SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't watched the episode yet and want to be surprised, don't read this article. Hopefully you realized what a "recap is" but we just wanted to be safe.
Everyone knew going in that Cartman would be up to shenanigans right off the bat when the new season—the series' 18th—kicked off September 24. And most, including us, assumed that the NFL would be at the core of the episode's jokes thanks to...er...regretfully because of a recent spate of terrible P.R. committed by members of the league. The controversy touched upon by an ad run prior to Monday Night Football touched on a controversy all but forgotten after the Ray Rice debacle—namely the less-than-subtle racism of the Washington Redskins team name—as it featured the show's round headliner mocking Redskins owner Dan Snyder.
We were surprised that the ultimate target of "Go Fund Yourself" wouldn't be the NFL however.
Cartman's spot behind the desk in a Redskins-themed office was the result of the gang's plot to launch a startup business specializing in doing nothing and inspiring others to pay for it via crowd funding on Kickstarter. So many similar businesses had kicked up that the group struggled to find an original title, opting for "Washington Redskins" as the U.S. patent office had (in real life) cancelled the team's federal trademark because of its offensive nature.
Snyder, head coach Jay Gruden and a less-than-obvious player (it ain't Robert Griffin III, despite what the commercial showed) visit the offices of the nu Washington Redskins, insisting that Cartman and co. quit it. It quickly becomes apparent that the Redskins team serves as a metaphor for actual Native Americans as Cartman quips "digging in and p--sing on public opinion is what the Washington Redskins (his company) is all about!"
Other references to the plight of Native Americans come out throughout the show...Snyder picks up his morning paper and reads about Cartman's success and a closeup reveals a tear in his eye, hailing to the classic Keep America Beautiful conservation campaign. The rest of the Redskins team quits ("our name has been reduced to a stereotype and a joke") at the end of the episode and Snyder stands alone against the Dallas Cowboys in a historical allegory.
Not all is well on the home front however. Jealousy drives Kyle and Stan to split from the Redskins II and launch their own startup, going with the original name drafted at the beginning of the episode: "Furry B--ls Plopped Menacingly on The Table" (like we said...not a lot of original names left to choose from).
Both companies take a hit when their Kickstarter funds are lost as the crowdsourcing site is destroyed in an attack from the original Washington Redskins. The continuing concussion issue is touched upon as dazed players smash servers with their helmets, and the episode's too soon(?) moment definitely happens when a female employee of Kickstarter runs into an elevator where a player waits. We don't see a punch thrown but the camera angle tells the joke.
Sounds like the NFL gets the full brunt of Trey Parker and Matt Stone's wrath, eh? A Roger Goodell robot (spewing real-life ambiguous quotes from the commissioner) makes an appearance but the ultimate loser in the episode is still crowdfunding.
Kickstarter is shows to be the ultimate example of a do-nothing company as it gets paid a cut of the money that others donate to other business ventures through it. After the real company gets wrecked, the South Park crew "merge" their companies to perform the ultimate "f--k you": Getting paid for offering a space for others to give money to worthless causes such as theirs. They end by offering a new slogan: "Go fund yourself." Ultimately, following Snyder's brutal beating at the hands of the Cowboys, public opinion shifts and decidess that use of the Redskins name is immoral and a crowd forces the boys out of business.
So what'd you think? Good way to kick off (pun) the season? Was the crowdsourcing lecture deserved or do you find Kickstarter to be a worthwhile cause? Weigh in below, check out our favorite quote and add yours in the comment section!
Our Favorite Quote: "NFL, Catholic Church, same thing!" -Cartman, when he confuses child molestation and domestic abuse.
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