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"Tsst" is the seventh episode in the tenth season of the American animated television series ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
''. The 146th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
in the United States on May 3, 2006. In the episode,
Liane Cartman Liane Cartman, formerly known as Carol Cartman, is a fictional character in the adult animated television series ''South Park''. She is the single mother of main character Eric, who raises him in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado. Liane is ...
has problems controlling her son
Eric Cartman Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to as just Cartman, is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom ''South Park'', created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. He is voiced by Parker, and is one of the series' four main characters, ...
, and enlists several
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
shows to help with his spoiled behavior.


Plot

Eric Cartman Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to as just Cartman, is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom ''South Park'', created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. He is voiced by Parker, and is one of the series' four main characters, ...
and his mother, Liane, are summoned to school counselor Mr. Mackey, in regard to Cartman forcing a student into a ''
Saw A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, Wire saw, wire, or Chainsaw, chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws. Saws began as serrated materials, and when man ...
''-esque situation for mocking his weight by handcuffing his leg to a flagpole and telling him that he had poisoned his lunch milk and that the only way he could get to the
antidote An antidote is a substance that can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek term φάρμακον ἀντίδοτον ''(pharmakon antidoton)'', "(medicine) given as a remedy". An older term in English which is ...
would be to saw through his leg using a
hacksaw A hacksaw is a fine-toothed saw, originally and mainly made for cutting metal. The equivalent saw for cutting wood is usually called a bow saw. Most hacksaws are hand saws with a C-shaped walking frame that holds a blade under tension. Suc ...
. Liane admits that she cannot control Cartman anymore and, taking Mackey's suggestions, she turns to ''
Nanny 911 ''Nanny 911'' is an American reality television series that originally aired on Fox from November 3, 2004, to February 23, 2007, and on CMT from April 18 to June 6, 2009. Premise ''Nanny 911'' is loosely based on the British television progra ...
'' and ''
Supernanny ''Supernanny'' is a British reality television programme about parents struggling with their children's behaviour, mealtime routines, potty training, etc. The show features professional nanny Jo Frost, who devotes each episode to helping a fa ...
''. However, their attempts to change Cartman's behavior are unsuccessful; Cartman psychologically harasses
Stella Reid Stella Reid (born 3 October 1964) is an English nanny, author and television personality, known publicly as one of the stars of the reality television series ''Nanny 911''. She is co-author of ''The Nanny Chronicles of Hollywood'', ''Nanny 911: ...
about her decision to not have children when she takes away his
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
, and
Jo Frost Joanne Frost (born 27 June 1970) is an English television personality, nanny, and author. She is best known for the reality television programme ''Supernanny, Supernanny UK'', in which she was the central figure. The show first aired in the Uni ...
ends up in a
mental hospital A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe mental disorders. These institutions cater to patients with ...
, sobbing and eating her own excrement while shouting "It's from
Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...
!". Desperate, Liane turns to
Cesar Millan César Felipe Millán Favela ( , ; born August 27, 1969) is a Mexican-American dog trainer. His television series '' Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan'' was produced from 2004 to 2012 and has been broadcast in more than 80 countries worldwide. ...
, the Dog Whisperer. Instead of treating Cartman as a human child, Millan provides
dog training Dog training is a type of animal training, the Applied behavior analysis, application of behavior analysis which uses the environmental events of antecedents (trigger for a behavior) and consequences to modify the dog behavior, either for it to a ...
techniques which prove highly effective for Liane, leaving Cartman intensely frustrated. Even when Cartman runs away, none of his friends or classmates want to take him in, forcing him to return home after spending a rainy night in a dark alley. Cartman's behavior improves after a while, although he feels he cannot control his actions. As Liane enjoys her more flexible lifestyle, Cartman plots to kill his mother. When his friends refuse to help Cartman, he goes to kill her while she's asleep, but his inner conscience convinces him that he does not have the right to kill her, and passes out due to emotional exhaustion. With Cartman's behavior in check, Millan returns for a final visit. Liane thanks and invites him on an outing, which he declines because he sees her as a client, not a friend. Dismayed at being turned down, Liane asks her son (who was previously her friend) to join her on the outing. After he refuses, she persuades Cartman to spend time with her, saying he can have anything he wishes; this makes Cartman return to his spoiled behavior as the episode ends with a shot of him having an unsettling smile on his face, while ominous music is heard playing.


Reception

''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
''s Eric Goldman gave the episode a score of 8.0 out of 10, writing "While not among the terrific episodes that began the season, this was a very fun installment of the show, and a nice spotlight on Cartman and what it might take to finally make him obey." When asked if he was offended by his caricature on the episode, Cesar Millan stated that he thought it and the entire episode was "fantastic".


Cultural references

There are numerous references to popular American
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
programs. Of the most prominent, shows such as ''
Nanny 911 ''Nanny 911'' is an American reality television series that originally aired on Fox from November 3, 2004, to February 23, 2007, and on CMT from April 18 to June 6, 2009. Premise ''Nanny 911'' is loosely based on the British television progra ...
'' and ''
Supernanny ''Supernanny'' is a British reality television programme about parents struggling with their children's behaviour, mealtime routines, potty training, etc. The show features professional nanny Jo Frost, who devotes each episode to helping a fa ...
'' which are both British programs in origin are parodied extensively. Both TV show hosts
Stella Reid Stella Reid (born 3 October 1964) is an English nanny, author and television personality, known publicly as one of the stars of the reality television series ''Nanny 911''. She is co-author of ''The Nanny Chronicles of Hollywood'', ''Nanny 911: ...
and
Jo Frost Joanne Frost (born 27 June 1970) is an English television personality, nanny, and author. She is best known for the reality television programme ''Supernanny, Supernanny UK'', in which she was the central figure. The show first aired in the Uni ...
are portrayed having accentuated British accents and stereotypically bad teeth. While he reconnects his
console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...
with the TV, Cartman sings "
Don't Stop Believin' "Don't Stop Believin" is a song by American rock band Journey. It was released in October 1981 as the second single from the group's seventh studio album, '' Escape'' (1981), released through Columbia Records. "Don't Stop Believin shares writi ...
" by Journey. Unlike the "real" television shows, neither Stella's or Jo's methods of disciplining unruly children work - ultimately forcing an insulted Stella to refuse to work with Cartman, and Jo Frost being admitted to a
psychiatric hospital A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe Mental disorder, mental disorders. These institutions cater t ...
, eating her own excrement and repeating the phrase "It's from
Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...
!" Also of note is that Stella mentions never having children of her own, leading to Cartman to cruelly implicate that she is either
sterile Sterile or sterility may refer to: *Asepsis, a state of being free from biological contaminants * Sterile (archaeology), a sediment deposit which contains no evidence of human activity *Sterilization (microbiology), any process that eliminates or ...
or incapable of attracting a partner, despite the real life Stella Reid being both married and a mother of one. '' The Dog Whisperer'' is also featured in the episode, along with show host
Cesar Millan César Felipe Millán Favela ( , ; born August 27, 1969) is a Mexican-American dog trainer. His television series '' Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan'' was produced from 2004 to 2012 and has been broadcast in more than 80 countries worldwide. ...
, who, unlike most celebrities that were portrayed on the show, is shown in a more positive light. A
Skeksis The Skeksis are a fictional species that serves as the main antagonists in the 1982 film ''The Dark Crystal'' and its related franchise. The word "Skeksis" serves as both singular and plural form for this species, with the singular being pronounc ...
from ''
The Dark Crystal ''The Dark Crystal'' is a 1982 dark fantasy, dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It stars the voices of Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell (actress), Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw, Percy Edwards, and Barry Dennen. The film was prod ...
'' can be seen as one of the nannies. The visual effect of Cartman's angel and devil subconsciousnesses during the part where he almost attempts to kill his mother in her room was a similar reference to the 1997 science-fiction film ''
Contact Contact may refer to: Interaction Physical interaction * Contact (geology), a common geological feature * Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye * Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects * C ...
''. The way Cartman changes as he makes his way down the hallway is a direct reference to the 1980
body horror Body horror, or biological horror, is a subgenre of horror fiction that intentionally showcases grotesque or psychologically disturbing violations of the human body or of another creature. These violations may manifest through aberrant sex, mutat ...
film ''
Altered States ''Altered States'' is a 1980 American science fiction horror film directed by Ken Russell, and adapted by playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky from his 1978 novel of the same name. The novel and the film are based in part on John C. Li ...
''. As the episode ends, the closing shot of Cartman staring towards the viewer is a reference to the closing shot of ''
The Omen ''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Sp ...
'' (1976).


Home media

"Tsst", along with the thirteen other episodes from ''South Park''s tenth season, was released on a three-disc DVD set in the United States on August 21, 2007. The set includes brief audio commentaries by series co-creators
Trey Parker Randolph Severn "Trey" Parker III (born October 19, 1969) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, and musician. He is best known for co-creating ''South Park'' (1997) and '' The Book of Mormon'' (2011) with his creative part ...
and
Matt Stone Matthew Richard Stone (born May 26, 1971) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, and musician. He is best known for co-creating ''South Park'' (since 1997) and ''The Book of Mormon (musical), The Book of Mormon'' (2011) with his cre ...
for each episode.


References


External links


"Tsst"
Full episode at South Park Studios * {{South Park episodes, 10 South Park season 10 episodes