| "Butters' Very Own Episode" | |
|---|---|
| South Park episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 14 |
| Directed by | Eric Stough |
| Written by | Trey Parker |
| Featured music | "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms "It Feels So Good" by Sonique |
| Production code | 514 |
| Original air date | December 12, 2001 |
"Butters' Very Own Episode" is the fourteenth and final episode of the fifth season of the animated television series South Park , and the 79th episode of the series overall. "Butters' Very Own Episode" originally aired in the United States on Comedy Central on December 12, 2001. In the episode, Butters Stotch survives a murder attempt by his own mother after discovering his father's homosexual dalliances and must travel back to South Park in time for his parents' wedding anniversary at Bennigan's. Meanwhile, Butters' parents join John and Patsy Ramsey, Gary Condit, and O. J. Simpson in lying to the press about who murdered Butters.
The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker and directed by animation director Eric Stough on his last solo directorial work for the series. It is the first episode to center on Butters and a parody of 1950s sitcoms, albeit in a more dark comedic route.
Butters Stotch expresses excitement about his parents' upcoming anniversary, which they are going to celebrate at Butters' favorite restaurant, Bennigan's. A few days before their anniversary, his mother, Linda, asks Butters to spy on his father, Chris, in order to find out what his gift for her will be so that her own will not fall short. While spying, Butters watches Chris enter first an adult theater for gay men (to watch "Fisting Firemen 9") and then a gay bathhouse, [1] but Butters is too naive to understand the nature of his father's activity. Upon returning home, Butters reports to his mother about his father's whereabouts, leaving her appalled by the news of her husband's proclivities, becoming visibly distraught and unhinged. Butters later catches Chris at the club, who tries to explain it to him. Linda then attempts to murder Butters by dumping her car in a river with him inside while Chris was in shock that he already told her.
Hours later, Chris enters the home to find his wife attempting to hang herself. He rushes to her side and explains that his homoerotic tendencies stem from chatting with other bi-curious and married men on the Internet. He insists he still loves her and does not want to lose his family over his "addiction". Linda then admits to having drowned Butters, to which Chris promises that he will not let her go to jail. The next day, the Stotches confront the press about their son, stating that he was abducted by "some Puerto Rican guy". As the media centers in on the "missing child" case, the pair are inducted into a club of infamous, highly publicized characters whose loved ones have also been "taken from them by Some Puerto Rican Guy", including Gary Condit, O. J. Simpson, and John and Patricia Ramsey.
Butters, however, survives his mother's attempt to kill him in similar fashion to the infamous Susan Smith murder of her children, and brushes off the incident as an accident. He then sets off home, eager to get back in time to celebrate his parents' anniversary with them. He first does some singing and dancing at a seedy 'dance' club, and then heads down a scary road after getting directions from an Old Mechanic. He returns home to find his parents fighting over all the lies they have told. Upon hearing what the quarrel was about, he snaps and then scolds them for lying and trying to teach him to lie.
Deciding to follow in their son's footsteps, they come clean to the media about the cover-up, revealing many unsettling facts to Butters in the process. Afterwards, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski and Eric Cartman chastise Butters about his unhinged parents. Although he attempts to make light of the situation, Butters admits that he is now probably scarred for life, the boys are gonna really go to town on him, and sometimes lying really can be for the best.
Written by series co-creator Trey Parker and directed by animation director Eric Stough, "Butters' Very Own Episode" was rated TV-MA in the United States, and originally aired on December 12, 2001, on Comedy Central. In the DVD commentary, Parker and Stone indicate they planned to make Butters the fourth group member after Kenny was written off the show, and created this episode as a prelude to his assuming a more prominent role in the series. [2]
IGN gave "Butters' Very Own Episode" a positive rating of 8.5, stating, "There are several classic moments in this episode, but it all works so well because of the setup." [3]
At the time of the episode, suspicion hung over Gary Condit regarding the disappearance of Chandra Levy, and the Ramseys regarding the murder of their daughter JonBenét. However, someone else was later convicted for the murder of Chandra Levy and Condit was thought to be exonerated. Subsequently, prosecutors dropped all charges on July 28, 2016, after an associate of the sole witness came forward with secret recordings in which the witness admitted to falsifying testimony about the murder of Chandra Levy. [4] [5] The murder of Chandra Levy therefore remains unsolved. The district attorney in the Ramsey case declined an indictment of the parents in JonBenét's death. In a 2011 interview, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone stated that they regretted how Condit and the Ramseys were portrayed in the episode. [6]
"Butters' Very Own Episode", along with the fourteen other episodes from South Park: the Complete Fifth Season, were released on a three-disc DVD set in the United States on February 22, 2005. The set includes brief audio commentaries by Parker and Stone for each episode. [7] The episode was also released on the two-disc DVD collection A Little Box of Butters. [8]
Chandra Ann Levy was an American intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington, D.C., who disappeared in May 2001. She was presumed murdered after her skeletal remains were found in Rock Creek Park in May 2002. The case attracted attention from the American news media for several years.
Leopold "Butters" Stotch is a fictional character in the adult animated television series South Park. He is loosely based on co-producer Eric Stough and his voice is provided by co-creator Matt Stone. He is a student at South Park Elementary School.
"Raisins" is the fourteenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 110th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on December 10, 2003. In the episode, Wendy breaks up with Stan, causing him to spiral into a deep depression. The boys, in an attempt to make him feel better, take him to Raisins, a parody of American restaurant chain Hooters. Meanwhile, Butters becomes infatuated with a waitress at Raisins.
"The Losing Edge" is the fifth episode in the ninth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 130th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 6, 2005.
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"The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers" is the thirteenth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 92nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 13, 2002. In the episode, the boys dress up and play as characters from The Lord of the Rings film series, with several events and characters substituted into the narrative. They extend their game into a "quest" to return a copy of the film to a local video store. Meanwhile, the adults have accidentally switched the tape with a pornographic film.
"My Future Self 'n' Me" is episode 95 of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired on December 4, 2002 and is rated TV-MA in the United States.
"Marjorine" is the ninth episode in the ninth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 134th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 26, 2005.
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Eric "Butters" Stough is an American animator and producer. He is best known as the animation director and a producer on the television series South Park. Born in Evergreen, Colorado, Stough attended the University of Colorado at Boulder and graduated in 1995 with a degree in film. A longtime friend of Trey Parker, he has worked with him and Matt Stone on most of their projects, including South Park, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Orgazmo, Team America: World Police and the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon.
The third season of South Park, an American animated television comedy series, aired on Comedy Central from April 7, 1999, to January 12, 2000. The season was headed by series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who also served as executive producers along with Anne Garefino. The season continued to focus on the exploits of protagonists Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny in the fictional Colorado mountain town of South Park.
The fifth season of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on June 20, 2001. The season concluded after 14 episodes on December 12, 2001. The 14-episode season length would become a standard for later years of the series, starting from the eighth season up until the sixteenth season.
The sixth season of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on March 6, 2002. The sixth season concluded after 17 episodes on December 11, 2002.
"Breast Cancer Show Ever" is the ninth episode in the twelfth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 176th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 15, 2008. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. In the episode, Eric Cartman's disrespectful behavior puts him on the wrong side of Wendy Testaburger when he mocks her presentation on breast cancer awareness, which leads to Wendy threatening to beat him up after school. The episode was rated TV-MA L in the United States.
"Dances with Smurfs" is the thirteenth episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 194th overall episode of the series, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 11, 2009. In the episode, Eric Cartman becomes the reader of the elementary school announcements, and starts making politically charged accusations against student body president Wendy Testaburger. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker, and was rated TV-MA L in the United States.
"The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" is the second episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 197th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 24, 2010. The plot centers upon a prank book manuscript anonymously written by fourth grade classmates Kyle, Stan, Kenny, and Cartman, whose vulgar content nauseates all who read it, but who also laud it as a masterpiece. The prank backfires when classmate Butters, whom the boys convinced is the actual author of the book, is hailed a literary genius, and the book is analyzed for profound subtext that the boys never intended.
"1%" is the twelfth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 221st episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 2, 2011. In the episode, Cartman feels persecuted after he is blamed for causing his school to attain a low score on a national fitness test. As he confides in his sapient stuffed animals, they end up becoming targeted for mutilation.
"The Poor Kid" is the fifteenth season finale of the American animated television series South Park, and the 223rd episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 16, 2011. In the episode, Kenny McCormick and his siblings are sent to a foster home after police discover a meth lab in their house. As a result, Eric Cartman is left with feelings of loss, since he no longer has someone to ridicule for their poverty.
"Going Native" is the eleventh episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated sitcom South Park, and the 234th episode of the series overall. It premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on October 17, 2012. In the episode, when Butters starts acting out at school, he learns that he was not born in South Park. He and Kenny journey to Butters' homeland for his coming of age ceremony.
