200 (South Park)
"200" | |
---|---|
South Park episode | |
Episode no. |
Season 14 Episode 5 |
Directed by | Trey Parker |
Written by | Trey Parker |
Production code | 1405 |
Original air date | April 14, 2010 |
"200" is the fifth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 200th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 14, 2010. In the episode, Tom Cruise and all other celebrities who have been mocked by residents of South Park in the past plan to file a class action lawsuit against the town, but Cruise promises to end the lawsuit if the town can get the Muslim prophet Muhammad to meet him.
The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. To celebrate their landmark episode, Parker and fellow series co-creator Matt Stone combined many of South Park's past storylines and controversies. The Muhammad subplot, similar to the one previously featured in the season 10 episode "Cartoon Wars", refers to Comedy Central's past refusal to allow images of Muhammad to be shown on the network in response to the riots and threats generated from controversial cartoons in 2005 and 2007 of Muhammad in European newspapers.
"200" includes many celebrities that have been mocked in previous episodes, including Cruise, Rob Reiner, Steven Spielberg, Kanye West, Paris Hilton, George Lucas, Mel Gibson and Barbra Streisand. An additional subplot includes Cartman learning he may not know the true identity of his father. The 1998 season 2 episode "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut" claimed that Cartman's hermaphrodite mother is his father, but the events of "200" and the subsequent episode reveal that this is not the case.
"200" received mostly positive reviews. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by 3.33 million viewers, making it the most watched cable television program of the night. Both "200" and the sequel episode "201" were nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program in 2010.[1] Within a week of the episode's original broadcast date, the website for the radical Muslim organization Revolution Muslim posted an entry warning Parker and Stone that they risked being murdered for airing the episode, which several media outlets and observers interpreted as a threat. As a result, Comedy Central heavily censored portions of "201" by removing references to Muhammad and the episode's closing speech.
Plot
While on a school field trip to a candy factory, Butters spots actor Tom Cruise working there, packing fudge into boxes. Stan, who previously told Cruise that his acting is not as good as others' in "Trapped in the Closet", accidentally insults him again by calling him a "fudge packer", as Cruise claims to be fly fishing. Cruise then recruits 200 other celebrities who have been ridiculed by the town of South Park to bring a class action lawsuit against the town. Stan returns to the factory with his father Randy to try to apologize and convince Cruise to drop the suit, but also finds it difficult not to call him a fudge packer as well since he was literally packing fudge while they spoke. An angry Cruise agrees to do so, but only if they can help Cruise meet Muhammad. This causes an uproar because depictions of Muhammad are forbidden, and the townsfolk fear that forcing Muhammad to appear in public will drive Muslim radicals to bomb the town. Stan and Kyle go to the Super Best Friends, a squad of superhero-like religious figures of which Muhammad is a member, to request he return with them to South Park. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Cruise and the other celebrities only want Muhammad for his "goo", as Rob Reiner, previously shown to be filled with "goo" in "Butt Out", has invented a machine to transfer Muhammad's "goo" to the celebrities, which they believe will make them immune to ridicule, just like Muhammad.
By this time, Cartman arrives with "Mitch Connor", a face painted on Cartman's hand as one-half of a ventriloquist act. Previously, Connor had successfully impersonated actress Jennifer Lopez in "Fat Butt and Pancake Head", and now Cartman and Connor return to the Lopez imitation in order to get involved in the lawsuit along with the other celebrities. Connor soon secretly convinces Cartman that they should steal Muhammad's goo for themselves to sell on the black market for more than the lawsuit could offer. Meanwhile, Kyle and Stan convince the Super Best Friends to let Muhammad come to town, but only if he stays in the back of a U-Haul truck and is not seen. When the townspeople realize they must bring Muhammad to Cruise's limo, they allegedly put him inside a bear mascot outfit. South Park is about to give Muhammad to the celebrities when the exchange is interrupted by a bomb planted by the Ginger Kids, a group of fair-skinned, red-haired children who are tired of being made fun of for their physical appearance. The Gingers want Muhammad for themselves, hoping to use his goo for their own means. They threaten to blow up the town if Muhammad is not turned over to them.
The people of South Park decide to turn Muhammad over to the Gingers, fearing the violence that will befall their town if they do not. The celebrities are angered by this change in events, but refuse to resort to violence for fear of ruining their careers. Instead, the celebrities decide to awaken the rebuilt Mecha-Streisand, a giant mechanical monster form of Barbra Streisand, who previously terrorized the town of South Park before being destroyed. The celebrities hope to use Mecha-Streisand to force South Park to accept their demands. Meanwhile, due to the chain of events, Cartman decides Connor's scheme has become too complicated and tries to quit, but Connor convinces him to stay involved by revealing that the townspeople of South Park have lied to Cartman about his true father. Although they previously claimed his hermaphroditic mother was also his father, Connor insists this is a lie. Cartman confronts his school teacher Mr. Garrison and Garrison's old hand puppet Mr. Hat, who admits to Cartman there was indeed a cover-up. Mecha-Streisand roars threateningly and continues her reign of destruction as the episode ends.
Production
We kind of came up with the idea of, like, let's take our sort of most popular moments in the show and then put them all together and write them into a new show. So basically, revisit a bunch of stuff but give the show all its own plot. Which at first sounded like quite a head-fucker.
Trey Parker
South Park co-creator[2]
Written and directed by series co-founder Trey Parker, "200" was rated TV-MA L in the United States. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 14, 2010. It was the 200th episode of the series.[3] Parker and fellow co-creator Matt Stone conceive, write and produce most South Park episodes within a week of their broadcast date in order to maintain a sense of energy and timeliness.[4] The idea for "200", however, was conceived before the fourteenth season began in March 2010, and before any of the season fourteen episodes that preceded it were conceived.[5] While trying to decide how to celebrate the 200th episode, Parker and Stone started reviewing the plots and controversies of previous episodes, many of which had a common thread of mocking a particular celebrity. This led to the idea of the having all the celebrities band together in a class action lawsuit against the town. Parker said their reactions mirrored the real-life reactions some of the celebrities had to their portrayals, adding, "If they could join forces, they probably would."[2]
Stone said in writing the episode, they were determined not to produce a clip show, but to merge all of the old ideas into a new, original script. The process proved challenging for the duo because it involved incorporating many ideas, subplots and characters into a single episode.[2] Parker and Stone included a joke about this process at the start of the episode, when Cartman and Kyle are fighting with each other, and Stan accuses them of just "rehashing a bunch of old stuff".[6][7] In honor of the 200th episode, the website SouthPark200.com was launched, offering a forum to fans to post their congratulations to South Park and view those posted by others. Several notable names have contributed to the site, including the creators of the animated series The Simpsons (who used the opportunity to revisit another previous South Park theme, the episode "Simpsons Already Did It", saying "We already [produced 200 episodes]. Twice."[8]), members of the rock band Rush and Denver Nuggets basketball player Chauncey Billups. The site also includes congratulations from All in the Family creator Norman Lear, who guest-starred in the 100th episode "I'm a Little Bit Country", and figure skater Brian Boitano, who was featured in the song "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" in the 1999 film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.[9]
Theme
Muhammad subplot
"200" features jokes and references to past South Park episodes, storylines, characters and controversies.[2][6][10] The episode revolves heavily around efforts to bring Muhammad into public view. This is based on two past controversies in 2005 (Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy) and 2007 (Lars Vilks Muhammad drawings controversy), when European newspapers published cartoons of Muhammad, which was responded to with reactions of violent riots, global protests and death threats toward the artists. As a result of those incidents, many publications and television studios have refused to broadcast images of Muhammad whatsoever, which was the inspiration behind Tom Cruise's efforts to harvest Muhammad's apparent immunity to satire and ridicule.[11][12][13] Parker and Stone addressed the Muhammad issue in their two-part tenth season episode "Cartoon Wars", during which they attempt to show an image of the prophet, only to reveal that Comedy Central has forbidden any such image from being broadcast on their network. However, Muhammad had already been featured on-screen in the fifth season episode "Super Best Friends", in which he is among a band of religious figures modeled after the superheroes in the Super Friends cartoons from the 1970s and 1980s. (The Super Best Friends are featured once again in "200".) The episode "Super Best Friends" aired in 2001, before the Jyllands-Posten and Vilks controversies. Stan makes reference to that past use of Muhammad's image in "200" by saying of Muhammad, "I saw him once...a while ago..."[6][14] This reference was purposely included to reflect the irony that an image that was previously not a problem had suddenly become an issue due to new circumstances. Stone said, "Something that was OK is now not OK, and that's just fucked up."[2] The "Super Best Friends" episode continues to be run uncensored by Comedy Central in repeats, even though new images of Muhammad remained prohibited.[2]
Additionally, Muhammad has long been featured as one of the many characters shown in an image of dozens of South Park residents during the show's opening credits. That image, however, has gone largely unnoticed, and thus has not drawn much controversy.[14] When asked whether they feared retribution for mocking Muhammad, Parker said, "We'd be so hypocritical against our own thoughts, if we said, 'Okay, well let's not make fun of them because they might hurt us. Okay, we'll rip on the Catholics because they won't hurt us, but we won't rip on [Muslims] because they might hurt us.'"[2][14] The Muhammad subplot in "200", like the "Cartoon Wars" episodes, advocates for free speech and speaks out against censorship, both of Muhammad's image and any subject considered taboo.[6][15] "200" also demonstrates the double standard in the handling of offensive images of Muhammad and other religious figures, particularly in the scene in which Muhammad is censored altogether, but Buddhism founder Gautama Buddha is shown snorting cocaine in front of the South Park children.[6][15] The extreme measures the South Park boys go to in order to conceal Muhammad, like hiding him in a window-less truck and dressing him as a mascot, demonstrate the absurdity of the fear in showing the prophet, as does the fear of retaliation that the South Park residents show after Randy draws a stick figure-like drawing of him, which is not censored.[15]
Celebrities
"200" includes many celebrities that have been mocked in previous episodes.[12] One of the most prominently parodied is Tom Cruise, who was the center of the ninth season episode "Trapped in the Closet". Cruise spent much of that episode hiding in a closet, a reference to rumors of his homosexuality. In "200", he is found working in a fudge factory as a "fudge packer", another reference to alleged homosexuality.[16][17] The episode also reveals Cruise's house consists mostly of closets, a reference to both homosexuality and the original episode in which Cruise was mocked.[7] Other celebrities mocked in "200" include:
- Actor Ben Affleck ("How to Eat with Your Butt", "Fat Butt and Pancake Head")[18][19][20]
- Film director Michael Bay ("Imaginationland Episode I", Cartmanland)[18][21]
- Pope Benedict XVI ("Bloody Mary", "Fantastic Easter Special")[9][22]
- al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden ("Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants")[18][23]
- Magician David Blaine ("Super Best Friends")[18][24]
- U2 vocalist Bono ("More Crap")[11][25]
- Singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett ("Tonsil Trouble")[6][26]
- Politician Hillary Clinton ("The Snuke")[7][27]
- Lawyer Johnnie Cochran ("Chef Aid")[18][28]
- Singer/songwriter Phil Collins ("Timmy 2000")[7][29]
- Politician Gary Condit ("Butters' Very Own Episode")[18][20]
- Comedian Bill Cosby ("Trapper Keeper", "Here Comes the Neighborhood", "Clubhouses")[7][20][30]
- Actor Russell Crowe ("The New Terrance and Phillip Movie Trailer")[9][31]
- Actor Michael Douglas ("Sexual Healing")[18][32]
- Actor David Duchovny ("Sexual Healing")[16][33]
- Subway spokesman Jared Fogle ("Jared Has Aides", "Stunning and Brave")[6][34]
- Film character Indiana Jones ("The China Probrem")[18][35]
- Actor Mel Gibson ("The Passion of the Jew, Imaginationland")[9][36]
- Television host Kathie Lee Gifford ("Weight Gain 4000")[18][20]
- Socialite Paris Hilton ("Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset")[11][37]
- Wildlife expert Steve Irwin ("Hell on Earth 2006", "Prehistoric Ice Man")[7][38]
- Politician Jesse Jackson ("With Apologies to Jesse Jackson")[7][39]
- Singer Michael Jackson ("Dead Celebrities, The Jeffersons")[17][40]
- Actress Angelina Jolie ("Lice Capades")[16][41]
- Talk show host David Letterman ("Sexual Healing")[9][42]
- Film director George Lucas ("Free Hat", "The China Probrem")[12][43][44]
- Actress Liza Minnelli ("Freak Strike")[7][45]
- Disney mascot Mickey Mouse ("The Ring")[9][46]
- Actress and television host Rosie O'Donnell ("Trapper Keeper")[40][47]
- Singer and activist Yoko Ono ("World Wide Recorder Concert")
- Actress Sarah Jessica Parker ("The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs")[9][48]
- Actor and film director Robert Redford ("Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls")[18][20]
- Film director Rob Reiner ("Butt Out")[9][49]
- Actor Michael Richards ("With Apologies to Jesse Jackson")[18][50]
- Actress Winona Ryder (South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut)[18][51]
- Actor and television host Bob Saget ("Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut")[18][20]
- Actor Fred Savage ("Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls")[18][20]
- Actor Charlie Sheen ("Sexual Healing")[16][33]
- Actress Brooke Shields (South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut)[18][52]
- Film director M. Night Shyamalan ("Imaginationland Episode I")[18][21]
- Actor and retired football player O. J. Simpson ("Butters' Very Own Episode")[18][20]
- Actor and rapper Will Smith ("Here Comes the Neighborhood")[18][20]
- Film director Steven Spielberg ("Cripple Fight", "Free Hat", "The China Probrem")[12][43][44]
- Singer Britney Spears ("Britney's New Look")[40][53]
- Television host Martha Stewart ("Eat, Pray, Queef", "Red Hot Catholic Love")[9][54]
- Actress Sally Struthers ("Starvin' Marvin," "Mecha-Streisand," "Starvin' Marvin in Space," "The Death of Eric Cartman")[6][55]
- Actor Billy Bob Thornton ("Sexual Healing")[7][33]
- Actor John Travolta ("The Entity", "Trapped in the Closet")[18][20][56]
- Animal rights/Environmental activist Paul Watson ("Whale Whores")
- Rapper Kanye West ("Fishsticks")[2][57]
- Talk show host Oprah Winfrey ("Here Comes the Neighborhood", "A Million Little Fibers")[11][58]
- Golf pro Tiger Woods ("Sexual Healing")[11][42]
Near the end of "200", the celebrities seek assistance from singer and actress Barbra Streisand, who resembles a giant two-legged mechanical monster. This is a reference to Streisand's appearance in the first season episode "Mecha-Streisand", in which she transforms into a monster in the style of Mechagodzilla from the Godzilla franchise.[11] The Mecha-Streisand featured in "200" is designed with more sophisticated computer imagery than the original, which was a simple cut-out style cartoon like the rest of South Park.[6][10] Although Parker and Stone have maintained that most of the celebrities they mock in South Park are chosen at random, with no personal animosity behind it, Barbra Streisand is one of the few they actively and vehemently dislike.[59] Streisand, in turn, has been critical of South Park and her portrayal in it, and has accused the show of adding "to the cynicism and negativity in our culture, especially in children".[60]
Cartman's father
The episode ends with a cliffhanger involving Cartman's father.[10][17] The identity of Cartman's father made up a major plot point at the end of the first season, culminating in the second season episode "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut", in which it is revealed Cartman's mother, Liane Cartman, is a hermaphrodite and, in fact, is Cartman's father. "200" is the first episode to return to the matter and suggest this was not the actual truth.[12] Throughout the episode, Cartman uses a hand-puppet con-artist named Mitch Connor, who had, presumably, just been made up by Cartman in trying to fool Kyle in the seventh season episode "Fat Butt and Pancake Head", resuming his role in pretending to be Jennifer Lopez and utilizing many offensive Hispanic stereotypes in his portrayal of her.[6][10] The hand puppet portrayal is very similar to the work of Spanish ventriloquist Señor Wences.[12]
Several other references to previous South Park episodes are featured throughout "200". It marks the reappearance of Mr. Hat, a hand puppet that had been frequently used by Mr. Garrison during the early South Park seasons, but had long been abandoned in later episodes.[10][12] During the second half of "200", an army of red-haired "ginger kids" attempt to capture Muhammad themselves. Several South Park episodes, most prominently the ninth season episode "Ginger Kids", have featured the ginger kids, which are children with fair skin, freckles and red hair. In most cases, they have been made the subject of ridicule by Cartman, who views them in an offensively stereotypical way.[12][61]
Cultural references
During one scene, a frustrated Tom Cruise angrily jumps up and down on a couch while Oprah Winfrey sits next to him. This is a reference to incident on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005, in which Cruise repeatedly jumped on the couch next to Oprah, fell to one knee and loudly professed his love for actress Katie Holmes. Cruise has been repeatedly mocked for his behavior.[11] In another scene, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are shown to have actor Harrison Ford leashed, chained and ball-gagged, as the actor wears the fedora he wore in the Indiana Jones films. This is a reference to the twelfth season episode "The China Probrem", in which Lucas and Spielberg literally rape Indiana Jones repeatedly, which served as a commentary by Parker and Stone for the poor quality of the 2008 Spielberg/Lucas film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.[12] A cartoon image of film director Tim Burton is featured in the episode, despite having not been previously ridiculed by the show. In the episode, Burton is mocked for not having an original idea since the 1988 comedy horror film Beetlejuice, and for his tendency to feature film actor Johnny Depp in so many of his films that he should "just have sex with him [Johnny Depp] already".[6] Cartman's Jennifer Lopez hand-puppet repeatedly demands food from the American restaurant chain Taco Bell, particularly enchiritos, which is one of the many Hispanic stereotypes utilized by the character.[6] Also, when the celebrities are discussing who to bring in to help capture Mohammed, Barbra Streisand is referenced as "her," to which the discussion goes "her who?" "her" "oh...her." This is slightly reminiscent of the movie Little Shop of Horrors when Rick Moranis and Steve Martin are talking about Audrey, who the dentist had physically abused, where Steve asks "what did I ever do to you" and Rick answers "it wasn't what you did to me, it was what you did to her" Steve: "her? oh...her" [62]
Reception
Ratings
In its original American broadcast on April 14, 2010, "200" was watched by 3.33 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it the most watched cable television show of the night.[63] It outperformed the previous week's episode, "You Have 0 Friends", which was seen by 3.07 million viewers,[64] and it was seen by roughly 177,000 more viewers than its closest competitor on April 14, USA Network's In Plain Sight. The episode received an overall 2.0 rating/3 share, meaning that it was seen by 2% of the population, and 3% of people watching television at the time of the broadcast. Among viewers between ages 18 and 49, it received a 1.9 rating/5 share, and among male viewers between 18 and 34, it received a 3.7 rating/13 share.[63]
Reviews
This was South Park distilled to its essence: Cartman and his friends caught up in the stupidity all around them, created by absurd, neurotic, fearful, repressed adults. Parker and Stone set themselves apart from all this by insisting on remaining juvenile — something like genius juveniles.
Ken Tucker
Entertainment Weekly[12]
The episode received mostly positive reviews. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly said he was surprised by the complexity of "200" and the amount of South Park references and subplots it encompassed, especially the questions over Cartman's father. Tucker praised the episode, and said, "With jokes raining down like hell-fire, the 200th episode spared no one except the South Park kids themselves."[12] Ramsey Isler of IGN said it was fun to identify all the references to past South Park moments, but felt "200" itself didn't stand out as a great episode. Isler said the new material wasn't very funny, and that the rehashed material was not as funny as the first time they were shown, which was disappointing due to the hype surrounding the episode.[10] The A.V. Club writer Sean O'Neal said the episode was funny, but that the original material was far outnumbered by rehashed jokes. O'Neal said the use of all the celebrities demonstrated how South Park had been more original in early episodes, but now had "morph[ed] into something whose default mode is mocking famous people in the news".[6]
Douglas Murray of The Daily Telegraph said of the episode, "I can't recommend it enough",[15] and particularly complimented the episode scenes with Buddha snorting cocaine and the South Park townspeople hiding Muhammad. Murray said, "They make the point about the absurd self-censorship and thuggish intimidation surrounding the Islamic faith better than anything else I've seen."[15] Amy Duncan of Metro said it "certainly was an episode to remember". Duncan praised the story, which she said "develops with [South Park's] usual rude inferences and below-the-belt remarks".[65] Ryan Broderick of The Hofstra Chronicle said the episode "came together so simply, so smoothly, and so hilariously that it forgives the last couple lame duck episodes of the season". Broderick said it avoided the pitfalls of most landmark episodes by providing an original story in addition to the throwback references.[66] Nick Zaino of TV Squad said the episode did not offer much new, but also offer good throwbacks and celebrity spoofs, and didn't "pull any punches". Zaino said the episode has "a wonderful sense of the absurd", particularly through the use of Mecha-Streisand and Cartman's hand-puppet.[7]
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based civil rights and advocacy group, said they were aware of the depiction of Muhammad in "200", but declined to put out a formal statement about it because they did not want to draw any more attention to the show. The group's spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper, said, "People are pretty tired of this whole 'Let's insult the prophet Muhammad thing.'"[67]
Revolution Muslim entry
We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.
Abu Talhah al Amrikee[12]
The website for the organization Revolution Muslim, a New York-based terrorist organization, posted an entry that included a warning to creators Parker and Stone that they risk retribution for their depictions of Muhammad. It said that they "will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show." Filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered by an Islamist in 2004 for making a short documentary on the violence against women in some Islamic societies. The posting provided the addresses to Comedy Central in New York and the production company in Los Angeles. The author of the post, Zachary Adam Chesser (who prefers to be called Abu Talhah al Amrikee),[68] said it was meant to serve as a warning to Parker and Stone, not a threat, and that providing the addresses was meant to give people the opportunity to protest.
The entry included audio clips of a sermon by al-Qaeda imam Anwar al-Awlaki, calling for the assassination of anyone who has defamed Muhammad, saying, "Harming Allah and his messenger is a reason to encourage Muslims to kill whoever does that."[69][70] It also included a link to a 2009 Huffington Post article that gave details of Stone and Parker's mansion in Colorado,[70] and images of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, an activist writer and critic of Islam, who lives in permanent security protection because of threats.[71] Comedy Central declined to comment on the post.[70] Before writing the Revolution Muslim post, Chesser wrote an April 15 entry on his Twitter page: "May Allah kill Matt Stone and Trey Parker and burn them in Hell for all eternity. They insult our prophets Muhammad, Jesus, and Moses."[67] Chesser was subsequently sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment for this and other offenses.
Despite Chesser's statements that the website entry was a warning, several media outlets and observers interpreted it as a threat.[72][73][74] Ayaan Hirsi Ali dismissed claims that the website entry was just a warning, calling it "an assault on the freedom of expression" that should not be marginalized or overlooked. She said of the episode, "The 'South Park' episode of last weekend was not just funny, and it wasn't just witty. [It] addressed an essential piece in the times that we are living. There is one group of people, one religion[,] that is claiming to be above criticism."[72] New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said he was aware of the website posting, but said, "We don't think that this threat, as [it] is currently assessed, rises to a crime right now."[75]
CNN journalist Anderson Cooper said of the episode, "You might not like South Park the cartoon. You might think it's offensive. [But] the notion that some radical Islamic group in America would make a threat, even a veiled one, against two men's lives because of it is chilling."[72] Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly said he would have advised Parker and Stone not to do the episode out of fear of retaliation: "On the one hand you do have to admire their courage. But I don't know whether the risk–reward [ratio] is worth it."[73] The Daily Telegraph writer Douglas Murray said the entry only gave "200" more legitimacy, writing, "[It] of course just confirms the point that the South Park boys were making. [...] I'd have said that was point proved. South Park 1: Islamists 0."[71] On the April 22, 2010, episode of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, host Jon Stewart went into a ten-minute tirade about the alleged death threats, expressing disgust at the alleged hypocrisy of Revolution Muslim's speech while its members enjoy the American lifestyle and freedom of speech.[76][77]
In response to the Revolution Muslim post, the South Park episode "201", which aired the following week and concluded the unresolved storylines from "200", was heavily censored by Comedy Central. The channel inserted audio bleeps over all references to Muhammad's name and other portions of dialogue, including the entirety of the ending speech by the show's main characters.[78][79]
The Dutch version of Comedy Central began airing commercials for "200" during the week of April 26, with the show scheduled to air on April 30. However, "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" was shown instead. When asked about this, a spokesperson for Comedy Central Netherlands said they had reluctantly decided the episode to be pulled,[80] along with the episode "201".[81] Neither episode is available on the Dutch South Park Studios website; the same applies to the German website as of May 9, 2010.[82][83] The Swedish affiliate of Comedy Central also refused to broadcast "200" and "201" in Sweden:[84]
Comedy Central has decided not to air these two episodes of South Park. It is a decision we've made with great reluctance. Comedy Central believes strongly in creative freedom of expression; when unique and deeply insightful creative talents like those behind South Park are able to express themselves freely, we all benefit. However, the safety of our employees is our unquestioned number[-]one priority, and therefore we have decided to take these precautionary measures.
Possible link to Times Square car bomb attempt
On May 1, 18 days after the episode's original airdate, a failed car bomb attempt was discovered by the New York City Police Department near the eastern corner of 1 Astor Plaza in New York City, on West 45 Street, on a side street near the location of the world headquarters of Viacom, Comedy Central's parent company. Some news outlets reported that police are looking into a possible link between the attempted bombing and the warnings of violence against Trey Parker and Matt Stone, although no such link has yet been established.[85][86] Such speculation was also fueled by statements from U.S. Congressman Peter T. King, who described as one possible motive "the whole issue with 'South Park,' which Islamic terrorists were threatening to have retribution for." However, King stressed the theory was "one possibility out of a hundred".[87] Revolution Muslim has denied any involvement with the incident. Younus Abdullah Muhammed, who runs the group's website, was in Times Square at the time speaking out against President Barack Obama with a loudspeaker. But he said of the failed car bomb, "What do you think, I commanded somebody to blow up a building in the middle of Times Square? [...] It had nothing to do with the 'South Park' controversy. It was not an attack targeting Viacom."[88] NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly said of the theory, "We certainly wouldn't rule that out."[89] However, media reports indicated Faisal Shahzad, the suspect arrested in connection with the attempted bombing, had trained for months prior to the first broadcast of "200."[90]
Sri Lanka ban
The depiction of Buddha snorting cocaine in "200" and "201", prompted the government of Sri Lanka to ban the entire series outright.[91]
Digital censorship
The day after the episode aired, the episode was available for streaming on the site. After a week, like the other Muhammad episodes, it was taken off due to copyright reasons. However, the message presented to the user for this episode is "We apologize that South Park Studios cannot stream this episode."[92] The sequel episode, "201", also has not been made available for streaming, but a different message describes an intent to potentially post that episode. Similarly the episode and its sequel are not available to stream or buy on services Netflix, iTunes, Hulu, or Amazon on Demand. Furthermore, digital copies of these episodes that were purchased prior to their ban from digital distribution are no longer available for streaming or download.
Home release
Although "200" was not currently available on the internet legally, and had not re-aired since April 2010, it was confirmed on February 11, 2011 that "200" will be released on DVD.[93] "200" along with the thirteen other episodes from South Park's fourteenth season, was released on a three-disc DVD set and two-disc Blu-ray set in the United States on April 26, 2011.[94]
The version presented on the DVD and Blu-ray is the uncensored version, with Muhammad's name unbleeped,[95] unlike the episode that follows, "201", which is presented on disc in its original network censored version. During the commentary in both "200" and "201" Parker and Stone never mention Muhammad directly, referring to him only as "the prophet of the Muslim faith".[96] Despite the package claiming otherwise, both "200" and "201" were completely omitted from the Region 4 and Region 2 releases.[97]
References
- ↑ Emmy Awards. "Complete Emmy listings" (PDF). Emmy Award. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 21, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Jardin, Xeni (April 13, 2010). "South Park's 200th, litigious celebs and Mohammed: Matt Stone and Trey Parker". Boing Boing. Archived from the original on April 15, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ Gross, Terry (March 24, 2010). "South Park Celebrates 14 Years Of Fart Jokes". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ Morrow, Terry (March 12, 2009). "Morrow TV: Looking at 'South Park' ... Other shows of note". Scripps Howard News Services. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
- ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (March 10, 2010). "'South Park' at 200: Trey Parker and Matt Stone Apologize to No One". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 O'Neal, Sean (April 14, 2010). "South Park: "200"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Zaino, Nick (April 15, 2010). "'South Park' – '200' Recap". TV Squad. Archived from the original on 2010-09-18. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ↑ Strachan, Alex (April 16, 2010). "South Park celebrates 200th episode". Canwest News Service. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Bockelman, Andy (April 14, 2010). ""South Park" To Premiere 200th Episode". All Headline News. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Isler, Ramsey (April 15, 2010). "South Park: "200" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 17, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "South Park creators court fury after including Prophet Muhammad in no-holds-barred 200th episode". Daily Mail. April 15, 2010. Archived from the original on April 19, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Tucker, Ken (April 15, 2010). "'South Park' 200th episode review: Muhammad, Tom Cruise, and Cartman's daddy issues". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ Edwards, Tim (April 21, 2010). "Muslims warn South Park after Mohammed joke". The First Post. Archived from the original on April 24, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- 1 2 3 Bierly, Mandi (April 14, 2010). "'South Park' gears up for 200th episode: Will we see Muhammad?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 17, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Murray, Douglas (April 19, 2010). "South Park celebrates 200th episode with another attempt to show us...Mohammed!". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 Lee, Cara (April 15, 2010). "South Park's gay jibe at Tom Cruise". The Sun. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- 1 2 3 Hester, Jere (April 14, 2010). "South Park and the Cult of Celebrity". WCAU. Archived from the original on 2013-05-22. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 "FAQ – April 2010". South Park Studios.com. April 19, 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-09-15. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ↑ Surette, Tim (April 15, 2010). "South Park's Starry 200th Bash". Archived from the original on April 20, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Stall, Sam (2009). The South Park Episode Guide: Volume 1, Seasons 1–5. New York City, New York: Running Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-7624-3561-6.
- 1 2 Cusson, Jerome (October 18, 2007). "Goin' Down to South Park 10.17.07: Imaginationland". 411mania.com. Archived from the original on 2008-02-22. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ↑ Isler, Ramsey (April 1, 2010). "South Park: "Medicinal Fried Chicken" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 17, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ Fickett, Travis (July 29, 2009). "South Park Flashback: "Osama Bin Laden Has Farty Pants" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 2012-04-19. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ↑ Nurwisah, Ron (April 20, 2010). "South Park draws anger of radical Muslim website". National Post, Inc. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ↑ Trechak, Brad (October 10, 2007). "South Park: More Crap". TV Squad. Archived from the original on 2009-04-08. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ "South Park cures AIDS with cash". Fashion.ie. March 16, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ "Hillary Clinton debuts in South Park". The New Zealand Herald. March 29, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ↑ Arp, Robert (December 2006). "The Chewbacca Defense: A South Park Logic Lesson". In Arp, Robert. South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4051-6160-2.
- ↑ Shannon, Jeff (November 13, 2005). "Who's our favorite crippled boy? Timmy!": South Park's learning-disabled, wheelchair-using fourth-grader is so politically incorrect that disabled people adore him". Chicago Sun-Times. p. B03. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ↑ Clubhouses (Season 2, Episode 12) – Full Episode Player – South Park Studios Archived January 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Crowe's on Menu on 'South Park'". Los Angeles Times. April 2, 2002. p. F1. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ↑ "South Park Spoofs Sexaholics, Wins Big Ratings". contactmusic.com. constactmusic.com LTD. March 19, 2010. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- 1 2 3 Lee, Cara (March 18, 2010). "South Park's swing for Gier". The Sun. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ↑ Rosenthal, Phil (March 6, 2002). "'South Park' vs. Subway". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 51. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ "The Worst Cable Content of the Week South Park on Comedy Central". Parents Television Council. October 17, 2009. Archived from the original on 2014-04-08. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ↑ Gross, Max (April 9, 2004). "'The Passion of the Christ' Fuels Antisemitism — on 'South Park'". The Forward. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ "Skanks a Lot". New York Post. November 24, 2004. p. 14.
- ↑ "It's Steve Irwin on South Park". The Sun. October 27, 2006. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ↑ Correll, Jacob (March 9, 2007). "'South Park' offers no 'Apologies' for its political incorrectness". The Tufts Daily. Archived from the original on 2012-03-04. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- 1 2 3 ""South Park" Re-Skewers Celebs For 200th Episode". All Headline News. April 13, 2010. Archived from the original on April 20, 2010. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ↑ "Head lice outbreak on 'South Park'". The State Hornet. March 31, 2007.
- 1 2 Boone, Christian (March 18, 2010). "Roethlisberger gets animated; interview still unscheduled". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on March 22, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- 1 2 Syzmanski, Mike (July 11, 2002). "'South Park' Takes on Lucas and Spielberg". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 2013-05-18. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- 1 2 Elsworth, Catherine (October 11, 2008). "South Park episode angers viewers with scenes of Hollywood titans raping Indiana Jones". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2012-11-10. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ Caro, Mark (June 30, 1999). "South Park tasteless, scatological and very funny". Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
- ↑ Morrow, Terry (March 12, 2009). "Morrow TV: Looking at 'South Park' ... Other shows of note". Scripps Howard News Services. Archived from the original on November 8, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ Anderson, Brian C. (April 17, 2005). "South Park Republicans". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on 2013-10-11. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ↑ "South Park calls Sarah Jessica Parker a 'transvestite donkey witch'". Metro. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ Cox, Ted (December 26, 2003). "War and remembrance: Coverage of the invasion of Iraq – from all angles – made for the year's top TV moments". Daily Herald.
- ↑ Fickett, Travis (March 8, 2007). "South Park: "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 2009-04-26. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ↑ Dungan, Joe (January 1, 2001). "Career, Superannuated: Why Winona Ryder is America's Least Castable Actress". The Simon Magazine. The Simon LLC. Archived from the original on March 30, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ↑ Anderson, John (June 30, 1999). "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut Movie Review". The Times. Hollywood.com, LLC. Archived from the original on 2007-11-13. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ↑ "Britney Spars headed for ill end on "South Park"". The Denver Post. March 21, 2008. p. B03. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ↑ Modell, Josh (April 2, 2009). "Eat, Pray, Queef". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on April 27, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ Duffy, Mike (December 16, 1997). "Rudeness rules! Comedy Central hit "South Park" is smarter than it looks". Detroit Free Press. p. 1D.
- ↑ Adickman, Erika (April 15, 2010). "7 Pop Stars Who Won't Be Attending Opening Night Of The 'South Park' Broadway Musical". Idolator. Archived from the original on April 19, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ↑ Montgomery, James (April 9, 2009). "Kanye West Responds – Humbly! – To 'South Park' 'Fish Sticks' Slam". MTV. Archived from the original on November 8, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ Leonard, Devin (October 27, 2006). "'South Park' creators haven't lost their edge". CNNMoney.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-07. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ Parker, Trey (2003). South Park: The Complete First Season: "Mecha-Streisand" (Audio commentary CD). Comedy Central.
- ↑ Dreifus, Claudia (May 1998). "The Way She Is". Hachette Filipacchi Médias.
- ↑ "Celebrating South Park's 200 episode: Five of the best". Metro. April 15, 2010. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ "Little Shop Of Horrors Script – transcript from the screenplay and/or Rick Moranis and Steve Martin musical movie based on the play". Script-o-rama.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-10. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
- 1 2 Gorman, Bill (April 15, 2010). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: "In Plain Sight" Slips; "South Park" Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 7, 2010. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ↑ Seidman, Robert (April 8, 2010). "Wednesday Finals: "CSI: NY" Dips Further + "South Park," "In Plain Sight" and More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 14, 2010. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ↑ Duncan, Amy (April 15, 2010). "Tom Cruise called a 'fudge-packer' by South Park". Metro. Archived from the original on April 17, 2010. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ↑ Broderick, Ryan (April 14, 2010). "TV RECAP: South Park's 200th". The Hofstra Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 17, 2010. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- 1 2 Collins, Scott; Gold, Matea (April 23, 2010). "Threat against 'South Park creators highlights dilemma for media companies". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ↑ Miller, Joshua Rhett (April 23, 2010). "Road to Radicalism: The Man Behind the 'South Park' Threats". Fox News. Archived from the original on April 27, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ↑ Lister, Tim (April 19, 2010). "Security Brief: Radical Islamic Web site takes on 'South Park'". CNN. Archived from the original on April 22, 2010. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
- 1 2 3 Miller, Joshua Rhett (April 20, 2010). "'South Park' Creators Could Face Retribution for Depicting Muhammad, Website Warns". Fox News. Archived from the original on April 23, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- 1 2 Murray, Douglas (April 20, 2010). "The death threats come in for South Park: 'They will probably end up like Theo van Gogh'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- 1 2 3 Cooper, Anderson (April 20, 2010). "Radical Islamists Threaten 'South Park' Creators; More Volcano Eruptions Ahead". Anderson Cooper 360°. (transcript). New York City. CNN.
- 1 2 O'Reilly, Bill (April 20, 2010). "'South Park' Episode Prompts Death Threats". The O'Reilly Factor. New York City. Fox News Channel. Archived from the original on 2014-02-03.
- ↑ Cavna, Michael (April 20, 2010). "Comic Riffs – 'South Park': Is pro-jihad website threatening cartoonists over Muhammad satire?". Washington Post. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (April 22, 2010). "'South Park' Episode Altered after Muslim Group's Warning". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ↑ Goldstein, Patrick (April 23, 2010). "Muslim threats to 'South Park': Did Comedy Central cave in to knucklehead extremists?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ↑ Cavna, Michael (April 23, 2010). "Comic Riffs: JON STEWART satirizes own network's censorship of 'South Park' Muhammad episode". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (April 22, 2010). "'South Park' Episode Is Altered After Muslim Group's Warning". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ↑ Goldman, Eric (April 22, 2010). "South Park Censored". IGN. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ↑ Verver, Jody (April 30, 2010). "CC International heeft er met grote tegenzinvoor gekozen om de 2 afl.van South Park niet uit te zenden." (in Dutch).
- ↑ Verver, Jody (April 30, 2010). "de veiligheid van onze medewerkers is prioriteit nummer 1 en is er uit voorzorg besloten de 2 afleveringen niet uit te zenden." (in Dutch).
- ↑ "South Park Episode Player – 200" (in Dutch). South Park Studios Netherlands. Archived from the original on 2012-03-06. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ↑ Verver, Jody (April 30, 2010). "Dit geldt helaas ook voor online.De US heeft deze voorzorgsmaatregel genomen om de veiligheid van haar medewerkers te garanderen." (in Dutch).
- ↑ "South Park Muhammad joke won't air in Sweden". The Local. April 29, 2010. Archived from the original on May 3, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ↑ Gendar, Alison; Parascandola, Rocco; Kennedy, Helen (May 2, 2010). "Police eyeing link to South Park in Times Square car bomb". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ↑ Allen, Nick; Rayner, Gordon (May 2, 2010). "Times Square car bomb: police investigate South Park link". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on May 3, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ↑ Cavna, Michael (May 2, 2010). "Times Square bomb: a 'South Park' link?". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ↑ Hutchinson, Bill (May 2, 2010). "Islamic group that warned creators of 'South Park' denies involvement in Times Square bomb plot". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ↑ Crawford, Carly (May 2, 2010). "T-shirt vendor saves New York from car bomb threat as NY police commissioner says there nothing to link Taliban to bomb attempt". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ↑ Perez, Evan; Johnson, Keith; Gardiner, Sean (May 6, 2010). "No-Fly List Gap Is Closed as Shahzad Keeps Talking". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 6, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- ↑ American Television Depicts Buddha Snorting Cocaine | The Sunday Leader
- ↑ 200 South Park Studios Full Episode Player, Season 14 Episode 5. Archived January 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Now that you've given us a date for Season 14's DVD release, here's something I'm betting a lot of people are itching to know: WILL EVERY EPISODE be included on the DVD/Bluray? – FAQ". South Park Studios. Archived from the original on 2012-08-29. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ↑ "South Park – 'The Complete 14th Season' Formally Announced; Seems it Really IS Complete!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. July 2, 2011. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
- ↑ Latchem, John. "'South Park' Set Includes Controversial Episodes". Home Media Magazine. Archived from the original on 2013-12-28. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
- ↑ Parker, Trey (April 2011). South Park: The Complete Fourteenth Season: "201" (Audio commentary DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment.
- ↑ "South Park – Season 14 [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Trey Parker, Matt Stone: Film & TV". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
External links
- "200" Episode Guide at South Park Studios
- "200" at the Internet Movie Database
- "200" at TV.com