Go God Go XII
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| “Go God Go XII” | |
|---|---|
| South Park episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 10 Episode 152 |
| Written by | Trey Parker |
| Directed by | Trey Parker |
| Original airdate | November 8, 2006 |
| Season 10 episodes | |
| South Park - Season 10 March 22, 2006 – November 15, 2006 |
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| ← Season 9 | Season 11 → |
| List of South Park episodes | |
"Go God Go XII" is episode 1013 (#152) of Comedy Central's South Park, which aired on November 8, 2006. The episode is a continuation of the previous episode, "Go God Go".
This episode parodies the opening sequence of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
[edit] Plot summary
Cartman, still trapped in the year 2546, is now being held captive by the sea otter faction — Allied Atheist Alliance (AAA) — with whom he cooperates in exchange for them helping him get the Wii console. After helping him obtain one from the abandoned technology museum in "New New Hampshire", Cartman manages to warp back to the United Atheist Alliance (UAA) headquarters, much to the otter leader Blavius's anger. He soon finds that the ancient Wii is not compatible with the futuristic Float Screen, but discovers the Crank Prank Time Phone, which allows people to crank call the past. Cartman plans to use it to call himself in the past and convince him not to freeze himself.
Meanwhile, it is learned that Richard Dawkins was the founder of worldwide atheism. Mrs. Garrison, whom he eventually married, maintained that "Logic and reason aren't enough: You also have to be a dick to everyone who doesn't think like you." As a result, atheism split into three factions. The three groups differ on what they perceive to be the answer to the "Great Question," each believing the other groups' answer to the Question is "illogical" and thus unacceptable (the AAA also objects to humans for illogically cutting down trees to make tables, instead of just eating off of their "tummies" and ironically reveres Dawkins). The Otters have set up false clam fields, which the UAA plans to attack, leaving their own city defenseless from a Unified Atheist League (UAL) attack, thus leaving both the UAA and UAL vulnerable to an attack from the AAA. When one otter — the "Wise One" — asks if the war is truly just, and implies that perhaps it is acceptable to believe in something supernatural and/or paranormal. He goes on to state that there may be more to life than logic and reason, the difference between intelligence and wisdom, and that perhaps believing in God makes God exist. After a brief reflection, the otters stand true to their beliefs on reasoning and logic, and brutally kill the Wise One.
Cartman uses the Time Phone to call himself in the past, and later calls Butters and Kyle to convince both to prevent his past-self from freezing himself. He is not believed by his past self or his friends, and his attempts fail. The latter call causes Kyle to miss a ride, which slightly alters certain aspects of the future (Cartman's clothes change, and his robotic dog, K-10 turns into a robotic cat called Kit-9 a take on kit-10, kitten). The massive battle between the three atheist groups begins. Cartman goes to the war room of the UAA. It is revealed that the war is being fought over "the Great Question", which is "what atheists should call themselves". Unable to reach an agreement, the atheists had split into the three now-warring factions. Kit-9 then reminds Eric about Mrs. Garrison, whom he tries to call with the Time Phone. Dawkins answers while the two are having sex, and through his conversation with Cartman discovers that Mrs. Garrison in fact used to be a man. Dawkins is disgusted and disturbed over the fact he had sex with a transsexual and immediately leaves. Seeing that Dawkins won't return, Mrs. Garrison reverts to her old ways and calls Dawkins an "atheist faggot" and a queer, telling him to 'have fun mocking God in Hell."
With the split between Garrison and Dawkins, the future world is altered once again. Cartman suddenly finds himself in a room with members of all three factions and Kit-9 has become Cocka-3 (A take on Cocka-2, cockatoo). In this new version of the future, the three groups are not at war with each other, having gotten rid not of religion per se, but of "all their --isms." Cartman asks if this means that there is no more war, and Blavius answers, "Of course there's war! The stupid French-Chinese think they have a right to Hawaii!" The leaders reveal that Cartman's purpose has been fulfilled (though neither Cartman nor the viewer learn what that purpose was) and he is returned to his own time. He is told as he departs to remember that no single answer is the answer to everything.
Cartman is transported back in front of the EV Games and merges with his past self. He is initially overjoyed to be back. His mother appears and tells him that he needs to be patient, which Cartman accepts. However, he soon realizes that the future inhabitants sent him back too far, to September, changing his initial waiting time of three weeks to two months. Angry and distraught once again, he is told by an EV Games employee that there is a call for him. He answers and on the line is another future Cartman, pleading with him to not to do what he is thinking (implying he freezes himself once again). Cartman assumes it to be a prank call from Kyle, showing that he learned absolutely nothing during his extensive ordeal in the future and that he's in a continuous time loop he can't escape.
[edit] Cultural references
- The opening narrative and music, as well as much of the rest of the episode, is a direct reference of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, as well as several other films dealing with time travel and the future.
- The three Atheist groups in the future (Allied Atheist Alliance, United Atheist Alliance, Unified Atheist League) are a reference to the Judean socialist resistance groups in Monty Python's Life of Brian (The Judean People's Front, the People's Front of Judea, and the Judean Popular People's Front).
- The Crank Prank Timephone, and the radio interference heard during its use, is a reference to the film Frequency.
- Cartman and K-10 ("Bob")'s entry into the house of the boys with the time phone, is similar to a scene in Terry Gilliam's Brazil, where two mechanics comically try to enter Sam Lowry's house to fix the AC system..
- K-10 is a reference to the robot dog from Doctor Who, K-9. Richard Dawkins' real life wife Lalla Ward played Romana alongside K-9 on Doctor Who.
- The upside-down flying thing was used by George McFly in Back to the Future Pt. 2
- The way Cartman is sent back to present with rings coming down onto him is very much the same as the teleportation device in Stargate.
| Preceded by “Go God Go” |
South Park episodes | Followed by “Stanley's Cup” |
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