In late October 2004, South Park aired one of its most iconic episodesa pre-election installment called Douche and Turd, which crystallized the shows nihilism, political and otherwise. The douche and turd were an on-the-nose symbol for the idea that in any given election, both politicians tend to be equally unappealing.

But on Wednesday night, the long-running animated show defied its central tenetthe one insisting that caring at all is the stupidest position to take in any argument. And it did so in a way that one might imagine could perplex its creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, in their younger years. South Park closed its super-sized pandemic special with a simple, (mostly) earnest message: Vote.

The special is, by and large, precisely what one might expect. Sticking with a long-running plot line in which Stans father has become a successful pot farmer, Randy spends most of the special wringing his hands over whether or not Tegridy Farms should release a pandemic specialwhether the world really needs one right now. Eric Cartman loves quarantine and revels in wielding a stick keeping people six feet away from him at all times.

Soon enough, though, the kids are forced back to schooland since their teachers do not feel safe returning to the building, the cops have taken over. And in one of many plot lines adopted for shock and abandoned in the blink of an eye, the police shoot Token, South Park Elementarys one Black student, in the arman act that, shockingly, no one prosecutes.

But mostly, this special is about Randy discovering that he caused the pandemic. At first he thinks it was that bat he fornicated with while partying in China with Mickey Mousebut then he realize its the pangolin he had sex with afterwards. If youve watched enough South Park you can likely guess the cure from here.

The real shock comes near the end of the special. At one point, Stan calls President Garrisonthe shows Trump stand-inhoping hell help fight the virus in South Park. But the president informs Stan that COVID-19 has actually helped him finally fulfill his campaign promise: Getting rid of Mexicans. And at the very end of the episode, a scientist offers a ray of hope, promising that with collaboration scientists could soon find a cureright before Mr. Garrison roasts him with a flamethrower.

Dont forget to get out and vote everyone, Mr. Garrison says, breaking the fourth wall. Big election coming up!

Once known for its election episodes, South Park has struggled to tackle politics in recent years. Donald Trump has proven difficult for Stone and Parker to nail with their trademark apathy, and the show more broadly has been blamed for breeding the kind of detachment and ironic bigotry that fuel the alt-right.

But carnage aside, tonights message feels like a sincere plea for the shows young viewers to get their butts into voting booths. That kind of earnestness would have felt inconceivable in the early aughts; hell, even 2016 wasnt enough to push Stone and Parker past their Douche and Turd metaphor. Maybe these horrible timesand our somehow more horrible presidenthave finally pushed the show to a breaking point.

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'South Park' Breaks the Fourth Wall With a Rare Plea for People to Vote - The Daily Beast