South Park Casualty Count: When Muhammad Met Blackface, Censorship and Mecha-Streisand

Last week, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker celebrated their 200th episode by inviting back every celebrity ever ridiculed in the series' 14 seasons -- and by taking the Prophet Muhammad hostage in a bear costume. Needless to say, the gag did not go over well with radical Muslims, who "warned" Stone and Parker that they could face a Theo van Gogh-style assassination for depicting Muhammad in such an insulting light. Little did the radical Muslims know, the show's anniversary episode was actually a two-parter that continued with last night's episode, "201."

At the end of last week's episode "200," Cartman's conman hand puppet Mitch Connor had just revealed that he knew who Cartman's father was. Meanwhile, the celebrities and an army of Gingers were battling for Muhammad, whom both parties believed to hold the power to "not be ridiculed." To battle the Gingers, the celebrities called upon their own super-villain, Mecha-Streisand, (part giant mechanical dinosaur, part award-winning singer/songwriter/actress).

Last night's episode opened with Mitch Connor's Vietnam flashback, which was one of the most brilliant sequences of the episode. It is 1972 Saigon, "Time of the Season" is playing underneath images of poorly animated warfare, and hand puppet Mitch recalls his traumatic days in the sh*t: "Blood ain't the stuff for 18-year-old boys from Sheboygan. Blood ain't the stuff for Mitch Connor." The first person voice-over continues with Mitch being discharged from duty and asking himself, "So how do I end up here? With a 9-year-old kid who just wants to know who his father is?" Back in present day, Mr. Garrison reveals to Cartman and Mitch that he will help them find Cartman's father.

In the center of South Park, the army of Gingers demands to see Muhammad without his bear costume but when the costume is unzipped, Santa Claus steps out instead of Muhammad. ("If we were going to have someone actually be in a bear costume, why would it be Muhammad, you f*cking idiot.")

Note: And it is at that point that viewers realized that every mention of Muhammad from here on out would be heavily bleeped, a post-production decision made by Comedy Central in response to the warnings by radical Muslims.

With both the Gingers and the celebrities still after Muhammad, Kyle, Stan and Kenny take the prophet back to Dr. Mephisto's inner sanctum -- where Cartman and Mitch Connor are already, hoping that the doctor can help settle their paternity issue. Before they can do anything though, an army of Gingers forces their way into Dr. Mephisto's chamber by posing as African Americans outside ("We have a black president. This isn't the '60s anymore. You have to let them in.")

The Super Best Friends set out to stop Mecha-Streisand from destroying the town but realize they are powerless against her defenses ("We can't attack Streisand's nose. It's just too big.") The only weakness they can think of is that she "cannot resist singing duets with Neil Diamond." Jesus uses his carpentry skills to build a stage and Krishna summons the pop singer who is able to lure Mecha-Streisand over for a duet.

Meanwhile, the Gingers have handed Cartman over to Scott Tenorman, the "Head Ginger" and a bully that Cartman faced in a previous season. Tenorman reveals that his father, a former Denver Bronco whom Cartman had killed in a previous episode (and made into chili) was actually Cartman's father, meaning that Scott and Cartman were half-brothers and Cartman had his own father killed. Afterward, Cartman breaks down into fits of sobs when he realizes that he is "half-Ginger." Mitch comforts him, explaining that Cartman is also "half-Bronco."

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Comments

  • SunnydaZe says:

    And they say
    You don't tug on Superman's cape
    You don't spit into the wind
    You don't pull the mask of the ol' Lone Ranger
    And you don't mess around with Muhammad.

  • cliff says:

    I don't buy that the bleeping wasn't intentional... otherwise, why did they bleep out the entire sequence in the "I learned something today" bit?

  • David says:

    As soon as they cencored it more than what was origionaly intended the muslims wone. I knwo i cant spell but heed my word, when you reward people, children, anyone at all, for throwing a fit and threating they learn that that is all they must do to get away with it. It's our right to say w/e the fuck we want to on TV to a ceartan exctent. No other religion threw a fit about this but them. And muhabid is just another way of saying jesus or budah or Joseph smith. IF you look at the blunt version of any religion they are all simmilar in almost every way. Rolling over like this and giving them what they want just cause their throwing fits and acting like children, we should not only not listen to this one but we should never conceder what they have to say again. I dont get why we are having these people do this. Just as a lawer said taht it's hard to define "threat" and free speach, well then fine we should be able to do this with no fear at all of what they might do. I honest to.... muhamid...... belive that this is a form of terrorizem regardless of the fact they have not direcly attaked us, but they have attaked our way of living, and our freedoms weither anyone wants to admit it or not, it is true and you know it.

  • Anonymous says:

    http://www.southparkstudios.com/news/3878
    I think now you'll buy it.

  • blogags says:

    It was a joke but we should respect religions as well.

  • Andrew says:

    You're right, David.. you can't spell!
    Actually, so you understand me:
    Yur rite david, u cant spel!!@!@!@##!!!@#$!

  • Derelix says:

    Yeah we should totally respect others religions. So i guess nobody is allowed to talk about Scientology if they suddenly decide they don't like it, after all that wouldn't be very respectful.
    Every day somebody tries to force some new kind of propaganda on us. Limiting free speech and calling it something like "respect for religion" is bullshit. People should be tolerant of religions, not obedient.

  • Anonymous says:

    People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefs.

  • xxx says:

    it's prob not as funny as your face though. you prob don't have any beliefs;dont worry, it's not your fault. how could you have any faith in any God if they gave you a face like that? to think your mom spent 9months carrying you around too, sigh

  • Joe says:

    Gay. What xxx said was gay, not anon

  • HelloHello says:

    Freedom of speech is great. Well I am not a fan of Iran or its president but how about Iranian president saying jews exagirated holocaust. Does it hurt someone's feelings. Well guess what. Israel threatens Iran for an attack on this statement, freedom of his views and if he was in europe he could be in a british jail by now.
    Very funny!!

  • Hello, can you give me your contact information or let me know how to contact you? I have some questions about this that you might be able to answer. Thanks in advance