Pandemic 2 - The Startling
Encyclopedia
"Pandemic 2: The Startling" is the eleventh episode of the twelfth season
of the animated series South Park
, and the 178th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central
in the United States
on October 29, 2008.
It is the conclusion to the previous episode, "Pandemic
". In the episode, the boys discover the source of the havoc unleashed in the previous episode, and attempt to overthrow the Secretary of Homeland Security's plot for world domination.
The episode was written and directed by series co-founder Trey Parker, and was rated TV-MA L in the United States.
by Craig, explaining what had happened in the previous episode
. Craig's monologue is actually a narration of his journal, which he is writing in the Andes mountains. He, the other boys and the pilots are stranded without gas at a false rendezvous point. They look for help in the jungle, but find only a "land of the giant lost world," filled with humongous fruits. The two pilots are killed by baby Guinea bee larvae
; the boys flee.
Craig and the boys discover a temple, inside of which are carvings depicting a prophecy that details all of the events of the previous episode. They learn from this that the Peruvian flute bands kept the murderous guinea pigs within the jungle. Craig is featured in the final carving. In spite of the intrigue of the carving, Craig refuses to do any more investigating and begins walking back through the jungle. The other boys follow him, complaining of boredom.
Interspersed throughout this story are various flashes in Colorado
with Randy, Sharon and Shelley hiding from giant guinea pig
monsters (all of which are portrayed by real live-action guinea pigs wearing costumes), a parody
of the movie Cloverfield
. They hide at home, in a damaged bus, on the roof of a Best Buy
, a grocery store, and an Outback Steakhouse
. Randy does not stop filming the entire time, and uses unnecessarily shaky camera work, as well as constant zooms and heavy breathing to convey just how "startled" he is by the whole ordeal. The other townspeople, especially Sharon, begin to grow very annoyed by his obsessive taping of the event, which he describes "will be a very important family relic, years from now." Also, the townsfolk discover that the guinea pigs take on various other permutations, including guinea rabbits, guinea bees, guinea mice, and guinea-saurus rexes, all of which supposedly originate from the aforementioned "giant world."
Meanwhile, the head of Homeland Security
travels to Machu Picchu
to finalize his plan for world domination. He accidentally runs into the boys and orders his guards to kill them, claiming they are a Peruvian flute band (which in the previous episode were prosecuted and ordered sent to Guantanamo Bay). Stan explains that they are not one, and that the bands are the only forces which could stop the guinea pigs. The director of Homeland Security snaps, revealing his plan to everyone. One of the guards, who has had enough of all this, shoots him in the back, but that does not stop the director, since there was no human blood in him and he is not actually Michael Chertoff the human being after all. He then reveals his true form, that of a "guinea pirate" (a live-action guinea pig in a pirate outfit). Craig turns and walks away from the scene as he does not want to interfere. He accidentally steps on a stone tile, activating some sort of magical ritual in which lasers shoot from his eyes and paralyze the Guinea pirate. Craig seems unfazed by the occurrence, stating, "Okay, now there are sparks shooting out of my eyes..."
The episode ends with a second monologue by Craig, telling the aftermath of the incident as a pan flute cover of Gary Numan's
"Cars
" plays in the background. The U.S. government releases all the pan flute bands, who then drive the guinea pigs back to the jungle. Craig concludes that you never know what life has in store for you, and also that he will never trust anyone who asks him for money again. He is shown shutting his front door on the boys, who have come to his house dressed as a Mariachi
band, presumably beginning the cycle over again. It is also revealed at this time that Randy forgot to put a tape in his camera after buying it, therefore making his entire effort to tape the ordeal pointless. Meanwhile, back at the office of Homeland Security, the new Director is informed that the guinea pirate has broken out of jail and has begun to attack the city. The ending sequence shows the escaped giant guinea pirate roaming through the streets of Washington D.C. in his black-and-white prison uniform.
style of cinematography are a reference to the 2008 American monster movie
Cloverfield
.
graded the episode a C-, stating " That was too damn long to tell a story with so little substance and so few real laughs. Kinda like Cloverfield. Maybe that was the point".
South Park (season 12)
Season twelve of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on March 12, 2008. The twelfth season concluded after 14 episodes on November 19, 2008...
of the animated 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 178th 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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on October 29, 2008.
It is the conclusion to the previous episode, "Pandemic
Pandemic (South Park)
"Pandemic" is the tenth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 177th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 22, 2008....
". In the episode, the boys discover the source of the havoc unleashed in the previous episode, and attempt to overthrow the Secretary of Homeland Security's plot for world domination.
The episode was written and directed by series co-founder Trey Parker, and was rated TV-MA L in the United States.
Plot
The episode opens with a monologueMonologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
by Craig, explaining what had happened in the previous episode
Pandemic (South Park)
"Pandemic" is the tenth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 177th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 22, 2008....
. Craig's monologue is actually a narration of his journal, which he is writing in the Andes mountains. He, the other boys and the pilots are stranded without gas at a false rendezvous point. They look for help in the jungle, but find only a "land of the giant lost world," filled with humongous fruits. The two pilots are killed by baby Guinea bee larvae
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
; the boys flee.
Craig and the boys discover a temple, inside of which are carvings depicting a prophecy that details all of the events of the previous episode. They learn from this that the Peruvian flute bands kept the murderous guinea pigs within the jungle. Craig is featured in the final carving. In spite of the intrigue of the carving, Craig refuses to do any more investigating and begins walking back through the jungle. The other boys follow him, complaining of boredom.
Interspersed throughout this story are various flashes 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...
with Randy, Sharon and Shelley hiding from giant guinea pig
Guinea pig
The guinea pig , also called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family, nor are they from Guinea...
monsters (all of which are portrayed by real live-action guinea pigs wearing costumes), a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the movie Cloverfield
Cloverfield
Cloverfield is a 2008 American disaster-monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard.The film follows six young New Yorkers attending a going-away party on the night that a gigantic monster attacks the city...
. They hide at home, in a damaged bus, on the roof of a Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
, a grocery store, and an Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse is an American casual dining restaurant chain based in Tampa, Florida with over 1200 locations in 22 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It was founded in February 1988 in Tampa by Bob Basham, Chris T...
. Randy does not stop filming the entire time, and uses unnecessarily shaky camera work, as well as constant zooms and heavy breathing to convey just how "startled" he is by the whole ordeal. The other townspeople, especially Sharon, begin to grow very annoyed by his obsessive taping of the event, which he describes "will be a very important family relic, years from now." Also, the townsfolk discover that the guinea pigs take on various other permutations, including guinea rabbits, guinea bees, guinea mice, and guinea-saurus rexes, all of which supposedly originate from the aforementioned "giant world."
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
travels to Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for...
to finalize his plan for world domination. He accidentally runs into the boys and orders his guards to kill them, claiming they are a Peruvian flute band (which in the previous episode were prosecuted and ordered sent to Guantanamo Bay). Stan explains that they are not one, and that the bands are the only forces which could stop the guinea pigs. The director of Homeland Security snaps, revealing his plan to everyone. One of the guards, who has had enough of all this, shoots him in the back, but that does not stop the director, since there was no human blood in him and he is not actually Michael Chertoff the human being after all. He then reveals his true form, that of a "guinea pirate" (a live-action guinea pig in a pirate outfit). Craig turns and walks away from the scene as he does not want to interfere. He accidentally steps on a stone tile, activating some sort of magical ritual in which lasers shoot from his eyes and paralyze the Guinea pirate. Craig seems unfazed by the occurrence, stating, "Okay, now there are sparks shooting out of my eyes..."
The episode ends with a second monologue by Craig, telling the aftermath of the incident as a pan flute cover of Gary Numan's
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
"Cars
Cars (song)
Fear Factory, an American industrial metal band, recorded a version of "Cars" and released it as the second single from their third studio album, Obsolete. The song was only included as a bonus track on the limited edition digipak re-release of Obsolete and would be instrumental in breaking Fear...
" plays in the background. The U.S. government releases all the pan flute bands, who then drive the guinea pigs back to the jungle. Craig concludes that you never know what life has in store for you, and also that he will never trust anyone who asks him for money again. He is shown shutting his front door on the boys, who have come to his house dressed as a Mariachi
Mariachi
Mariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...
band, presumably beginning the cycle over again. It is also revealed at this time that Randy forgot to put a tape in his camera after buying it, therefore making his entire effort to tape the ordeal pointless. Meanwhile, back at the office of Homeland Security, the new Director is informed that the guinea pirate has broken out of jail and has begun to attack the city. The ending sequence shows the escaped giant guinea pirate roaming through the streets of Washington D.C. in his black-and-white prison uniform.
Cultural references
The guinea pig monsters and shaky cameraShaky camera
Shaky camera, shaky cam, hand-held camera or free camera is a cinematographic technique where stable-image techniques are purposely dispensed with. The camera is held in the hand, or given the appearance of being hand-held, and in many cases shots are limited to what one photographer could have...
style of cinematography are a reference to the 2008 American monster movie
Monster movie
Monster movie is a name commonly given to movies, which centre on the struggle between human beings and one or more monsters...
Cloverfield
Cloverfield
Cloverfield is a 2008 American disaster-monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard.The film follows six young New Yorkers attending a going-away party on the night that a gigantic monster attacks the city...
.
Reception
The episode received mixed reviews. 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 C-, stating " That was too damn long to tell a story with so little substance and so few real laughs. Kinda like Cloverfield. Maybe that was the point".
External links
- "Pandemic 2: The Startling" Full episode at South Park Studios
- "Pandemic 2: The Startling" Episode guide at South Park Studios