Spookyfish

Everybody knows that the spooky vision is very scary when is accompined by pictures of Barbra Streisand!

1) - The time portal

1) In the very beginning of the episode alternate Cartman, who corresponds to Planet Earth Cartman is the first entity we get to know from the alternate universe. On the face of it, he doesn't seem to differ from Earthling Cartman in anything other than having a round beard and a much more polite and kindly demeanour. Later on in the episode when we get to see the alternate versions of the rest of the protagonists (besides Kenny's), they too can be seen having round beards and different manners. So wtf is this? Why does a time portal giving people access to distant alternate universes make people grow round beards? But I still would be ok with that only if I had not known that bearded Cartman gave away that alternate Chef looked the total opposite of Earthling Chef that is, he was white and of skinny body type. So how does the time portal work after all? Should not have the alternate version of Cartman, alongside the alternate versions of the rest of the gang turned black then? And generally, should not have they all turned into girls provided that everything in the universe they came from is just about the opposite of things in this timeline? Do you legitimately want to tell me that the only thing the effect of the time portal applied to and could influence was the hair on people's face? Also, what the hell was that annoying stripe along the screen just in between alternate universe and Earthling Cartman?

2) Stan's goldfish

2) - Animals are also impinged upon by the portal and not for the better. Stan's goldfish turns out to have killed off at least two people in the beginning of the episode, who we absolutely are not given any explanation as to whence and how they got to Stan's bedroom the night the goldfish put them out of their misery but that's the least significant problem here. Once Stan gets at the truth in relation to the nature of the fish he has been given by his aunt, why doesn't he just kill it? He could have easily poured the water out of the aquarium at any point to make sure the fish can't fight off and let it suffocate on the ground. Instead, he stood by and let it go on killing people in front of his face. GJ Stanley. Also, when the goldfish kills Kenny it is revealed by what means the fish takes people out. It jumps out of the aquarium and drags whoever it gets at back into the aquarium and starts to whirl the water until the point it tears the victim into pieces. So first. How tf can anyone fit into an aquarium like that? In addition, why did not the goldfish just keep killing people accordingly given that it could jump out of the aquarium at will at virtually any point throughout the episode? Its ultimate purpose of existence was to kill whoever gets in its way, yet it repeatedly skipped out on killing people despite given the chance. So what did these animals really want?

3) The pet store owner

3) At the end of the episode it turns out that there has indeed been a time portal in town all along, specifically in a pet store built upon a graveyard. So likewise to Stan, why did not the pet store owner simply go ahead and execute the animals and everyone else who came out of the portal by say pointing a gun at the portal and fire as soon as someone comes out? And conversely, how is it that neither of the animals from the alternate universe turned on the owner? The people who returned them even managed to lock them up in cages, did the animals just stand on and let people incarcerate them after we learnt what the goldfish was capable of doing? There was even a vulture sitting on a hat stand in the store completely free, it could have attacked the owner any time. Were some of these animals actually friendly then? Or wtf is going on?

4) Sharon's cover-up

After the goldfish kills some of south park residents sharon begins laying their bodies to rest in the backyard lest police find them and take Stan away. So first. How could you as a mother assume that your own child would be willing to kill innocent people in the first place and how th do you think an 8 year old roughly 5 feet tall kid would be able to kill two adults? Stan repeatedly tells her it was not him but she apparently did not even gain as much faith in his own son throughout the years as to believe what he says. What a good mother. Then it's also worth asking that why would anyone want to go about covering up homicide by burying the bodies in their own backyard rather than taking them away to a junkyard or hurl them in a lake so even if police managed to trace them they still would not know who to apprehend and it just so happened that Barbrady found the bodies like two days later...GG Stans mum. And what does she do subsequently to these? Locks him up in a basement, not only making sure to get his son taken away but also to incur an additional 5-10 years of prison sentence. Sharon sucks big time.

These are just my opinions on the Halloween specials, ranked worst to best. Feel free to share your own ranking! Also, I haven't seen The Scoots or Tegridy Farms Halloween Special so I've left them off the list.

6. Sons a Witches

This one was just kind of boring to me. I get the joke, about witch hunts and all, but it didn't particularly stand out to me. Also, it really frustrated me that Cartman never talked to Heidi about what was bothering him. Being upset about her taking a long time to get ready is not bad thing, but bottling up his emotions and instead trying to get her kidnapped by a witch is obviously very wrong. I just don't care about Cartman being a bad person at this point. It's not funny to me anymore.

5. A Nightmare on Face Time

This episode actually got a few laughs out of me, particularly the scenes where Cartman's costume kept getting mistaken and everyone treating Stan's iPad as though it were a real living being. Basically any time the kids were on screen, I was enjoying myself. However, the scenes with Randy at the Blockbuster were so excruciatingly unfunny that it really dragged the whole episode down. I suppose I found Shelly burning the store down kind of amusing, but other than that I just couldn't care less. Randy isn't an entertaining character to me. Moving on.

4. Hell on Earth 2006

Now here's a Halloween episode I can get behind. I love South Park's depiction of Satan; in fact, I can't think of a single appearance of his that I haven't enjoyed. Butters and Biggie Smalls were also pretty great. This episode wasn't perfect, but there was nothing about it that I strongly disliked.

3. Pinkeye

This episode is truly iconic, and a solid start to South Park's holiday specials. My favorite part was probably Cartman showing up to school dressed as Hitler (and subsequently being turned into a "spooky ghost,") and I absolutely love Chef's parody of Thriller. What else can I say? It's classic South Park. The few problems I have with it are just problems with the early seasons in general, for example the pacing leaves a bit to be desired, but all in all it's a great episode.

2. Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery

This episode is a lot of fun, and the more original and interesting story is what puts it above Pinkeye for me. I love that everyone though Korn was satanic and evil when they actually ended up being a wholesome parody of Scooby Doo. (Also the fact that the real members of Korn did the voices is just... so great.) And if I'm being honest, I'm guilty of acting a little bit like Cartman by getting excited for Christmas in October, though at least he has the decency to wait for Halloween.

1.Spookyfish

I'm sure it's someone of an unpopular choice for the number one spot, but this episode just really works with my sense of humor. It's arguably the most original Halloween episode, with little to no references to pop culture or social issues aside from Barbara Streisand's Spookyvision (which I found hilarious.) One scene that always stuck out to me was the "God, I hate you, Kenny." His hatred was just so unadulterated and pure, I love it. And who could forget Evil Cartman's friendship song? (Well, I'm sure a lot of people forgot it, but I didn't!) This is both my favorite Halloween and season 2 episode. It's just one of those episodes that really stuck with me even though I've nearly finished the series.