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Kenny is the only one of his friends to get the newest, coolest portable gaming device and Cartman can’t deal with the injustice - the device is sold out. Will they be able to stay “best friends forever"? |
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| Originally Aired |
30th March 2005 |
| How Kenny Dies |
Hit by a truck and goes to heaven, but is resuscitated and kept alive on a feeding tube (an allusion to the Terri Schiavo controversy), which is removed and he finally dies. It's worth noting that this is one of the few times (including the movie) that Kenny continues to appear on-screen and play a significant part even after he has been killed. |
| Guest Starring |
Juan Kimmelini (Voice of Unknown) |
| Mini Commentary |
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| Trivia |
- Most clearly of all, this episode alludes to the Terri Schiavo case, whose events came to a head in early 2005. The references made in the episode included:
- Kenny being in a persistent vegetative state - with his parents citing things like blinking or smiling as signs of awareness, rather than involuntary movements.
- In making his case for the removal of the feeding tube, Cartman points to his rights as Kenny's "best friend forever", and as a result is given custody, instead of Kenny's parents and real friends. In the real-life case, custody of Terri Schiavo was given to her husband Michael Schiavo (who wanted the feeding tube removed), not to her parents.
- Cartman seeks Kenny's removal from life support purely out of self-interest, as he will only get the PSP if Kenny dies. Some conservative groups have argued that Michael Schiavo was also acting out of self-interest due to, amongst other things, the insurance money involved. Both Michael Schiavo and Cartman claimed they were only following the wishes of their loved ones.
- Members of the Republican Party rally to the cause. In Kenny's case, this is because they are unwittingly being controlled by a minion of Satan, which uses the Republicans to achieve its goals.
- Mr. Garrison trying to bring food to Kenny - Many in favor of keeping Terri Schiavo alive did this as a symbolic effort during her dying day.
- Terri Schiavo herself died the day after this episode aired, two weeks after having had her feeding tube removed.
- This episode won the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) at the Creative Arts portion of the 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.
- After Satan is defeated, he turns on his adviser, modelled on Gríma Wormtongue from the Lord of the Rings movies, one of many references to Lord of the Rings in the episode:
- The orb used by Satan, is a reference to the Palantír held by Sarman;
- The gates of Heaven being deliberately designed to look like Minas Tirith; and
- Satan's minions are reminiscent of the Orcs and Uruk-hai.
- Archangel Michael: "The child did something none of us could: reach level 60 on the PSP." -
The importance of reaching level 60 is probably based on World of Warcraft, an online computer RPG game which has a maximum level of 60. Players spend huge amounts of time online playing the game in order to reach this level, prompting complaints similar to Mrs. McKormick's: "Who cares if you almost made it to level 60, you're wasting your life!".
- The notion of using a video game to recruit a "super warrior" has parallels with the 1984 film The Last Starfighter, in which a boy who gets the highest score on an arcade game is recruited by an alien race.
- There are many references to Monty Python and the Holy Grail in the episode. When Kenny is at the gate of Heaven, a Pythonesque "Open the gate!" is heard - this is also said by King Arthur in the film. Moreover, Heaven's army celebrates winning the war by cheering in a manner not unlike the similar moment of "much rejoicing" in the film's animation segments of Terry Gilliam.
- When Kenny is playing his PSP you see him and his family in an amusement park. This is the same amusement park from Cartmanland.
- According to The New York Times, "[Trey Stone and Matt Parker] began the episode from scratch the Thursday before it was telecast".
- This is the first time Kenny has died in two consecutive episodes since Kenny Dies.
- The song playing in the montage is Isaac Hayes' "Run Fay Run," featured in Kill Bill, Vol. I.
- On the way to Luau's Toys, Cartman and his mom are riding in a white mini van with a blue interior, but when they arrive, it is blue with a red interior.
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