In ‘South Park’ Season 14 Episode 6 ‘201’ things are certainly in a pickle in the tiny, sleepy hamlet of South Park. Between hordes of rioting gingers, a mechanized Streisand monster, and the threat of Islamic terror, things are, in fact, grim.
Spoilers follow.
It seems now that not only the image of Muhammad, Prophet of God in the Islamic religion, must not be shown, but his very name must be beeped out. Did the network wuss out-again? Or are the guys trying to make a point in their own unique way? The New York Times is reporting that many of the bleeps were inserted by the Comedy Channel after the episode was produced but prior to airing.
In any case, South Park calls upon the Super Best Friends, the founders of all the other major religions that won’t kill you if you show them in a satirical cartoon or mention their name in vain, to do battle against the mechanized Streisand monster. At first their super powers are ineffective. But then they remember that even the mechanized version of Streisand cannot resist doing a duet with Neil Diamond.
In the meantime, the gingers capture Mu-er-the Prophet of God Whose Name Cannot be Mentioned and make a deal with the Legion of Doom, aka the celebrities led by Tom Cruise. They’ll share the Prophet of God Whose Name Cannot be Mentioned if they will share the device that will extract his mystic goo and allow others to not be ridiculed, seen, or mentioned. The deal is struck.
Much playing of the “Obama Card” also ensues.
Meanwhile, Cartman, in search for the name of his father, is also captured by the gingers and is taken down to the bowls of the Earth to meet their secret leader. The secret leader of the gingers is none other than Scott Tenorman, whose parents Cartman killed, ground up into chili, and then tricked into eating. Scott is, understandably, put out to the point of insanity.
Scott also knows the true identity of Cartman’s father. He was a Denver Bronco, the only one who lived in South Park. He was also both Scott and Cartman’s father. They are half brothers.
Cartman howls in anguish.
Meanwhile, Tom Cruise extracts the goo from the Prophet of God Whose Name Cannot be Mentioned and, for a time, becomes invisible. But then Stan makes a joke at his expense, and Tom Cruise becomes visible again. There was, in fact, no goo. It is all about how one approaches things.
The lesson for the episode? Alas this too is censored.
Cartman is despondent, but not for the reasons one might expect. He is not particularly bothered that he killed his father, ground him into chili, and fed him to his half brother. He is bothered that he is half a ginger, which makes him kind of an untermensch. But then he is also half a Denver Bronco, which is pretty cool.
And what of Tom Cruise? He is sent to a nice, quiet place where no one can rag on him. It is, of course, the surface of the Moon, next to a whale. One supposes that he will be found when the Chinese arrive.
Source: South Park, 201, TV.Rage
‘South Park’ Episode Is Altered After Muslim Group’s Warning, David Itzkoff, New York Times, April 22nd, 2010
