After a major dust up between one of the former voice actors on South Park and the show producers/creators, most viewers of the show South Park were wondering what life would be like in the town of South Park if there was no Chef, or at least no Chef as voiced by Isaac Hayes, to be seen giving sage wisdom and life advice to the boys and gals of the town.
Reportedly, Isaac Hayes was upset and unhappy with the way South Park had made a mockery of religion, especially his chosen faith of Scientology, and a press release was sent out noting that displeasure. It noted that South Park was intolerant and disrespectful towards religion, and as such, Hayes didn't feel he should continue in the role of Chef.
With that press release out amongst the public, and a new season of South Park looming quickly, Matt Stone and Trey Parker (producers/writers/creators of the show) took to the offensive and blasted Hayes for having no problems when other religions were attacked and mocked on the show, but having been deeply troubled when an episode that took on Scientology, Tom Cruise, George Lucas' Star Wars episode 1, and a host of other topics all rolled into one, was aired.
That episode 'In the Closet' was pulled from rotations in the U.K. amid rumors that Tom Cruise was putting pressure on Viacom (parent company of Comedy Central) by threatening to not promote the upcoming Mission Impossible: 3 movie. Those rumors, like the now apparently mysterious press release related to Isaac Hayes, were later denied or claimed to be lacking in fact.
In the case of Hayes, word is now flowing through the rumor mills that Hayes didn't actually write the press release that said he quit the show, instead the release was written by a friend or handler, since Hayes is still recovering from a stroke he suffered in the last year. Whether that is the case or not, it didn't stop Parker and Stone from using the whole incident as inspiration for starting off the newest season of South Park.
Parker and Stone seemed to have used the events as great impetus to get back to the top of their game. They had earlier released a great satirical press release again tweaking Scientology in general, and the recent events in particular noting that Scientology may have won the battle, but the war was far from over.
The current season of South Park has started with a bang in the form of the 'Return of Chef' episode. The episode started a little confusing with a comment about 'previously on South Park' noting that Chef had grown bored with life in South Park and had gone off to become a member of the Super Adventure Club. Within seconds, viewers could recognize that the Super Adventure Club was a metaphor for Scientology, though there was no direct mention of the Hubbard created religion within the show.
What was mentioned, very audibly, is that Chef had returned, and he had a few things to say to the boys and girls of South Park. Things he had said previously, in various audio clips, that were strung together to have dear old Chef saying some pretty nasty things about what he wanted to do with and to the chil'ren. It was very obvious that Parker and Stone had taken the apparent betrayal very personally, and had decided to use Isaac Hayes previous voicings to maximum effect in sending chef off the show with a bang.
I don't want to spoil the rest of the show directly here. If you haven't seen it yet, then I hope you'll watch it before reading too many of the comments below where others may spoil much of the events in their own comments.
If you have seen it, and wish to comment about the show, please feel free to add comments below and don't worry about warning others of possibly spoilers.
Either way, I'll say again that Parker and Stone are not guys to be messed with. They don't get mad, they don't even get even. They get revenge. Sweet, tasty revenge. Hilarious revenge.
Actually, not just revenge, but many other things as well in the episode. I'll add a few more words in comments below, so as not to spoilerize directly here. Feel free to read on and add your own comments if you wish.
