Black Friday (South Park)

Last updated

"Black Friday"
South Park episode
Episode no.Season 17
Episode 7
Directed by Trey Parker
Written byTrey Parker
Production code1707
Original air dateNovember 13, 2013 (2013-11-13)
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Ginger Cow"		Next →
"A Song of Ass and Fire"
South Park season 17
List of episodes

"Black Friday" is the seventh episode in the seventeenth season of the American animated television series South Park . The 244th episode of the series overall, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on November 13, 2013. The episode is the first of a three-episode story arc, which continues with "A Song of Ass and Fire", and concludes with "Titties and Dragons". The plot, which employs themes and motifs from the TV series Game of Thrones , concerns the characters' anticipation of a Black Friday sale, with Randy Marsh taking a temporary job as a mall security guard to gain an advantage over the holiday shopping crowds, and the children of South Park split into two factions over whether to collectively purchase bargain-priced Xbox One or PlayStation 4 video game consoles to facilitate their online group gaming. [1] [2]

Contents

This episode was submitted for, and received, a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards.

The episode was rated TV-MA-LSV in the United States.

Plot

The security management at South Park Mall briefs its guards on the upcoming Black Friday shopping day. The security captain, a grizzled veteran with a large scar running down his face, tells the guards that this year, the mall is offering an 80% discount to the first 30 people in the mall, which is certain to again incite violence among shoppers. Among the guards is Randy Marsh, who has taken the temporary job not to earn extra holiday money as he says, but to acquire the discounts ahead of the crowds that will camp outside the mall.

Meanwhile, the boys of South Park are dressed in medieval garb while engaging in role playing inspired by Game of Thrones , and are themselves anticipating Black Friday. Cartman informs his classmates of the 80% discount, and says if they work together, they can all purchase one of the new gaming systems so that they can play online games together. The children, however, become split over whether to purchase Xbox Ones or PlayStation 4s. Kyle and Stan find themselves on opposite sides of the schism, with Kyle allied with Cartman's Xbox One faction, and Stan on the PS4 side. The two factions then begin recruiting other children to increase their ranks. Cartman, strolling through the "Garden of Andros" with Kenny, whose character is "Lady McCormick", tells him that they are only recruiting Xbox One loyalists to help them get inside the mall so they both can get cheap Xbox Ones. He wants Kenny to use his influence to "take care" of Kyle, should his loyalty to their faction falter. The garden is then revealed to be the elaborately landscaped back yard of an elderly South Park resident, who orders the children to stop trespassing on his property. This gag recurs throughout the three-part storyline, with Cartman playing different participants in the conflict against each other, only for the old man to inform them of this from his window, much to Cartman's irritation.

The mall's security is further daunted by the news that a new Tickle Me Elmo called "Stop Touching Me Elmo" is being released in time for Black Friday, which leads to shoppers camping outside even earlier than anticipated. The head of Sony has also announced a special bundle to help entice customers to side with PS4. To address increasing crowds, the mall's security tries to hand out wristbands so shoppers can hold places in line, but this leads to a brawl in which the captain is fatally stabbed. Cradling his dying superior, Randy reveals his true motives for having taken the job. The captain notes that Randy now knows how serious Black Friday is, and peels off the scar over his left eye, revealing it to be a prosthetic appliance. Before dying, he places it on Randy's face, telling Randy that regardless of his early motives, he is the captain now, and must now protect the town. Inspired by the new responsibility, Randy tells his fellow guards that they now have work to do. At the same time, Stan rallies his assembled army, telling them that Lady McCormick has joined them to make sure that the winner of the console war is the PS4.

Production

From the beginning of season seventeen's production cycle, South Park co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone wanted to ensure that there was a two- or three-part storyline somewhere in this season because they have always enjoyed doing them as they allow for a different style of writing. They decided to actually start a multiple-episode storyline with this episode after coming off "Ginger Cow", which they felt could have easily been expanded into two or three episodes. The fact that "Ginger Cow" had to be compressed into the standard length of an episode left Parker and Stone wanting to doing something bigger even more. With four episodes left to be produced for this season, Parker and Stone contemplated making a four-part storyline but wrapped it up at three. [3]

As for what the three-part storyline would be about, Parker and Stone said that they had been talking about doing a Game of Thrones -themed episode for a long time since they both watched the show and found many things to satirize. Butters' scenes in the three episodes which centered on his understanding of Game of Thrones were the first jokes that were visualized by Parker and Stone as being one of the running gags; they also helped solidify Game of Thrones' role in the plot. Once they decided to center the episodes around Black Friday, the Game of Thrones angle became a great way to tie both stories together as Parker and Stone felt Black Friday was something that would really fit well in Game of Thrones. They soon felt that they were onto a big idea that would be received well by audiences. [3]

Before the Game of Thrones and Black Friday elements became part of the episode, the original premise of the storyline was focused on the large amount of cut content from South Park: The Stick of Truth , a video game which Parker and Stone were heavily involved in the development of. However, as the episode became more and more focused on Game of Thrones and Black Friday, the aspects which were lifted from the game were almost entirely scrapped. [3]

Reception

"Black Friday" received critical acclaim. Max Nicholson of IGN gave the episode a score of 8.7 out of 10, writing: "Cleverly fusing elements of the Next-Gen Console War with HBO's Game of Thrones, 'Black Friday' was easily one of the best South Park episodes we've seen in Season 17." [4]

Ryan McGee of The A.V. Club gave the episode an A−, praising the Game of Thrones parody, saying, "Why wrap Game of Thrones in all this? There's no real reason to do so, except that it's really amusing and offers up a great way to frame the overall narrative. What makes the approach really work is that 'Black Friday' is not a one-for-one parody so much as a thematic one." [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny McCormick</span> Fictional character in South Park

Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is a fictional character and one of the four main protagonists in the adult animated sitcom South Park, alongside Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman. His often muffled and incomprehensible speech—the result of his parka hood covering his mouth—is provided by co-creator Matt Stone. After early appearances in The Spirit of Christmas shorts in 1992 and 1995, Kenny appeared in South Park television episodes beginning August 13, 1997, as well as the 1999 feature film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, where his uncovered face and voice were first revealed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Times with Weapons</span> 1st episode of the 8th season of South Park

"Good Times with Weapons" is the first episode of the eighth season of the American animated series South Park and the 112th episode of the series. It originally aired on March 17, 2004. In the episode, the boys are transformed into Japanese warriors after they buy martial arts weapons at a local market. Their sworn enemy, Professor Chaos, confronts them and a highly stylized battle ensues. The episode's animation routinely switches from the usual cutout-and-solid-color style to a highly stylized anime theme.

Volcano (<i>South Park</i>) 2nd episode of the 1st season of South Park

"Volcano" is the second episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 20, 1997. In the episode, Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny go on a hunting trip with Stan's uncle Jimbo and his war buddy Ned. While on the trip, Stan is frustrated by his unwillingness to shoot a living creature, and Cartman tries to scare the hunting party with tales of a creature named Scuzzlebutt. Meanwhile, the group is unaware that a nearby volcano is about to erupt.

"Cartmanland" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of the animated sitcom South Park, and the 71st episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on July 25, 2001.

"Something You Can Do with Your Finger" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the animated television series South Park, and the 56th episode of the series overall. It is the 9th produced episode of Season 4. "Something You Can Do with Your Finger" originally aired in the United States on Comedy Central on July 12, 2000.

"Go God Go" is the twelfth episode in the tenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 151st episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 1, 2006. The episode is the first in a two-part story arc, which concludes with "Go God Go XII".

"With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" is the eleventh season premiere of the American animated television series South Park, and the 154th overall episode of the series. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 7, 2007, and was rated TV-MA-L. In the episode, Randy says the word niggers on the real-life game show Wheel of Fortune, leading to widespread public outrage. Stan attempts to understand the epithet's impact on his black friend Tolkien. Meanwhile, a man with dwarfism has a hard time trying to teach Cartman to be sensitive.

"Margaritaville" is the third episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 184th overall episode of the series, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 25, 2009, as an Easter special. The episode is a satire and commentary on the global recession affecting much of the industrialized world at the time of the episode's broadcast. Kyle Broflovski is portrayed as a Jesus-like savior working to save the economy, and Stan Marsh spends much of the episode trying to return a personal Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville machine.

<i>South Park: The Stick of Truth</i> 2014 video game

South Park: The Stick of Truth is a 2014 role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment in collaboration with South Park Digital Studios and published by Ubisoft. Based on the American animated television series South Park, the game follows the New Kid, who has moved to the eponymous town and becomes involved in an epic role-play fantasy war involving humans, wizards, and elves, who are fighting for control of the all-powerful Stick of Truth. Their game quickly escalates out of control, bringing them into conflict with aliens, Nazi zombies, and gnomes, threatening the entire town with destruction.

"Reverse Cowgirl" is the first episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated sitcom South Park, and the 224th episode of the series overall. It premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on March 14, 2012. In the episode, a nationwide catastrophe occurs after Clyde's mother is killed because Clyde forgot to put the toilet seat down.

"Insecurity" is the tenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated sitcom South Park, and the 233rd episode of the series overall. It aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 10, 2012.

"A Song of Ass and Fire" is the eighth episode in the seventeenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 245th episode of the series overall, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 20, 2013. The episode serves as a continuation of the previous episode, "Black Friday", in which the children of South Park, role-playing as characters from Game of Thrones, are split into two factions over whether to collectively purchase bargain-priced Xbox One or PlayStation 4 video game consoles at an upcoming Black Friday sale at the local mall, where Randy Marsh has been made the Captain of mall security. The story arc concludes with the following episode, "Titties and Dragons".

"Titties and Dragons" is the ninth episode in the seventeenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 246th episode of the series overall, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on December 4, 2013. It is the conclusion of a three-episode story arc that began with "Black Friday", and continued with "A Song of Ass and Fire". The story centers upon the children of South Park, role-playing as characters from Game of Thrones, split into two factions over whether to collectively purchase bargain-priced Xbox One or PlayStation 4 video game consoles at an upcoming Black Friday sale at the local mall, where Randy Marsh has been made the Captain of mall security. The episode received critical acclaim.

"The Cissy" is the third episode in the eighteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 250th overall episode, it was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. The episode premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on October 8, 2014. The episode explores the controversial subculture of transgender individuals and gender identity. Musician Sia is featured as the AutoTuned voice of Randy Marsh, who is revealed to be the musician Lorde.

"The Magic Bush" is the fifth episode in the eighteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 252nd overall episode, it was written and directed by series co-creator and co-star Trey Parker. The episode premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on October 29, 2014. The episode lampoons the use of drone airplanes, leaked nude celebrity photos, and the shooting of Michael Brown and the following Ferguson unrest.

"#REHASH" is the ninth episode in the eighteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 256th overall episode, it was written and directed by series co-creator and co-star Trey Parker. The episode premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on December 3, 2014. The episode is part one of the two-part season finale. The episode lampoons the popularity of Internet Let's Play celebrities and the phenomena of Internet trending topics that lack actual relevance. The episode also references and intertwines multiple elements from previous episodes in the eighteenth season of South Park. YouTuber PewDiePie plays himself in this episode.

<i>South Park</i> (franchise) American comedy franchise

South Park is an American multimedia adult animated comedy franchise created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It is based on the television series of the same name, developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid</span> Episode of South Park

"South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid" is a 2021 American adult animated comedy television special episode written and directed by Trey Parker. It is the second in a series of South Park television specials for the streaming service Paramount+ and premiered on December 16, 2021. It is a sequel to and continues the storyline of the previous special, "South Park: Post Covid". It is also the 311th episode of the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Park The Streaming Wars Part 2</span> 2022 American television special

"South Park The Streaming Wars Part 2" is a 2022 American adult animated comedy television special episode written and directed by Trey Parker. It is the fourth South Park television special and 319th overall episode of the television series, and was released on Paramount+ on July 13, 2022. It concludes the storyline that began in its predecessor, "South Park The Streaming Wars".

References

  1. ↑ Matt Stone and Trey Parker. "Episode 1708 "A Song of Ass and Fire" Press Release". South Park Studios. Archived from the original on November 21, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Episode 1709 "Titties and Dragons" Press Release". South Park Studios. December 1, 2013. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Parker, Trey; Stone, Matt (2014). South Park season 17 DVD commentary for the episode "Black Friday" (DVD). Comedy Central.
  4. ↑ Nicholson, Max (November 14, 2013). "South Park: 'Black Friday' Review: The Console War is Coming..." IGN . Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ McGee, Ryan (November 13, 2013). "Black Friday". The A.V. Club . Retrieved March 11, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.