Whale Whores: Difference between revisions
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== Plot == |
== Plot == |
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The [[List of South Park families|Marsh family]] are spending [[Stan Marsh|Stan's]] birthday at the Denver Aquarium, in close contact with dolphins. The vacation goes bad when [[Japanese people]] appear out of nowhere and slaughter all the dolphins in the pool. This happens at several other aquariums, culminating the killing of the [[Miami Dolphins]] [[football]] team as they are beginning a game. As a result, Stan takes on a cause to save the dolphins and whales from the Japanese. Failing to recruit Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny who are all more interested in playing ''[[Rock Band]]'' than saving whales, Stan volunteers to work on a ship with [[Paul Watson]] from the television show ''[[Whale Wars]]''. Watson's method for deterring the Japanese whalers is to throw "stinky butter" on them and in retaliation, the Japanese shoot a harpoon through Watson killing him. Stan is surprised by crew's impotent methods of deterrence and uses fuel barrels to explode the Japanese whaling vessel. Stan becomes the new captain of the ship and drastically increases the ratings of ''[[Whale Wars]]'' by violently attacking other Japanese whalers. There follows an interview on ''[[Larry King Live]]'' which questions the morality of increasing ratings by violence and offers a vitriolic criticism of Paul Watson. After a run-in with the crew of one of the ships from ''[[Deadliest Catch]]'', Stan's ship is destroyed by a World War II style Japanese [[kamikaze]] attack, killing the whole ''Whale Wars'' crew except for Stan, Cartman, and Kenny, the latter two having joined him solely to appear on television. The trio is captured by the Japanese and briefly imprisoned. [[Emperor of Japan|Emperor]] [[Akihito]] reveals to them why the Japanese constantly slaughter dolphins and whales: for revenge, as the Japanese believe that they were responsible for the [[bombing of Hiroshima]] due to a doctored photo of the ''[[Enola Gay]]'' sent to Japan by the United States soon after the detonation. Stan presents the Japanese with a supposedly undoctored photo showing a cow and chicken as responsible for the destruction of [[Hiroshima]]. The Japanese resolve to cease their whaling efforts and begin a violent vendetta of slaughtering cows and chickens. The episode ends as Stan's father congratulates him for making the Japanese "normal, like us" by encouraging them to kill cows and chickens rather than whales and dolphins. |
The [[List of South Park families|Marsh family]] are spending [[Stan Marsh|Stan's]] birthday at the Denver Aquarium, in close contact with dolphins. The vacation goes bad when [[Japanese people]] appear out of nowhere and slaughter all the dolphins in the pool. This happens at several other aquariums, culminating the killing of the [[Miami Dolphins]] [[football]] team as they are beginning a game. As a result, Stan takes on a cause to save the dolphins and whales from the Japanese. Failing to recruit Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny who are all more interested in playing ''[[Rock Band]]'' than saving whales, Stan volunteers to work on a ship with [[Paul Watson]] from the television show ''[[Whale Wars]]''. Watson's method for deterring the Japanese whalers is to throw "stinky butter" on them (an allusion to an episode of ''Whale Wars'' where Watson's crew throws glass bottles of [[butyric acid]] at a Japanese ship) and in retaliation, the Japanese shoot a harpoon through Watson killing him. Stan is surprised by crew's impotent methods of deterrence and uses fuel barrels to explode the Japanese whaling vessel. Stan becomes the new captain of the ship and drastically increases the ratings of ''[[Whale Wars]]'' by violently attacking other Japanese whalers. There follows an interview on ''[[Larry King Live]]'' which questions the morality of increasing ratings by violence and offers a vitriolic criticism of Paul Watson. After a run-in with the crew of one of the ships from ''[[Deadliest Catch]]'', Stan's ship is destroyed by a World War II style Japanese [[kamikaze]] attack, killing the whole ''Whale Wars'' crew except for Stan, Cartman, and Kenny, the latter two having joined him solely to appear on television. The trio is captured by the Japanese and briefly imprisoned. [[Emperor of Japan|Emperor]] [[Akihito]] reveals to them why the Japanese constantly slaughter dolphins and whales: for revenge, as the Japanese believe that they were responsible for the [[bombing of Hiroshima]] due to a doctored photo of the ''[[Enola Gay]]'' sent to Japan by the United States soon after the detonation. Stan presents the Japanese with a supposedly undoctored photo showing a cow and chicken as responsible for the destruction of [[Hiroshima]]. The Japanese resolve to cease their whaling efforts and begin a violent vendetta of slaughtering cows and chickens. The episode ends as Stan's father congratulates him for making the Japanese "normal, like us" by encouraging them to kill cows and chickens rather than whales and dolphins. |
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== Cultural References == |
== Cultural References == |
Revision as of 06:42, 30 October 2009
"Whale Whores" |
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"Whale Whores" is the eleventh episode of the thirteenth season of the animated television series South Park. It aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 28, 2009[1] and on satellite on October 30, 2009 in the United Kingdom. The episode centers on the criticism of Whale Wars, an Animal Planet television show following Paul Watson and his crew as they attempt to deter Japanese ships from killing whales, and on the Japanese people through absurd stereotyping. In the episode, the method Watson's crew uses to deter whalers is to "throw stinky butter at them".[2]
Plot
The Marsh family are spending Stan's birthday at the Denver Aquarium, in close contact with dolphins. The vacation goes bad when Japanese people appear out of nowhere and slaughter all the dolphins in the pool. This happens at several other aquariums, culminating the killing of the Miami Dolphins football team as they are beginning a game. As a result, Stan takes on a cause to save the dolphins and whales from the Japanese. Failing to recruit Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny who are all more interested in playing Rock Band than saving whales, Stan volunteers to work on a ship with Paul Watson from the television show Whale Wars. Watson's method for deterring the Japanese whalers is to throw "stinky butter" on them (an allusion to an episode of Whale Wars where Watson's crew throws glass bottles of butyric acid at a Japanese ship) and in retaliation, the Japanese shoot a harpoon through Watson killing him. Stan is surprised by crew's impotent methods of deterrence and uses fuel barrels to explode the Japanese whaling vessel. Stan becomes the new captain of the ship and drastically increases the ratings of Whale Wars by violently attacking other Japanese whalers. There follows an interview on Larry King Live which questions the morality of increasing ratings by violence and offers a vitriolic criticism of Paul Watson. After a run-in with the crew of one of the ships from Deadliest Catch, Stan's ship is destroyed by a World War II style Japanese kamikaze attack, killing the whole Whale Wars crew except for Stan, Cartman, and Kenny, the latter two having joined him solely to appear on television. The trio is captured by the Japanese and briefly imprisoned. Emperor Akihito reveals to them why the Japanese constantly slaughter dolphins and whales: for revenge, as the Japanese believe that they were responsible for the bombing of Hiroshima due to a doctored photo of the Enola Gay sent to Japan by the United States soon after the detonation. Stan presents the Japanese with a supposedly undoctored photo showing a cow and chicken as responsible for the destruction of Hiroshima. The Japanese resolve to cease their whaling efforts and begin a violent vendetta of slaughtering cows and chickens. The episode ends as Stan's father congratulates him for making the Japanese "normal, like us" by encouraging them to kill cows and chickens rather than whales and dolphins.
Cultural References
During the episode Kyle, Kenny and Cartman are performing Lady Gaga's song "Poker Face" on the video game Rock Band. Cartman later improvises as he sings the song to include lyrics which mock caring for whales.[3][4] Although "Poker Face" is not currently available in Rock Band, Kotaku's Mike Fahey appreciated the rendition so much that he is "convinced it needs to be".[5]
Reception
Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly described the criticism of the save-the-whales conservationists as a "delightfully savage ridicule".[3] The AV Club's Josh Modell did not enjoy the episode's mockery of Whale Wars: "The show’s star, Paul Watson, seems to have really pissed off [South Park's creators] Parker and Stone [...] Fine, but could you make me laugh a few times while you beat me over the head with information about a guy that I couldn’t care less about?"[4] Brian Jacks of MTV appreciated the show's focus on whale conservation, believing that the mockery of existing conservation efforts in South Park did more for the movement than the actual Whale Wars show.[6]
See also
References
- ^ "South Park episode guide". South Park Studios. 2009-10-25. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
- ^ "Whale Whores". South Park. Season 13. Episode 11. Comedy Central. Quote: Paul Watson: "It's time to bring out the big guns. You guys ready? Ready and throw the stinky butter at them!"
- ^ a b Tucker, Ken (October 29, 2009). "'South Park' and 'Whale Whores': Lady Gaga and Entertainment Weekly harpooned, er, lampooned". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
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(help) - ^ a b Modell, Josh (October 29, 2009). "Whale Whores". The AV Club. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
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(help) - ^ Fahey, Mike (Oct. 30, 2009). "Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" Comes To Rock Band In South Park". Kotaku. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
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(help) - ^ Jacks, Brian (Oct. 29, 2009). "'South Park' Takes On Lady Gaga's 'Poker Face'". MTV. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
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