Over the years, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's seminal South Park has grown beyond the potty-mouthed quartet of friends: Kenny McCormick, Eric Cartman, Kyle Broflovski, and Stan Marsh.
All of the children's parents have been expanded, but none more so than the latter boy's father, Randy Marsh. As seasons go by, his role finds itself expanded more and more, to the point he's now a de facto lead, just like Stan. Fortunately, Parker and Stone have found some very memorable ways to explore the character.
Something You Can Do With Your Finger (Season 4, Episode 8)
None of the boys' parents had much personality in South Park's formative years, but Season 4's "Something You Can Do With Your Finger" made an exception for Randy.
Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny start a boy band, and all but one ends up making it to the stage. Naturally, the boys need a replacement for Kenny, and Randy, who was in a boy band himself, is it. It's a fun backstory for Randy and an interesting early experiment in fleshing out a background character.
Grey Dawn (Season 7, Episode 10)
The first shades of Randy's eventual personality rear their head in Season 7's "Grey Dawn," a hysterical classic in one of the series' best overall seasons.
Randy has a way of yelling his son's name out in a long, exaggerated fashion. It makes him seem silly as opposed to fairly bland like the rest of the parents, which wasn't an avenue explored much before Season 7. However, from "Grey Dawn" onward, his lazy, jokester personality would be fleshed out substantially.
Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes (Season 8, Episode 9)
When a "Wall-Mart" is built in South Park, the town goes into a frenzy. People go on spending spree after spending spree while more and more small businesses go by the wayside.
No one is more obsessed with Wall-Mart than Randy, and he almost immediately allows it to destroy his life. He fills his family's home with things they'll never use (like turtle stickers), allows his appearance to become ragged, and even turns his back on his own career in favor of a discount as a Wall-Mart employee.
The Losing Edge (Season 9, Episode 5)
The hilarious A-plot of "The Losing Edge" finds the boys of South Park Elementary winning every baseball game they play, much to their chagrin. They don't care for the game, which can't be said of their parents.
This is particularly true of Randy, who never feels more alive than when he's at a little league game. Unfortunately for everyone, particularly his wife, Sharon, he's also never more alive than when he's drunk, fighting, and screaming "What?! I thought this was America!"
Two Days Before The Day After Tomorrow (Season 9, Episode 8)
Starting a town-wide uproar over global warming ranks among the worst things Randy has done, even if it did end up being a good call down the line, at least as far as the real world is concerned.
Parker and Stone have since expressed regret over their flippant attitude towards the crisis, particularly in Season 10's "Manbearpig," but "Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow" is still one of the funniest episodes of Season 9.
Make Love, Not Warcraft (Season 10, Episode 8)
Just one episode responsible for a hilarious Randy quote, "Make Love, Not Warcraft" is a fan favorite that works all the way through.
This is especially true of Randy's B-plot, which sees him desperately seeking the "Sword of a Thousand Truths," the one World of Warcraft weapon that can save his son's "life" from a powerful online troll. The way Randy pantomimes and exaggerates his character's death in the middle of a Best Buy is one of the most in-character moments of his time in the South Park spotlight, and his plot is a perfect way to balance out the plot and make the episode more than a Warcraft emulating gimmick.
Fantastic Easter Special (Season 11, Episode 5)
"Fantastic Easter Special" isn't one of the fans' favorites nor is it towards the top of just Season 11, but it's watchable thanks to Randy. It's mostly a parody of The Da Vinci Code, with Stan learning about Easter's true origin all while trying to save a very special rabbit from ninjas and a particularly insidious Bill Donohue.
Randy is at the heart of the episode's success because he takes it all so seriously. He and his father have been members of The Hare Club for Men most of their lives, and Randy is excited to now share it with his son. However, Stan does more for the club and its rabbit mascot in one night than Randy ever would, considering he could barely keep his composure when kidnapped by the Vatican.
More Crap (Season 11, Episode 9)
Season 11 is one of Reddit's favorite South Park years because it possesses a greater sense of variety, even going so far as to spend three episodes in humanity's collective imagination.
"More Crap" follows Randy as he struggles to produce the world's new record-setting defecation. As far as the boys are concerned, it's a Stan-centric episode, with neither Cartman, Kyle, or Kenny even making an appearance. In their stead, there's Bono, who claims to be the record holder when he's more just the record.
Guitar Queer-O (Season 11, Episode 13)
"Guitar Queer-O" is one of the best Randy episodes of South Park if only for the sight of him lazing back with a bowl of Kentucky Fried Chicken and an empty six-pack of S'Moor Schnapps.
By Season 11, Randy has been pumped to the forefront of the show, nearly to the level of Stan. In fact, "Guitar Queer-O" is interesting in that it's mostly a father-son tale, without the two even being in the same room for the most part. Stan is blinded by fame while Randy is blinded by being of a different generation. Once he puts down the real guitar in favor of the controller, he finds his confidence shot and embraces the same game that's destroying his son's life: Heroin Hero. The episode has proven to be a classic partially because it showed Randy to be less mature than his own son.
Over Logging (Season 12, Episode 6)
"Over Logging" spends a comparable amount of time with both the Broflovski and Marsh families. Everyone in South Park is affected by the national internet shortage, but one member from each of those two families makes an effort to solve the crisis.
Kyle tries to find a way to reset the internet, while Randy decides to pack up and take his family out west in search of more "scraps of internet." However, the episode is Randy's because of his motivation. Kyle just wants to solve the crisis; Randy wants private time. When he gets it, there's an ectoplasm joke that would sound odd coming from any other character, but with Randy Marsh, it's completely natural.