I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining

Last updated
"I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining"
South Park episode
Southparkliveaction.png
From left to right: Stan, Kyle, Eric, and Kenny, as depicted in the live-action "reenactment"
Episode no.Season 16
Episode 6
Directed by Trey Parker
Written byTrey Parker
Production code1606
Original air dateApril 18, 2012 (2012-04-18)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Butterballs"		Next →
"Cartman Finds Love"
South Park season 16
List of episodes

"I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining" is the sixth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated sitcom South Park , and the 229th episode overall. It was aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 18, 2012 and is rated TV-MA L. The episode, which parodies reality shows such as Animal Planet's I Shouldn't Be Alive , depicts the four main characters on a trip to Colorado Mountains, where their attempts at ziplining are met with unexpected turns. The episode is narrated by Eric Meyers, who also provides the narration for I Shouldn't Be Alive. [1]

Contents

Plot

As Kenny, Stan, Kyle, and Eric Cartman try to decide what to do on the last day of spring break, they suddenly find themselves in a unanimous agreement over a plan to try ziplining for the first time. However, the activity proves tedious, with a lot of safety briefings, small talk and very long waiting and traveling times. The boys decide to leave after the first descent, after which they find the ziplining experience not too exciting; however, they are horrified after the tour guide tells them that there are 16 more ziplines on the tour.

Things get worse when Cartman, loaded with fast food from the previous night as well as sugar and caffeine from drinking excessive amounts of Mountain Dew, constantly farts; instead of stopping, he goes on to drink "Double Dew" which has twice the caffeine and sugar of Mountain Dew. After being further delayed by a free lunch of wet sandwiches, the boys use twigs to form the word "HELP" on the ground and wait. Cartman gets a diarrhea attack and tries to find a restroom; Kyle tries to persuade him to use the forest as a restroom, but Cartman claims the diarrhea would attract beavers. Stan walks over to one of the employees to tell them that one of his friends has herpes as an excuse to leave the group, so, despite their enthusiasm with ziplining, the employee points to a nearby horse stable, and the boys eagerly head towards it. However, it turns out that the horses are used for a tour group as well and cannot go faster than four miles per hour. While the tour group stops for lunch, Kyle lies on a rock, weak with boredom (annoyed by the fact that tourists keep saying "to make a long story short" but are actually making it long). Stan notices a marina nearby, and so they decide to get a boat to try and escape. A viewer discretion warning appears, flashing to a live action sequence.

The power boat turns out to be slow as well (going five miles an hour), and the boys snap. Cartman is blamed for his diarrhea, everyone is trying to recall whose idea it was to go ziplining to begin with, except for Kenny, who does not care as he is apparently dying from a combination of boredom and herpes. Cartman defecates into the water; it attracts beavers, which the boys fight off offscreen. They then realize that falling asleep might result in their death, so in order to keep everyone awake, Kyle asks Cartman to share his drink (now "Diet Double Dew", which has half the caffeine and sugar of "Double Dew", equivalent to regular Mountain Dew), but he refuses to let Kenny touch it because he has herpes. Kenny eventually dies of boredom and the three boys end up contracting herpes from sharing it anyway. When Kyle and Cartman start arguing on whose idea it was to go ziplining again, Stan admits that he was the one who signed them up for the ziplining tour, in order to receive a free 5th generation iPod nano (which cannot be traded). Stan however revealed this earlier in the episode in one of the interview scenes that excessively occur throughout, although he was reluctant to tell his friends. Kyle and Cartman are outraged and they all have an emotional breakdown. Just as all hope seems lost, the boys are miraculously rescued by Mr. Hankey who takes them home. At this point, the live action sequence ends and reverts to its original animation format (however, the short interview scenes were still animated during the live action sequence).

In the aftermath, Kenny's body is delivered to his family. Stan and Cartman are treated for their herpes (Cartman, having previously mocked Kenny for having herpes, now claims his was a cold sore), and Kyle is hospitalized due to Cartman's feces getting stuck in his nose following Cartman's incessant flatulence. Motivated to raise awareness about the boredom risks of ziplining, Stan makes a video, but ends up "jackin' it in San Diego" à la Jason Russell again as he did in the previous episode. Cartman goes back to drinking Diet Double Dew as he refuses to "Dew the Math".

Reception

The episode received mixed reviews from critics. Marcus Gilmer of The A.V. Club said the episode had potential, but abandoning the zip-lining aspect and focusing on how bored the boys are didn't work, ultimately giving the episode a C−. [2] Max Nicholson of IGN gave the episode a 7.5/10 "Good" rating, also saying the episode didn't reach its full potential, but stated that the episode was entertaining. [3]

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.

"It's Christmas in Canada" is the fifteenth and final episode of the seventh season of the American animated series South Park and the 111th episode of the series. The episode originally aired on December 17, 2003 and was nominated for an Emmy Award. The episode parodies the film The Wizard of Oz.

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.

"Death" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on September 17, 1997. In the episode, Grandpa Marvin tries to convince Stan to kill him, while the parents of South Park protest the crude cartoon Terrance and Phillip. Death himself arrives to kill Kenny, and presents a warning to Grandpa Marvin against forcing others to help him commit suicide.

"Pinkeye" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 29, 1997. In the episode, Kenny is killed and brought back to life as a zombie through a freak accident, terrorizing South Park residents who believe that the rise of the living dead is an epidemic of "pinkeye".

"The Passion of the Jew" is the third episode of the eighth season and the 114th overall episode of the American animated series South Park, originally broadcast on Comedy Central on March 31, 2004. Going by production order, it is the fourth episode of Season 8 instead of the third. It was written and directed by Trey Parker, who, along with fellow series co-creator Matt Stone, voiced most of the characters in the episode. "The Passion of the Jew" is a satirical critique of the media discourse and controversy surrounding Mel Gibson's 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ.

"Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 24th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on September 2, 1998. The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker, along with David Goodman, and directed by Parker. It spoofs the Star Trek episode "Dagger of the Mind". In the episode, the boys visit a planetarium; they soon discover that the operator has sinister intentions involving brainwashing. Meanwhile, Cartman auditions to sing on the Cheesy Poofs advertisement. The episode marks the first speaking role of Leopold "Butters" Stotch, who would become a major character on the show.

"Rainforest Shmainforest" is the third season premiere of Comedy Central's animated series South Park. It originally aired on April 7, 1999 and is the 32nd episode overall. This episode features Jennifer Aniston providing the voice for Miss Stevens. The episode criticizes the American Movement to Save the Rain Forest and mocks Costa Rica. The episode's title includes a shm-reduplication.

"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.

"Butt Out" is the thirteenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 109th episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on December 3, 2003.

"Cherokee Hair Tampons" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the animated television series South Park, and the 54th episode of the series overall. This is the season's seventh episode in production order. "Cherokee Hair Tampons" originally aired in the United States on June 28, 2000, on Comedy Central.

"Cartman Joins NAMBLA" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the animated television series South Park, and the 53rd episode of the series overall. Going by production order, it is the 5th episode of Season 4. It originally aired in the United States on June 21, 2000, on Comedy Central.

"Super Best Friends" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series South Park and the 68th episode of the series overall. Going by production order, it is the 4th episode of Season 5 instead of the 3rd. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on July 4, 2001. In the episode, Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny discover the magician David Blaine performing in South Park and decide to join his cult, the Blaintologists. Stan quickly finds out that the Blaintologists are not as nice as everyone thinks and tries to convince the other boys that they have been brainwashed. Teaming up with Jesus, Stan calls upon the Super Best Friends, a parody of the Super Friends, to destroy Blaine and thwart the mass suicide pact he has launched.

"Cow Days" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 26th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on September 30, 1998. The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker, along with David Goodman, and directed by Parker. Dian Bachar makes a guest appearance. In the episode, the town of South Park holds a festival known as "Cow Days".

"A Ladder to Heaven" is the 12th episode of the sixth season and the 91st overall episode of the Comedy Central series South Park. It was originally broadcast on November 6, 2002.

"Chickenpox" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 23rd episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 26, 1998. The episode was written by series co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Trisha Nixon, and directed by Parker. In the episode, the parents of South Park intentionally expose their children to the chickenpox disease.

"Free Willzyx" is the thirteenth episode in the ninth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 138th overall episode, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 30, 2005. In the episode, which parodies the film Free Willy, Kyle, Stan, Cartman and Kenny go to an amusement park, where aquarium employees prank them into thinking the orca Jambu is telling them he needs to be sent back to the Moon where he truly belongs or else he will die; the prank backfires as the boys embark on a misguided mission to set him free.

The American animated sitcom South Park has covered and satirized a large number of topics over the course of its run. South Park Studio's use of computer animation allows it to edit episodes in days, quickly commenting on recent events, including Elián González, 2000 U.S. presidential election, the capture of Saddam Hussein, and the elections of both Barack Obama and Donald Trump. The creators also have engendered a mix of socially liberal and fiscally conservative viewpoints, espousing a libertarian ideology in both real life and on the show. However, the show's creators call themselves "equal opportunity offenders", and reject the notion that they are trying to put forth any consistent ideological agenda through the show.

"Go Fund Yourself" is the first episode in the eighteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 248th episode of the series overall, it was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. The episode premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on September 24, 2014. In the episode, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, and Butters decide to create a startup company funded through Kickstarter so that they never have to work again. While choosing a name, they realize that the Washington Redskins American football team has lost its trademark on "Redskins" because it is racially disparaging to Native Americans, so they decide to use that name for their company. The new company receives enough money for the boys to live luxuriously without doing any work, until the football team destroys Kickstarter's servers during a raid, preventing the boys from accessing their startup company page and receiving their money.

<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.

References

  1. ↑ Kleinman, Jacob (April 19, 2012). "New South Park Episode: Ziplining, Survival Shows, Mountain Dew Spoofed [VIDEO]". International Business Times . Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  2. ↑ "South Park: 'I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining'". The A.V. Club. 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  3. ↑ Nicholson, Max (2012-04-19). "South Park: "I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining" Review". IGN . Retrieved 2016-12-20.
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.