It Hits the Fan

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South Park episode
"It Hits the Fan"
Chef and the children learn about shit
Episode no.	66
Airdate	June 20, 2001
South Park - Season 5 June 20, 2001 – December 12, 2001
Scott Tenorman Must Die It Hits the Fan Cripple Fight Super Best Friends Terrance and Phillip: Behind the Blow Cartmanland Proper Condom Use Towelie Osama Bin Laden Has Farty Pants How to Eat with Your Butt The Entity Here Comes the Neighborhood Kenny Dies Butters' Very Own Episode

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List of all South Park episodes

"It Hits the Fan" is the 66^th episode of the animated series South Park, or the first aired episode of the fifth season (second in sequence, with Scott Tenorman Must Die being the first episode in sequence, which was delayed for several weeks). It originally aired on June 20, 2001. It is best known for its repeated uncensored use of the word shit. (To be precise, the word is used 161 times, contrary to conventional wisdom that it's used 162 times [When the HBC network head utters a series "shits", he pauses to gasp for breath but it was still counted as a "shit", which can clearly be seen if one looks closely]; a counter in the corner of the screen tallies the repetitions.)

The episode questions whether there is an empty significance to taboo words and ridicules the relationship between television networks that use shock and the viewers that are predictably captivated. ABC's NYPD Blue, a show known for controversial network television firsts, is specifically parodied within the episode when a show named Cop Drama on "HBC" first introduces uncensored "shit". The creators of the show argued that they were angry because "if a drama or a serious show breaks the boundaries, it's 'bold' and 'artistic', but if a comedy show [like theirs] tries it, it's just stupid, or shitty, or bullshit."

A sub-plot in the episode revolves around Mr. Garrison's ability to say the word fag due to his outing as a homosexual; all other characters who say "fag", excluding Jimbo, are censored.

Executives at Comedy Central felt the profanity was justified by context and decided to allow the uncensored episode to air, which surprised even the show's developers. Despite broadcasting a record setting amount of profanity, little controversy was stirred by the airing. Co-creator Matt Stone explained the passive passage by citing changing cultural standards, "No one cares anymore...The standards are almost gone. No one gives a shit or a bullshit."

This episode made #8 on the list of "10 South Parks That Changed The World."

1 Plot
2 Kenny's death
3 Censorship
4 Trivia
5 Reference

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Kyle has tickets to go to The Lion King, but Cartman tells him that the HBC crime show Cop Drama was going to use the word shit. This leads to widespread acceptance of the word, even in schools, causing people to say it constantly, in casual and often illogical conversation. Mr. Garrison sings "Shitty, shitty, fag, fag" to the tune of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" after he realizes that not only is he allowed to say "fag" on account of his being a homosexual, but he is also now allowed to say "shit". People start spewing up their intestines, so action is taken - the boys ask Chef to take them into the HBC Head Office to sort it out. Research proves that the word is actually a literal "curse(d) word," and its constant utterance has caused a resurgence of the bubonic plague. A special live event, Must Shit TV, also called The Night of a Million Shits, in which episodes of existing shows are taped live with almost every word of dialogue replaced with the word shit, goes ahead anyway until the boys come back and tell everyone that curse words are actually cursed. However, by this point the word has been said enough to awaken a demonic dragon called Geldon (with a voice just like Cartman's; Cartman comments, "Man, what a stupid voice"), which Kyle destroys with an ancient magical rune stone belonging to a knight in the mystical Order of Standards & Practices. The moral of the story is not that saying shit is wrong per se, but saying it in excess leads to boredom with the word.

[edit] Kenny's death

Kenny dies from the Bubonic Plague, which causes him to vomit out his intestines.(Stan):Holy sh--... poop. Strangely enough, Kenny had only spoken twice and only said "shit" once (as can be noted when the count increases).

[edit] Censorship

This is the second instance of shit not being censored from South Park, the first being in "Ike's Wee Wee", in which Mr. Mackey said the word "bullshit" uncensored (this was bleeped in later airings, though).
Other expletives, such as fuck, were censored in future airings of this episode.
According to commentary on season 9 episode "Follow That Egg", there was a big fight with Comedy Central to allow Mr. Garrison to say the word "fag", and that they tried to convince the network he should be allowed because he is making a point. The network said they could have "two or three uses", which actually turned into several. Though it was not allowed then, four seasons later in the episode "Follow that Egg", Mr. Garrison went as far to say things like "Fudge-packing faggots", without any problems with Comedy Central. Many of the main characters, especially the kids, now use the word "fag" regularly (for example in episode 906 "The Death of Eric Cartman", Cartman entered the second scene greeting the other kids "Hey fags, what's going on?").
In syndicated airings, only a few uses of the3 word shit are left uncensored.

[edit] Trivia

The Parents Television Council featured this episode in a study on violence, sexual content, and profanity on cable television in November 2004. [1]
Chef says that the Black Death is "La Toya Jackson, children.".
Mimi from The Drew Carey Show appears to be running from Geldon after her head is cut off by the Knights of Standards and Practices.
Timmy seems to have expanded his vocabulary to word "shit", though without the counter, it is difficult to hear. Also, he's never heard saying the word again.