| Revision as of 00:47, 24 March 2012 editKikodawgzzz (talk | contribs)2,122 editsm re-worded to reflect the true focus of the episode, which was NOT Cartman's copycat network, but rather the network he copied.← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 04:29, 3 January 2025 edit undoPanamitsu (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users86,946 editsm add {{Use American English}} templateTag: AWB | ||
| (186 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} | |||
| {{DISPLAYTITLE:Cash for Gold (''South Park'')}} | |||
| {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} | |||
| {{Infobox television episode | {{Infobox television episode | ||
| | |
| series = ] | ||
| | |
| image = | ||
| | caption = | |||
| | Image = | |||
| | |
| season = 16 | ||
| | |
| episode = 2 | ||
| | |
| airdate = {{Start date|2012|3|21}} | ||
| | production = 1602 | |||
| | Airdate = {{Start date|2012|3|21}} | |||
| | |
| writer = Trey Parker | ||
| | |
| director = ] | ||
| | season_article = South Park season 16 | |||
| | Director = ] | |||
| | |
| episode_list = List of South Park episodes | ||
| | |
| prev = ] | ||
| | |
| next = ] | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| "'''Cash for Gold'''" is the second episode of the ] of the American animated television series '']'', and the 225th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on ] in the United States on March 21, 2012. The episode centers |
"'''Cash for Gold'''" is the second episode of the ] of the American animated television series '']'', and the 225th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on ] in the United States on March 21, 2012. The episode centers on fourth grader ]'s irritation with J&G Shopping Network and television ] networks in general, as he discovers that they prey upon the elderly and ],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://southpark.cc.com/news/410813/episode-1602-cash-for-gold-press-release | title=Episode 1602 'Cash For Gold' Press Release | publisher=] | date=March 19, 2012 | access-date=March 24, 2012}}{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ibtimes.com/south-park-new-episode-exposes-cash-gold-conspiracy-video-428752 | title=South Park New Episode Exposes 'Cash For Gold' Conspiracy | work=] | date=March 22, 2012 | access-date=March 12, 2022 | author=Kleinman, Jacob | archive-date=April 10, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410070547/https://www.ibtimes.com/south-park-new-episode-exposes-cash-gold-conspiracy-video-428752 | url-status=live }}</ref> as well as ]'s new ] inspired by that same idea.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/south-park-cartman-opens-cash-4-gold-video_n_1371922 | title='South Park': Cartman Opens His Own Cash 4 Gold Business | publisher=] | work=TV Replay | date=March 22, 2012 | access-date=March 12, 2022 | archive-date=March 12, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312055139/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/south-park-cartman-opens-cash-4-gold-video_n_1371922 | url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
| In the episode, Cartman, seeing J&G's success, launches a similar gemstones network show and creates a very lucrative business following J&G's model. Meanwhile, Stan searches for the real value of a piece of jewelry that was a gift from his Grandpa. | |||
| The episode was written by series co-creator ] and is rated ] in the United States. | The episode was written by series co-creator ] and is rated ] in the United States. | ||
| ==Plot== | ==Plot== | ||
| ]'s grandfather Marvin gives him a bejeweled ], saying that the Jewels & Gems (J&G) Shopping Network, from which he bought it, claimed that its ] and diamonds makes it worth $6,000. After Cartman teases him for wearing such a tacky and unfashionable item, Stan takes it to a Cash For Gold store where he is offered $15 for it. Other such merchants similarly offer him little or nothing for the item, and Stan realizes that his grandfather has been swindled. Cartman shows his friends the J&G infomercials, where half-senile senior citizens are conned into buying cheap jewelry for their relatives at outrageous prices. Stan tries to talk Marvin out of buying him or his sister Shelly more worthless items, but Marvin suffers from ] and instead relates to Stan an often-repeated anecdote of a ] named Patches he once had, but laments that he can no longer remember what she looked like. | |||
| Stan begins a crusade to stop the exploitation of the elderly in this manner, and vows to track down whoever is at the top of the trade. Meanwhile, Cartman decides to get into the infomercial business with ] as his sidekick, and not only starts offering his classmates cash for gold, he also sets up his own television channel and mimics the tone and techniques of Dean, the host on J&G. He visits a jewelry shop to restock, but he notices the East Asian women at the shop are using the very same mannerisms that he and Dean use, thus revealing they are scam artists as well. During one of Dean's shows, Stan calls in and tells him to ] for having conned numerous elderly people out of their money. | |||
| Cartman subsequently reveals to the boys that he has discovered the formula for making money out of gold, similar in intent to one of the main goals of ]. When Stan learns that his senile Grandpa is about to buy him another worthless item from J&G Shopping Network, Stan intervenes, telling Marvin not to, but Marvin, who suffers from ], is unable to remember that Stan's sister, Shelly, is now 13, and not an infant, and wistfully relates to Stan an oft-repeated anecdote of a ] named Patches he had in his youth but finds his memories of her fading. | |||
| Cartman arrives at a factory in ] where the jewelry is made, intending to buy directly from them, and finds Stan is here as well, complaining about what they are doing. In a montage, it is revealed that the business is a continuous loop: the jewelry made at the factory is shipped to the United States, where scam artists sell it to senior citizens, who give them as gifts to relatives. The relatives sell the gifts for cash, and the gold and gems are separated and shipped back to the India factory where the gold is melted down so it can be made into new jewelry. An employee at the factory gives Stan a picture frame, which he accepts. Stan presents Marvin with a photo of Marvin and his deceased dog Patches in the frame. Marvin then notices Stan's tie, not remembering having given it to him, and tells him it is "gay". Stan replies that he will not wear it anymore. Meanwhile, Stan's earlier call sparks a trend, and Dean, deluged with calls from the elderly telling him to kill himself, eventually complies and ] in the head, covering a display of worthless jewelry with his blood. | |||
| While Cartman begins his own venture, the Old People's Shopping Network, which similarly exploits elderly customers, Stan calls J&G, and tells them that its exploitation of senior citizens is unjustifiable, and that their only recourse for penance is to kill themselves. He also excoriates cash-for-gold merchants for being part of this system, but the merchants attempt to shift blame to others in the system. Stan goes to one such factory in India, which he learns makes the items, which are shipped to J&G, which sells them to the elderly as gifts. The recipients then sell them to cash-for-gold stores, which sell them back to India after it is smelted to start all over again. | |||
| ==Reception== | |||
| A worker in the factory gives Stan a ] as a gift. Stan uses this frame to put a picture of Marvin and his dog and gives it to him as a gift. Marvin, who no longer remembers giving Stan the bolo tie, now remarks that it is "fucking gay as fuck." | |||
| Max Nicholson of ] gave the episode a "Great" score of 8 out of 10, noting that although the episode "did take a few scenes to really get cooking", the clips from the infomercial segments were the highlight of the episode, as was "the montage surrounding whoever smelt it denied it and rhymed it actually dealt it". Nicholson also noted the similarity of Stan's phone call to J&G, in which he angrily urges the host to kill himself, to the "Marketing and Advertising" bit from comedian ]' 1997 album '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2012/03/22/south-park-cash-for-gold-review|title=South Park: "Cash For Gold" Review|publisher=]|date=March 22, 2012|access-date=March 12, 2022|last=Nicholson|first=Max|archive-date=March 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312054637/https://www.ign.com/articles/2012/03/22/south-park-cash-for-gold-review|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| Marcus Gilmer of ] gave the episode a score of "]". Comparing it to the previous episode, he noted, "There were plenty of lines that made me laugh" but that "the episode falls short of previous efforts at social commentary, including last week’s episode".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gilmer |first=Marcus |title=South Park: "Cash for Gold"|publisher=]|date=March 21, 2012|url=https://www.avclub.com/south-park-cash-for-gold-1798172089|access-date=March 12, 2022}}</ref> | |||
| J&G is eventually deluged with calls from the elderly now telling the host to kill himself, which he eventually does. | |||
| ==References== | == References == | ||
| {{reflist}} | {{reflist|30em}} | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| * at South Park Studios |
* Full episode at South Park Studios | ||
| * {{IMDb episode|2128143}} | |||
| {{South Park}} | |||
| {{South Park episodes|16}} | {{South Park episodes|16}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 04:29, 3 January 2025
2nd episode of the 16th season of South Park
| "Cash for Gold" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| South Park episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 16 Episode 2 | ||
| Directed by | Trey Parker | ||
| Written by | Trey Parker | ||
| Production code | 1602 | ||
| Original air date | March 21, 2012 (2012-03-21) | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
| |||
| South Park season 16 | |||
| List of episodes | |||
"Cash for Gold" is the second episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 225th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 21, 2012. The episode centers on fourth grader Stan Marsh's irritation with J&G Shopping Network and television home shopping networks in general, as he discovers that they prey upon the elderly and fleece them of their money, as well as Eric Cartman's new entrepreneurship inspired by that same idea.
The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker and is rated TV-MA L in the United States.
Plot
Stan Marsh's grandfather Marvin gives him a bejeweled bolo tie, saying that the Jewels & Gems (J&G) Shopping Network, from which he bought it, claimed that its 14 carat gold and diamonds makes it worth $6,000. After Cartman teases him for wearing such a tacky and unfashionable item, Stan takes it to a Cash For Gold store where he is offered $15 for it. Other such merchants similarly offer him little or nothing for the item, and Stan realizes that his grandfather has been swindled. Cartman shows his friends the J&G infomercials, where half-senile senior citizens are conned into buying cheap jewelry for their relatives at outrageous prices. Stan tries to talk Marvin out of buying him or his sister Shelly more worthless items, but Marvin suffers from Alzheimer's disease and instead relates to Stan an often-repeated anecdote of a Border Collie named Patches he once had, but laments that he can no longer remember what she looked like.
Stan begins a crusade to stop the exploitation of the elderly in this manner, and vows to track down whoever is at the top of the trade. Meanwhile, Cartman decides to get into the infomercial business with Butters as his sidekick, and not only starts offering his classmates cash for gold, he also sets up his own television channel and mimics the tone and techniques of Dean, the host on J&G. He visits a jewelry shop to restock, but he notices the East Asian women at the shop are using the very same mannerisms that he and Dean use, thus revealing they are scam artists as well. During one of Dean's shows, Stan calls in and tells him to kill himself for having conned numerous elderly people out of their money.
Cartman arrives at a factory in India where the jewelry is made, intending to buy directly from them, and finds Stan is here as well, complaining about what they are doing. In a montage, it is revealed that the business is a continuous loop: the jewelry made at the factory is shipped to the United States, where scam artists sell it to senior citizens, who give them as gifts to relatives. The relatives sell the gifts for cash, and the gold and gems are separated and shipped back to the India factory where the gold is melted down so it can be made into new jewelry. An employee at the factory gives Stan a picture frame, which he accepts. Stan presents Marvin with a photo of Marvin and his deceased dog Patches in the frame. Marvin then notices Stan's tie, not remembering having given it to him, and tells him it is "gay". Stan replies that he will not wear it anymore. Meanwhile, Stan's earlier call sparks a trend, and Dean, deluged with calls from the elderly telling him to kill himself, eventually complies and shoots himself in the head, covering a display of worthless jewelry with his blood.
Reception
Max Nicholson of IGN gave the episode a "Great" score of 8 out of 10, noting that although the episode "did take a few scenes to really get cooking", the clips from the infomercial segments were the highlight of the episode, as was "the montage surrounding whoever smelt it denied it and rhymed it actually dealt it". Nicholson also noted the similarity of Stan's phone call to J&G, in which he angrily urges the host to kill himself, to the "Marketing and Advertising" bit from comedian Bill Hicks' 1997 album Arizona Bay.
Marcus Gilmer of The A.V. Club gave the episode a score of "B-". Comparing it to the previous episode, he noted, "There were plenty of lines that made me laugh" but that "the episode falls short of previous efforts at social commentary, including last week’s episode".
References
- "Episode 1602 'Cash For Gold' Press Release". South Park Studios. March 19, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
- Kleinman, Jacob (March 22, 2012). "South Park New Episode Exposes 'Cash For Gold' Conspiracy". International Business Times. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- "'South Park': Cartman Opens His Own Cash 4 Gold Business". TV Replay. The Huffington Post. March 22, 2012. Archived from the original on March 12, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- Nicholson, Max (March 22, 2012). "South Park: "Cash For Gold" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on March 12, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- Gilmer, Marcus (March 21, 2012). "South Park: "Cash for Gold"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
External links
- "Cash for Gold" Full episode at South Park Studios
- "Cash for Gold" at IMDb
| South Park episodes | |
|---|---|
| Season 16 | |