"Death" is the sixth episode of the first 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 ...

''. It first 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 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 ''South Park'' is an American adult animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. The ongoing narrative revolves around four boys, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick, and ...

''.

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

himself arrives to kill

Kenny Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names. In Ireland, the surname is an Anglicisation of the Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant of Cionnaith". ...

, and presents a warning to Grandpa Marvin against forcing others to help him commit suicide. "Death" was written by series 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 ...

and directed by Stone on his first solo directorial work for an episode in the show. The episode, along with the ''Terrance and Phillip'' show, were inspired by early criticism that ''South Park'' was little more than flatulence jokes and primitive animation. The episode portrays the parents as being so invested in protesting television programs that they fail to pay any attention to what is going on in their children's lives. They want to make television clean and wholesome so the entertainment industry can raise their kids, while they themselves do not have to make the time and effort to be full-time parents. The episode also advocates against

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

and addresses the morality and ethics of

euthanasia Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...

. "Death" was the last of the original six ''South Park'' episodes ordered by Comedy Central before the network committed to a full season. The episode's plot heavily influenced the screenplay of the 1999 feature film adaptation '' South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut'', which also involves the parents of South Park protesting ''Terrance and Phillip''. In addition to Terrance and Phillip, the episode introduced recurring characters Grandpa Marsh and

Sheila Sheila (alternatively spelled Shelagh and Sheelagh) is a common feminine given name, derived from the Irish name ''Síle'', which is believed to be a Gaelic form of the Latin name ''Caelia'', the feminine form of the Roman clan name ''Caelius' ...

(then known as Carol), Kyle's mother.

Plot

The Marsh family celebrates Grampa Marsh's 102nd birthday, but he is tired of living and tries unsuccessfully to commit

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

. He tries to convince Stan to kill him, but Stan refuses because he fears he might get in trouble. Meanwhile, Kyle watches the cartoon ''

'', which revolves largely around fart jokes. Kyle's mother gets outraged by the foul language and crude humor, and contacts other South Park parents to organize a boycott at the Cartoon Central headquarters in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Later at school, Stan asks Mr. Garrison,

Chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

and

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

whether he should help his grandpa kill himself, but they avoid discussing the issue, much to Stan's anger. Meanwhile,

suffers from a bout of "explosive diarrhea", which spreads to others in the town, including the adults protesting ''Terrance and Phillip''. Despite objecting to the show, the adults themselves laugh and make jokes at their own real-life toilet humor. Carol proclaims that if Cartoon Central does not take the show off the air, the protesters will kill themselves, and they start using a slingshot to send themselves flying into the building. With the adults out of town for the protest, the boys are free to watch ''Terrance and Phillip'' at their leisure. Grandpa Marvin continues asking Stan to kill him, and demonstrates how terrible his life is by locking Stan in a room and forcing him to listen to a song in the style of

Enya Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 17 May 1961; anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan) known mononymously as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer. With an estimated equivalent of over 80 million albums sold worldwide, Enya is the best-selli ...

's "

Orinoco Flow "Orinoco Flow", also released as "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)", is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Enya from her second studio album, ''Watermark'' (1988). It was released on 3 October 1988 by WEA Records in the United Kingdom and by Geffen Rec ...

". Now convinced that his life is excruciating, Stan finally agrees to kill his grandpa, and tries to do so by rigging a cow on a pulley and dropping it on him. Just as the boys are about to do it,

himself arrives, but starts chasing after the boys instead of Grandpa Marvin. While fleeing, Stan calls his

mother A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

, who is too busy protesting ''Terrance and Phillip'' to listen to his problems. More than a dozen people have killed themselves against the headquarters building. Eventually, the network agrees to take the show off the air, not because of the deaths but because of the stench of the protesters' explosive diarrhea. Meanwhile, Death continues chasing the boys, but stops in front of a television playing ''Terrance and Phillip''. Death and the boys start laughing together, but after it is taken off the air, Death angrily touches and kills Kenny. Angered, Grandpa Marvin demands that Death kill ''him'', but Death refuses. Death then brings in the spirit of Stan's great-great-grandfather (Marvin's grandfather), who was killed by Marvin when he was Stan's age; the ghost warns Marvin that he must die of natural causes and not place the burden of his suicide on anybody else's shoulders or else he will spend his eternity after death in

limbo The unofficial term Limbo (, or , referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition in medieval Catholic theology, of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. However, it has become the gene ...

. ''Terrence and Phillip'' is replaced by the

Suzanne Somers Suzanne Marie Somers (; October 16, 1946 – October 15, 2023) was an American actress, author, and businesswoman. She played the television roles of Chrissy Snow on ''Three's Company'' (1977–1981) and Carol Foster Lambert on '' Step by Step' ...

show ''

She's the Sheriff ''She's the Sheriff'' is an American television sitcom that aired in Broadcast syndication, first-run syndication from September 19, 1987, to April 1, 1989. Produced by Lorimar Television, the series marked the return of Suzanne Somers to telev ...

'' which also contains obscenities. Furious about all this, the parents go back to the Cartoon Central network building to protest again. Grandpa Marvin decides to visit Africa, where over 400 people are "naturally" eaten by

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

s every year. The episode ends with the boys laughing, and then laughing harder when Kyle farts.

Production

"Death" was written and directed by series co-creators

and

. It was the last of the original six ''South Park'' episodes ordered by Comedy Central before the network committed to a full season of 13 episodes. Parker long wanted to feature a

Grim Reaper The Grim Reaper is a popular personification of death in Western culture in the form of a hooded skeletal figure wearing a black robe and carrying a scythe. The subplot of Kenny's diarrhea problems came from a real-life high school experience from Stone, who said students used to offer each other $20 if they would pass a note to the teacher explaining they had "explosive diarrhea", like Kenny did in the episode. The image of Kenny sitting on a toilet in "Death" became a popular ''South Park'' poster. "Death" included a consistency error in that Mr. Garrison's classroom had its own separate bathroom, which has never again been seen on the show. During one scene, Cartman moons Kyle while making fun of Kyle's mother. Comedy Central censors forced Parker and Stone to remove the image of Cartman's bare bottom, although such images would be allowed in future episodes. A man named Mr. McCormick was killed in "Death" after he was flung via slingshot into the Cartoon Central building. The character's name led many to mistakenly believe it was Kenny's father,

Stuart McCormick ''South Park'' is an American adult animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. The ongoing narrative revolves around four boys, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick, and E ...

, but Parker denied this and said the similar character names were just a coincidence. The character appears again very briefly in a later episode, " Starvin' Marvin".

Themes

During the first few weeks of ''South Park'' run, Parker and Stone received criticism from some commentators and media outlets that the series was little more than flatulence jokes and primitive animation, and thus must be a simple show to produce. "Death" was written in response to that criticism. The episode introduced

, a comedy duo with a popular cartoon series within the ''South Park'' universe, whose show is literally nothing but a series of flatulence jokes, with even cruder animation than ''South Park'' itself. The episode's script parodied parents who voiced strong opposition to ''South Park'', portraying them as so invested in fighting the television program that they fail to pay attention to what is going on in their children's lives. This is illustrated in the episode when Stan calls his mother seeking help because Death is chasing him, only for his mother to ignore him because she is too busy protesting the ''Terrance and Phillip'' show. This is also demonstrated by the line Kyle says, "I think that parents only get so offended by television because they rely on it as a babysitter and the sole educator of their kids." "Death" warns against such misplaced values and condemns the practice of

, as well as demonstrating there can be value in a show often dismissed as juvenile and immature, like ''South Park'' or ''Terrance and Phillip''. The episode also takes the position that parents who blame their children's behavior entirely on television are evading true responsibility for problems that likely have roots elsewhere. The plot of "Death" heavily influenced the screenplay Parker and Stone wrote for their 1999 film, '' South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut''. The plot and theme of both scripts revolve heavily around the parents of South Park protesting ''Terrance and Phillip'' due to the perceived negative influence it has over their children. Parker said, "After about the first year of ''South Park'',

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

already wanted to make a ''South Park'' movie, and we sort of thought this episode would make the best model just because we liked the sort of pointing at ourselves kind of thing." "Death" also touches upon the issue of

, and whether it is morally or ethically wrong to commit suicide.Gossage, p. 58 The episode's script indicates it is wrong for someone wishing to kill oneself to place the burden of that decision on a loved one: in this case, Grandpa Marvin demanding that Stan kill him, without considering how traumatizing an experience it would be for Stan. This is most strongly illustrated at the end of the episode, in which the ghost of Marvin's grandfather (who had Marvin kill him long ago) tells Marvin he must not force Stan to commit such a traumatizing act. Although the ghost tells Grandpa Marvin he must die of "natural causes", Marvin nevertheless continues seeking ways to kill himself, but without involving other people. Parker said this reflects his opinion that, "Basically, it is OK to kill yourself, but you shouldn't ask someone else to do it and put someone else through the trip."

Cultural references and impact

"Death" introduced several characters who would maintain important recurring roles throughout the rest of the series. Among them were

Sheila Broflovski Sheila (alternatively spelled Shelagh and Sheelagh) is a common feminine given name, derived from the Irish name ''Síle'', which is believed to be a Gaelic form of the Latin name ''Caelia'', the feminine form of the Roman clan name ''Caelius ...

and Grandpa Marvin Marsh. Sheila and Gerald Broflovski, Kyle's parents, were named after Stone's parents, although he insists the characters are nothing like his real parents. Marvin Marsh was not based on any real-life person (although he shares the name of Parker's maternal grandfather, Marvin Kimble), but Parker and Stone wanted to create a rude and unlikeable grandfather character because they felt most elderly people were portrayed as sweet and lovable on television. Originally, they wanted Marvin Marsh to be known as the "molesting grandpa" who kept making sexual comments to Stan and attempting to play inappropriate games with him, but Comedy Central refused to allow it, which Parker said was "probably the right call". Terrance and Phillip are loosely based on Parker and Stone themselves, and were also inspired by the Itchy & Scratchy characters from ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'', as well as the protagonists from the

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

cartoon ''

Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated Animated sitcom, sitcom created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, Stupi ...

''. Although "Death" marked the first appearance of Terrance and Phillip, Parker said the duo "took on a life of their own". They have made frequent appearances throughout the rest of the series, and played a major role in ''South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut''. The episode refers to

Jack Kevorkian Murad Jacob Kevorkian (May 26, 1928 – June 3, 2011) was an American pathologist and euthanasia proponent. He publicly championed a terminal patient's right to die by physician-assisted suicide, embodied in his quote, "Dying is not a crime" ...

, the right-to-die activist best known for his advocacy of

physician-assisted suicide Assisted suicide, sometimes restricted to the context of physician-assisted suicide (PAS), is the process by which a person, with the help of others, takes actions to end their life. Once it is determined that the person's situation qualifie ...

, although Kyle mistakenly refers to him as "Jack Leborkian". When ''Terrance and Phillip'' is cancelled in "Death", it is replaced by ''

'', a sitcom starring actress

. The Cartoon Central network in "Death" is based on a mix between

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

and Comedy Central, the latter the real-life television network that broadcasts ''South Park''. John Warsog, the man who runs Cartoon Central in "Death", is based on

Doug Herzog Doug Herzog (born July 16, 1959) is an American television executive. He was formerly the president of Viacom Music and Entertainment Group, he oversaw MTV, VH1, Logo TV, Comedy Central, Palladia, TV Land and Spike. Herzog has been credited ...

, the Comedy Central executive who was responsible for bringing ''South Park'' to the network. Herzog was excited to be featured in the episode and enjoyed the portrayal. During one scene, Stan's grandfather locks him in a room and plays music by the Irish vocalist

as a form of torture to show Stan what it is like to be his age, and convince Stan to kill him. The parody of Enya's

used in "Death" was sung by

Toddy Walters Toddy Elizabeth Walters (born October 24, 1969, in Denver, Colorado) is an actress, singer and songwriter. Career A Denver native, Toddy Walters has been a singer, songwriter and actor for the majority of her life. Walters went to the Universi ...

, who played protagonist

Polly Pry Leonel Campbell Ross O'Bryan (1857–16 July 1938), known under the pen name Polly Pry, was a controversial reporter for ''The Denver Post'' and later as a freelancer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She is best known for her ...

in Trey Parker's 1996 film, ''

Cannibal! The Musical ''Cannibal! The Musical'' (originally known as ''Alferd Packer: The Musical'') is a 1993 American musical Western black comedy film directed, written, produced, co-scored by and starring Trey Parker in his directorial debut while studying at th ...

''. "Death" marked the first appearance of Snacky Cakes, one of Cartman's favorite snack foods.

Reception

In the book '' Leaving Springfield'', author William J. Savage Jr. said the episode "reveals a fine edged attack on censors and a thoughtful and subtle consideration of issues regarding assisted suicide." In the book ''The Deep End of South Park'', Anne Gossage complimented the ambition of the episode's themes of censorship and the morality of assisted suicide, which she called "a great deal of ground to cover in 20 minutes".Gossage, p. 56 Gossage also said the episode shared many of the same characteristics of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'', comparing Stan's contemplation of killing his grandfather to Hamlet's dilemmas after encountering his father's ghost.

Home media

"Death" was released alongside five other episodes in a three-VHS set on May 5, 1998, marking the first time ''South Park'' was made available on video. The episode was released on the "Volume III" video along with " An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig"; other featured episodes included "

Cartman Gets an Anal Probe "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, ...

", "

Volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

", "

Weight Gain 4000 "Weight Gain 4000" is the third episode of the South Park season 1, first season of the American animated television series ''South Park''. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 27, 1997. In the episode, the residents o ...

", and "

Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American animated sitcom ''South Park''. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on September 3, 1997. The episode was written by series co-founders ...

". "Death", along with the other twelve episodes from the first season, was also included in the DVD release "South Park: The Complete First Season", which was released on November 12, 2002. Parker and Stone recorded commentary tracks for each episode, but they were not included with the DVDs due to "standards" issues with some of the statements; Parker and Stone refused to allow the tracks to be edited and censored, so they were released in a CD separate from the DVDs. In 2008, Parker and Stone made "Death" and all ''South Park'' episodes available to watch for free on the show's official website, "South Park Studios".

References

External links

"Death"
Full episode at South Park Studios * {{South Park episodes, 1, 1 1997 American television episodes Television episodes about personifications of death Portrayals of Jesus on television South Park season 1 episodes Television episodes about censorship Television episodes about euthanasia Television episodes about suicide Television episodes about birthdays Television episodes set in New York City Television episodes about ghosts Television episodes about television