Towelie wasn’t even the worst part of South Park season 27 episode 3 – just wait for the ending

Well, I said South Park season 27 episode 3 would be unhinged, and it didn’t let me down. Towelie headed to Washington D.C. against the backdrop of the National Guard being deployed on its streets, something that President Trump made happen in real life on August 11. He should of been just a small town towel, living in a lonely world who took the midnight bus going anywhere, to paraphrase Journey. But this is South Park, so obviously he didn’t merely pop by The Smithsonian for the afternoon.

But should we be surprised? Not only do we know what kinds of parodies the show historically leans into, but South Park season 27 has particularly come out all guns blazing against the current US government. In as little as two episodes, the show’s creators have managed to deepfake a naked version of Trump (who now comes with a miniature sidekick in J.D. Vance), show US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem shooting puppies in a pet store, and featured ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents so heavily that the White House started using screenshots for recruitment purposes on social media.

A naive part of me thought that shifting to Towelie’s perspective would be more gentle after the show’s controversial premiere and subsequent scheduled break, but I was wrong. Instead, the gates of hell quite literally opened in a brand-new way, and now I’m so disturbed by what the parody really means, I can’t sleep.

South Park season 27 episode 3’s ending keeps Towelie and Satan stuck in Trump’s personal hell

Don’t get me wrong: South Park showing Satan and Trump as being… overly chummy… isn’t a new concept. Fans saw them in bed together during episode 1, with a naked Trump trying to get Satan to be intimate with him. The White House hit back soon after, describing [via BBC] the Paramount+ series as a “fourth-rate” show that was “hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention”. Co-creator later gave a mock apology during a panel at San Diego Comic Con.

This is all disturbing enough, but episode 3 reveals the truth behind why Satan is at the White House in the first place – rather than Trump being under Satan’s spell, Satan is being held against his will in Trump’s own personal hell, where Towelie soon joins him. After being propositioned by Trump, Satan goes to the bathroom, stating: “What am I doing here?”

Towelie then tells him, “please, I want to get out of here,” with Satan replying: “So do I, but there is no escape from this place.” Cue the fan reactions. “Both Satan and Towelie stuck in Trump’s hell. This season is unreal. Paramount got their money’s worth for South Park,” said one on X/Twitter, with another adding: “Satan and Towelie both trapped at the White House with Trump is honestly the darkest ending this season so far.”

I couldn’t agree more, but we’re also seeing a parody of a parody here. You might remember from previous South Park episodes that Satan had exactly the same bed scene with Saddam Hussein, which basically prompts theories on its own merit. As one fan put it: “Trying to follow the plot line. Satan sent Saddam to heaven with the Mormons so that he’d stop bothering Satan in hell. Then Satan went to heaven… was that because he died trying to save everyone from man-bear-pig?

“If someone knows, please save me from searching for the old episodes. So now Trump clearly has Saddam’s voice and personality. I’m sure that’ll become relevant to the story at some point.”

I’m honestly not sure if I care about the lore too much thanks to the latest South Park scene leaving me incredibly disturbed about what’s going on in the real world. If the creators think the real-life is that bad in episode 3, what on earth are we going to see coming next?

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