I'm a Little Bit Country
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article does not cite any references or sources. (February 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
“I'm a Little Bit Country” | |
---|---|
South Park episode | |
Cartman during his flashback |
|
Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 97 |
Written by | Trey Parker Matt Stone |
Directed by | Trey Parker |
Guest stars | Norman Lear as Benjamin Franklin |
Production no. | 701 |
Original airdate | April 9, 2003 |
Season 7 episodes | |
South Park - Season 7 March 19, 2003 – December 17, 2003 |
|
|
|
← Season 6 | Season 8 → |
List of South Park episodes |
"I'm a Little Bit Country" is an episode of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired April 9, 2003, is notable as being the 100th episode aired, and is the first episode in which the opening sequence shows Kenny after his season six absence and subsequent return.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
This episode originally aired during the build-up to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. When Mr. Garrison agrees to let anyone protesting the war out of school early for a rally, all the kids leave, even though they know little about the war. They are then interviewed outside the school for their views on what the Founding Fathers would think about the conflict and show their ignorance by not knowing who the founding fathers were. Angered at the embarrassment, Mr. Garrison gives everybody an assignment to figure out an opinion on the Founders' view of the war. Stan, Kyle, and Kenny begin to study for their projects; Cartman, however, decides to take a different approach, trying (and failing) to induce a flashback of the colonial era by dropping a large rock on his own head.
Meanwhile, the people of the town are divided about the war, and after splitting in two, they both plan rallies: one pro-war, one anti-war, both on the same day in the same place. They wind up having a great argument during both rallies, and in the end get into a huge fight where they begin to all kill each other. Meanwhile, Cartman electrocutes himself in water with a TiVo full of colonial documentaries from The History Channel in order to induce a flashback. He falls into a coma, and in his mind, he travels back to the colonial era in Philadelphia. With a single murder, he manages to get the job of delivering the Declaration of Independence from Thomas Jefferson's home to the Continental Congress for a vote; there, a great argument breaks out about whether or not to go to war against Great Britain, paralleling the events in town, which Cartman recognizes as being "very, very relevant".
Benjamin Franklin shows up, as voiced by famed TV producer Norman Lear, also creative consultant for this episode. Franklin believes that the new country must not seem to be a war-monger to the rest of the world; at the same time it cannot seem to be weak either. Therefore it must go to war, but allow protests. The United States will go to war on one hand, and use protest to oppose the war on the other. He refers to the this as "saying one thing" and "doing another". One member refers to this as "having our cake and eating it too". Cartman wakes up and delivers his message to the town, who see the truth of that statement and then break out into song (a version of "I'm a Little Bit Country" by Donny and Marie Osmond). In it, they celebrate their differences and their achievement (100 episodes); ending the song with the line, "For the war, against the war- who cares! One hundred episodes!". The 100th episode of the series ends with Kyle saying "I hate this town. I really, really do".
[edit] References to popular culture
- Cartman sings Paula Cole's "I Don't Want to Wait" while hitting the messenger boy on the way to Thomas Jefferson's House. This serves as a reference to the prior episode Trapper Keeper in which Cartman gets a Trapper Keeper designed with a photo of the cast of Dawson's Creek.
[edit] Trivia
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- The guitarist playing on the anti-war side of the stage is Slash.
- The episode’s title and parody theme are based on the 1970s hit song I’m a Little Bit Country by Donny and Marie Osmond.
- During the singing, the pro-war side of town’s curtain had the bald eagle facing the bundle of arrows in its talon rather than the olive branch (which the eagle normally faces), showing that side of town’s favor in the war.
- In the end of the episode many characters from previous episodes appear in the choir to Celebrate 100 episodes. Santa Claus, Sally Struthers, the Marklar aliens, Towelie, and the Grim Reaper all appear, to name a few. Even Jesus, who has died at the episode Red Sleigh Down, appeared in the choir; he isn't seen again during the rest of the show until the episode Fantastic Easter Special.
Preceded by “Red Sleigh Down” |
South Park episodes | Followed by “Krazy Kripples” |