This episode is a poster child for a TV show "jumping the shark" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark). For some reason, it contains plot elements parodying The Sixth Sense, alluding to Little Miss Sunshine, and including Zelda Rubinstein from Poltergeist (the small, creepy woman).
It seems the primary reason this episode was produced was because of its inherent controversiality by referencing the deaths of many celebrities. This could have worked... but unfortunately, the jokes fall flat, the plot sucks limp D, and Ike's dialogue is often out of character... even when he's no longer possessed by Michael Jackson. And speaking of Michael Jackson, talk about a hollow reiteration. Yes, the joke where MJ calls others "ignorant" was funny in the first MJ episode. But seeing the joke run into the ground in another episode was pretty unnecessary.
I just hope I never see Rachel Powell or John Frank Rosenblum credited for writing another episode. South Park is better than being controversial for the sake of being controversial.
It seems the primary reason this episode was produced was because of its inherent controversiality by referencing the deaths of many celebrities. This could have worked... but unfortunately, the jokes fall flat, the plot sucks limp D, and Ike's dialogue is often out of character... even when he's no longer possessed by Michael Jackson. And speaking of Michael Jackson, talk about a hollow reiteration. Yes, the joke where MJ calls others "ignorant" was funny in the first MJ episode. But seeing the joke run into the ground in another episode was pretty unnecessary.
I just hope I never see Rachel Powell or John Frank Rosenblum credited for writing another episode. South Park is better than being controversial for the sake of being controversial.