"Cartmanland" | |||||||
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| [[File:File:200px-506 img 30.gif|250px]] | |||||||
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 6 | ||||||
| Production no. | 506 | ||||||
| Original airdate | July 25, 2001 | ||||||
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| List of all South Park episodes | |||||||
Cartmanland is episode #506 of the Comedy Central series South Park. It was originally broadcast on July 25, 2001.
Plot
Upon the death of his grandmother, Cartman inherits $1,000,000. Delighted, Cartman makes an offer to buy an amusement park, having always wanted a park all to himself without having to wait in lines. Around the same time, Kyle comes down with a hemorrhoid, and his suffering combined with Cartman's perfidious fortune causes him to lose faith in God. After an ad about Cartman's theme park comes on TV (advertising that no one will be allowed in, which business analysts wrongly believe to be "the brilliant 'you can't come' marketing technique"), Kyle and Stan attempt to sneak into the theme park. Unfortunately, Kyle pops his hemorrhoid on the barbed wire fence, infecting the sore and almost killing him. He has to go to hospital. He renounces his faith completely, and his parents' description of the trials of Job does little to assure him.
Cartman initially enjoys his park, but after the incident with Stan and Kyle, he is forced to hire a security guard, and to get the money to pay his salary, he agrees to let in two paying customers a day. More expenses begin to pile up, though, with broken rides, candy, utilities and such, and Cartman ends up having to let in 816 people per day. The park ends up becoming incredibly successful, as the fact that more and more people were slowly allowed in when Cartman absolutely had to. He is furious that his park is completely full, and sells the park back to its original owner. But, his money is then taken to pay off the IRS and a lawsuit by Mr. and Mrs. McCormick, as Kenny died on one of the rides; he also owes an additional $13,000 which he cannot pay. He tries to buy the park back from the owner so he can pay off his additional debt, but the owner won't resell due to the parks' new-found success.
Stan gets the idea to bring Kyle down to the park, where they observe that Cartman is extremely miserable and frustrated; more so than if he had never acquired the park in the first place. He throws stones at his old park, but his old security guard sprays him in the eyes and puts him in horrible pain. Observing this justice, Kyle regains his faith and desire to live, his illness is put into remission, and he recovers almost instantly. He awakens and, seeing Cartman's misery, realizes there is a God who cares after all.
Trivia
- The Jennifer Lopez doll and car returns in Proper Condom Use, which in this episode has burn marks caused by the firecracker the boys stuck in it.
- Cartman complains about the lines at the amusement parks in almost the same manner The Grinch complains about the Whos' celebration of Christmas in the animated version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas.
- There is a ride at Cartmanland called the Haunted Manor. This is a reference to the two Disneyland rides Haunted Mansion and Phantom Manor.
- One of the reasons given for Cartman's money and park being taken away is "that little boy who died on a ride". To this, Cartman replies, "Who, Kenny? He dies all the time!" This implies that Cartman is aware of Kenny's repeated deaths prior to Season 6.
Censorship
The shot of Kyle’s hemorrhoid shrinking was cut in syndication.
Goofs
- Cartman states that owning a million dollars is a lifelong dream of his. However, on several previous episodes he is shown attempting to get ten million dollars (and what he intends to purchase with this is never made clear).
- Kyle believes that there is no God in this episode despite the fact that he and all the other characters met God in person in Are You There God? It’s Me, Jesus.
- On the ride in which Kenny dies, the child sitting next to him has brown hair and a red hat, but on the ride photo a child with black hair can be seen sitting next to him.
- Cartman contradicts himself in this episode. Here he claims to completely hate rides, however earlier in the episode Cow Days, he suggests to the gang to ride the "Line Ride" and was actually the one who enjoyed it most.