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The town is jolted out of a case of the doldrums when Chef suddenly reappears. While Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman are thrilled to have their old friend back, they notice that something about Chef seems different. When Chef's strange behavior starts getting him in trouble, the boys pull out all the stops to save him. |
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| Originally Aired |
22nd March 2006 |
| How Kenny Dies |
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| Guest Starring |
Peter Serafinowicz (Voice of Darth Chef) and April Stewart (Unknown) |
| Mini Commentary |
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| Trivia |
- This episode deals with the fallout of Isaac Hayes (who played Chef) quitting the show. Though Hayes explained he was quitting because of the show's mockery of religion, the creators have expressed the belief that his decision was based solely on the episode "Trapped in the Closet", which spoofed Scientology, Hayes' own faith.
- While it was reported that Isaac Hayes' exit from the show was acrimonious, according to their DVD mini-commentary Trey Parker and Matt Stone instead claim that he initially left on good terms. However, upon reading a press release from Hayes accusing Stone and Parker of bigotry, they decided to retaliate with this episode.
- Throughout the episode Chef's speech is disjointed and choppy, since the character's lines are spliced together from clips of his voice in previous episodes.
- The ending of the episode, where Chef transforms into an assimilation of Darth Vader, is a spoof of a scene from the 2005 film Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith.
- Peter Serafinowicz, the British comedy actor, provided the voice of Darth Chef. Peter previously provided the voice of Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.
- "The Super Adventure Club" is a clear reference to the Church of Scientology. It is notable that the rug in the Super Adventure club's foyer bears a latin cross with an X intersecting it - a symbol used by scientology.
- While explaining the Super Adventure Club's beliefs, the message "This is what Super Adventure Club actually believes", briefly appears on the screen. This mirrors the message "This is what Scientologists actually believe" from the "Trapped in the Closet" episode.
- Chef's fall from the bridge is visually similar to Homer Simpson's falling down Springfield Gorge in the The Simpsons episode "Bart the Daredevil".
- The emptying of Chef's bowels when he dies is a recurring joke in South Park that can be traced back to the Season 8 episode "Something Wal-Mart This Way Comes". In that episode, Wal-Mart executives and even the store itself are both shown to "empty their bowels" when they die.
- Terrance and Phillip, Elton John, Mr Adler, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Kenny's rarely seen brother, Kevin, all make cameos at Chef's funeral.
- William P. Phinehas is a reference to L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology.
- At the beginning of the episode, Chef holds the Super Adventure Club pamphlet. Upon closer inspection, a small child sitting on a man's lap is visible in the Super Adventure Club logo.
- When Chef lands after his fall, he is impaled by a branch. This mimics Saddam Hussein being impaled by jagged rock in South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut and Kim Jong Il being impaled by a spiked helmet in Team America: World Police.
- The Peppermint Hippo strip club to which the children take Chef is an allusion to the Spearmint Rhino chain of adult night clubs.
- When the boys learn that Chef has been brainwashed by The Super Adventure Club, the chords that play are sampled from the Heroes of Might and Magic III computer game, in which the same music sequence is used when a battle starts.
- The layout of the Super Adventure Club building is believed to have been influenced by the Adventurer's Club, one of the clubs in Walt Disney World's Pleasure Island.
- The episode ends without any theme music, only showing the Braniff "Believe It!" shot. This marks the first South Park episode to show its credits on the left side of a Comedy Central screen promoting the upcoming show. South Park was perhaps the last show in Comedy Central's lineup to switch to this new credit format, however, the well-known South Park font remains in the credits.
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