Yet, this week's South Park is already making jokes about beards and spider holes. That has to be the quickest turn-around for a segment of animation in the history of the form.

Regardless, Parker and Stone's conservative values really shined through this season. In the past, they've played both sides of the political spectrum against one another, exposing the fallacies of both while providing some of the most deceptively thoughtful programming on American television. Episodes negating the effects of second-smoke while supporting the tobacco industry? Depicting gays as demented mutants? The nastiest Asian caricatures since The Phantom Menace? What, was Michael Savage hired on during hiatus?

Here's hoping they go back to playing devil's advocate next time round.