External links
- "Buddha Box" at IMDb
- "Buddha Box" Full episode at South Park Studios
- "Episode 2208 'Buddha Box' Press Release". South Park Studios. November 26, 2018.
| "Buddha Box" | |
|---|---|
| South Park episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 22 Episode 8 |
| Directed by | Trey Parker |
| Written by | Trey Parker |
| Featured music | "Today" by Brad Paisley |
| Production code | 2208 |
| Original air date | November 28, 2018 |
"Buddha Box" is the eighth episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series South Park . It is the 295th overall episode of the series, and premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on November 28, 2018. The episode centers upon the titular Buddha Box, a cardboard box that the people of South Park, in particular Eric Cartman, PC Principal and Strong Woman, begin wearing over their heads to combat stress and anxiety. [1]
In a session with his therapist, Eric Cartman expresses the difficulty he has been experiencing due to both the events of recent episodes and the behavior of the people around him. He says that he wishes he could simply be left alone with his cell phone. The psychologist diagnoses him with anxiety. To address his problem, Cartman purchases a Buddha Box, a cardboard box that he places over his head to help him relax, as it makes it easier for him to ignore the people around him causing his anxiety. Although this creates problems when he wears it in class and plays team sports, the popularity of the Buddha Box nonetheless spreads throughout the school and the town. His classmate Kyle Broflovski, however, grows increasingly irritated with Cartman's behavior while using the box and excoriates him for it, telling him that all people suffer from anxiety and simply adapt to it without annoying those around them. Cartman is shocked to learn this and has an epiphany. He goes to Mayor McDaniels and says that anxiety must be recognized as an epidemic, and that money must be raised to give all sufferers the tools they need to cope with it. When McDaniels asks him how he proposes they do this, Cartman simply speaks the Hindu greeting "Namaste", which he incorrectly interprets as "Fuck you, I have anxiety."
Meanwhile, South Park Elementary administrators PC Principal and Vice Principal Strong Woman deal with the difficulty of raising their extremely politically correct infant quintuplets, which were conceived during their tryst in the episode "Splatty Tomato". They decide against using a daycare center because they fear that if the public finds out that PC Principal is their father, this will threaten their "PC" and "Strong" reputations. When the couple learn about the Buddha Box, they begin using it too, though this leads them to neglect the quintuplets, who go missing. The children eventually come into contact with a record producer who has them produce a successful single under the group name "The PC Babies". When Principal and Woman learn this, they rush to the recording studio and are shocked to learn that in just one day, the babies have protested a bar, stopped construction of a problematic viaduct, and written a successful single about cultural appropriation. Realizing that they missed all this because they were on their cell phones, PC Principal and Strong Woman hold a community meeting where they tell members of the public to stop using Buddha Boxes and reduce their cell phone use. When the two administrators see that everyone is wearing Buddha Boxes and ignoring them, they realize that they are free to take their children out and spend family time with them in public without anyone discovering the truth about their parentage.
Writing for Vulture , Charles Bramesco rated the episode 1 star out of 5. He felt it "begins with a misdiagnosis and builds outward from that false premise, progressing in the wrong direction like an ingrown hair," and did not like the point that "those affected by mental disorders use them as a free pass to act inconsiderately to those around them." [2]
John Hugar of The A.V. Club was more favorable and enjoyed the subplot with the PC Babies and their parents. He believed Matt Stone and Trey Parker's message on overusing smartphones was "a bit too heavy handed for their own good", despite the fact that "they get in some good jokes, and have a worthwhile point." [3]
IGN contributor Jesse Schedeen gave "Buddha Box" a 3.5 rating out of 10. He criticized the Cartman use of anxiety and the PC Babies' grief over social injustices as "one-note gags stretched well past the breaking point." Schedeen wrote that the episode rehashed "old jokes well past their expiration date," and though he liked the resolution to the PC Babies plot, he felt it did not do much to compensate for the episode's flaws. [1]
"Quintuplets 2000" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 52nd episode of the series overall. In production order, this is the 3rd episode of Season 4. It was originally broadcast on April 26, 2000. The episode is based on the Dionne quintuplets and the then-recent Elián González affair, the case of a Cuban-born child who had been taken by federal authorities four days before the episode aired.
"Kenny Dies" is the thirteenth episode of the fifth season of the animated television series South Park, and the 78th episode of the series overall. "Kenny Dies" originally aired in the United States on December 5, 2001 on Comedy Central and in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2002 on Sky One. In the episode, Cartman comes across a truckload of fetuses he cannot sell thanks to a recent government ruling on stem cell research. When Kenny is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Cartman uses it to lobby Congress to restore stem cell research.
"Dead Kids" is the first episode in the twenty-second season of the American animated television series South Park. It is the 288th episode of the series overall, and first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on September 26, 2018.
"Members Only" is the eighth episode in the twentieth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 275th episode of the series overall, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 16, 2016.
"Put It Down" is the second episode in the twenty-first season of the American animated television series South Park. The 279th episode of the series overall, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on September 20, 2017.
"Sons a Witches" is the sixth episode in the twenty-first season of the American animated television series South Park. The 283rd overall episode of the series, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 25, 2017. The episode was seen by critics as parodying hypocrisy surrounding the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations.
"Moss Piglets" is the eighth episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series South Park. The 285th overall episode of the series, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 15, 2017.
"Super Hard PCness" is the ninth episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series South Park. The 286th overall episode of the series, it aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 29, 2017. This episode parodies sexual harassment in the workplace in the United States, the rise in Netflix original shows, cancel culture, and the threat of nuclear war.
"Splatty Tomato" is the tenth episode and the season finale of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series South Park. The 287th overall episode of the series, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on December 6, 2017.
"The Problem with a Poo" is the third episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 290th overall episode of the series, it aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 10, 2018.
"Tegridy Farms" is the fourth episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 291st overall episode of the series, it aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 17, 2018.
"The Scoots" is the fifth episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 292nd overall episode of the series, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 31, 2018.
"Time to Get Cereal" is the sixth episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 293rd overall episode of the series, it aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 7, 2018.
"Nobody Got Cereal?" is the seventh episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 294th overall episode of the series, it aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 14, 2018.
"Unfulfilled" is the ninth episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 296th overall episode of the series, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on December 5, 2018. It is the first of a two-part story arc that concludes the season.
"Bike Parade" is the tenth and final episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 297th overall episode of the series, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on December 12, 2018. It is the second part of a two-episode story arc that serves as the season finale.
"Shots!!!" is the third episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated television series South Park. The 300th episode overall of the series, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on October 9, 2019. In the episode, Randy Marsh revels in a milestone reached by his marijuana farm, much to the ire of his wife. Meanwhile, in a parody of the antivaccine movement, Eric Cartman, terrified of needles, seeks to avoid a required immunization by citing fear that vaccines might make him "artistic", an eggcorn play on the word autistic, that is literally realized in the episode.
"Let Them Eat Goo" is the fourth episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated television series South Park. The 301st episode overall of the series, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on October 16, 2019.
"Season Finale" is the sixth episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated television series South Park. Despite its name, it is not an actual season finale. The 303rd episode overall of the series, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on November 6, 2019. The episode parodies Donald Trump’s use of victimization tactics, as well as media censorship in China, ICE detention centers and the 2019 film Joker, continuing from previous episodes in the season.
"Board Girls" is the seventh episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated television series South Park. The 304th episode overall of the series, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on November 13, 2019. The episode argues that discussion of transgender athletes is made difficult by political correctness.
