Cripple Fight
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| South Park episode | |
| "Cripple Fight" | |
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| Episode no. | 67 |
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| Airdate | June 27, 2001 |
| South Park - Season 5 June 20, 2001 – December 12, 2001 |
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| List of all South Park episodes | |
"Cripple Fight" is episode 503 of the animated series South Park. It originally aired on June 27, 2001.
[edit] Plot
The boys have joined Mountain Scouts, and are on their way to their first meeting. When they arrive, they find that their scoutmaster is Big Gay Al, and some parents take objection to this, fearing that he may exhibit pedophilia. Big Gay Al is quickly thrown out of Mountain Scouts, after a lifetime of membership. A controversy erupts as the Mountain Scouts are called a hate group by the media and prominent supporters like Steven Spielberg withdraw their support. A new scoutmaster named Mr. Grazier (also known as "Mr. Slippyfist") is appointed, who turns out to be a real pedophile and begins to take pornographic photos of his scouts, with a threat to beat them up if they let this slip.
Meanwhile, Jimmy, a new handicapped boy, comes to town and also joins Mountain Scouts. Jimmy is a stand-up comedian and immediately becomes very popular. Timmy, the other handicapped boy in town, becomes incredibly jealous of the adoration given to the new kid. Timmy tries to undermine Jimmy in any way possible, including offering him an orange parka as a gift, in order to make him resemble Kenny. However, his efforts prove futile (the parka even fails to attract Kenny's intended usual tragic death, although several near misses occur).
In an effort to get Big Gay Al back as their scout leader, the boys, including Timmy and Jimmy, assemble their own protest march all the way to the grocery store parking lot, and attempt to use Jimmy's stand-up comedy as a crowd-teaser. However, the performance goes sour when he tries to enlist Timmy's participation, and Timmy refuses. Quickly, they break out into a lengthy fistfight, which Cartman dubs "Cripple Fight" and announces to several large gatherings of people, who come to watch the spectacle. After a sufficient crowd has drawn, several inquisitors discuss rumors about the original intention of the gathering-a protest to allow gays back in Scouts.
Under pressure from gay rights groups and with help from prominent lawyer Gloria Allred, Big Gay Al sues the Mountain Scouts, while Mr. Slippyfist is revealed as a criminal and arrested. Although Big Gay Al wins in court and the court orders the Mountain Scouts to take him back, he refuses, saying that he loves scouts too much to impose his will on them, and while they should be talked into changing their mind and he begs people not to cut their funding or support for the scouts. This causes Gloria Allred to brand Big Gay Al as a homophobe.
The boys get a new Scoutmaster, and Timmy gets even for losing the fistfight by doctoring some images of Jimmy, to make it look like Jimmy is a homosexual and was caught on camera in an affair with another man. Jimmy is expelled from Mountain Scouts, to a victory cheer from Timmy.
[edit] Kenny's Death
Kenny is plucked out of a lineup of the boys by a giant eagle and carried, presumably, to his death. However, he is seen the next day in the scout meeting, which has occurred a few times in past episodes.
[edit] Trivia
- The fight between Timmy and Jimmy is in homage to the fight scene between Roddy Piper and Keith David in John Carpenter's They Live. The animated sequence mimics They Live almost exactly, even copying specific camera angles and dialogue.
- The Mountain Scouts' branding as a hate group is a reference to the controversy of the BSA banning homosexual members, particularly the Boy Scouts of America v. Dale case in 2000.
- Kyle does not appear in this episode, his role being effectively filled by Butters. This may be due to Kyle being a member of the Jew Scouts, as seen in "Jewbilee."
- When Cartman goes into the Catholic church to announce the cripple fight, Kyle's parents, despite being of the Jewish faith, are seen in the front row of the pews.
| Preceded by "It Hits the Fan" |
South Park episodes | Followed by "Super Best Friends" |
