Cupid Ye

Last updated
"Cupid Ye"
South Park episode
Episode no.Season 26
Episode 1
Directed by Matt Stone
Written byMatt Stone
Featured music
  • "Caillou's ROBLOX Rap" by TheVincentMottola
  • "Pretty Girls Walk" by Big Boss Vette
  • "Tokei no Uta" by Nonochan
Production code2601
Original air dateFebruary 8, 2023 (2023-02-08)
Episode chronology
 Previous
"South Park The Streaming Wars Part 2"
Next 
"The Worldwide Privacy Tour"
South Park season 26
List of episodes

"Cupid Ye" is the twenty-sixth season premiere of the American animated television series South Park , and the 320th episode of the series overall. Written and directed by Matt Stone, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on February 8, 2023. [1] [2] The episode depicts a scheme hatched by Eric Cartman after Stan Marsh comes to feel threatened by the friendship developing between classmates Kyle Broflovski and Tolkien Black, [1] in a parody of the antisemitic views of rapper Kanye West, [3] and Jewish stereotypes in general, including the antisemitic trope that Jews control Hollywood. [3] [4]

Contents

Plot

Fourth graders Stan Marsh and Eric Cartman observe that Stan's best friend, Kyle Broflovski, has been spending more time with their classmate Tolkien Black, making daily TikTok videos and playing together more often. Seeing Stan dispirited by this, Cartman decides to "be a good Christian" and do something about it. He begins promulgating the antisemitic trope to Tolkien and others that Jews control the media, and that Kyle himself runs Hollywood. Cartman is assisted by Cupid Ye, a modified version of Cupid Me, an imaginary Cupid-like version of himself first seen in the episode "Cartman Finds Love". In addition to his altered name, Cupid Ye has adopted hip hop fashion and antisemitic beliefs.

Cartman is threatened with two months' detention by PC Principal if he does not cease promoting his smears about Jewish people. Cartman nonetheless continues do so in media interviews, though he is troubled by some of the more shocking comments uttered by Cupid Ye that Cartman thinks go too far. These ideas continue to spread among the student body, much to Kyle's anger, which drives a wedge between him and Tolkien. When Cupid Ye steals a car for a joyride, the horrified Cartman confesses his actions to Stan. Stan apologizes to Tolkien, feeling that his jealousy over Kyle and Tolkien's friendship helped set these events in motion. Cupid Ye accelerates the spread of the hatred by using his arrows to poison the minds of the student body, resulting in Kyle being threatened by a mob of students. As Stan and Tolkien stand in his defense, Cartman confronts Cupid Ye and forces him to take his medication, returning him to his normal Cupid Me state, at which point he resumes his normal task of spreading love among the student body.

At a public speaking engagement, Kyle addresses a large group of people in an attempt to educate the public on the history of Jewish involvement in the entertainment industry, and how that industry is actually controlled by tens of thousands of people all over the world. His speech moves the attendees, some of whom suggest that Kyle himself should run Hollywood, an idea that the crowd cheers, much to Kyle's frustration.

The closing credits, which normally mention both Trey Parker and Matt Stone, instead read "Created by Matt Stone," "Executive Producer Matt Stone," "Written and Directed by Matt Stone," and "Assistant to Mr. Stone Trey Parker", echoing the antisemitic trope in the plot. [5]

Reception

John Schwarz with Bubbleblabber.com rated the episode a 10 out of 10, and commented "The set up and execution of this week's episode is pretty flawless all across the board and everybody was put on notice. Clearly, the producers are not done with the PC crowd and even a slight continuation of the 'Streaming Wars' seems to be evident so it will be interesting to see how that plays in the next few weeks." [6]

Kayleigh Donaldson with Consequence commented in her review "the show has mined hundreds of hours out of the depressingly undying nature of bigotry in its purest and sneakiest forms. Some of the kids may not see the big deal in thinking that a pre-teen Colorado kid runs Hollywood...but when Cupid Ye starts talking about 'they' who rule everything, you know how far such conspiracies can spread and the damage they do. The most seemingly ludicrous claims can quickly grow legs and mutate into something unstoppable." [7]

Related Research Articles

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

Kyle Broflovski is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom South Park. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the series' four central characters, along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman. He debuted on television when South Park first aired on August 13, 1997, after having first appeared in The Spirit of Christmas shorts created by Stone and long-time collaborator Trey Parker in 1992 and 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartman Gets an Anal Probe</span> 1st episode of the 1st season of South Park

"Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" is the series premiere of the American animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 13, 1997. The episode introduces child protagonists Eric Cartman, Kyle Broflovski, Stanley "Stan" Marsh and Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick, who attempt to rescue Kyle's adopted brother Ike from being abducted by aliens.

"Jakovasaurs" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 35th episode of the series overall. It parodies the Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks from The Phantom Menace, which had been released four weeks before the episode aired, and it expresses how "betrayed" Parker and Stone felt as Star Wars fans, by how "stupid" the character was. The episode originally aired on Comedy Central on June 16, 1999.

"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.

"Christian Rock Hard" is the ninth episode of the seventh season and the 105th overall episode of the American animated series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 29, 2003.

"Chickenlover" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 17th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on May 27, 1998. It marks the first appearance of Stephen Stotch, who is Butters Stotch’s father in later seasons, as well as a more finalised design for Randy Marsh. The episode was written by series co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with David R. Goodman, and directed by Parker. In the episode, Officer Barbrady resigns as South Park's only police officer because of his illiteracy. Anarchy ensues, just as chickens are mysteriously being molested across South Park. Barbrady enlists the help of the boys to learn to read and discover who is molesting the chickens. Cartman, meanwhile, masquerades as a police officer.

"The Tooth Fairy's Tats 2000" is the fourth season premiere and the 2nd produced episode of Comedy Central's animated television series South Park, and its 49th overall episode. It originally aired on April 5, 2000. The episode marks the first appearance of Timmy Burch. The plot follows the boys as they decide to make money from the tooth fairy, using other children's teeth, and then become involved with organized crime and the underground tooth market.

<i>South Park</i> season 6 Season of television series

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.

"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.

"Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the animated television series South Park and the 46th episode of the series overall. An album of the same name consisting of versions of songs from the show as well as a number of additional songs was released the week prior to the episode's original air date, December 1, 1999.

"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.

"Cartman Finds Love" is the seventh episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated sitcom South Park, and the 230th episode of the series overall. It premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on April 25, 2012 and is rated TV-MA L and M (ls) in Australia.

"#HappyHolograms" is the tenth and final episode in the eighteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 257th episode overall, 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 10, 2014. It is the second part of the two-part season finale which began with the previous episode, "#REHASH". The episode makes multiple references to earlier episodes over the season, as well as to previous seasons, while mainly lampooning the trend of culture constantly making trending topics with no actual relevance. It also lampoons news events such as the death of Eric Garner, the shooting of Michael Brown, the sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby, the use of celebrity holograms, and generationism. YouTuber PewDiePie appears as himself, continuing his story line from the previous episode.

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

"South Park: Post COVID" is a 2021 American adult animated comedy television special episode written and directed by Trey Parker. It is the first in a series of South Park television specials for the streaming service Paramount+ and premiered on November 25, 2021. It is also considered to be the 310th episode overall of the television series.

<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</span> 2022 American television special

"South Park The Streaming Wars" is a 2022 American adult animated comedy television special episode written and directed by Trey Parker. It is the third South Park television special produced for Paramount+ and was released on June 1, 2022. It also serves as the 318th overall episode of the television 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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Park: The End of Obesity</span> 2024 American television special

"South Park: The End of Obesity" is a 2024 American adult animated comedy television special episode. It is the seventh South Park television special, and the 328th episode of the series overall. The special premiered on May 24, 2024, on Paramount+.

References

  1. 1 2 Kim, Matt (January 21, 2023). "South Park Season 26 Premiere Date Revealed". IGN . Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  2. Legacy, Spencer (February 6, 2023). "South Park Season 26 Photos and Clip Preview 'Cupid Ye' Premiere". Comingsoon.net . Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Velasquez, Raul (February 7, 2023). "South Park Is Taking On Kanye West For Season 26 Premiere". Game Rant. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  4. Graves, Wren (February 6, 2023). "South Park Wonders if Kyle Runs Hollywood in Teaser for Season 26: Watch". Consequence. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  5. Bojic, Danny (February 10, 2023). "South Park Fans Are Cracking Up Over The Credits In Season 26's Premiere". Looper. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  6. Schwarz, John (February 9, 2023). "Review: South Park 'Cupid Ye'". Bubbleblabber.com. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  7. Donaldson, Kayleigh (February 9, 2023). "The South Park Season 26 Premiere Brings the Show Back to Basics". Consequence . Retrieved February 10, 2023.