South Park has always been weird. But the way Season 28 kicked off? That was a different level of chaotic. If you’ve been following the breadcrumbs, you know that Comedy Central basically pulled a fast one on us by ending Season 27 after just five episodes and immediately pivoting into a "new" season. It felt like a glitch in the matrix.
Honestly, the hype for South Park Season 28 Episode 2—formally titled "The Woman in the Hat"—was massive mostly because nobody knew if Trey Parker and Matt Stone were actually going to finish it on time. They didn't. They missed their original October 29 slot and pushed it to Halloween night.
Classic Matt and Trey.
The Haunting of the White House
The episode dropped on October 31, 2025, and it was a mess in the best and worst ways possible. The main plot follows Donald Trump (who is basically the main character of the show now, for better or worse) dealing with a "disruptive spirit" in the East Wing.
It's a Halloween special, so naturally, we get a seance. But because it’s South Park, the seance features a bizarre lineup: JD Vance, Kristi Noem, Donald Trump Jr., and Brendan Carr. They’re all huddled together trying to figure out why the White House is haunted.
The "ghost" isn't exactly a spooky lady in white.
Rectoplasm and Filet-O-Fish
One of the grossest, most "South Park" gags in years involves the discovery of "rectoplasm." The scientists in the episode analyze the substance and conclude it’s 54% Filet-O-Fish sandwich. It's a direct shot at Trump’s famous fast-food habits, and it leads to a truly disgusting subplot involving Pam Bondi.
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She’s portrayed as a literal brown-noser. It’s graphic. It’s probably going to be the thing people remember most from this episode, even if they wish they could unsee it.
Stan Marsh Has Had Enough
While the White House is falling apart, Stan Marsh is having a full-blown existential crisis. This is the heart of the episode. Stan’s family is broke—thanks to Randy’s Tegridy Farms disasters—and they’ve been forced to move into Grandpa Marsh’s retirement home.
Stan is miserable. He looks at the camera and basically says what a lot of fans have been thinking: "South Park has become too political."
It’s a rare moment of the show being incredibly self-aware. Trey and Matt are using Stan to talk back to the audience. They know people are tired of the Trump stuff. They know people miss the "four boys on a bus stop" era.
But then, in a classic subversion, Stan doesn't actually fix the problem. Instead, he tries to escape his poverty by launching a "South Park Sucks Now" crypto meme coin.
The Return of Cousin Kyle
To get the crypto scam off the ground, Stan teams up with the one person who knows how to be annoying and efficient with money: Cousin Kyle.
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Watching the "cool" Stan Marsh descend into the world of pump-and-dump schemes with Schwartz was a weird choice. Some critics, like those over at IGN, felt it was a bit underbaked. They argued that it took Stan—a character usually known for being the "straight man"—and turned him into a desperate version of Cartman.
It’s a cynical move. It shows that even the kids aren't immune to the "bull crap" of the modern world.
The Production Chaos Behind the Scenes
You might wonder why the schedule for Season 28 has been so erratic. It’s not just laziness. Parker and Stone have been open about the fact that they are writing these episodes in real-time.
In a New York Times interview, they mentioned that "politics became pop culture." They feel like they can't avoid it because it's everywhere—TikTok, YouTube, podcasts. It’s "in your face."
There was also that massive delay earlier in 2025. Remember when the show was off the air for ages because of the Paramount and Skydance merger? That mess required government approval, which apparently fueled some of the creative spite we're seeing on screen now.
They also missed the deadline for this specific episode because, as they put it, "Sometimes you don't get it done in time. This one's on us."
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What This Means for the Rest of Season 28
"The Woman in the Hat" wasn't a standalone ghost story. It’s part of a much bigger arc that started back in the "short" Season 27.
- The Antichrist Plot: We’ve got Satan and Trump’s "butt baby" hanging over the narrative.
- The 6-7 Meme: The bizarre obsession with the "6-7" trend (a jab at TikTok culture) continues to baffle the kids.
- Peter Thiel: The tech billionaire is now a recurring antagonist, hunting down the Antichrist while holding Cartman hostage.
It’s a lot to keep track of. Unlike the old days where you could jump into any episode and get the gist, Season 28 is demanding. It’s serialized, it’s dense, and it’s unapologetically angry at the current state of the world.
How to Catch Up
If you missed the live airing on Comedy Central, you’re basically stuck waiting for the Paramount+ drop. Usually, that happens at 6 AM ET the day after it airs.
For those keeping track of the release dates for the rest of the season:
- Episode 3: November 12
- Episode 4: November 26
- Episode 5 (Finale): December 10
Don't be surprised if those dates shift. If a major news event happens, Matt and Trey will likely scrap whatever they have and rewrite the whole thing in 48 hours. That’s just the price of being "relevant."
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lore of this season, you should definitely re-watch the Season 27 finale—which is now technically the prologue to Season 28. Pay close attention to the scenes involving Jesus and the "dark side," as those threads are expected to tie back into the December finale. You might also want to look up the real-life 2025 news clips regarding Pam Bondi and Brendan Carr to see just how literal some of these "gross-out" jokes actually are.