South Park (TV Series) Pandemic (2008) User Reviews

Craig takes a leading role

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 27 November 2012]

On a trip to the mall the boys complain about the Peruvian pan pipe bands that seem to be everywhere; that evening Stan even sees one playing outside his house. He also notices that they are making quite a lot of money; there only one thing for them to do; they will form their own Peruvian pan pipe band! The four boys conscript Craig into their band as he as recently been given $100 and they needed money to buy equipment. What they hadn't counted on was decision of Homeland Security to cure the pan-pipe pandemic once and for all by rounding up every band and taking them to a holding camp in Miami. Here they try to explain that they are just American kids but the guards are unsure what to believe and suspect the boys might be used to eradicate the bands once and for all my sending them to Peru! While they are flying south it emerges that the pan-pipe bands served a valuable purpose… warding off an attack by giant guinea pigs!.

This episode was rather fun; the idea that pan-pipe bands could be considered a threat to global security was amusingly surreal as was the reveal at the end when we learnt that they were really doing good saving everybody from the giant guinea pigs! There are some fairly obvious references to the film 'Cloverfield'; most notably as Randy films his family's daily activities then films the guinea pig attack complete with that films obvious shaky-cam style. It was fun seeing Craig take a central role; especially when he kept being sarcastic after their incarceration. Being the first part of a two part story you'll have to watch the next episode to discover how the boys get back to South Park.

Guinea Pigs

[RainDogJr · 9/10 · 25 October 2008]

***Written on 23 October 2008***

This just aired episode is very funny with some strange things and without a conclusion. Is basically Cloverfield in South Park and that was great especially because of the great creatures that are attacking: Gigantic guinea pigs, of course shown in the amazingly hilarious and now classic way of Trey and Matt. But our four boys and Craig are not in South Park when this attack happens and actually they are going to Peru. Practically the whole guinea pigs stuff only takes like 5 minutes of this episode but of course the rest is also quite funny. It begins with Kenny buying the stuff to shave his balls "because girls like shaved balls!" and later we have a constant with Stan and the now quite popular and quite annoying Peruvian pan flute bands. This time is not Cartman but Stan the one who will came with an idea to make easy money so the four boys together with Craig (the one with the necessary money) will be the Llama Brothers. Is actually very funny because the boys were having success with their "cultural music" however the real Peruvian pan flute bands were already enough to fill the whole town but not only the town but many other cities all around the world. So with that enters the government since all what the Peruvian pan flute bands are causing is the crisis. Again is hilarious just to hear the dialogs of the members of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, they just can't figure out from where the Peruvian pan flute bands came since they investigate a lot and they couldn't find the country Peruvian! So now all the Peruvian bands, including the boys, are at a camp in Miami and you know that guinea pigs as food are quite common in Peru so without Peruvians…

At one point of this episode I thought that this was going to be the last appearance of Craig in the show. Basically Craig can't believe what is happening and of course he is regretting the fact that he joined Cartman, Stan, Kenny and Kyle in their Peruvian band so he says something like "that would be great, thank you" after the boys said something like when we return we will never speak to you again" so that's why I though that this was going to be the last appearance of Craig in the show, actually Craig is hilarious in this episode but for sure he will be better in the next one. Can't wait!!!

Another episode that is more than one part!

[gangstahippie · 8/10 · 24 October 2008]

Like plenty of South Park episodes such as Imaginationland or Go God Go, this is another two or more parter episode.There seems to be one for every season.This episode somewhat spoofs the movie "Cloverfield" which I have not yet seen.Stan gets annoyed with the fact that Peruvian flute bands are everywhere.The boys then decide to start there own so they can get rich.They need money to start it, so they ask Craig who has $100 from his grandmother to be in the band with them.But them and all the other flute bands end up getting sent to Guantanamo bay.Meanwhile, Randy gets a new video camera and bothers everybody with it.We also find out the Peruvian flute bands are playing to keep away some sort of "beast".The episode has a cliffhanger and will be continued in the next episode.I enjoyed this episode.It was not as good as Imaginationland or Go God Go, but it seems fairly promising and does have some very funny parts!

Great Cultural References

[luis_reinoso-19-479358 · 10/10 · 1 April 2012]

I agree with the other stellar reviews, which have captured most of what I wanted to say. One small but important point I'd like to add is that they got the Peruvian cultural references spot on.

As a Peruvian American with a Peruvian wife, we were particularly annoyed with the Peruvian references in the last Indiana Jones film. With their massive budget, they couldn't have done a little research to get those cultural details right? They actually had mariachi music playing in Peru (rolling eyes).

Fortunately, the South Park guys did us proud. Both of us were in HYSTERICS laughing at this episode, especially when we saw the "monsters" reveal. Absolutely classic!

Craig

[Squib31 · 10/10 · 26 August 2020]

Craig has to be one of my favourite secondary child characters, so needless to say, I loved this 2 parter. One of the best. His sarcastic deadpan humor is fantastic and even in other episodes where he has one or two lines, they're always a highlight for me. Having also seen Cloverfield I thought these episodes were very clever. So many characters shine in these, even Randy was great as his usual annoying self

yes!

[potsi-1 · 10/10 · 24 October 2008]

Its been so many episodes ago since South park had an episode like this! Finally an episode that is both hilarious but also with the same spirit that South Park had a couple of years ago! Finally a story that is mainly around the four boys (no! Kenny is NOT snubbed) that starts with something simple and ends with all hell breaking loose...Classic South Park in my opinion! I am glad that the boys are finally four friends again and not Stan with Kyle, Eric alone and Kenny invisible...Don't get me wrong, Cartman is still a delightful asshole but once in a while he plays a board game or something with the boys (as shown in the episode)... I hope the show keeps heading that way and doesn't continue with these (tiny yet noticeable) ups and downs...

Funny moments:

the guinea pigs

the translator

Kenny's dance

Craig explaining to the boys why nobody hangs out with them

the death in the end (mrrrrrrrblblblrlbrlblrl!)

Randy and the cam

And many more..............

A very decent South Park episode that strangely does little for me

[SLionsCricketreviews · 6/10 · 18 January 2018]

Why I do not particularly care for "Pandemic" is something that I have struggled to understand. It by no means is anywhere near the abominable "The China Probrem" nor even the problematic "Eek, a Penis!" which both to varying extents indicated South Park's inevitable decline and yet, "Pandemic" leaves me largely indifferent.

The most enjoyable aspect of this episode for me is actually Randy and his newfound sense of joy with owning a video camera. He goes around and decides to film every single thing he deems important, whether it be helping his father (or is it father-in-law?) go to the toilet or a desperate conversation among the adults after Stan, Kyle, Kenny, Cartman and Craig mysteriously disappear. It's such a silly yet amusing side story that added a lot of entertainment value for me and I cannot deny the sense of joy I had watching terrified parents talking about the whereabouts of their children only to then reveal that Randy had been filming it all!

The main story involves Stan and co (this time including Craig) frustrated with the growing epidemic of Peruvian flute bands and fed up with the inability to cease this growing crisis and realizing the potential for easy cash, set up their own band. Only soon afterwards, the government begins deporting all Peruvian flute bands and with it the kids back to Guantanamo Bay.

This is the sort of blown-up satire that South Park have handled many times previously such as in the famous "Christian Hard Rock" for example but here, the satire feels perhaps a little stale. The idea of bringing Craig, one of my favourite side characters on the show, to a more central focus for this two-parter seemed like a great decision to keep the show feeling fresh and vital even into its twelfth season but unfortunately, Craig feels a little poorly handled. Perhaps it is the almost inevitable consequence of giving him a little too much screentime but I really didn't find him particularly enjoyable in this one. His constant frustration towards the kids, which is perfectly justified, felt like rather poor material for the character and unfortunately, that is almost all he does throughout the episode: whine about his misfortunes, again justified, but repetitive. At least the ending gives what may be a sense of importance to the character in this two parter.

There's also the idea that Kenny in particular appears to quickly become very fond of these flute bands and the visual of him dancing felt particularly out-of-character. It feels at once too exaggerated and too out-of-character which might be a by-product of him being one of the least utilized and lesser interesting characters (at this point) on the show.

"Pandemic" certainly isn't that bad but the satire and comedy just did not hit as well as many other episodes for me. Randy is fantastic and he gets an entertaining side story that eventually intertwines into an amusing parody of the film, Cloverfield but for the most part, the central story which I'm sure was a compelling issue of sorts at the time felt a little stale. It feels like South Park re-treading familiar territory, just handled less precisely here.