A History Channel Thanksgiving
Encyclopedia
"A History Channel Thanksgiving" is the thirteenth episode of the fifteenth season
of the American animated television series South Park
, and the 222nd episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central
in the United States
on November 9, 2011. In the episode, the boys accidentally uncover the true origins of Thanksgiving
after watching a History Channel documentary alleging that alien
s were present at the original harvest feast in 1621.
The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker
and is rated TV-MA L in the United States. It is a parody of the 2011 film Thor
and the television series Ancient Aliens
.
Indian David Running Horse Sewitski, the boys are assigned to write a report on the history of Thanksgiving. They view a TV show on the History Channel that suggests the first Thanksgiving in 1621 was influenced by the presence of extraterrestrials
. Despite Kyle
's outrage at the program's arguments, he is outvoted when the other three boys decide nonetheless to use the program as a source in their report. After turning in their reports, agents from the History Channel demand the boys tell them where they got their information on aliens, which matches History's own information. When the boys explain they derived their knowledge from that program, the head agent sees this "coincidence" as validation of History's theories, and shows the boys' testimonials on a subsequent program, crediting Stan
as a "History Expert", and Kyle as a "Professor of Thanksgiving - DeVry Institute
", despite the fact that Kyle is shown arguing against the idea. This incurs the wrath of Sewitski, who, angered at the proliferation of falsehoods about Native American history, shows up at Kyle's house and holds him, Stan and Kenny
at gunpoint.
Captain Standish
of Plymouth, a planet in Canis Major
whose inhabitants resemble colonial era
American Pilgrims, falls to Earth. On Plymouth, the Pilgrim leader rallies his people, saying that their enemies, the Indians, have raided their stuffing
mines, which causes a stuffing shortage on Earth that causes Cartman to panic. Standish shows up at Kyle's house, kills Sewitski, and asks Kyle for help returning to his planet. After Natalie Portman
drives them to a wooded area, Standish shows Kyle a map of five planets: Earth, Plymouth, Indi, Colthenheim and Green Lantern
World, which are connected by wormholes
that on the map, resemble the hand-traced drawings of turkeys made by schoolchildren. Standish explains that his people and their enemies were indeed responsible for the first Thanksgiving, and warns Kyle that because the 300-year treaty between Plymouth and Indi has ended, the Indians will plunder the Plymouth stuffing mines. Agents from the History Channel appear, and when they tell Standish that they failed to open the wormhole to Plymouth by drawing the turkey symbol at Plymouth Rock
, Standish informs them that they need Natalie Portman, who is the Keeper of the Portal. After being wined and dined by Kyle, Portman "opens her wormhole", sending Standish back to Plymouth, where he vanquishes the Indians.
Back on Earth, Standish's campaign against the Indians is related in another History TV special, which also adds the new theory that the first Thanksgiving was haunted, much to Kyle's outrage.
graded the episode a "B", stating: "Tonight’s South Park spent absolutely no time dwelling on the events of last week, favoring instead an attack on The History Channel
, apophenia
, and Natalie Portman
. When people think back on this season, this won’t be an episode that will immediately spring to mind by any stretch. But as far as silly episodes written and drawn by people who have seen a lot of Thor
recently, this wasn’t bad."
Ramsey Isler of IGN
gave the episode a 7.5 out of 10, stating: "The story wasted no time getting into its parody of the so-called "history" channel. The aim is placed squarely on Ancient Aliens
specifically, and the direction is nicely done. The tone of the parody shifts as the episode turns into an odd sort of spoof/homage of the Thor movie. We've got the Native Americans as the Ice Giants
and the Pilgrims as the Asgardians
, and Natalie Portman tacked on for seemingly no real purpose. Overall it's still an entertaining watch, but if it had more focus it could have been something really special".
Johnny Firecloud of CraveOnline
gave the episode a 5 out of 10, opining that it was not funny, likening the episode to "an acid trip laced with way too much strychnine." Firecloud sympathized with those who feel that the series is "an overloaded mess", and thought this episode a rationale for possible series cancellation.
South Park (season 15)
The fifteenth season of South Park, an American animated television series, began airing on April 27, 2011 and ended on November 16, 2011. In response to reactions to the mid-season finale episode "You're Getting Old", which seemed to insinuate that creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were wrapping...
of the American animated television series South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, and the 222nd episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on November 9, 2011. In the episode, the boys accidentally uncover the true origins of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
after watching a History Channel documentary alleging that alien
Alien
Alien or Aliens may refer to:* Alien , a non-citizen inhabitant of a country* Extraterrestrial life, defined as life that does not originate from Earth* Introduced species, a species living outside its native distributional range...
s were present at the original harvest feast in 1621.
The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
and is rated TV-MA L in the United States. It is a parody of the 2011 film Thor
Thor (film)
Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
and the television series Ancient Aliens
Ancient Aliens
Ancient Aliens is an American television series that premiered on April 20, 2010 on the History channel. Produced by Prometheus Entertainment, the program presents theories of ancient astronauts and proposes that historical texts, archaeology and legends contain evidence of past...
.
Plot
After a lecture from 1/16th CherokeeCherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
Indian David Running Horse Sewitski, the boys are assigned to write a report on the history of Thanksgiving. They view a TV show on the History Channel that suggests the first Thanksgiving in 1621 was influenced by the presence of extraterrestrials
Ancient astronauts
Some writers have proposed that intelligent extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth in antiquity or prehistory and made contact with humans. Such visitors are called ancient astronauts or ancient aliens. Proponents suggest that this contact influenced the development of human cultures,...
. Despite Kyle
Kyle Broflovski
Kyle Broflovski is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
's outrage at the program's arguments, he is outvoted when the other three boys decide nonetheless to use the program as a source in their report. After turning in their reports, agents from the History Channel demand the boys tell them where they got their information on aliens, which matches History's own information. When the boys explain they derived their knowledge from that program, the head agent sees this "coincidence" as validation of History's theories, and shows the boys' testimonials on a subsequent program, crediting Stan
Stan Marsh
Stanley Randall "Stan" Marsh is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
as a "History Expert", and Kyle as a "Professor of Thanksgiving - DeVry Institute
DeVry University
DeVry University and DeVry Institute of Technology are divisions of DeVry Inc , a proprietary, for-profit higher education organization that is also the parent organization for Keller Graduate School of Management, Ross University, American University of the Caribbean, Apollo College, Western...
", despite the fact that Kyle is shown arguing against the idea. This incurs the wrath of Sewitski, who, angered at the proliferation of falsehoods about Native American history, shows up at Kyle's house and holds him, Stan and Kenny
Kenny McCormick
Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is one of the four central characters along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman. His oft-muffled and indiscernible speech—the result of his parka hood covering his...
at gunpoint.
Captain Standish
Myles Standish
Myles Standish was an English military officer hired by the Pilgrims as military advisor for Plymouth Colony. One of the Mayflower passengers, Standish played a leading role in the administration and defense of Plymouth Colony from its inception...
of Plymouth, a planet in Canis Major
Canis Major
Canis Major is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was included in the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy's 48 constellations. Its name is Latin for 'greater dog', and is commonly represented as one of the dogs following Orion the hunter...
whose inhabitants resemble colonial era
British colonization of the Americas
British colonization of the Americas began in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia and reached its peak when colonies had been established throughout the Americas...
American Pilgrims, falls to Earth. On Plymouth, the Pilgrim leader rallies his people, saying that their enemies, the Indians, have raided their stuffing
Stuffing
In cooking, stuffing or filling is an edible substance or mixture, often a starch, used to fill a cavity in another food item...
mines, which causes a stuffing shortage on Earth that causes Cartman to panic. Standish shows up at Kyle's house, kills Sewitski, and asks Kyle for help returning to his planet. After Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
drives them to a wooded area, Standish shows Kyle a map of five planets: Earth, Plymouth, Indi, Colthenheim and Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
World, which are connected by wormholes
Wormhole
In physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would be, fundamentally, a "shortcut" through spacetime. For a simple visual explanation of a wormhole, consider spacetime visualized as a two-dimensional surface. If this surface is folded along a third dimension, it...
that on the map, resemble the hand-traced drawings of turkeys made by schoolchildren. Standish explains that his people and their enemies were indeed responsible for the first Thanksgiving, and warns Kyle that because the 300-year treaty between Plymouth and Indi has ended, the Indians will plunder the Plymouth stuffing mines. Agents from the History Channel appear, and when they tell Standish that they failed to open the wormhole to Plymouth by drawing the turkey symbol at Plymouth Rock
Plymouth Rock
Plymouth Rock is the traditional site of disembarkation of William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. It is an important symbol in American history...
, Standish informs them that they need Natalie Portman, who is the Keeper of the Portal. After being wined and dined by Kyle, Portman "opens her wormhole", sending Standish back to Plymouth, where he vanquishes the Indians.
Back on Earth, Standish's campaign against the Indians is related in another History TV special, which also adds the new theory that the first Thanksgiving was haunted, much to Kyle's outrage.
Reception
Ryan McGhee of The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
graded the episode a "B", stating: "Tonight’s South Park spent absolutely no time dwelling on the events of last week, favoring instead an attack on The History Channel
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...
, apophenia
Apophenia
Apophenia is the experience of seeing meaningful patterns or connections in random or meaningless data.The term was coined in 1958 by Klaus Conrad, who defined it as the "unmotivated seeing of connections" accompanied by a "specific experience of an abnormal meaningfulness", but it has come to...
, and Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
. When people think back on this season, this won’t be an episode that will immediately spring to mind by any stretch. But as far as silly episodes written and drawn by people who have seen a lot of Thor
Thor (film)
Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
recently, this wasn’t bad."
Ramsey Isler of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode a 7.5 out of 10, stating: "The story wasted no time getting into its parody of the so-called "history" channel. The aim is placed squarely on Ancient Aliens
Ancient Aliens
Ancient Aliens is an American television series that premiered on April 20, 2010 on the History channel. Produced by Prometheus Entertainment, the program presents theories of ancient astronauts and proposes that historical texts, archaeology and legends contain evidence of past...
specifically, and the direction is nicely done. The tone of the parody shifts as the episode turns into an odd sort of spoof/homage of the Thor movie. We've got the Native Americans as the Ice Giants
Giants (Marvel Comics)
There are different kinds of Giants in Marvel Comics. The most popular of the Giants are the Giants of Johunheim, fictional race of people based on the giants of actual Norse legends.-Giants of Jotunheim:...
and the Pilgrims as the Asgardians
Asgard (comics)
Asgard is a fictional realm within the Marvel Comics universe based on the Asgard of Norse mythology and is home to the Asgardians and other beings of Norse mythology...
, and Natalie Portman tacked on for seemingly no real purpose. Overall it's still an entertaining watch, but if it had more focus it could have been something really special".
Johnny Firecloud of CraveOnline
CraveOnline
CraveOnline is a male lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company AtomicOnline, the publishing division of Evolve Media Corp.- History :...
gave the episode a 5 out of 10, opining that it was not funny, likening the episode to "an acid trip laced with way too much strychnine." Firecloud sympathized with those who feel that the series is "an overloaded mess", and thought this episode a rationale for possible series cancellation.
External links
- "A History Channel Thanksgiving" at South Park Studios.