A Million Little Fibers
Encyclopedia
"A Million Little Fibers" is the fifth episode of the tenth season
of the animated television series South Park
, and the 144th episode overall. It was first broadcast on Comedy Central
in the United States
on April 19, 2006. The episode focuses on Towelie.
, because Oprah
loves and promotes his book. Meanwhile, Oprah's vagina
, Minge (also referred to as "Mingey"), is depressed that the overworked Oprah never pays attention to him anymore. Gary, her anus
, conspires with Minge to get Oprah fired, so she can pay more attention to them and perhaps go to Paris
(where Gary has always wanted to go). As Minge realizes that Towelie is not a person, they call Geraldo Rivera
and give him the information. Subsequently, Towelie is interviewed on Larry King Live
, during which Geraldo Rivera calls in from Afghanistan
to reveal that the author of the book is a towel.
When the truth comes out, Oprah does not see what the big deal is because people were inspired by the book for how it was written, not by whether it is a lie or the truth. But mobs congregate to protest wildly; Oprah invites Towelie back on the show, saying that he can explain that he wanted to make the book more relevant and easily understandable. However, instead she erupts in anger and calls on the audience to lynch
Towelie. As she brought the audience onto her side, Minge and Gary's plan is foiled. Towelie is cornered at the First National Bank of Chicago. Just as Oprah and the crowd prepare to lynch him, Minge, fearing that their plans are never going to succeed, tears through Oprah's pants with a revolver. Taking hostages, he guns down a police officer and begins making demands in preparation for an escape to France
. Gary tries to plead with Minge to stop, put down the gun and give himself up, arguing that "they'll probably go easy on us." Minge, however replies, "Don't be stupid Gary, I killed a policeman! They'll fry
me, and they'll lock you up for life!" Towelie struggles to think of an idea to deliver himself and his fellow hostages to safety, resisting the temptation to get high. He realizes that any stoned idea will only "get him into trouble."
Towelie's solution: using his inherent flatness, he slips into the bank and allows the hostages to enter through the previously locked doors. The hostages being cleared from the area, police snipers open fire on Oprah's nether-region and accidentally hit Gary instead of Minge. Minge realizes that Gary was hit and begins to comfort him. A delirious Gary believes that he is in Paris and then dies. Gary poops after he dies
. Minge, in a state of shock over the death of his best and only friend, takes his own life. Oprah survives, and is rushed to the hospital, with police informing Towelie and the hostages that Oprah will be fine. Towelie, now hailed as a hero, learns not to get high for ideas, but to get high as a reward after he comes up with them.
with the people of South Park trying to get Towelie into rehab. About halfway into making it, they decided it did not work too well and it could not go anywhere, so they started from the beginning. The Intervention plot line was later used in the season 14 episode, Crippled Summer
. They also discuss the "Hat on Top of a Hat" scenario to describe the "weirdness" of the episode, saying that when you put a hat on, and then you put a hat on top of the first hat, "you just end up looking like an idiot" (weirdness on top of weirdness replacing the hats).
's Eric Goldman gave the episode a disappointed 3/10 rating. He noted, "South Park has often taken the most ridiculous situations and made them hysterical. But not so here. The fact is, this episode just didn't deliver the laughs. It was slow moving and often felt awkwardly put together." He also stated that while he did not mind the absence of the main cast, "the episode didn't give the audience something great in their absence."
South Park (season 10)
Season 10 of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on March 22, 2006. The tenth season concluded after 14 episodes on November 15, 2006...
of the 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 144th episode overall. It was first broadcast 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 April 19, 2006. The episode focuses on Towelie.
Plot
Having lost a job due to his incompetence, Towelie decides to write his memoirs, but a publisher turns them down as uninteresting and irrelevant to the public. He then submits the manuscript again, under the guise of a human author called Steven McTowelie and having tweaked the references to him being a towel, with the result that phrases he uses that seem mundane when applied to a towel suddenly become emotive when applied to a human, such as "hung out to dry" and "hung up on a rack." The next publisher he goes to is moved by the content. He is then invited to go on The Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, because Oprah
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
loves and promotes his book. Meanwhile, Oprah's vagina
Vagina
The vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
, Minge (also referred to as "Mingey"), is depressed that the overworked Oprah never pays attention to him anymore. Gary, her anus
Anus
The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...
, conspires with Minge to get Oprah fired, so she can pay more attention to them and perhaps go to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(where Gary has always wanted to go). As Minge realizes that Towelie is not a person, they call Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera is an American attorney, journalist, author, reporter, and former talk show host...
and give him the information. Subsequently, Towelie is interviewed on Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
, during which Geraldo Rivera calls in from Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
to reveal that the author of the book is a towel.
When the truth comes out, Oprah does not see what the big deal is because people were inspired by the book for how it was written, not by whether it is a lie or the truth. But mobs congregate to protest wildly; Oprah invites Towelie back on the show, saying that he can explain that he wanted to make the book more relevant and easily understandable. However, instead she erupts in anger and calls on the audience to lynch
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
Towelie. As she brought the audience onto her side, Minge and Gary's plan is foiled. Towelie is cornered at the First National Bank of Chicago. Just as Oprah and the crowd prepare to lynch him, Minge, fearing that their plans are never going to succeed, tears through Oprah's pants with a revolver. Taking hostages, he guns down a police officer and begins making demands in preparation for an escape to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Gary tries to plead with Minge to stop, put down the gun and give himself up, arguing that "they'll probably go easy on us." Minge, however replies, "Don't be stupid Gary, I killed a policeman! They'll fry
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
me, and they'll lock you up for life!" Towelie struggles to think of an idea to deliver himself and his fellow hostages to safety, resisting the temptation to get high. He realizes that any stoned idea will only "get him into trouble."
Towelie's solution: using his inherent flatness, he slips into the bank and allows the hostages to enter through the previously locked doors. The hostages being cleared from the area, police snipers open fire on Oprah's nether-region and accidentally hit Gary instead of Minge. Minge realizes that Gary was hit and begins to comfort him. A delirious Gary believes that he is in Paris and then dies. Gary poops after he dies
Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes
"Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes" is episode 120 of Comedy Central's South Park. This episode originally aired on November 3, 2004. Its title and theme were inspired by the 1983 Disney movie Something Wicked This Way Comes based on the 1962 novel by Ray Bradbury.-Plot:The episode begins with...
. Minge, in a state of shock over the death of his best and only friend, takes his own life. Oprah survives, and is rushed to the hospital, with police informing Towelie and the hostages that Oprah will be fine. Towelie, now hailed as a hero, learns not to get high for ideas, but to get high as a reward after he comes up with them.
Production
According to the DVD commentary, this episode was originally their "bank episode." This is an episode that is partially animated before they start doing episodes the same week it is broadcast. "Banking an episode" allows the staff to have one or two days off during the run. It was intended to be a spoof of the TV show InterventionIntervention (TV series)
Intervention is an American television program about the realities facing addicts of many kinds.Each program follows one or two participants, each of whom has an addiction or other mentally and/or physically damaging problem and believes that they are being filmed for a documentary on their problem...
with the people of South Park trying to get Towelie into rehab. About halfway into making it, they decided it did not work too well and it could not go anywhere, so they started from the beginning. The Intervention plot line was later used in the season 14 episode, Crippled Summer
Crippled Summer
"Crippled Summer" is the seventh episode and mid-season finale of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 202nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 28, 2010...
. They also discuss the "Hat on Top of a Hat" scenario to describe the "weirdness" of the episode, saying that when you put a hat on, and then you put a hat on top of the first hat, "you just end up looking like an idiot" (weirdness on top of weirdness replacing the hats).
Reception
"A Million Little Fibers" is not highly esteemed among South Park episodes. IGNIGN
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...
's Eric Goldman gave the episode a disappointed 3/10 rating. He noted, "South Park has often taken the most ridiculous situations and made them hysterical. But not so here. The fact is, this episode just didn't deliver the laughs. It was slow moving and often felt awkwardly put together." He also stated that while he did not mind the absence of the main cast, "the episode didn't give the audience something great in their absence."
External links
- A Million Little Fibers Full episode at South Park Studios
- A Million Little Fibers Episode guide at South Park Studios