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"Fantastic Easter Special" is the fifth episode of the eleventh 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 ...
'', and the 158th episode of the series overall. 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 The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
on April 4, 2007. The episode parodies ''
The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is “the best-selling American novel of all time.” Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon—the first was his 2000 novel '' Angels & Demons''� ...
''. "Fantastic Easter Special" was written by series co-creator
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 is rated TV-MA LV in the United States. Determined to get the real story behind why he has to decorate eggs for Easter,
Stan Marsh Stanley "Stan" Marsh is a fictional character in the adult animation, adult animated television series ''South Park''. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the series' four central characters, along ...
starts asking about the connection between
Easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The ...
s 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 ...
. The answers lead to an ancient and mysterious secret society to protect the secret of the
Easter Bunny The Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit—sometimes dressed with clothes—bringing Easter eggs. Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" origi ...
.


Plot

When
Stan Marsh Stanley "Stan" Marsh is a fictional character in the adult animation, adult animated television series ''South Park''. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the series' four central characters, along ...
colors
Easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The ...
s with his family for the upcoming
Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
, he questions what it has to do with
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 ...
. Due to his father
Randy Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolph, and Miranda, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of them. '' Randi'' is approximat ...
's vague response, Stan asks the same question to a mall
Easter Bunny The Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit—sometimes dressed with clothes—bringing Easter eggs. Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" origi ...
. The mall bunny brushes him off and then makes a mysterious phone call. Stan soon finds himself being chased by men in bunny suits. When he gets home, he finds that Randy is part of the plot. Randy tells his son that he is in a society called " The Hare Club for Men", who have guarded the secret of Easter for generations. Randy takes Stan to the headquarters of the Hare Club to be initiated, where he learns that the club reveres an ordinary
rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...
named Snowball. The Hare Club for Men's building resembles a
Masonic Hall A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history I ...
. Just as Stan is about to learn the secret of Easter, the club is ambushed by a group of
ninja A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...
s, forcing Stan to escape with Snowball. The ninjas and their leader,
Bill Donohue William Anthony Donohue (born July 18, 1947) is an American Roman Catholic layman who has been president of the Catholic League in the United States since 1993. Life and career Donohue was born in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. ...
, capture the rest of the club. Stan runs off to his friend
Kyle Broflovski Kyle Broflovski () is a fictional character in the adult animation, adult animated sitcom ''South Park''. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the series' four central characters, along with his frie ...
's house and persuades him to help. Stan and Kyle manage to track down a man named Professor Teabag (a spoof of Professor Teabing), who supposedly knows the secret of the Hare Club. Teabag explains that
Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...
was actually a member of the Hare Club and that
Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...
was not a man, but a
rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...
("
Peter Rabbit Peter Rabbit is a fictional animal character in various children's stories by English author Beatrix Potter. A mischievous, adventurous young rabbit who wears a blue jacket, he first appeared in ''The Tale of Peter Rabbit'' in 1902, and subseq ...
"). Da Vinci originally depicted him as such in his painting of the
Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, ''The Last Supper (Leonardo), The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic ...
, but he was forced by the Catholic Church to paint over it with an image of a man, while secretly leaving clues to Peter's true identity. Teabag explains that Jesus knew no human could speak for Christianity without any acts of corruption and that rabbits were pure, tolerant, and incorruptible, but the church rewrote history to stay in power, suggesting that the club have been kidnapped by the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
, who wish to cover up this secret, viewing it as
blasphemy Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...
. Donohue's ninja attacks again, but Teabag helps the two boys escape by putting marshmallow Peeps in the microwave. It causes an explosion that destroys the mansion, killing both Teabag and the ninjas. Stan and Kyle go to the Vatican where Stan turns the rabbit over to the Donohue's men, on the condition that the Hare Club members must all be set free and that Snowball remains unharmed. However, Donohue reveals he had actually made the promise on two separate
crucifix A crucifix (from the Latin meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...
es, a " double cross", and plans to kill the Hare Club.
Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
opposes this, saying that double-crossing is not considered to be "very Christian", to which Donohue responds by saying that it is what
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 ...
would have wanted. Jesus himself (after resurrecting from being killed in Iraq) then arrives to intervene, telling them that he actually did plan for the popes to be rabbits, wanting to avoid the current corruption of Donohue. Benedict and his clergy are willing to agree with Jesus, but Donohue refuses and seizes the Pope's
mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) or miter (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, see spelling differences; both pronounced ; ) is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of ...
, and orders his ninjas to capture everyone, including Benedict and Jesus, declaring himself the new Pope. Donohue orders his minions to lock up Kyle and Jesus, whom he calls the "two Jews", and Benedict. Donohue leads Randy, Stan, and the surviving Hare Club members to the block where there is a gigantic pot for Snowball's execution. In the cell, Jesus tells Kyle that his "superpowers" only work when he is dead, and the only way to escape is for Kyle to kill him so he can return to life outside the cell. Kyle is hesitant to kill Jesus, but does so after Jesus promises that "
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, ...
can never know about this". As Donohue is about to execute Snowball, the resurrected Jesus appears in the crowd and kills Donohue by throwing a five-bladed throwing star-like weapon, similar to the "''glaive''" in the fantasy film '' Krull''. Everyone cheers for Jesus and Snowball is elected Pope. Because he is a rabbit, Snowball cannot speak or tell people how they should lead their lives, just as "Jesus intended". Stan reveals that his adventures have taught him to not ask questions and just dye the eggs.


Production

In the commentary, the creators called it their ''
The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is “the best-selling American novel of all time.” Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon—the first was his 2000 novel '' Angels & Demons''� ...
'' episode, emphasizing the conspiracy and searching for clues in the eggs. Bill Donohue had been quoted by several news outlets during coverage of previous ''South Park'' episodes "
Bloody Mary #REDIRECT Bloody Mary {{redirect category shell, {{R ambig{{R from other capitalisation{{R unprintworthy ...
" and " Trapped in the Closet", but "Bill Donohue is not the emperor of Catholics."


Reception


Critical response

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 ...
contributor Travis Fickett gave the episode a rating of 10, calling it a "masterpiece" and "controlled comic chaos that only ''South Park'' seems able to manage on such a consistent basis." In 2009, Richard Corliss of ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' listed the episode as #10 on their list of Top 10 Jesus Films, praising the conspiracy story and its resemblance to ''The Da Vinci Code'' and the lyrics of "Peter Cottontail" in Latin. Erik Hinton from ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' wrote a favorable review of the episode, saying "they do like killing Jesus, but it's in the service of a profound message of
religious tolerance Religious tolerance or religious toleration may signify "no more than forbearance and the permission given by the adherents of a dominant religion for other religions to exist, even though the latter are looked on with disapproval as inferior, ...
and even-handed treatment."


Donohue's reaction

The real Donohue has a still of himself wearing the papal mitre from this episode displayed in his office. He sums up the plot as "In the episode, they have me overthrow the pope because the pope is a wimp, and then I take over the church and give it some guts. ... But in the end, Jesus kills me".


See also

* List of Easter television episodes


References


External links


"Fantastic Easter Special"
Full episode at South Park Studios * {{South Park episodes, 11 Cultural depictions of Pope Benedict XVI Easter television episodes Easter Bunny in television Portrayals of Jesus on television Television episodes about murder Television episodes about Catholicism South Park season 11 episodes