My Future Self n' Me
Encyclopedia
"My Future Self 'n' Me" is episode 95 of the Comedy Central
series South Park
. It originally aired on December 4, 2002.
in the woods left there by some older kids. They want to dispose of it, as they do not want other kids to do drugs, but are afraid touching it may lead them to doing harder drugs. Stan
chooses to throw the joint away saying, "It's just a stupid plant that makes you dumb, touching it won't hurt you."
That night, in the middle of a thunderstorm, an older version of Stan appears at the Marsh family's door. Somehow, apparently in the future, Stan is thrown back in time. This future Stan is in very poor condition, as apparently Stan's life has been a complete failure. He spent time in juvenile hall
, used large amounts of drugs and alcohol, and his descent all began when he first touched marijuana. He is told that the only way to save his future self is for his present self to avoid drugs and alcohol, do well in school, and stay motivated in life.
Stan, horrified of his future life, asks Butters
to tutor him. While the two boys are talking, Stan discovers that Butters also has a slovenly "Future Self" living with him (who only watches Becker
).
Stan finds the whole situation suspicious, and goes home with Butters to find his future self's wallet. In it, he finds a key card that expires in 2002 (the present year at the time of the episode's airing). He finds the address on the back of the card and the two boys find the building that it leads to, "Motivation Corp." (The address in the back of the card also says 3451 Colfax Avenue
.) Stan and Butters see a couple hiring an actor to pose as their son's future self, and overhear a conversation the salesman and clients have about how it is okay to lie to kids if it keeps them away from drugs. Stan is appalled at the way parents deceive their children (namely the way his parents deceived him), and he and Butters decide to look in the phone book to find a place to run away to. However, they discover a "Parental Revenge Center" hotline with guaranteed results, so they decide to give it a try.
The address leads them to an office in a grungy alley, where they discover Cartman is the founder and proprietor of the business. Cartman agrees to help the two, but Stan is skeptical. Cartman's revenge plan involves going to both of the boy's houses to smear all of the walls with feces. Butters is delighted by this offer and gladly accepts it, while Stan believes that it won't solve his problem. Cartman then tries to convince Stan by taking it up a notch and offering to kill his parents. Stan refuses this offer as well, and decides to worm the truth out of his parents himself.
Stan repeatedly attempts to get the truth out of his parents but fails every time with increasingly blatant lies from his parents. An example of this would be when Stan takes a fake hand and cuts it off to see if it will happen to his "future self". Randy, not wanting to blow his cover, distracts Stan and cuts off Future Stan's hand. Stan then reveals that he did not really cut off his hand and Randy frantically tries to reattach Future Stan's hand, saying "Look, it was fake in the future too!" Meanwhile, the Parental Revenge Agency does its job at Butters' house as Cartman and a group of Hispanic day workers smear feces all over the living room and bedroom of the Stotch Household. Upon returning home, Chris and Linda finally tell the truth about the "future self thing" and apologize to Butters, which surprises Stan, seeing that Cartman's plan for Butters to get revenge on his parents has really worked. Randy and Sharon Marsh arrive and continue blatantly lying to Stan, insisting that more future selves must be coming back in time to the present, until Stan finally snaps and tells them he knew all about Motivation Corp. and was trying to get them to admit they lied to him. Randy finally apologizes to Stan and gives him the whole truth about drug abuse, saying that it may not kill him or fund terrorism but instead may ruin his future. Stan adds he really wishes they had just told him that in the first place instead of lying to him. The Stotches and Marshes then all agree that what Motivation Corp. does is wrong, and hires Cartman to smear their walls with feces. At that point, Stan thanks Cartman, saying that he really came through. As a reward, Stan's mother gives Cartman a box of baked cookies.
Cartman says that the whole experience has taught him that he should think about the future and start taking better care of himself. Moments later, a thin and handsome man, claiming to be Cartman's future self, shows up and tells Cartman that this was the turning point in his life. From this day forward, he turns his life around, and will become the famous CEO
of a time-traveling company. Cartman is not convinced, believing it to be yet another Motivation Corp actor
and changes his mind, vowing to redouble his slovenly ways. Unfortunately, the man really is Cartman's future self and immediately changes into a fat, dirty, obscure mechanic. Future Cartman then exclaims, "Oh, Goddamn it!"
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
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...
. It originally aired on December 4, 2002.
Plot
The kids find a jointJoint (cannabis)
Joint is a slang term for a cigarette rolled using cannabis. Rolling papers are the most common rolling medium among industrialized countries, however brown paper, cigarettes with the tobacco removed, and newspaper are commonly used in developing countries. Modern papers are now made from a wide...
in the woods left there by some older kids. They want to dispose of it, as they do not want other kids to do drugs, but are afraid touching it may lead them to doing harder drugs. 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...
chooses to throw the joint away saying, "It's just a stupid plant that makes you dumb, touching it won't hurt you."
That night, in the middle of a thunderstorm, an older version of Stan appears at the Marsh family's door. Somehow, apparently in the future, Stan is thrown back in time. This future Stan is in very poor condition, as apparently Stan's life has been a complete failure. He spent time in juvenile hall
Youth detention center
A youth detention center, also known as a juvenile detention center , juvenile hall or, more colloquially as juvie, is a secure residential facility for young people, often termed juvenile delinquents, awaiting court hearings and/or placement in long-term care facilities and programs...
, used large amounts of drugs and alcohol, and his descent all began when he first touched marijuana. He is told that the only way to save his future self is for his present self to avoid drugs and alcohol, do well in school, and stay motivated in life.
Stan, horrified of his future life, asks Butters
Butters Stotch
Leopold "Butters" Stotch is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by series co-creator Matt Stone and loosely based on co-producer Eric Stough. He is a fourth-grade student who commonly has extraordinary experiences not typical of conventional small-town...
to tutor him. While the two boys are talking, Stan discovers that Butters also has a slovenly "Future Self" living with him (who only watches Becker
Becker (TV series)
Becker is an American television sitcom that ran from 1998 to 2004 on CBS. Set in the New York City borough of The Bronx, the show starred Ted Danson as John Becker, a misanthropic doctor who operates a small practice and is constantly annoyed by his patients, co-workers, friends, and practically...
).
Stan finds the whole situation suspicious, and goes home with Butters to find his future self's wallet. In it, he finds a key card that expires in 2002 (the present year at the time of the episode's airing). He finds the address on the back of the card and the two boys find the building that it leads to, "Motivation Corp." (The address in the back of the card also says 3451 Colfax Avenue
Colfax Avenue
Colfax Avenue is the main street that runs east–west through the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area in Colorado. As U.S. Highway 40, it was one of two principal highways serving Denver before the Interstate Highway System was constructed. In the local street system, it lies 15 blocks north of the zero...
.) Stan and Butters see a couple hiring an actor to pose as their son's future self, and overhear a conversation the salesman and clients have about how it is okay to lie to kids if it keeps them away from drugs. Stan is appalled at the way parents deceive their children (namely the way his parents deceived him), and he and Butters decide to look in the phone book to find a place to run away to. However, they discover a "Parental Revenge Center" hotline with guaranteed results, so they decide to give it a try.
The address leads them to an office in a grungy alley, where they discover Cartman is the founder and proprietor of the business. Cartman agrees to help the two, but Stan is skeptical. Cartman's revenge plan involves going to both of the boy's houses to smear all of the walls with feces. Butters is delighted by this offer and gladly accepts it, while Stan believes that it won't solve his problem. Cartman then tries to convince Stan by taking it up a notch and offering to kill his parents. Stan refuses this offer as well, and decides to worm the truth out of his parents himself.
Stan repeatedly attempts to get the truth out of his parents but fails every time with increasingly blatant lies from his parents. An example of this would be when Stan takes a fake hand and cuts it off to see if it will happen to his "future self". Randy, not wanting to blow his cover, distracts Stan and cuts off Future Stan's hand. Stan then reveals that he did not really cut off his hand and Randy frantically tries to reattach Future Stan's hand, saying "Look, it was fake in the future too!" Meanwhile, the Parental Revenge Agency does its job at Butters' house as Cartman and a group of Hispanic day workers smear feces all over the living room and bedroom of the Stotch Household. Upon returning home, Chris and Linda finally tell the truth about the "future self thing" and apologize to Butters, which surprises Stan, seeing that Cartman's plan for Butters to get revenge on his parents has really worked. Randy and Sharon Marsh arrive and continue blatantly lying to Stan, insisting that more future selves must be coming back in time to the present, until Stan finally snaps and tells them he knew all about Motivation Corp. and was trying to get them to admit they lied to him. Randy finally apologizes to Stan and gives him the whole truth about drug abuse, saying that it may not kill him or fund terrorism but instead may ruin his future. Stan adds he really wishes they had just told him that in the first place instead of lying to him. The Stotches and Marshes then all agree that what Motivation Corp. does is wrong, and hires Cartman to smear their walls with feces. At that point, Stan thanks Cartman, saying that he really came through. As a reward, Stan's mother gives Cartman a box of baked cookies.
Cartman says that the whole experience has taught him that he should think about the future and start taking better care of himself. Moments later, a thin and handsome man, claiming to be Cartman's future self, shows up and tells Cartman that this was the turning point in his life. From this day forward, he turns his life around, and will become the famous CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of a time-traveling company. Cartman is not convinced, believing it to be yet another Motivation Corp actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and changes his mind, vowing to redouble his slovenly ways. Unfortunately, the man really is Cartman's future self and immediately changes into a fat, dirty, obscure mechanic. Future Cartman then exclaims, "Oh, Goddamn it!"
Theme
The episode delivers a direct anti-drug message while simultaneously poking fun at all the anti-marijuana commercials that were airing during most teen and young adult oriented television blocks at the time (specifically, the dubious claims many were making about the consequences of marijuana use). In the DVD commentary, Parker and Stone stated that they were inspired to do the episode after seeing an advertisement by The Partnership For A Drug-Free America which linked marijuana use to terrorism. Parker stated that they had originally intended for the episode to include a spoof of the commercial but decided against it when they could not think of anything more ridiculous than saying, "If you smoke pot, you become a terrorist".External links
- My Future Self 'n' Me Full episode at South Park Studios
- My Future Self 'n' Me Episode guide at South Park Studios