South Park’s Thanksgiving Special Brought Back Characters Who Many Believed Were Dead

South Park’s twenty-eighth season has been getting into the spirit of quite a few holidays so far. Following a spooky Halloween special, the legendary Comedy Central special explored a hilarious new Thanksgiving that saw residents attempting to score big at the annual Turkey Trot run. Like so many other events in South Park, the fun run ended in chaos as the town collided with the United States government. In a surprising twist, the latest episode brought back two characters who have been missing in action for quite some time, proving that creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are more than willing to return to the well.

In “Turkey Trot,” we see the residents of South Park assembling to be a part of the jog that has a major prize attached. The winner of the holiday excursion would walk away with five thousand dollars, something that more than a few business owners in the town could use. As viewers witness in the South Park Community Center, Jimbo and Ned register as a part of the town’s gun club, hoping to score the prize for themselves. While Jimbo remains in good health, Ned is bound to a wheelchair with numerous scars thanks to the events of past seasons. Luckily, the veteran is still hanging in there and more than willing to take part in the race.

While neither Ned nor Jimbo was ever confirmed to have died, many viewers believed that, since it had been some time since they made an appearance, Stone and Parker might have sent them to an early grave behind the scenes. Luckily, while they don’t have a significant role to play in this latest Turkey Trot, many might have been relieved to discover that they are still kicking. With one episode remaining in South Park’s twenty-eighth season, it will be interesting to see if the co-creators decide to bring back any other characters that have been away from the spotlight.

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What Happened to Ned?

Ned suffered from some major injuries during his time at war, but the veteran has never looked worse than he does now. Relegated to a wheelchair with some ghoulish scarring all over his body, Ned’s status was one of the main reasons why many believed the character had died off-screen. During the season twenty-two episode, “Time to Get Cereal,” Ned is grievously injured by the classic South Park creature, ManBearPig. Ironically, Ned would be featured in a segment during the special installment, South Park: Post COVID, as an old man, showing him in his wheelchair for the first time.

Only one episode remains in South Park’s latest season, which is planned to release on Comedy Central on Wednesday, December 10th. The details of this season finale have yet to be revealed, though we have to imagine it might see the Colorado town having a showdown with the White House as a result of the events of Turkey Trot. Luckily, the series is confirmed for more seasons in the future, so there’s plenty of time for more characters to make a comeback.

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