Red Sleigh Down

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South Park episode
"Red Sleigh Down/Christmas in Iraq"
Santa strikes back at his captors.
Episode no. 96
Airdate December 11, 2002
South Park - Season 6
March 6, 2002 – December 11, 2002
  1. Freak Strike
  2. Jared Has Aides
  3. Asspen
  4. The New Terrance and Phillip Movie Trailer
  5. Fun with Veal
  6. Professor Chaos
  7. Simpsons Already Did It
  8. Red Hot Catholic Love
  9. Free Hat
  10. Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society
  11. Child Abduction Is Not Funny
  12. A Ladder to Heaven
  13. The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers
  14. The Death Camp of Tolerance
  15. The Biggest Douche in the Universe
  16. My Future Self n' Me
  17. Red Sleigh Down
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List of all South Park episodes

"Red Sleigh Down" (a.k.a. "Christmas in Iraq") is episode 617 of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired on December 11, 2002.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Cartman's naughty or nice accountant (Kyle's cousin Kyle) performs a tally, and it's obvious that Cartman has been too naughty to earn his coveted Christmas gift, a Haibo robot dog. He'll have to perform the nicest act ever to reverse the prior year of evil, and sets out to spread Christmas cheer to the people of Iraq. Meanwhile, at a tree lighting ceremony, Jimmy begins to sing his favorite Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

With the use of Mr. Hankey's Poo-Choo train, Cartman and the other boys are able to travel to the North Pole to convince Santa Claus to make a special trip. With the assistance of the Underpants Gnomes, Santa prepares his sleigh and travels to Iraq, only to be promptly shot down by a Rocket Propelled Grenade. The reindeer are dead, Santa is injured, and he is soon caught and tortured by his Iraqi captors. The boys realize that Cartman's little ploy may have ended Christmas for everyone, including Santa, and set out to make things right.

Taking the backup sled and reindeer from the stable, they seek out the one person who can help, Jesus, who is currently officiating midnight mass in His own name. When He hears of the tragedy that befallen His old friend Santa, Jesus promptly arms Himself with an array of automatic weapons and sets out with the boys to Iraq, brutally gunning down everyone who impedes Him. Jesus and the boys break into the interrogation room where Santa is being held and kill the Iraqi soldiers within (all except for the interrogator, who is later executed by Santa).

The boys carefully carry the injured Santa back to the sleigh, but a stray shot kills Jesus moments before they can escape. Outraged, Santa acquires his fallen friend's weapons and then proceeds to blast his way out of Iraq.

Moments before Christmas Day ends, a rapidly recuperating Santa returns the boys home to South Park and expresses his hope that people will always remember Jesus on this day. He also gives all three boys Haibo dogs, much to Cartman's disgust, as he wanted to be the only owner and have his friends envy him. Kenny then shows up out of nowhere and the boys ask where he's been all this time. Jimmy soon finishes the song he began at the beginning of the episode.

[edit] Trivia

  • The Buttfaced couple (The Thompsons) make a reappearance in the crowd at the beginning of the episode.
  • Also in the crowd: Dr. Mephisto and Big Gay Al.
  • Trey Parker and Matt Stone state in episode commentary that Kenny explains his absence at the end by saying, "Oh, I was just right over there." Kenny's muffled words are fairly audible as "Eh, I've just been hanging out." These are also the words shown in the closed captioning.
  • South Park Studios FAQ has revealed that Jesus' death is somehow connected to Kenny's revival. [1]
  • Mr. Hankey has not appeared since this episode.
  • Stan, Kyle and Cartman's conversation in Santa's workshop following Santa being shot down is lifted from the first Spirit of Christmas short.
  • Jesus has yet to return as a formal character after his death in this episode. He has, however, reappeared as the central character of the film The Passion of the Christ in the episode The Passion of the Jew, and he still appears in the opening group shot (with the South Park sign), even after the redesign following The Return of Chef. He also appeared in the crowd shot of I'm a Little Bit Country.

[edit] References to Pop culture

  • "Red Sleigh Down" was heavily influenced by the 1999 movie Three Kings and the 2001 movie Black Hawk Down.
  • Santa Claus's palace closely resembles the Fortress of Solitude from Superman: The Movie.
  • The torture scene involving electrodes, Santa, and "Santa's Balls" is a spoof on a torture scene involving Mel Gibson in the movie Lethal Weapon.
  • The torture scene also is a spoof of the torture scene in Three Kings with the torturer saying "My main man" and pouring oil down his mouth.

[edit] Goofs

  • In the South Park Universe, Saddam Hussein is dead and making weapons of mass destruction in Heaven ("A Ladder to Heaven"), yet Iraq still appears to be under his reign, as there are pictures of him hanging in the streets of Baghdad.
  • When Santa shoots his torturer, he's armed with a suppressed semi-automatic pistol. In the next scene, it has changed to a revolver.
  • The map on the sleigh is an out-dated map of Canada, missing the territory of Nunavut.
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Preceded by:
"My Future Self n' Me"		 South Park episodes Followed by:
"I'm a Little Bit Country"


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