Medicinal Fried Chicken
Encyclopedia
"Medicinal Fried Chicken" is the third episode of the 14th season
of the American animated television series South Park
, and the 198th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central
in the United States on March 31, 2010. In the episode, the South Park KFC
is replaced by a medicinal marijuana
dispensary, and Cartman gets involved in black market
selling the KFC chicken. Meanwhile, Randy Marsh gets a medical referral for marijuana by giving himself testicular cancer
, which makes his testicles grow to grotesquely huge proportions.
The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker
, and was rated TV-MA L in the United States. "Medicinal Fried Chicken" was first broadcast when Colorado was considering revising state medicinal marijuana laws and restricting fast food eateries. The episode provided social commentary against both types of laws, and suggested legislating lifestyle choices is ineffective and inevitably leads to black markets.
The Cartman drug market subplot was heavily influenced by the 1983 crime film Scarface, with Cartman resembling fictional drug lord Tony Montana
and KFC founder Colonel Sanders
as antagonist Alejandro Sosa. The episode also included several jokes about Pope Benedict XVI
and the child sexual abuse scandals that had been surrounding the Catholic Church at the time. The concept of a former KFC restaurant becoming a medicinal marijuana store mirrors that of a real life dispensary in Palms, Los Angeles, designed to resemble a KFC.
"Medicinal Fried Chicken" received generally positive reviews, with many commentators praising the social commentary and sophomoric
testicle jokes alike. According to Nielsen Media Research
, the episode was seen by 2.99 million viewers, making it one of the most successful cable programs of the week. Although a KFC spokesman had a lukewarm response to "Medicinal Fried Chicken", officials from the KFC hometown of Corbin, Kentucky
were pleased the city was featured in the episode.
eateries in Colorado
, much to the dismay of Cartman
, who is addicted to the food. When Randy learns that South Park's KFC outlet is now a medicinal marijuana
dispensary, he attempts to give himself cancer
so he can get a doctor's referral for marijuana (after first gaining a clean bill of health from his doctor since he had assumed permits are given to the healthy). By irradiating his groin with a microwave oven, Randy successfully gives himself testicular cancer
, making his testicles so large that he has to use a wheelbarrow
to carry them. Randy obtains his medical referral and starts smoking marijuana regularly. Meanwhile, his testicles continue to grow to the point that he uses them as a space hopper
for movement. Randy finds that larger testicles are attractive to women, so he encourages his friends to also get testicular cancer. The local doctor, unaware of the men's self-irradiation
, becomes convinced that a recent change in South Park is responsible for the cancer outbreak.
Meanwhile, Cartman seeks KFC chicken on the black market by working for Billy Miller, a local boy who runs a small KFC cartel
from his home. After Cartman demonstrates his ruthlessness against a cheating street dealer as well as paying his turf to Billy as promised, Billy sends him to Corbin
to buy chicken directly from Colonel Sanders
. Another boy named Tommy accompanies Cartman, but he is revealed to be an informant for healthy foods advocate Jamie Oliver
and executed by the Colonel's men. Cartman wins over the Colonel's trust, but is warned to never betray him: "Just remember, I only tell you one time. Don't fuck me, Eric. Don't you ever try to fuck me."
Cartman eventually betrays Billy by telling Billy's mother that he got an F on his social studies test, and takes over the cartel after Billy is grounded. The Colonel assigns Cartman the task of assassinating
Oliver to prevent him from giving a speech in the United Nations
. However, Cartman immediately disregards the Colonel's order and starts eating much of the chicken supplied to him for distribution, putting the operation in danger. The Colonel, furious at Cartman's stupidity, sends a squad of gunmen to kill him in retaliation. A firefight between the gunmen and police then breaks out at the cartel headquarters, but Cartman escapes unscathed.
Randy's testicles grow so large that he is unable to fit through the doors of the marijuana dispensary. Prohibited by law from purchasing marijuana outside the premises, Randy and the other self-irradiated men begin protesting for larger dispensary doors. As some politicians present start to discuss ways to get around the problem, the dispensary owner simply suggests that marijuana be legalized, arguing that "people are just abusing this medicinal system anyway." The doctor interrupts by claiming the recent ban on KFC had led to the rise in testicular cancer because the chicken somehow prevented the illness. Colorado bans marijuana once again and reopens KFC, which has now been re-branded as "Medicinal Fried Chicken." Randy has his cancerous testicles removed and replaced with prosthetic
ones, and has the skin from his removed enlarged scrotum made into a new coat for Sharon.
"Medicinal Fried Chicken" was written and directed by series co-founder Trey Parker
, and was rated TV-MA L in the United States. It originally aired on Comedy Central
in the United States on March 31, 2010. The episode was first broadcast around the same time a great deal of discussion regarding marijuana laws had been generated in Colorado
, where South Park is set and where Parker and fellow series co-creator Matt Stone
are from. The state had a medicinal marijuana law that allowed patients to obtain cards to purchase marijuana legally, but as of March 2010, an average of 1,000 people were applying for the cards each day, and many of the applications were of questionable validity and intent. As a result, state officials had been considering whether to revise the medicinal marijuana law, and "Medicinal Fried Chicken" was likely influenced by those discussions. The episode was also based on new Colorado health care laws that threatened to put restrictions on fast food restaurants in the state.
s are the inevitable outcome when an addictive substance is made illegal, and that people will go to extreme measures to satisfy their addictions no matter how many strict laws are passed.
community of Los Angeles, California
. The store, called "Kind for Cures", is abbreviated to be called K.F.C. on its exterior signs and resembles the KFC fast food eateries in appearance, which has drawn national media attention to the dispensary. Colonel Harland Sanders
, the founder of KFC who died in 1980 but is still used heavily in the chain's advertisements, is portrayed as a living character in "Medicinal Fried Chicken", although he is portrayed as a drug dealer rather than an entrepreneur. Corbin, Kentucky, the home town of the first Kentucky Fried Chicken, is featured in the episode, though here it is portrayed as resembling a South American hacienda.
"Medicinal Fried Chicken" includes several jokes about Pope Benedict XVI
and the child sexual abuse scandals that surrounded the Catholic Church when the episode first aired. On three occasions, Cartman implies an affirmative response to rhetorical questions such as: "Does the pope help pedophiles get away with their crimes?" and "Is the Pope Catholic? And making the world safe for pedophiles?" These are references to allegations that Pope Benedict XVI ignored warnings and concealed evidence that Rev. Peter Hullermann engaged in several acts of child sexual abuse under the future Pope's watch as Archbishop of Munich and Freising
in the 1980s. During another scene, Cartman says, "Does a bear crap in the woods? And does the Pope crap on the broken lives and dreams of 200 deaf boys?" This is a reference to reports
that Pope Benedict XVI failed to act to reports that Father Lawrence C. Murphy molested up to 200 deaf boys during his time at the St John's Catholic School for the Deaf
.
Cartman's involvement with the fried chicken black market closely mirrors the plot of Scarface
, the 1983 crime film about the fictional drug lord Tony Montana
. Cartman takes on the role of Montana, and Colonel Sanders resembles the drug kingpin antagonist, Alejandro Sosa. In "Medicinal Fried Chicken", Cartman travels to a foreign land to meet a dealer, usurps the illegal operation from his local boss, and is ultimately brought down because he becomes addicted
to his own product. All of these plot points mirror the developments in Scarface and Montana's rise and fall as a cocaine dealer. The episode includes several scenes that mirror scenes from Scarface, including one in which Cartman watches a boy get murdered on a helicopter, and the final scene in which Cartman's compound is attacked by gunmen. The episode also includes references to the 1991 crime film New Jack City
.
Colonel Sanders orders Cartman to stop Jamie Oliver
, a British celebrity chef
known for his campaign against fast food, as shown in his show Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
. On March 23, 2010, Jamie Oliver made an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, just 8 days before the episode aired, in which Letterman argued against Oliver's protest of fast food. Throughout the episode, Cartman is critical of fast food fried chicken eateries that compete with KFC. This includes Church's Chicken
, which he said "tastes like cat shit", and Boston Market
, when a dealer unsuccessfully tries to pass Boston Market gravy off as KFC gravy to Cartman. Randy says he wants to induce cancer and get medicinal marijuana in time to attend a concert by reggae singer Ziggy Marley
. The song playing whilst the group of men bounce around on their enlarged testicles is "Chicken on the Rocks", by Jean Jacques Perrey and Dana Countryman
. After buying marijuana, Randy remarks he has to rush home to watch Caprica
, the science fiction drama series from the network SyFy
.
, making it the most watched cable television show of the night, and one of the top performing cable programs of the week. Although a slight drop from the 3.24 million viewers of the previous week's episode, "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs", the viewership for "Medicinal Fried Chicken" was considered a strong showing. The episode received an overall 1.9 rating/3 share, meaning that it was seen by 1.9% of the population, and 3% of people watching television at the time of the broadcast. Among viewers between ages 18 and 49, it received a 1.7 rating/5 share, and among male viewers between 18 and 34, it received a 3.1 rating/11 share.
The A.V. Club
writer Josh Modell said "Medicinal Fried Chicken" served as a good social satire without becoming too preachy. Modell particularly enjoyed that the other South Park men joined Randy in his absurd testicular cancer scheme, but said the Cartman subplot and drug film parody "fell a little flat". Ramsley Isler of IGN
said the giant testes jokes were "brilliantly ludicrous", and did not grow old despite running throughout the length of the episode. Isler praised the ending scene with the scrotum skin coat, and said when Cartman snorted chicken skin like cocaine, "the episode reached a whole new level hilarity". TV Fanatic declared the episode "perfection" and felt it was an improvement over the previous fourteenth season
episodes "Sexual Healing
" and "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs
". The site also praised the episode for use gross-out comedy like enlarged testicles for social satire as well as humor. Carlos Delgado of iF Magazine praised the humor, the references to Scarface and the social commentary, of which he said: "The points were smart, articulate, and, in true South Park style, completely off the wall".
When asked how KFC felt about their portrayal in "Medicinal Fried Chicken", company spokesman Ricky Maynard said only: "As you might expect, KFC Corporation was not contacted by Comedy Central for permission to use our brand in South Park. We had absolutely no say in the show's content." However, officials from Corbin, Kentucky, said they were pleased the city was featured in "Medicinal Fried Chicken", even though it was portrayed as a drug slum. The city has been conducting a campaign to capitalize on its connections to KFC and Colonel Sanders, and Sharae Myers, the city's Main Street manager, said of the episode: "One thing I think is great is that Corbin got the recognition: that the mecca for KFC is in Corbin."
set and two-disc Blu-Ray
set in the United States on April 26, 2011.
South Park (season 14)
The fourteenth season of South Park, an American animated television comedy series, originally aired in the United States on Comedy Central between March 17 and November 17, 2010. The season was headed by the series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who served as executive producers along with...
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 198th episode of the series overall. It originally 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 on March 31, 2010. In the episode, the South Park KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
is replaced by a medicinal marijuana
Medical cannabis
Medical cannabis refers to the use of parts of the herb cannabis as a physician-recommended form of medicine or herbal therapy, or to synthetic forms of specific cannabinoids such as THC as a physician-recommended form of medicine...
dispensary, and Cartman gets involved in black market
Underground economy
A black market or underground economy is a market in goods or services which operates outside the formal one supported by established state power. Typically the totality of such activity is referred to with the definite article as a complement to the official economies, by market for such goods and...
selling the KFC chicken. Meanwhile, Randy Marsh gets a medical referral for marijuana by giving himself testicular cancer
Testicular cancer
Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system.In the United States, between 7,500 and 8,000 diagnoses of testicular cancer are made each year. In the UK, approximately 2,000 men are diagnosed each year. Over his lifetime, a man's risk of...
, which makes his testicles grow to grotesquely huge proportions.
The episode was written and directed 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 was rated TV-MA L in the United States. "Medicinal Fried Chicken" was first broadcast when Colorado was considering revising state medicinal marijuana laws and restricting fast food eateries. The episode provided social commentary against both types of laws, and suggested legislating lifestyle choices is ineffective and inevitably leads to black markets.
The Cartman drug market subplot was heavily influenced by the 1983 crime film Scarface, with Cartman resembling fictional drug lord Tony Montana
Tony Montana
Antonio Raimundo "Tony" Montana is a fictional character from the 1983 film Scarface. He is portrayed by Al Pacino in the movie, and is voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the 2006 video game Scarface: The World Is Yours. Tony Montana has become a cultural icon and is one of the most famous movie...
and KFC founder Colonel Sanders
Colonel Sanders
Harland David "Colonel" Sanders was an American fast food businessman who founded the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant chain, now re-branded as KFC...
as antagonist Alejandro Sosa. The episode also included several jokes about Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
and the child sexual abuse scandals that had been surrounding the Catholic Church at the time. The concept of a former KFC restaurant becoming a medicinal marijuana store mirrors that of a real life dispensary in Palms, Los Angeles, designed to resemble a KFC.
"Medicinal Fried Chicken" received generally positive reviews, with many commentators praising the social commentary and sophomoric
Sophomoric humor
Sophomoric humor refers to juvenile, puerile, and base comedy that would normally be expected from an adolescent. It is used to refer to a type of comedy that often includes bathroom humor and gags that are based on and appeal to a silly sense of immaturity...
testicle jokes alike. According to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, the episode was seen by 2.99 million viewers, making it one of the most successful cable programs of the week. Although a KFC spokesman had a lukewarm response to "Medicinal Fried Chicken", officials from the KFC hometown of Corbin, Kentucky
Corbin, Kentucky
- Economy :Originally formed by L&N Railroad, rail transport was the backbone of the local economy in the first half of the twentieth century. While the railroad continues to play an important role, the decline of the rail industry in the latter half of the twentieth century, as well as the loss...
were pleased the city was featured in the episode.
Plot
New state laws prohibiting fast food restaurants in low-income neighborhoods result in the closure of all KFCKFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
eateries in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, much to the dismay of Cartman
Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman is a fictional character in the American animated television series South Park. One of four main characters, along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, he is generally referred to within the series by his last name...
, who is addicted to the food. When Randy learns that South Park's KFC outlet is now a medicinal marijuana
Medical cannabis
Medical cannabis refers to the use of parts of the herb cannabis as a physician-recommended form of medicine or herbal therapy, or to synthetic forms of specific cannabinoids such as THC as a physician-recommended form of medicine...
dispensary, he attempts to give himself cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
so he can get a doctor's referral for marijuana (after first gaining a clean bill of health from his doctor since he had assumed permits are given to the healthy). By irradiating his groin with a microwave oven, Randy successfully gives himself testicular cancer
Testicular cancer
Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system.In the United States, between 7,500 and 8,000 diagnoses of testicular cancer are made each year. In the UK, approximately 2,000 men are diagnosed each year. Over his lifetime, a man's risk of...
, making his testicles so large that he has to use a wheelbarrow
Wheelbarrow
A wheelbarrow is a small hand-propelled vehicle, usually with just one wheel, designed to be pushed and guided by a single person using two handles to the rear, or by a sail to push the ancient wheelbarrow by wind. The term "wheelbarrow" is made of two words: "wheel" and "barrow." "Barrow" is a...
to carry them. Randy obtains his medical referral and starts smoking marijuana regularly. Meanwhile, his testicles continue to grow to the point that he uses them as a space hopper
Space hopper
A space hopper, also known as a moon hopper, skippyball, kangaroo ball, bouncer, hoppity hop, or hop ball, is a rubber ball with handles which allow one to sit on it without falling off...
for movement. Randy finds that larger testicles are attractive to women, so he encourages his friends to also get testicular cancer. The local doctor, unaware of the men's self-irradiation
Irradiation
Irradiation is the process by which an object is exposed to radiation. The exposure can originate from various sources, including natural sources. Most frequently the term refers to ionizing radiation, and to a level of radiation that will serve a specific purpose, rather than radiation exposure to...
, becomes convinced that a recent change in South Park is responsible for the cancer outbreak.
Meanwhile, Cartman seeks KFC chicken on the black market by working for Billy Miller, a local boy who runs a small KFC cartel
Drug cartel
Drug cartels are criminal organizations developed with the primary purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when the largest trafficking...
from his home. After Cartman demonstrates his ruthlessness against a cheating street dealer as well as paying his turf to Billy as promised, Billy sends him to Corbin
Corbin, Kentucky
- Economy :Originally formed by L&N Railroad, rail transport was the backbone of the local economy in the first half of the twentieth century. While the railroad continues to play an important role, the decline of the rail industry in the latter half of the twentieth century, as well as the loss...
to buy chicken directly from Colonel Sanders
Colonel Sanders
Harland David "Colonel" Sanders was an American fast food businessman who founded the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant chain, now re-branded as KFC...
. Another boy named Tommy accompanies Cartman, but he is revealed to be an informant for healthy foods advocate Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
and executed by the Colonel's men. Cartman wins over the Colonel's trust, but is warned to never betray him: "Just remember, I only tell you one time. Don't fuck me, Eric. Don't you ever try to fuck me."
Scarface (1983 film)
Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...
Cartman eventually betrays Billy by telling Billy's mother that he got an F on his social studies test, and takes over the cartel after Billy is grounded. The Colonel assigns Cartman the task of assassinating
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
Oliver to prevent him from giving a speech in the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. However, Cartman immediately disregards the Colonel's order and starts eating much of the chicken supplied to him for distribution, putting the operation in danger. The Colonel, furious at Cartman's stupidity, sends a squad of gunmen to kill him in retaliation. A firefight between the gunmen and police then breaks out at the cartel headquarters, but Cartman escapes unscathed.
Randy's testicles grow so large that he is unable to fit through the doors of the marijuana dispensary. Prohibited by law from purchasing marijuana outside the premises, Randy and the other self-irradiated men begin protesting for larger dispensary doors. As some politicians present start to discuss ways to get around the problem, the dispensary owner simply suggests that marijuana be legalized, arguing that "people are just abusing this medicinal system anyway." The doctor interrupts by claiming the recent ban on KFC had led to the rise in testicular cancer because the chicken somehow prevented the illness. Colorado bans marijuana once again and reopens KFC, which has now been re-branded as "Medicinal Fried Chicken." Randy has his cancerous testicles removed and replaced with prosthetic
Prosthesis
In medicine, a prosthesis, prosthetic, or prosthetic limb is an artificial device extension that replaces a missing body part. It is part of the field of biomechatronics, the science of using mechanical devices with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems to assist or enhance motor control...
ones, and has the skin from his removed enlarged scrotum made into a new coat for Sharon.
Production
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 was rated TV-MA L in the United States. It originally 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 on March 31, 2010. The episode was first broadcast around the same time a great deal of discussion regarding marijuana laws had been generated in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where South Park is set and where Parker and fellow series co-creator Matt Stone
Matt Stone
Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....
are from. The state had a medicinal marijuana law that allowed patients to obtain cards to purchase marijuana legally, but as of March 2010, an average of 1,000 people were applying for the cards each day, and many of the applications were of questionable validity and intent. As a result, state officials had been considering whether to revise the medicinal marijuana law, and "Medicinal Fried Chicken" was likely influenced by those discussions. The episode was also based on new Colorado health care laws that threatened to put restrictions on fast food restaurants in the state.
Theme
"Medicinal Fried Chicken" provides social commentary regarding laws against both fast food and marijuana, and suggests legislating lifestyle choices is ineffective and nonsensical. The episode seems to advocate the legalization of marijuana. By demonstrating the exaggeratedly absurd lengths that Randy goes to in order to obtain medicinal marijuana, the episode suggests it would be easier and more sensible to simply make cannabis legal. However, the extremely unhealthy measures Randy takes in obtaining testicular cancer to get marijuana can also be seen as a warning that people should not resort to fraudulent medical excuses to get medicinal marijuana. "Medicinal Fried Chicken" also suggests marijuana is less harmful than fast food and, by extension, other legal substances such as alcohol and cigarettes, which further demonstrates the folly of laws regulating lifestyles. However, on the commentary track to this episode, it is said that they notice the hyprocrisy of certain groups who say how bad KFC, McDonalds, Taco Bell, and other fast food restaurants are, and they should be banned, but fight so hard to get marijuana legal. Additionally, Cartman's involvement with organized crime following the prohibition of fast food suggests that black marketUnderground economy
A black market or underground economy is a market in goods or services which operates outside the formal one supported by established state power. Typically the totality of such activity is referred to with the definite article as a complement to the official economies, by market for such goods and...
s are the inevitable outcome when an addictive substance is made illegal, and that people will go to extreme measures to satisfy their addictions no matter how many strict laws are passed.
Cultural references
The fried chicken fast food restaurant KFC is featured prominently in "Medicinal Fried Chicken". The concept of a former KFC restaurant becoming a medicinal marijuana store mirrors that of a real life dispensary in the PalmsPalms, Los Angeles, California
Palms is a community founded in 1886 in West Los Angeles, California, and was the oldest neighborhood annexed to the city of Los Angeles, in 1915. The 1886 tract was marketed as an agricultural and vacation community...
community of Los Angeles, California
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The store, called "Kind for Cures", is abbreviated to be called K.F.C. on its exterior signs and resembles the KFC fast food eateries in appearance, which has drawn national media attention to the dispensary. Colonel Harland Sanders
Colonel Sanders
Harland David "Colonel" Sanders was an American fast food businessman who founded the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant chain, now re-branded as KFC...
, the founder of KFC who died in 1980 but is still used heavily in the chain's advertisements, is portrayed as a living character in "Medicinal Fried Chicken", although he is portrayed as a drug dealer rather than an entrepreneur. Corbin, Kentucky, the home town of the first Kentucky Fried Chicken, is featured in the episode, though here it is portrayed as resembling a South American hacienda.
"Medicinal Fried Chicken" includes several jokes about Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
and the child sexual abuse scandals that surrounded the Catholic Church when the episode first aired. On three occasions, Cartman implies an affirmative response to rhetorical questions such as: "Does the pope help pedophiles get away with their crimes?" and "Is the Pope Catholic? And making the world safe for pedophiles?" These are references to allegations that Pope Benedict XVI ignored warnings and concealed evidence that Rev. Peter Hullermann engaged in several acts of child sexual abuse under the future Pope's watch as Archbishop of Munich and Freising
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising
The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria, Germany. It is led by the prelature of the Archbishop of Munich, who administers the see from the mother church in Munich, the Frauenkirche, also known as Munich Cathedral...
in the 1980s. During another scene, Cartman says, "Does a bear crap in the woods? And does the Pope crap on the broken lives and dreams of 200 deaf boys?" This is a reference to reports
Sexual abuse scandal in Catholic archdiocese of Milwaukee
The sexual abuse scandal in the Milwaukee Archdiocese is a series of sexual-abuse cases which have occurred in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee.-Lawrence Murphy case:...
that Pope Benedict XVI failed to act to reports that Father Lawrence C. Murphy molested up to 200 deaf boys during his time at the St John's Catholic School for the Deaf
St John's Catholic School for the Deaf
St John's Catholic School for the Deaf is a school in Boston Spa, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, founded in 1869.The school provides a day or residential education for hearing impaired children and young people. In the primary stage it uses the Maternal Reflective Method of language teaching,...
.
Cartman's involvement with the fried chicken black market closely mirrors the plot of Scarface
Scarface (1983 film)
Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...
, the 1983 crime film about the fictional drug lord Tony Montana
Tony Montana
Antonio Raimundo "Tony" Montana is a fictional character from the 1983 film Scarface. He is portrayed by Al Pacino in the movie, and is voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the 2006 video game Scarface: The World Is Yours. Tony Montana has become a cultural icon and is one of the most famous movie...
. Cartman takes on the role of Montana, and Colonel Sanders resembles the drug kingpin antagonist, Alejandro Sosa. In "Medicinal Fried Chicken", Cartman travels to a foreign land to meet a dealer, usurps the illegal operation from his local boss, and is ultimately brought down because he becomes addicted
Addiction
Historically, addiction has been defined as physical and psychological dependence on psychoactive substances which cross the blood-brain barrier once ingested, temporarily altering the chemical milieu of the brain.Addiction can also be viewed as a continued involvement with a substance or activity...
to his own product. All of these plot points mirror the developments in Scarface and Montana's rise and fall as a cocaine dealer. The episode includes several scenes that mirror scenes from Scarface, including one in which Cartman watches a boy get murdered on a helicopter, and the final scene in which Cartman's compound is attacked by gunmen. The episode also includes references to the 1991 crime film New Jack City
New Jack City
New Jack City is a 1991 crime film starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson, and Chris Rock. Snipes stars as Nino Brown, a rising drug dealer and crime lord in New York City during the crack epidemic...
.
Colonel Sanders orders Cartman to stop Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
, a British celebrity chef
Celebrity chef
A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become famous and well known. Today celebrity chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations via mass media, especially television. Historically, celebrity chefs have included Antoine Carême and Martino da Como.-External...
known for his campaign against fast food, as shown in his show Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is a television series which premiered on ABC on March 21, 2010...
. On March 23, 2010, Jamie Oliver made an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, just 8 days before the episode aired, in which Letterman argued against Oliver's protest of fast food. Throughout the episode, Cartman is critical of fast food fried chicken eateries that compete with KFC. This includes Church's Chicken
Church's Chicken
Church's Chicken is a US-based chain of fast food restaurants specializing in fried chicken, also trading outside North America as Texas Chicken. The chain was founded as Church's Fried Chicken To Go by George W. Church, Sr., on April 17, 1952, in San Antonio, across the street from The Alamo...
, which he said "tastes like cat shit", and Boston Market
Boston Market
Boston Market, known as Boston Chicken until 1995, headquartered in Golden, Colorado, is a chain of American fast casual restaurants. It is owned by private equity firm Sun Capital Partners, headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida.-History:...
, when a dealer unsuccessfully tries to pass Boston Market gravy off as KFC gravy to Cartman. Randy says he wants to induce cancer and get medicinal marijuana in time to attend a concert by reggae singer Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley
David "Ziggy" Marley is a Jamaican musician and leader of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He is the oldest son of famed reggae musician Bob Marley...
. The song playing whilst the group of men bounce around on their enlarged testicles is "Chicken on the Rocks", by Jean Jacques Perrey and Dana Countryman
Dana Countryman
Dana Countryman is an American electronic music composer and performer notable for his collaboration with French electropop artist Jean-Jacques Perrey. In addition, he was a songwriter and performer in the cabaret-act quartet The Amazing Pink Things...
. After buying marijuana, Randy remarks he has to rush home to watch Caprica
Caprica (TV series)
Caprica is a science fiction drama television series. It is a spin-off prequel of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, taking place about 58 years prior to the events of Battlestar Galactica. Caprica shows how humanity first created the robotic Cylons who would later plot to destroy humans in...
, the science fiction drama series from the network SyFy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
.
Reception
In its original American broadcast on March 31, 2010, "Medicinal Fried Chicken" was watched by 2.99 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, making it the most watched cable television show of the night, and one of the top performing cable programs of the week. Although a slight drop from the 3.24 million viewers of the previous week's episode, "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs", the viewership for "Medicinal Fried Chicken" was considered a strong showing. The episode received an overall 1.9 rating/3 share, meaning that it was seen by 1.9% of the population, and 3% of people watching television at the time of the broadcast. Among viewers between ages 18 and 49, it received a 1.7 rating/5 share, and among male viewers between 18 and 34, it received a 3.1 rating/11 share.
The A.V. Club
The 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...
writer Josh Modell said "Medicinal Fried Chicken" served as a good social satire without becoming too preachy. Modell particularly enjoyed that the other South Park men joined Randy in his absurd testicular cancer scheme, but said the Cartman subplot and drug film parody "fell a little flat". Ramsley 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...
said the giant testes jokes were "brilliantly ludicrous", and did not grow old despite running throughout the length of the episode. Isler praised the ending scene with the scrotum skin coat, and said when Cartman snorted chicken skin like cocaine, "the episode reached a whole new level hilarity". TV Fanatic declared the episode "perfection" and felt it was an improvement over the previous fourteenth season
South Park (season 14)
The fourteenth season of South Park, an American animated television comedy series, originally aired in the United States on Comedy Central between March 17 and November 17, 2010. The season was headed by the series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who served as executive producers along with...
episodes "Sexual Healing
Sexual Healing (South Park)
"Sexual Healing" is the fourteenth season premiere of the American animated television series South Park, and the 196th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 17, 2010, and on Comedy Central UK on March 19, 2010. The title of the episode...
" and "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs
The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs
"The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" is the second episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 197th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 24, 2010. In the episode, the South Park boys...
". The site also praised the episode for use gross-out comedy like enlarged testicles for social satire as well as humor. Carlos Delgado of iF Magazine praised the humor, the references to Scarface and the social commentary, of which he said: "The points were smart, articulate, and, in true South Park style, completely off the wall".
When asked how KFC felt about their portrayal in "Medicinal Fried Chicken", company spokesman Ricky Maynard said only: "As you might expect, KFC Corporation was not contacted by Comedy Central for permission to use our brand in South Park. We had absolutely no say in the show's content." However, officials from Corbin, Kentucky, said they were pleased the city was featured in "Medicinal Fried Chicken", even though it was portrayed as a drug slum. The city has been conducting a campaign to capitalize on its connections to KFC and Colonel Sanders, and Sharae Myers, the city's Main Street manager, said of the episode: "One thing I think is great is that Corbin got the recognition: that the mecca for KFC is in Corbin."
Home release
"Medicinal Fried Chicken", along with the thirteen other episodes from South Parks fourteenth season, were released on a three-disc DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set and two-disc Blu-Ray
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
set in the United States on April 26, 2011.
External links
- "Medicinal Fried Chicken" Full episode at South Park Studios
- "Medicinal Fried Chicken" Episode guide at South Park Studios