Weight Gain 4000
| "Weight Gain 4000" |
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Weight Gain 4000 is the second episode of Comedy Central's animated series South Park. It originally aired on August 27, 1997. Though it was the second episode produced, it is often listed as the third episode, since it did not air until after Volcano.
Plot
Cartman wins the "Save Our Fragile Planet" essay contest, and it is announced that Kathie Lee Gifford will come to South Park to present the award to him. This enrages Wendy, who believes Cartman cheated.
(The chalkboard behind Mr. Garrison in the opening of the episode has writing in Spanish. It says: "Suck my tits", "Don't touch my balls", and "My penis is ugly and dark".)
The town becomes a flurry of excitement as everyone prepares for Gifford's arrival, including Mayor McDaniels, who is organizing a big event to showcase the town, hoping to further her career. Chef, who is to sing at the event, hopes this will enable him to have sex with Gifford.
Meanwhile, the children are asked to be in a play to honor Gifford with Mr. Garrison as the director. However, Mr. Garrison, after being convinced and manipulated by Mr. Hat, plots to kill Gifford for upstaging him and Mr. Hat with a rendition of "If They Could See Me Now" during a national talent show when they were children. Mr. Garrison plots to shoot Gifford from the book depository, a plan that is analogous to Lee Harvey Oswald shooting John F. Kennedy from the Texas School Book Depository.
Mayor McDaniels tells Cartman that he needs to get in shape for Gifford's visit. He sees a commercial for Weight Gain 4000, a bodybuilding supplement. The advertisement refers to a "ninety-pound weakling". Cartman tells his mom to purchases some for him, since he weighs ninety pounds as well. Consequently, he gets explosively fat. While Cartman takes his obesity to the next level, Mr. Garrison visits a gun shop to buy a rifle.
Wendy discovers Mr. Garrison's plan while sifting through the essays in his files to confirm that Cartman cheated. As it turns out, Cartman simply got a copy of Walden by Henry David Thoreau and wrote his name on it. Wendy and Stan try but fail to stop Mr. Garrison from assassinating Kathie Lee Gifford. He misses her and hits Kenny in the head, propelling him through the air where he is impaled on a flagpole. Gifford's bodyguards whisk Gifford away, making Cartman lose his chance to be on television.
The episode ends with Mr. Garrison in a mental hospital (with Mr. Hat in a straitjacket) and Cartman appearing on Geraldo because of his obesity, where he comically states "Follow your dreams. You can reach your goals, I'm living proof...Beefcake, BEEFCAKE!" Also, Chef succeeds in having sex with Gifford.
Kenny's death
Accidentally shot by Mr. Garrison, propelled into the air by the shot and impaled through the head on a flagpole. Later in the episode, he can be seen sliding down to the bottom of the pole, leaving bloodstains. This is often considered Kenny's most famous death ever, and was reused in "The Biggest Douche in the Universe," a Season 6 episode, with Rob Schneider (who had Kenny's soul trapped in him) as the victim.
References to pop culture
- Mr. Garrison, watching himself in the mirror with a gun and saying "You talkin' to me?", is a parody of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver doing the same thing.
- Kathie Lee Gifford singing "If They Could See Me Now" is a parody of her singing the same song in real life in Carnival Cruise Lines commercials from 1992 to 1995.
- The essay Cartman sent in was just Walden with Henry David Thoreau's name crossed out.
- When Mr. Garrison is about to shoot Kathy Lee, he tells Wendy "It is too late for me, young Wendy". This is a nod to Return of the Jedi, when Darth Vader says this to Luke Skywalker.
- Mr. Hat's eyes glowing red and his head spinning a complete 360 is a reference to The Exorcist
- Mr. Hat's line "I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids," is a reference to Scooby Doo
- Mr. Garrison's scene where he ascends the tower and the entire following scene is very similar to the shootings committed by Charles Whitman in 1966.
- Mr. Garrison shoots from a window in the book depository just as Lee Harvey Oswald did when he shot Kennedy