The China Probrem
Encyclopedia
"The China Probrem" is the eighth episode of the twelfth season
of the animated series South Park
, and the 175th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central
in the United States
on October 8, 2008. It was the mid-season premiere for season 12. In the episode, Kyle seeks to bring George Lucas
and Steven Spielberg
to justice for "raping" Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Cartman tries to avert a suspected Chinese invasion.
The episode was written and directed by series co-founder Trey Parker, and was rated TV-MA in the United States.
The episode was dedicated to Isaac Hayes
who died in August of that year.
has been plagued by nightmares about the Chinese
, believing they will invade America after watching the Beijing 2008 Olympics on television. He tries to warn his friends but Kyle says he "can't do this any more" and leaves the set. Stan later confronts Kyle, the latter stating that he cannot pretend things are normal again after "the rape of a friend." He confesses his feelings of deep guilt and regret over the fact he, Stan and their friends "just stood there and did nothing". Elsewhere, Cartman convinces Butters
that China is going to take over America and kill Butters' parents. Butters decides to join Cartman's group, the American Liberation Front.
Stan
, Kyle
, Kenny
, Clyde and Jimmy start remembering the rape which is revealed to be about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. They are appalled to see George Lucas
(voiced by Matt Stone) and Steven Spielberg
(voiced by Trey Parker) "rape" Indiana Jones
making them cry.
Meanwhile, Cartman and Butters dress up as stereotypical Chinese children and go to P. F. Chang's
to try to trick the Chinese people there into telling them when the "invasion" is set to occur. The two boys' antics begin to annoy everyone, but when they are asked to leave, they instead take the entire restaurant hostage. Cartman gives Butters a gun and tells him to fire at a man who is trying to escape; Butters promptly shoots the man in the penis, which upsets Cartman greatly.
At the same time, Kyle and his friends visit the Park County District Attorney
and asks him to arrest Spielberg and Lucas for raping Indiana Jones. When the DA relives the rape in his mind, he tearfully agrees to help them. The attorney and the boys go to the Park County Police Station to have Spielberg and Lucas arrested.
Back at the restaurant, the police arrive to respond to the hostage situation. When the police try to enter the restaurant, Butters fires a warning shot and also hits the Chinese policeman in the penis. This angers Cartman all the more.
In the closing moments, the police find and take away Spielberg and Lucas, (while raping an Imperial Stormtrooper
), despite their protests over a lack of evidence and the huge totals they have brought in at the box office. Meanwhile, at the restaurant, Cartman gives up on his mission of saving America after Butters shoots another man in the penis and surrenders to the police. As he is walking outside, a police officer arrives to inform the others that Lucas and Spielberg are finally in custody. The officers and hostages all rejoice that "it's all over", and while everyone is hugging and crying, Cartman and Butters sneak away with Butters unable to see what all the fuss is about, as he thought Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was pretty good.
, the daydream of the lawyer in which George Lucas rapes Indiana Jones on a Howard the Duck
pinball machine at a bar with Steven Spielberg cheering him on, is patterned after the film The Accused, in which Jodie Foster
's character is gangraped on a pinball machine. The scene where Indiana is forced to squeal like a pig while he is raped is a reference to the 1972 film Deliverance
.
IGN
's Travis Fickett gave the episode 9 out of 10 points, praising both storylines and writing that "[t]he show is as funny and as smart as ever — and it's back at just the right time." 411mania's review, written by DC Perry, criticized the episode for using material that felt dated, but described it as "pretty solid" and gave it a rating of 7.3 out of 10.
Catherine Elsworth wrote that Parker and Stone seemed "to have taken the taboo-busting to a place even hardened South Park watchers have found hard to go". Nikki Finke
reported that her knowledge was that Paramount
, which distributes the Lucasfilm
-owned Indiana Jones franchise
(while Paramount itself is owned by Comedy Central
parent Viacom
), had no intention to protest against the episode, but, in the words of an insider, "[wanted] it to go away". The episode was named "Worst Cable Content of the Week" by the Parents Television Council
for "exploiting the sensitive topic of rape for a trivial movie satire".
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 175th 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 8, 2008. It was the mid-season premiere for season 12. In the episode, Kyle seeks to bring George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
and Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
to justice for "raping" Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Cartman tries to avert a suspected Chinese invasion.
The episode was written and directed by series co-founder Trey Parker, and was rated TV-MA in the United States.
The episode was dedicated to Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
who died in August of that year.
Plot
CartmanEric 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...
has been plagued by nightmares about the Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, believing they will invade America after watching the Beijing 2008 Olympics on television. He tries to warn his friends but Kyle says he "can't do this any more" and leaves the set. Stan later confronts Kyle, the latter stating that he cannot pretend things are normal again after "the rape of a friend." He confesses his feelings of deep guilt and regret over the fact he, Stan and their friends "just stood there and did nothing". Elsewhere, Cartman convinces 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...
that China is going to take over America and kill Butters' parents. Butters decides to join Cartman's group, the American Liberation Front.
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...
, 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...
, 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...
, Clyde and Jimmy start remembering the rape which is revealed to be about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. They are appalled to see George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
(voiced by Matt Stone) and Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
(voiced by Trey Parker) "rape" Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
making them cry.
Meanwhile, Cartman and Butters dress up as stereotypical Chinese children and go to P. F. Chang's
P. F. Chang's China Bistro
'P. F. Chang's China Bistro, Inc. is an American restaurant chain with headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona.The chain was founded in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1993 by Paul Fleming and Philip Chiang. The restaurants serve American Chinese cuisine from a menu originally conceived and planned by chef...
to try to trick the Chinese people there into telling them when the "invasion" is set to occur. The two boys' antics begin to annoy everyone, but when they are asked to leave, they instead take the entire restaurant hostage. Cartman gives Butters a gun and tells him to fire at a man who is trying to escape; Butters promptly shoots the man in the penis, which upsets Cartman greatly.
At the same time, Kyle and his friends visit the Park County District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
and asks him to arrest Spielberg and Lucas for raping Indiana Jones. When the DA relives the rape in his mind, he tearfully agrees to help them. The attorney and the boys go to the Park County Police Station to have Spielberg and Lucas arrested.
Back at the restaurant, the police arrive to respond to the hostage situation. When the police try to enter the restaurant, Butters fires a warning shot and also hits the Chinese policeman in the penis. This angers Cartman all the more.
In the closing moments, the police find and take away Spielberg and Lucas, (while raping an Imperial Stormtrooper
Imperial stormtrooper
The Imperial Stormtroopers are fictional soldiers from George Lucas' Star Wars universe. Stormtroopers are the soldiers of the imperial army under the leadership of the evil Sith Lord and Emperor Palpatine and his commanders, most notably Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin.They are shown in...
), despite their protests over a lack of evidence and the huge totals they have brought in at the box office. Meanwhile, at the restaurant, Cartman gives up on his mission of saving America after Butters shoots another man in the penis and surrenders to the police. As he is walking outside, a police officer arrives to inform the others that Lucas and Spielberg are finally in custody. The officers and hostages all rejoice that "it's all over", and while everyone is hugging and crying, Cartman and Butters sneak away with Butters unable to see what all the fuss is about, as he thought Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was pretty good.
Cultural references
The rape scenes in the show make reference to previous cinematic rape scenes. The scene where Indiana is raped behind a temple is a reference to the 1999 film Boys Don't CryBoys Don't Cry (film)
Boys Don't Cry is a 1999 American independent romantic drama film directed by Kimberly Peirce and co-written by Andy Bienen. The film is a dramatization of the real-life story of Brandon Teena, a transgender man played by Hilary Swank, who pursues a relationship with a young woman, played by Chloë...
, the daydream of the lawyer in which George Lucas rapes Indiana Jones on a Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck (film)
Howard the Duck is a 1986 American science fiction comedy film directed by Willard Huyck and produced by George Lucas. It is loosely based on the Marvel comic book of the same name, created by Steve Gerber and quoting scripts by Bill Mantlo, the film focuses on Howard, an alien from a planet...
pinball machine at a bar with Steven Spielberg cheering him on, is patterned after the film The Accused, in which Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
's character is gangraped on a pinball machine. The scene where Indiana is forced to squeal like a pig while he is raped is a reference to the 1972 film Deliverance
Deliverance
Deliverance is a 1972 American thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman. Principal cast members include Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty in his film debut. The film is based on a 1970 novel of the same name by American author James Dickey, who has a small role in the...
.
Reception
The episode premiere drew 3.7 million total viewers, 2.5 million in the 18–49 demographic. This was up 21% from the previous fall's debut and topped all of cable during its time period. It stands as the show's most-watched fall premiere since 1999.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...
's Travis Fickett gave the episode 9 out of 10 points, praising both storylines and writing that "[t]he show is as funny and as smart as ever — and it's back at just the right time." 411mania's review, written by DC Perry, criticized the episode for using material that felt dated, but described it as "pretty solid" and gave it a rating of 7.3 out of 10.
Controversy
The episode's rape scenes caused some controversies. The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
Catherine Elsworth wrote that Parker and Stone seemed "to have taken the taboo-busting to a place even hardened South Park watchers have found hard to go". Nikki Finke
Nikki Finke
Nikki Finke is an American journalist and blogger. She is Founder and Editor in chief and President of Deadline.com, a website with original content consisting of her and other veteran showbiz journalists' reporting and commentary on the business of the entertainment industry formerly known as...
reported that her knowledge was that Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, which distributes the Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman and CEO, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO....
-owned Indiana Jones franchise
Indiana Jones franchise
The Indiana Jones franchise is an entertainment franchise, based on the historical fantasy adventures of Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, a fictional archaeologist. It began in 1981 with the film Raiders of the Lost Ark. A prequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, followed in 1984 and the sequel...
(while Paramount itself is owned by Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
parent Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
), had no intention to protest against the episode, but, in the words of an insider, "[wanted] it to go away". The episode was named "Worst Cable Content of the Week" by the Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
for "exploiting the sensitive topic of rape for a trivial movie satire".
External links
- "The China Probrem" Full episode at South Park Studios
- "The China Probrem" Episode guide at South Park Studios