I was seriously considering ending my South Park collection at 12, but when I saw this on Gold Box recommendation for 18 bux, I decided to get it.
It was well worth continuing the collection at that price, and I was surprised that this season was a bit funnier than the last one. "Fish Sticks", "Butter's Bottom Biitch", and "WTF" were funny. Other episodes had funny parts to them like the way the alien talked in "Pinewood Derby".
Some episodes, like "Whale Whores" start out funny, but fall into the trap of repeating the same joke until it isn't funny anymore. Just like last season, the plots are heavily reliant on movie plots, and while it can be funny to satirize movies, again they seem caught up in telling stories instead of jokes. "The Coon" had some funny parts to it, but it's almost like they are taking themselves seriously, which is kind of weird. Kind of like they wish they could make an action movie like Batman.
South Park isn't very subtle in their message, and it can be a bit annoying at times. Whereas some shows might hint at something like Disney being evil, and get on with the jokes, South Park bombards you with the same message again and again. They even have the mouse give a big speech at the end about how stupid people are, just in case you missed it the first hundred times.
I never liked the part at the end during any season, where it was time to learn a lesson, and the characters speak directly to you in case you are really dense. I appreciate that Matt and Trey have their own unique opinions, but the show assumes an air that their opinions are right, and that they have to prove it to you takes away from the comedy.
I've read reviews about both this show and The Simpsons (another show I like a lot) where people bemoan how the series has long passed its heyday. I would disagree with this nostalgia, and argue that a season can still be good, and doesn't have to have a golden period. Still funny after all these years.