YMMV / South Park S12 E2 "Britney's New Look"

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Did the paparazzi actually believe that killing Britney Spears would save their crops, or were they just using this as an excuse to continue terrorizing her? If it's the latter, then it's just sheer coincidence that this managed to happen anyway.
• Angst Aversion: For many, the overall mean-spirited nature (even compared to other episodes) makes this episode extremely difficult to watch.
• Fanon Discontinuity: Due to being far more grim and melancholic than usual, this episode is not well-remembered by fans who want to move on from it entirely.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • The ending where the town discovers that Miley Cyrus is becoming popular and decide to make her the next target. About seven years later, that would more-or-less become a reality.
  • Over a decade later, Framing Britney Spears was released and the public solidly rallied behind her. Matt and Trey do it again...
• Misblamed: Reportedly, Britney Spears didn't pick up that the episode wasn't making fun of her but rather the paparazzi and rubbernecking pop culture junkies making a spectacle out of her very real public meltdown. She even reached out to Seth MacFarlane about letting her guest star on Family Guy, of which she is a huge fan (and which, ironically, has made even crueler jokes at her expense), so she could fire back. MacFarlane, knowing that Trey and Matt already disliked his show, declined the offer so as not to give the impression that he was starting a beef with them.
• Nightmare Fuel: The paparazzi in general. Their needless brutality and harassment towards Britney Spears, though mostly played for Black Comedy, is nonetheless very unsettling and horrific to the point of realism.
• Realism-Induced Horror: As exaggerated as this episode is meant to be, the brutal harassment Britney Spears receives from everyone is not unlike many instances in real life where people have knowingly destroyed an individual's mental state for no good reason, eventually culminating in suicidal thoughts and even death.
• The Woobie: The portrayal of Britney is meant to show the dark side of fame. Having other people laugh at your mental state, noticing your every flaw, and being constantly watched and talked about every time you mess up can do significant damage to a person's mental health.

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