Wow. Talk about continuity from the mid season finale. With no time jump, we join back up with Stan in his depressed, cynical state during tonight's premiere.

When we arrive back in South Park, there's not just poo-looking waffles and poo-sounding radio programs, there's still a lame duck President and a Steamie Ray Vaughn. Now that's continuity!

So where do Trey Parker and Matt Stone go? As much as they talk about left turns, the episode stuck pretty well to the brilliant South Park formula.

Take some current events you want to mock, in this case Asperger's and vaccinations, and couple them with a ridiculous outlandish parody, in this case The Matrix, and bam. You got yourself a clever episode that only these two could come up with.

And while in no way want this to reflect my own opinion of Asperger's or vaccinations, I do love that Parker and Stone still have no problem voicing their controversial voice through these four children, even with Tony awards in hand.

But back to the episode in hand. No, The Matrix is far from topical with the original well over a decade old. But given the South Park treatment and somehow managing to tie it into Stan's cynicism? It worked.

Stan learned something the rest of us cynical adults have learned a long time ago: the drunken Matrix is the place to be. It really does bring out Kutcher's acting ability in Two and a Half Men and it almost makes modern day Adam Sandler movies funny. Or at least bearable if there's a Jennifer Aniston in a bikini in them.

Then, of course, there was Cartman and his ridiculous "Ass Burgers" from which the episode got its title.

Somehow the guys could make even something as ridiculous as a children's burger stand and turn it into a multi-corporation hostile takeover, as they attempt to figure out what kind of dutch oven could combine so many fast food flavors.

Get it? Dutch oven? Like the farting? But it's also a type of pot. And Cartman eats all that food? Eh, #%@$ you.It was clever enough. But the thing that made it a classic South Park episode was combing the two seemingly unconnected story lines at the end.

Eh, Robin, you can take note next time you go to tell your therapist two stories. Make them intertwine via some drunken Matrix shootout killing off iconic fast food icons damnit!

However, the real issue was this: how were Parker and Stone going to get everything back to normal so they could continue to satire life and voice their opinion? By giving the world a big Simpsons "%$%^ you" and just resetting things back to normal. Randy and Sharon patched things up, moved back together, and Stan stop seeing and hearing poo everywhere.

You know, as long as he keeps a bottle of Jameson on hand. 

And is that such a big deal? Perhaps even a little insight on how Parker and Stone continue to churn out this show year after year? Well, for the answer to that, I guess I'll have to turn into their "6 Days to Air" special.

Eric Hochberger is the programmer of TV Fanatic, so please forgive his mediocre writing. His programming is far better. Follow him on Twitter and/or email him. Just don't request threaded comments. They're coming.