The Goth Kids are a beacon of Non-Conformity in a Conformist's World

South Park’s goth kids are some of my favourite TV show characters of all time, somehow managing to show more personality in their three starring episodes (and handful of cameo appearances) than the main characters in half the tv shows airing today.

Sure, on the surface they appear a little one-note, with the main joke being how gloomy and totally non-conformist they are whilst dressing, dancing, and acting the same, but dig a little deeper and you’ll see a much more nuanced set of characters, each with their own little quirks and foibles that set them apart from one another.

First, there’s Michael, the oldest member and leader of the pack. As shown by his appearance in the episode "You Got F'd in the A", he is able to stand up as an individual and reject calls to follow and conform from both external influences, and from his fellow goth kids. He’s also the quietest member of the group, happy to let the others do the talking.

Pete is the most outwardly antagonistic goth kid, always ready to shout down anyone who stands opposed to them, but is also the most caring member of the group. He lead the charge to rescue both Michael and Henrietta from the Emos, helped Henrietta save face at the end of that same episode, and was initially the only member against killing Kenny in the name of Cthulhu. He was also the only member to express concern for the shop assistant at the Hot Topic they were burning down.

Henrietta is desperate for attention, and, despite her outward comments, craves friendship and affection. She had no difficulty switch to the emo clique and gaining a new circle of friends with it (possibly due to being separated from her original friends while at camp) and invites Kenny’s sister to become a goth at the end of the Fractured But Whole DLC campaign. As her bedroom is one of their main hang-outs, she has made herself inseparable from the group as a whole.

Finally, Firkle is the youngest, and most violent member of the Goth Kids. Not only is he willing to pull a weapon and threaten to kill others at a moment’s notice, he also has no problem betraying his friends when he sees the situation shift against them. Little to nothing is known about his home life.

While this shows the goth kids actually more complex than we would initially give them credit for, it doesn’t fully explain why they are as popular as they are. For me, a big part of it is how divorced they are from the rest of South Park. They have their own hang-outs (the Diner, Henrietta’s room, the Loading Bay) and their own enemies (The Vamp Kids, Emos, Conformists in general) and possibly even a friend/foil in the Waitress. Their last major appearance (Dawn of the Posers) featured none of the main SP characters (the Boys, Randy, Butters) at all, and even included a separate theme song. I could very easily see them making a Goth Kids spin-off show, and you know I would watch it religiously!

Then again, maybe the reason I love the Goth Kids is just because of lines like this:

That’s pretty goth.

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