Park" after the fifth episode of season 27 seems even stranger. In a surprising turn of events, the Woodland Critters are presented as the better option between Trump, Peter Thiel (Stone), and Pete "content grifter" Hegseth (Parker). They all converge at the hospital with the sycophants of the Presidential administration setting out to terminate the pregnancy, while the Critters are there to see it through.

Nobody gets to do anything, however, as "The Crap Out" ends the season on a very dark joke of the doctor saying that the butt baby supposedly hung itself in the womb. The only evidence of this is an ultrasound with misplaced footage, all while Trump victoriously smiles. It's never directly stated, but the tape is a clear reference to the previously missing minute surrounding the suicide of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein (via CBS News), who had ties to the President before his death. This follows the Stone and Parker tradition of poking the bear just enough to cause a stir, but not get sued.

All of the gymnastics to make the Woodland Critters actual players in this bizarre two-season run is made even funnier when they're mostly just there to make you wonder how to bring about even more holiday violence. Everything's gone off the rails. In the words of a very intoxicated Towelie (Vernon Chatman), "what's going on is the most exquisitely woven tapestry of ideas that you've ever seen, man." 

All 28 seasons of "South Park" are currently streaming on Paramount+.