The China Probrem

The China Probrem
"The China Probrem"
South Park episode
Problem.png
Indiana Jones being stripped to his briefs and about to be raped by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
Episode no. Season 12
Episode 8
Directed by Trey Parker
Written by Trey Parker
Production code 1208
Original air date October 8, 2008
Episode chronology
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List of season 12 episodes
List of South Park episodes

"The China Probrem" is the eighth episode of the twelfth season of the animated series South Park,[1] and the 175th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 8, 2008. It was the mid-season premiere for season 12. In the episode, Kyle seeks to bring George Lucas and Steven Spielberg to justice for "raping" Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Cartman tries to avert a suspected Chinese invasion.

The episode was written and directed by series co-founder Trey Parker, and was rated TV-MA in the United States.

The episode was dedicated to Isaac Hayes who died in August of that year.

Contents

Plot

Cartman has been plagued by nightmares about the Chinese, believing they will invade America within days after watching the Beijing 2008 Olympics on television. He tries to warn his friends but Kyle says he "can't do this any more" and leaves the set. Stan later confronts Kyle, the latter stating that he cannot pretend things are normal again after "the rape of a friend." He confesses his feelings of deep guilt and regret over the fact he, Stan and their friends "just stood there and did nothing". Elsewhere, Cartman convinces Butters that China is going to take over America and kill Butters' parents. Butters decides to join Cartman's group, the American Liberation Front.

Stan, Kyle, Kenny, Clyde and Jimmy start remembering the rape which is revealed to be about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. They are appalled to see George Lucas (voiced by Matt Stone) and Steven Spielberg (voiced by Trey Parker) "rape" Indiana Jones making him cry.

Meanwhile, Cartman and Butters dress up as stereotypical Chinese children and go to P. F. Chang's to try and trick the Chinese people there into telling them when the "invasion" is set to occur. The two boys' antics begin to annoy everyone, but when they are asked to leave, they instead take the entire restaurant hostage. Cartman gives Butters a gun and tells him to fire at a man who is trying to escape; Butters promptly shoots the man in the penis, which upsets Cartman greatly.

At the same time, Kyle and his friends visit the Park County District Attorney and asks him to arrest Spielberg and Lucas for raping Indiana Jones. When the DA relives the rape in his mind, he tearfully agrees to help them. The attorney and the boys go to the Park County Police Station to have Spielberg and Lucas arrested.

Back at the restaurant, the police arrive to respond to the hostage situation. When the police try to enter the restaurant, Butters fires a warning shot and also hits the Chinese policeman in the penis, angering Cartman even more.

In the closing moments, the police find and take away Spielberg and Lucas, (while raping an Imperial Stormtrooper), despite their protests over a lack of evidence and the huge totals they have brought in at the box office. Meanwhile, at the restaurant, Cartman gives up on his mission of saving America after Butters shoots another man in the penis and surrenders to the police. As he is walking outside, a police officer arrives to inform the others that Lucas and Spielberg are finally in custody. The officers and hostages all rejoice that "it's all over", and while everyone is hugging and crying, Cartman and Butters sneak away with Butters unable to see what all the fuss is about, as he thought Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was pretty good.

Cultural references

The rape scenes in the show make reference to previous cinematic rape scenes. The scene where Indiana is raped behind a temple is a reference to the 1999 film Boys Don't Cry, the daydream of the lawyer in which George Lucas rapes Indiana Jones on a Howard the Duck pinball machine at a bar with Steven Spielberg cheering him on, is patterned after the film The Accused, in which Jodie Foster's character is gangraped on a pinball machine.[1] The scene where Indiana is forced to squeal like a pig while he is raped is a reference to the 1972 film Deliverance.[1]

Reception

The episode premiere drew 3.7 million total viewers, 2.5 million in the 18–49 demographic. This was up 21% from the previous fall's debut and topped all of cable during its time period. It stands as the show's most-watched fall premiere since 1999.[2]

IGN's Travis Fickett gave the episode 9 out of 10 points, praising both storylines and writing that "[t]he show is as funny and as smart as ever — and it's back at just the right time."[3] 411mania's review, written by DC Perry, criticized the episode for using material that felt dated, but described it as "pretty solid" and gave it a rating of 7.3 out of 10.[4]

Controversy

The episode's rape scenes caused some controversies. The Daily Telegraph's Catherine Elsworth wrote that Parker and Stone seemed "to have taken the taboo-busting to a place even hardened South Park watchers have found hard to go".[5] Nikki Finke reported that her knowledge was that Paramount, which distributes the Lucasfilm-owned Indiana Jones franchise (while Paramount itself is owned by Comedy Central parent Viacom), had no intention to protest against the episode, but, in the words of an insider, "[wanted] it to go away".[5][6] The episode was named "Worst Cable Content of the Week" by the Parents Television Council for "exploiting the sensitive topic of rape for a trivial movie satire".[7]

References

External links


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  • The China Probrem — Le Ploblème chinois Épisode de South Park Le Ploblème chinois Épisode no  175 Prod. code 1208 Date diffusion 8 octobre 2008 …   Wikipédia en Français

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  • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull — Infobox Film name = Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull caption = Theatrical release poster director = Steven Spielberg producer = Frank Marshall George Lucas Kathleen Kennedy writer = Screenplay: David Koepp Story: George Lucas… …   Wikipedia

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  • Indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull — Indiana Jones et le Royaume du crâne de cristal Indiana Jones et le Royaume du crâne de cristal Titre original Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Réalisation Steven Spielberg Acteurs principaux …   Wikipédia en Français

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