Sons a Witches

Last updated
"Sons a Witches"
South Park episode
Episode no.Season 21
Episode 6
Directed by Trey Parker
Written byTrey Parker
Featured music"I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow
"Everybody Have Fun Tonight" by Wang Chung
"The Number of the Beast" by Iron Maiden
Production code2106
Original air dateOctober 25, 2017 (2017-10-25)
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Hummels & Heroin"		Next →
"Doubling Down"
South Park season 21
List of episodes

"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.

Contents

Plot

Gerald Broflovski, Randy Marsh, and their male friends celebrate the first night of Witch Week by meeting at a hilltop park called Sentinel Hill dressed as witches for a party where they dance in a circle around a fire, get drunk and smoke crack cocaine. Meanwhile, fourth grader Eric Cartman impatiently waits for his girlfriend, Heidi Turner, to finish getting ready for a pumpkin patch carnival. By the time they arrive there, many of the attractions have already closed, much to Cartman's irritation.

Chip Duncan, one of the men at the Witch Week party, reads from a spellbook from Salem, Massachusetts and transforms into a real witch. He takes flight on a broomstick, kidnaps some children, and attacks South Park with flaming pumpkin bombs, setting the carnival on fire. The carnival patrons, including Cartman and Heidi, are forced to flee, much to the protest of Cartman, who did not get to enjoy any of the attractions. The following day, Randy's wife Sharon confronts him about the news of Duncan's behavior, but Randy insists that he and his friends are not like Duncan, whom he labels a "bad witch."

At school the fourth grade boys, including Gerald and Randy's sons, Kyle Broflovski and Stan Marsh, discuss the witch, whom they assume is female. Fearing that their parents will forbid them from trick-or-treating, they decide they must do something, but Cartman, still angered over the previous night, can only stare threateningly across the room at Heidi, and when told that "we gotta do something to get rid of her," agrees, thinking they are talking about Heidi. When Sharon expresses disapproval of Randy's leaving for Day 2 of Witch Week, in light of Chip Duncan being on the loose, Randy refuses to abandon a decades-long tradition because of one bad witch. When Randy and his friends discover that Sentinel Hill has been closed off to the public, this confirms their perception that they are being persecuted for Duncan's actions in a manner akin to a witch hunt, though their avoidance of that term recurs as a running gag throughout the episode.

While Chip Duncan continues to attack the town and kidnap children, Kyle, Stan, Kenny McCormick and Butters Stotch meet at Kyle's house to research how to kill witches. Cartman arrives and instead proposes a plan to get rid of Heidi, and when Kyle and the others refuse this, Cartman storms out. At a school assembly the following day, Randy and his witch-garbed friends put on a musical number intended to convey the public service message that not all witches kidnap children, but merely the one bad one. While Stan and Kyle are unimpressed with this message, it inspires Cartman to invite Heidi to a Halloween costume party as part of a plan to dispose of her. That night he leads her down a dark, tree-lined path, where he leaves her to be confronted by Chip Duncan, who kidnaps her. When Stan and Kyle discover that Chip Duncan was part of the same witch's club as their fathers, and that they are all missing, they contact the one member of the club who has been absent from town: President Garrison.

Randy's fellow club member Stephen Stotch tries to convince him to publicly confess their crack cocaine use and the spells that he reveals that they placed on their wives. Randy asks him to wait until the following morning to do this, a delay that allows Randy to contact the others to have Stephen sacrificed to the Devil. Stephen is lured to a Ross Dress for Less parking lot, where they publicly accuse him in front of shoppers and the police of being the bad witch, but Chip descends before them on his broomstick. He reveals that he is using a magic satchel to carry the children and plans to use their souls to increase his power. President Garrison arrives in Air Force One and has Chip incinerated with a laser fired upon him from an orbital satellite. The police release all of the children from the bag except for Heidi, who is not fully ready, and tells the police she will be shortly. Rejoicing that Chip is now dead, Garrison and the witches leave to enjoy the rest of their Witch Week partying, but Cartman is again miserable when Heidi's procrastination delays their trick-or-treating.

Critical reception

Jesse Schedeen of IGN rated the episode an 8.3 out of 10, summarizing his review with "South Park continues to establish a winning formula this season, focusing on more standalone storylines that still pull from current headlines in clever ways. 'Sons a Witches' works as both a commentary on the Harvey Weinstein scandal and its fallout and fun, simple tale of Randy and his friends being stupid." [1]

Jeremy Lambert of 411Mania rated the episode an 8.2 out of 10, summarizing his review with "'Sons a Witches' builds on what has been, in my estimation, a strong season for the show. It had a timely story passed off as an evergreen story, a couple of classic scenes, and plenty of jokes that landed." [2]

Charles Bramesco of Vulture rated the episode with one out of five stars, stating in his review "The one thing South Park won't do is take a side, insulating itself from criticism by hiding behind the 'equal-opportunity offender' line. As some cry that this is not normal, Trey Parker and Matt Stone can only shrug and respond that things have always been all messed up. Business as usual." [3]

Dan Caffrey of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+ rating, stating in his review, "'Sons a Witches' rightfully calls out that sort of self-righteous hypocrisy—the people who view themselves as different from the Harvey Weinsteins of the world, when in reality, they've taken advantage of the same gross power imbalance in Hollywood and elsewhere. While getting loaded and smoking crack in the woods may be a crass metaphor for the systematic nature of toxic masculinity, it fits right into South Park's wheelhouse of symbolism." [4]

Chris Longo of Den of Geek rated the episode 3.5 out of 5 stars, and stated in his review that "The episode is better off and more effective by focusing on the toxic culture of masculinity that includes but extends far beyond Trump. And after all, isn't Trump the poster boy for a witch getting away with disgusting behavior anyway?" [5]

Related Research Articles

"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.

<i>South Park</i> season 5 Season of television series

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.

<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. The sixth season is the first and only season of South Park to not feature Kenny McCormick as a main character, as his sole appearance in the season is extremely brief in the final moments of the season finale.

"Imaginationland Episode III" is the twelfth episode in the eleventh season of Comedy Central's animated television series South Park. It originally aired on October 31, 2007. The episode was rated TV-MA LV in the United States. It is the third and final episode in a three-part story arc that won the 2008 Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program. The three episodes were later reissued together, along with previously unreleased footage, as the uncensored Imaginationland: The Movie.

"Tonsil Trouble" is the first episode in the twelfth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 168th episode of the series overall. Written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 12, 2008. In the episode, Eric Cartman contracts HIV due to a botched blood transfusion. When Kyle Broflovski laughs at Cartman's misfortune, Cartman intentionally infects Kyle with his disease as well. The episode was rated TV-MA L for strong language in the United States. In reruns, it airs with the tamer rating TV-14. The episode is a satire on the new and effective AIDS treatments that are inaccessible to the majority of the population suffering from or carrying the disease.

"Britney's New Look" is the second episode in the twelfth season of the animated television series South Park, and the 169th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 19, 2008. In the episode, Kyle Broflovski and Stan Marsh take pity on Britney Spears after a botched suicide attempt, and are consequently intertwined into an ancient conspiracy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Have 0 Friends</span> 4th episode of the 14th season of South Park

"You Have 0 Friends" is the fourth episode of the 14th season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 199th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 7, 2010. In the episode, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick make Stan Marsh a profile on the social networking service Facebook against his wishes, and he becomes extremely frustrated with everyone asking him for friend requests. After he gets fed up with Facebook, Stan tries to delete his profile but is sucked into a virtual Facebook world. Meanwhile, Kyle starts trying to find ways to get more friends on Facebook after he drastically starts losing them due to his befriending of a third-grade friendless Facebook user, whom everyone considers a loser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HumancentiPad</span> 1st episode of the 15th season of South Park

"HumancentiPad", stylized as "HUMANCENTiPAD", is the first episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 210th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 27, 2011. In the episode, Kyle is kidnapped after agreeing to an iTunes user agreement, and forced to become part of a "revolutionary new product" that is about to be launched by Apple. Meanwhile, Cartman, who has not acquired an Apple iPad, pesters his mother on the issue, drawing her ire.

"Obama Wins!" is the fourteenth and final episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated sitcom South Park, and the 237th episode of the series overall. It premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on November 7, 2012. The episode centers upon a secret that Eric Cartman is harboring that may alter the outcome of the 2012 U.S. Presidential election, and also references the erstwhile recent sale of Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company, and the narration work of Morgan Freeman, a parodied version of whom appears in the story.

"Stunning and Brave" is the first episode in the nineteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 258th episode overall, it was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. The episode aired on Comedy Central on September 16, 2015, and primarily parodies social justice warriors and political correctness within society, with a focus on the acceptance and praise of Caitlyn Jenner. The episode also lampoons Tom Brady and the Deflategate scandal.

"The Damned" is the third episode in the twentieth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 270th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on September 28, 2016.

"Fort Collins" is the sixth episode in the twentieth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 273rd episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 26, 2016.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"Mexican Joker" is the first episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated television series South Park. The 298th episode overall of the series, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on September 25, 2019. The episode parodies ICE detention centers and the moral panic surrounding the 2019 film Joker.

"Turd Burglars" is the eighth episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated television series South Park. The 305th episode overall of the series, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on November 27, 2019.

<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.

References

  1. ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (October 25, 2017). "South Park: "Sons a Witches" Review". IGN . Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  2. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (October 26, 2017). "South Park 21.6 Review - "Sons a Witches"". 411Mania. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  3. ↑ Bramesco, Charles (October 26, 2017). "South Park Goes Soft on Donald Trump in 'Witch Hunt' Episode". Vulture . Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  4. ↑ Caffrey, Dan (October 25, 2017). "Which witch is Harvey Weinstein on South Park's Halloween episode?". The A.V. Club . Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  5. ↑ Longo, Chris (October 27, 2017). "South Park Season 21 Episode 6 Review: Sons a Witches". Den of Geek . Retrieved April 25, 2019.
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.