Top 20 Darkest South Park Moments
#20: Garrison’s Way Too Detailed Surgery
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Season 9 of South Park begins with the boys’ teacher undergoing gender-affirming surgery. As it’s happening, we’re given explicit and overly precise details by the doctor as to what is taking place. We’re also shown graphic stock footage so we can see exactly what’s going on. Showing gender affirming surgery on TV in 2005 was forward-thinking and, in theory, progressive. But the way it’s presented here is undeniably dark and difficult to watch, because it’s unlikely anyone who tuned into this cartoon expected to be confronted with vivid, live-action surgical videos.
#19: Superman’s New Infatuation
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Best known for playing Superman, actor Christopher Reeve was an inspiration to many for the strength he demonstrated after enduring an accident that left him with paralysis. So, of course, South Park decided to spin that in the worst possible way. IRL, Reeve campaigened actively for an increase to the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. On South Park, this somehow translated to him being obsessed with draining fetuses and essentially turning into a power-hungry supervillain. To say this is a gross misunderstanding of the science on top of being offensive is an understatement, so it definitely left a bad taste in the mouth of anyone who had looked up to the actor.
#18: “Athletic” Babies
Basically the entire premise of this episode is dark. It centers on Cartman and the boys taking advantage of innocents with drug issues. However, perhaps one of the darkest moments is when Kyle ultimately decides to join Cartman’s scheme. Worse yet, he originally intended to help the victims after seeing an extremely sad commercial. It’s tough to pick the absolutely darkest part though, whether it’s Kyle’c involvement, just witnessing what’s happening at all, anytime the characters try to justify their actions… take your pick.
#17: HumancentiPad
This might be one of the most disturbing and shocking predicaments Kyle finds himself in during the entire series. And all because he didn’t read a user agreement. It’s not long before Kyle unwillingly takes in a dark experiment reminiscent of the one shown in the notorious film, “The Human Centipede”. The only thing perhaps more disturbing than the experiment itself is the fact that all Steve Jobs seems to be concerned about is whether the device can read or not. Oh, wait, no - we’ll give that honor to Cartman’s pure joy at using the configuration.
#16: Steve Irwin
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At his Halloween party, Satan confronts someone for wearing a Steve Irwin costume, since it’s making some of the other guests uncomfortable. But the man reveals himself to actually be Steve Irwin. Of course, that means he’s not wearing a costume at all, so Satan promptly kicks him out. This brief exchange was seen as problematic for many reasons, from the way the character is depicted to the fact that he’s in hell at all to the fact that it aired less than two months after the Crocodile Hunter was killed. The most ironic thing about this joke is that, apparently, there is a line that you shouldn’t cross - even for Satan and the denizens of Hell. But there are no lines for South Park.
#15: The Weapon Mishap
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At the park county fair, the boys con a vendor and get themselves some weapons to play ninja. What could possibly go wrong? Well, this. Butters essentially loses his eye and the boys are left to figure out how to deal with it. And naturally, they don’t fare too well. Poor Butters, who’s barely even conscious, is forced to pretend that he’s a dog. But the people of South Park don’t seem to be concerned with that either, instead focusing on Cartman’s “wardrobe malfunction”...if you can even call it that.
#14: Cartman Takes Mel Gibson Fandom Too Far
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For whatever reason, Cartman loved “The Passion of the Christ”. How much did he love the film, you might ask? So much that he created a Mel Gibson fan club. Oh…kay, that’s a choice. Oh, but it gets worse: wait until you see what he’s wearing and get a good sense of what his intentions with this club truly are. Worst of all, the clueless members who join the group are oblivious to what he is trying to do and simply follow along. And if that wasn’t bad enough, they never actually realize what they’re doing, as they only decide to leave the club after seeing how bonkers Mel Gibson is in person.
#13: Garrison & Garrison’s Father
In "World Wide Recorder Concert," Garrison is shown to have a complicated relationship with Garrison Senior. Based on how Garrison behaves, viewers are led to believe Garrison Senior did some pretty messed up things to psychologically scar the teacher as a child. But that is not at all the case. In fact, it’s actually quite the opposite. In a shocking twist, the issue with Garrison’s father stems from the fact that he never actually did anything to Garrison in the first place, and this results in Garrison believing that Garrison Senior had no love for his child. Thus, the episode sees Garrison pressuring Garrison Senior into assault to prove his love. We can only gasp at this strange twist of reverse psychology.
#12: Indiana Jones
When Stan and Kyle mention that one of their friends was assaulted, audiences knew that “South Park” was about to cross the line like never before. Of course, nobody could’ve predicted that the friend in question was Indiana Jones, who was forced to suffer at the hands of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas on multiple occasions throughout the episode - with each instance being more graphic than the last. While there is some pretty clever satire here, this incredibly dark imagery had a lot of people feeling grossed out, disturbed, and uncertain if they should be laughing or in shock. Was “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” really that bad?
#11: Cartman Finds Out Who His Father Is
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“South Park” used to have a recurring joke that Cartman did not know who his father was or that he simply didn’t have one. The show even had a two-parter that teased the idea of revealing who this person really was, only to just not do it (much to the anger of South Park fans). However, the idea of discovering who that person is was revisited in the episodes “200” and “201”. But, much to his dismay, Cartman learns from his former rival, Scott Tenorman, that they are half-brothers and share the same father. Longtime fans know what this means… but just when you think things couldn’t get any more dark, they do - when you see Cartman’s reaction afterwards.
#10: Stan Sees the World as Feces
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Leave it to Trey Parker and Matt Stone to create a depressingly realistic portrayal of divorce and then fill the screen with literal crap. "You're Getting Old" is all about the inevitability of change, primarily expressed through Stan's parents admitting that they are unhappy and filing for divorce. Sound-tracked by Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide," the final montage sees Stan solemnly going through the motions while trying to come to terms with Sharon and Randy's separation. Also, the boy turns to alcohol to deal with the situation. In its own slightly juvenile way, "South Park" cuts through the nonsense and captures the raw emotion of such a situation.
#9: ManBearPig Goes on a Spree
On the surface, a grotesque monster fond of murdering people is already rather gruesome; however, the real-life context behind ManBearPig's rampage is the real kicker. An obvious stand-in for climate change, ManBearPig is originally introduced as a figment of Al Gore's imagination. Jump forward more than a decade and climate change can no longer be dismissed as the ravings of a mad man. Basically, serving as an apology, "South Park" sets the real ManBearPig loose on the unprepared public, who prefer to play "Red Dead Redemption 2" while passing the monster-shaped buck on to the next generation.
#8: Kenny, Kevin & Karen’s Parents Go to Jail
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"South Park" rarely hesitates to tackle sensitive topics in the name of comedy. "The Poor Kid" episode launches with Kenny's parents being hauled off to jail for selling meth and the kids being shipped off to an awful foster home. To make matters worse but also funnier, the whole ordeal is filmed for a reality show called "White Trash in Trouble," so Kenny's misfortune becomes a source of entertainment. Besides making a few timely and risky references to the Penn State Scandal, "The Poor Kid" also has Cartman going to the absolute limits to try and avoid the stigma of being labeled as "poor."
#7: Woodland Critter Christmas
Christmas is the season of rejoicing, reflection, stockings, and – in the case of "South Park" - satanic rituals intended to summon the Anti-Christ and any food eaten over the last 24 hours. Stan is bamboozled into assisting a group of woodland creatures who are preparing for the coming of the animal kingdom's supposed savior, a process involving sacrificing and eating a rabbit. While nothing screams "happy holidays" like cute animals gorging on even cuter animals, "South Park" goes the extra mile by throwing in a blood feast. We imagine the woodland custom falls on the thirteenth day of Christmas.
#6: The Priest Clean-up Crew
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"South Park" is not afraid to put religious institutions to the sword and few jabs are as direct as the Catholic Clean-up Crew. After Butters and Father Maxi disappear, a group of priests is sent to expunge all evidence of any wrongdoing by the church's representative. In order to catch the seemingly criminal rogue Father Maxi, the Clean-up Crew set a trap by kidnapping a few victims to use as bait. "South Park" effectively satirizes such a dark and hushed subject by presenting the priests as gangsters and utterly eliminating any subtlety.
#5: Butters’ Home Life
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With people like Randy Marsh, Garrison, and Eric Cartman on the show, the innocent Butters presents a welcome break from all the rampant cynicism. Or, that used to be the case, before Season 5's finale decided to focus exclusively on Butters' tragic home life. Along with refusing to believe Butters could ever be picked on, Stephen and Linda Stotch welcome any reason to punish or mistreat the naive boy. The torment extends beyond Butters' parents, as the kid's grandmother is also the worst. Choosing just one dark moment is near impossible, but that time Linda tries to drown Butters has to rank quite high. There is no room for innocence in "South Park."
#4: The School Violence Phenomenon
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Gee, who could have predicted an episode called "Dead Kids" would contain a dark moment or two? When South Park Elementary becomes the scene of multiple incidents of violence, the town's adults, teachers, and students treat the problem as a minor inconvenience rather than anything meriting a proper discussion. As the only one truly troubled by what’s happened, Stan's mother – Sharon – is ostracized, mocked, and eventually broken by the town. Any premise involving this kind of violence is destined to be dark, but "Dead Kids" is totally devoid of any optimism that a solution may be found in the future.
#3: Britney Spears
Considering "South Park" frequently injects religious figures into episodes, it is safe to assume celebrities are unlikely to be handled with kid gloves. The cartoon outing Bono as a sentient piece of feces is all in good fun (we guess), but a disturbed Britney Spears pulling the trigger of a gun is considerably darker. Despite being short half a skull, Britney continues to fulfill her duty as the Pop Princess. Released just two months following Britney's heavily publicized breakdown, "South Park's" episode presents the press as vultures feasting off the celebrity's fragile mental state.
#2: Chef’s Brainwashing & Death
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Driven by anger and grief, "The Return of Chef" was "South Park's" response to Isaac Hayes’ “Scientology entourage” reportedly making a statement on his behalf requesting he be released from the show after the cartoon openly mocked Scientology. In this episode, Chef joins the Super Adventure Club, an organization of traveling criminals who utilize brainwashing techniques to convince new members to fall in line. The boys try in vain to save Chef, but the club's conditioning is too deeply ingrained to break. With all hope lost, "South Park" violently kills Chef in a scene that feels defeatist rather than cathartic. Without context, this moment features a beloved character being vividly killed. With that context, "The Return of Chef" is heartbreaking.
#1: Scott Tenorman’s Special Chili
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Frankly, Cartman could easily have dominated this entire list. That being said, Eric's crowning acts of evilness puts to shame all of the character's other vile acts. After being played and humiliated by Scott Tenorman, Cartman decides revenge is a dish best served with a side of cannibalism. During a cook-off between the two, Cartman serves Scott a bowl of chili made out of the unsuspecting boy's own parents. This is not some mean-spirited joke: Cartman genuinely resorts to murder and cannibalism as revenge for being conned out of less than $20. Eric is an unapologetic psychotic monster who - somehow - is rarely not hilarious.
