But the townspeople's hysteria returns when they learn the episode is only the first half of a two-parter, and that during the next installment, Mohammed will definitely appear. South Park and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Comedy Partners. [12] William Anthony Donohue of the Catholic League criticized Stone and Parker. The "Dog Whisperer" may have what it takes but Eric Cartman's not going down without a fight. [2] The duo struggled to come up with how to present Comedy Central's refusal to broadcast the images as a real situation and not a joke. If South Park had put a Muhammad-looking character in the episode and hadn’t labeled him as such, would that still have been cause for uproar? Hysterical panic sets in when news that the animated TV show, Family Guy, will air an image of the Muslim prophet Mohammed in an upcoming episode. [8] A 2011 review of the episode from The A.V. Cartman's too busy to notice as he plans to propel himself into the future on the precise release date of the newest, hottest game console. The duo argued with Comedy Central that refusing to show images of Muhammad would be giving into violence; they were partially fascinated with this territory due to its creation of a new taboo, one informed by threats. (Reporter), "Manatees are very ethical writers. [6] While the duo agreed that the network had the right to air whatever they want, they viewed their censorship as "wimpy". That's how terrorism works. For sure. So Cartman does just that, then urges the head of Fox to stand up to those slacker manatees by refusing to air their second Muhammad episode. (I’m reminded of an old Rand Holmes cartoon in which Holmes drew a character with a raging erection in one panel, then showed in the next panel that he was only wearing a strap-on dildo, so it wasn’t technically obscene… even though the hard-on in question looked effectively the same.). Comedy Central eventually aired the episode with a black title card during the Muhammad sequence, censoring the depiction. Gary Coleman makes a guest spot in a Family Guy joke -- on a date with Peter in Mexico -- saying his popular catchphrase, "What you talkin' bout Willis? Comedy Central has refused to broadcast an image of Mohammed on their network." Instead, they found that most people they met were mainly interested in two topics: Tom Cruise (whose sexuality and religion were skewered in the season-nine episode “Trapped In The Closet”) and Family Guy. After the video ends, al-Zawahiri gloats of their "retaliation" by saying they "burned" the Americans and that it "was way funnier than Family Guy. "The ultimate hypocrite is not Comedy Central — that's their decision not to show the image of Muhammad or not — it's Parker and Stone", he said. At a Television Critics Association (TCA) discussion in July 2006, Herzog responded to criticism directed at him: I don't feel unlike Matt and Trey to a certain degree. Gillespie, Nick; Walker, Jesse (December 2006). And that’s one of the main questions raised by “Cartoon Wars:” What makes an image offensive? . Or, to be more specific, they strongly dislike its anything-for-a-gag writing style. The animals ignore Cartman's touching story, mostly because they're the only mammals in the world that are immune to terrorist threats. “Cartoon Wars” considers the paradoxes of power and influence, from Cartman ironically insisting that he’s taking a stand against terrorism by “using fear to get what I want,” to the Family Guy manatees holding an entire network hostage by refusing to work. In an effort to thwart her ex-lovers plans to get married, Mrs. Garrison leads the charge against gay marriage. After a brief conversation, they agree that Cartman is by far the more evil and manipulative of the two, and is thus best-qualified to sway the network brass. After a few minutes of silence, I turned to my wife and said, sincerely, “God bless America.”. "[5], "Cartoon Wars Part II" contains several cultural references. The South Park Elementary School Talent Show is coming up and Jimmy can't wait to perform his comedy routine, but first he must find a way to gain control of his raging hormones. [6] In the episode, Kyle's impassioned plea to the president of Fox is culled from Parker and Stone's conversations with Comedy Central executives, and he even refers to the Fox president as "Doug", in reference to Comedy Central executive Doug Herzog. In the scene supposedly containing Mohammed, there is instead a black slate reading, "In this shot, Mohammed hands a football helmet to Family Guy. [6] "You’d think [Muhammad] would be the flashpoint. When trying to decide who should go and talk with the network heads, Cartman or Bart Simpson, Bart says he once stole the head off a statue (a reference to a Simpsons episode called "The Telltale Head"). But the Network Head is unswayed, saying there's probably someone on the way to Fox right now to stop it. A set of five is used to create each one of the show's set-piece gags. Kyle instead urges the president of Fox, the network airing Family Guy, to air the episode in an exercise of free speech. Mohammed was a crucial, totally-uncensored member of the Super Best Friends. But the moment he steps foot on the Fox lot, he's intercepted, knocked out, and locked in a supply shed by Bart. Mayor McDaniels / Cartman pulls a gun and demands the episode not run, while Kyle makes an impassioned plea against censorship. ", "Muslims are mad because of Family Guy, not because they can't jerk off. Parker and Stone are part of a breed that takes comedy seriously: a breed that wears its tastes in what’s funny as an identity. In actuality, Cartman couldn’t care less about Islam; he just really hates Family Guy. Staffers from both King of the Hill and The Simpsons contacted Matt and Trey after the first part of "Cartoon Wars"aired and expressed similar feelings about Family Guy. Even Osama bin Laden complains in “Cartoon Wars” that Family Guy’s plotless jokes are “totally gay,” while Ayman Al-Zawahiri insists that the ultimate indignity of Family Guy showing Muhammad is that Family Guy basically sucks. "Freedom of speech is at stake here, don't you all see? Use the HTML below. Comedy Central has refused to broadcast an image of Mohammed on their network. During Kyle's impassioned speech about censorship to the President of Fox, he even says, "Yes. Was this review helpful to you? South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. There, he runs into none other than Bart Simpson, who says he hates Family Guy too. This is not an embellishment. He finally hits paydirt when he learns a secret about the Family Guy writers: They’re actually manatees who push “idea balls” with random words printed on them through a series of tubes, which generates the show’s jokes. Looking for some great streaming picks? [5] The network's reluctance to allow the images to be shown factored into the duo's decision to make the episode a two-parter; "Well, they’re still not letting us show Muhammed […] we'll argue about it for another week", said Parker. Cartman and Kyle are at war over the popular cartoon, "Family Guy." The episode is littered with petty blasphemies, whether it’s an adult shouting “Jesus Christ!” while he pounds on his TV, or Cartman asking Kyle (who is Jewish), “How would you feel if there was a cartoon on television that made fun of Jews all the time?” (A cartoon like South Park, say.) MacFarlane is a bright guy whose shows presume a certain edginess and superiority. “Cartoon Wars” also extends Parker and Stone’s habit of riffing on the conventions of movies and TV, as seen in the above scene between Cartman and Kyle, where they play the stock roles of the idealistic loner and the skeptic who’s been swayed to the cause—“I got some sound advice… from an old friend,” Kyle says, while Cartman beams proudly—before pedaling slowly and anti-climactically offscreen. All Rights Reserved. Convinced, the President pulls the Family Guy episode shortly before air time. The gag is referred to again in "Eat, Pray, Queef. A Very Special Episode presents The A.V. ", In Cartman's speech about "television economics," he explains that all it takes to kill a show forever is to get one episode pulled -- saying, "it's exactly what happened to Laverne & Shirley.". Al Gore warns the school about the threat of Manbearpig. The town is in panic when Family Guy angers the Muslim world by attempting to air an image of Mohammed. Parker and Stone take freedom and free speech seriously, and consider “getting a laugh” and “making a point” as equally valid reasons to risk being offensive. The dream sequence in which Ike and Kyle get blown up by an atomic bomb is a reference to a similar scene in Terminator II: Judgment Day. Peter Griffin They'll sit there and they'll whine and they'll take their shot at Jesus. Cartman's passionate speech to Kyle in the middle of the highway is particularly introspective -- laying out all the reasons why he is "nothing like Family Guy.". That's their stock in trade. Scientologists converge on Stan's house after he is identified as the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard. [3] Brent Bozell, founder of the conservative organization Parents Television Council, criticized Viacom for celebrating insults to Christianity through the satirical anti-American scene in this episode, as well as another animated series insulting Catholicism, Popetown, which aired on MTV Germany, another Viacom-owned network. A Global Warming State of Emergency is declared in South Park as the world's largest beaver dam breaks and floods the adjacent town of Beaverton. "If we're still alive in the morning, then we'll know we're not dead! So that we can bring you this Terrance and Phillip Special!" There's also a billboard for Cold Age: The Smackdown -- a parody of the animated film Ice Age: The Meltdown. Matt and Trey enjoy, I think, a very fair amount of creative freedom. "[5] Comedy Central's decision to censor the image was due to concerns for public safety. More importantly, he vows to do something to stop it. On the commentary track, Parker and Stone express irritation with their network bosses, but some sympathy too, given that in the real world, people have been hurt over images of Muhammad. Kyle convinces Bart to release him, finds Cartman, and then battles him in a lengthy slap fight that eventually lands them in the President of Fox's office. Part two of “Cartoon Wars” follows Cartman as he skulks around the Fox lot, trying to sabotage the show. ", In The Mystery at the Lazy "J" Ranch, Terrance is still shown as significantly overweight -- a continuation of the events that unfolded in Season 5's "Behind the Blow.". It doesn't take long, however, for Cartman's true motives to surface. This is a direct shout out to Doug Herzog, President of Comedy Central.