I like that they're doing season long arcs recently but I think in doing so it makes the individual episodes a bit too chaotic; they'll introduce the beginning of that storyline and fill out the 2/3rds of the show with something else only tangentially related. I don't mind when the season has a central theme or focus but I think South Park is at its best when it's more focused on one topic rather than jumping between three different ideas. Though I understood what they were poking fun at in the episode, it was an hour long with no pay off or resolve to any of the jokes; so there was no poignancy to them, or at least, they lacked a bite they typically have. It was all just set up for something else and I get that that's part of the new structure they're playing with in recent seasons. However, whether it's a parody at modern franchises, their story structures being written to just set up the next thing, (not to mention the constantly playing loud background music), I can't say for certain, but as a result, I think it leaves more wanting in the end than anything. And not in a good way.
However, I do hope Stone and Parker do make a statement in the end about all this canned nostalgia nonsense and not just tear a new hole in Abrams but fandom and the current climate of pop-culture and its relation to the masses currently.
