South Park is no stranger to the weaknesses of the human condition, and the series knows that some of the best villains are those that either exploit those weaknesses or are the most susceptible to them. This is referring to their hot takes on Rob Reiner, Scientology, and a very outdated (and apologized for) take on Al Gore.
And while villainous characters like Mr. Garrison and Eric Cartman are standouts, another character has risen the ranks over the years to become the series' new face of conflict. That would be none other than Stan's dad, Randy Marsh, a middle-aged geologist-turned-marijuana-farmer whose midlife crises have threatened his town and family more than him.
Stunning And Brave
"Stunning and Brave" marked the introduction of PC Principal. While Principal Victoria was a beloved, stable figure, PC Principal helped bring new commentary for a new age, all packed in with abuse and shortedsightnedness that is old and true. Starting things off on the right foot, PC Principal fuses Matt Stone and Trey Parker's take on PC culture with the classic bullying and harassment of college fraternities.
While Randy Marsh initially tries to reason with PC Principal and his cohorts, he gets drawn in by none other than their excessive amounts of alcohol. Having turned into a frat guy himself, Randy switches sides and begins abusing and demoralizing the town with them.
With Apologies To Jesse Jackson
Randy Marsh gets into hot water during an episode of Wheel of Fortune. Through a really, really bad read of the board, Randy misses out on the prize money, humiliates his family, and sparks some ire from the black community. While he's initially apologetic, Randy can't quite handle the situation once people start poking fun at him for it and begins an existential crisis with no self-awareness.
Though his troubles started because he insulted the black community, Randy (alongside a few celebrities who share his pain) somehow makes the situation about himself. After a lengthy and self-possessed legal battle, Randy proves that certain words can be banned so long as they're hurting white people.
Holiday Special
While "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" had a hearty lesson, no characters actually learned from it as evident in "Holiday Special." As cultural sensitivity began to sweep the U.S. and people are called out for their past mistakes, Randy leads an overly heated charge to get a statue of Christopher Columbus removed.
However, he only does so because he used to dress as Columbus at Christmas party (acting with far less tact than the actual man). Continuing his efforts to skirt controversy, Randy does his best to get some DNA results to say that he's also part Native American, all while breaking the heart of one Native American man.
Broadway Bro Down
Broadway used to be one of the most shining, cultural hot spots of New York City; but after "Broadway Bro Down," it just looked every bit as seedy as the city's dark alleys. While taking his wife, Sharon, to see a touring Broadway show, Randy discovers that all Broadway shows use "subtext" to brainwash women into giving sexual favors.
Because of this, Randy begins taking Sharon to every Broadway show that he can. It doesn't take long, however, until he wants to get in on the industry. After a really rough draft and a good bro down with some Broadway legends, Randy releases what he believes to be the most enticing musical of all. It isn't until he finds out that his daughter is going to go to his show that he actually gains some perspective.
Margaritaville
It's one thing to have a few economic opinions. It's another to turn those opinions into a pious religion. When a recent economic downturn ravages the nation, the people of South Park begin desperately looking for answers. And, unfortunately for them, they start listening to Randy Marsh.
Despite his own proclivity for frivolous spending, Randy encourages the entire time to live with minimalism and to harass anyone that thinks otherwise. While stoking a fear culture is hostile enough, "Margaritaville" dresses it up even more with some religious allegory that has Randy hunt down Kyle, who puts on a pretty convincing performance as the financial messiah.
Band In China
When issues with China's politics and economics began to flood the news, South Park joined the conversation with their own take on corporate hypocrisy. "Band in China" takes place during Randy Marsh's Tegridy Farm years, in which he leads a successful business through a variety of questionable business tactics.
In this iteration, Randy tries to do the one thing that no other business has ever done before: market to China. When he does, he discovers that marijuana is actually illegal there and gets roped into the country's conflicts with free speech and Disney. Though he entered the country with "tegridy," Randy does a few less than noble things to gain China's business.
Season Finale
While forgoing certain moral standards for China was questionable enough, it was far from the worst thing that Randy Marsh has ever done for Tegridy Farms. Though the venture started as a means of popularizing marijuana within South Park, Randy feels challenged when people start home growing their own plants.
After he teams up with a big, marijuana company, all of South Park's private, marijuana gardens get destroyed in a series of mysterious explosions. It isn't until "Season Finale" that the town discovers that it was Randy who planted the bomb, on top of a variety of other heinous things that he's done to keep Tegridy Farms afloat. In hot water, Randy teams with President Garrison to escape his accusations.
T.M.I.
It's saying a lot when Eric Cartman is far from being the worst person in an episode. After Cartman gets his entire class in a huff about penis sizes, Randy gets involved in the school to properly educate children about sex...but mostly penis sizes. After his thinly veiled attempt to get a bunch of children to acknowledge his physical attributes, Randy assaults the U.S Surgeon General when her science conflicts with his.
Forced to go into anger management, Randy rallies all of his enraged peers to riot against the federal government and begins raiding a bunch of Federal Express offices.
A Nightmare On Facetime
Things don't get much more villainous than when parodying an iconic, movie villain. With Halloween on the horizon, Randy unilaterally buys a Blockbuster Video just as it's about to go out of business, not realizing that the industry as a whole was dying because of the rise of streaming services.
In an effort to hide his insecurity, he begins forcing the family to help him run the store, despite Stan's best wishes to go trick 'r treating with his friends. As Randy slowly sinks into madness, he starts to scare off customers, sees ghosts, and creates quite a scene at a local, Halloween party.
The Pandemic Special
"The Pandemic Special" wasn't just a refreshing return for South Park after a quiet year, but it was by far the best example of how bad Randy Marsh can really get. Things start off with grand fashion as Randy tries to use the current pandemic to market a new sale for his marijuana as well as gloat about how successful he's been.
His high quickly dwindles when he discovers that the pandemic may have started with a bat or pangolin. In a series of flashbacks, it's revealed that Randy may have started the pandemic when he sleeps with a bat and pangolin. With what little tegridy he had left, Randy does the only honorable thing and tries to kidnap the pangolin as well as cure the town with his own mix of bodily fluids and marijuana.