Talk:Cartman Gets an Anal Probe/F&f's rehash

Latest comment: 14 years ago by Fowler&fowler

1. "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", the first episode of Comedy Central's animated series South Park, originally aired on August 13, 1997.

2. In it, Cartman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny attempt to rescue Ike, Kyle's brother, who has been abducted by aliens

2a. The episode features child protagonists Cartman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny attempting to rescue Ike, Kyle's brother, from abduction by aliens. ("In it" sounded a little jarring to me. Added a little context.)

3. When writing the episode, Trey Parker and Matt Stone still did not have a firm contract for a series with Comedy Central and Parker has commented that they felt "pressure" to live up to the internet shorts that first made them popular.

3a. At the time of its writing, South Park creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone did not yet have a series contract with Comedy Central, and Parker later commented that they felt "pressure" to live up to the internet shorts that first made them popular. (With "when writing," I generally expect an action verb (i.e. "they frequently met for coffee") than an existential one. A contract is firm. "Still" is confusing.)

4. Part of a reaction to the culture wars of the 1980s in the United States, South Park was deliberately offensive.

4a. An element (or feature) of the reaction to the 1980s' culture wars in the United States, South Park is deliberately offensive. (Changing to present tense now. The "Part of" is less precise.)

5. Like other episodes of the show, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" much of the humor of arises from the juxtaposition of the seeming innocence of childhood and the violent, crude behavior exhibited by the main characters.

5a. Much of its humor, and of "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe," arises from the juxtaposition of the expected innocence of childhood with the violent, crude behavior of the main characters.

6. The episode also exemplifies the carnivalesque, which includes humor, bodily excess, linguistic games that challenge official discourse, and the inversion of social structures. (Can we say, "inverted social structures?")

7. In general, the reviews were negative, with critics singling out the gratuitous obscenity of the show for particular scorn.

7a. The first reviews of "Cartman ..." were generally negative, with critics ...


Background section
  • "...Parker and Stone developed a concept based on the town of South Park and Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman." Something sounds off here. Should it be "and the characters Stan, Kyle, Kenny ...?"
  • "...and thus that what were perceived as "traditional" and certain values were losing their place in American society." ("Certain" is ambiguous here; I'm assuming you mean "stable" or "reliable," but it can also mean "some") Fowler&fowler«Talk» 15:19, 21 September 2009 (UTC)Reply