Cartman Finds Love
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"Cartman Finds Love" is the seventh episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated sitcom ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
'', and the 230th episode of the series overall. It premiered on
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
on April 25, 2012 and is rated
TV-MA L The TV Parental Guidelines are a television content rating system in the United States that was first proposed on December 19, 1996, by the United States Congress, the television industry and the federal communication commission (FCC), and went ...
and M (ls) in Australia. In the episode, when a new black girl transfers to South Park Elementary,
Cartman Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to by his surname Cartman, is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom ''South Park'', created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. He is voiced by Parker, and is one of the series' four main charact ...
is inspired to play matchmaker by setting her up with Token, the one black boy in class, because Cartman believes "black people belong together."


Plot

When the boys learn that a black girl named Nichole has transferred to the school and joined the cheerleading team,
Cartman Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to by his surname Cartman, is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom ''South Park'', created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. He is voiced by Parker, and is one of the series' four main charact ...
assumes that she will pair up with Token, the only black boy in their school. But when Token demurs at this, Cartman assumes that he is shy and decides to play matchmaker. However, after he overhears her tell the other girls that she has a crush on
Kyle Kyle or Kyles may refer to: Places Canada * Kyle, Saskatchewan, Canada Ireland * Kyle, County Laois * Kyle, County Wexford Scotland * Kyle, Ayrshire, area of Scotland which stretched across parts of modern-day East Ayrshire and South Ayrshir ...
, Cartman tells her that he and Kyle are a gay couple, a lie that spreads to the other girls. He then arranges for Token and Nichole to get locked in the boy's locker room overnight so they can develop a relationship, a ploy that is successful. With the aid of "Cupid Me", an imaginary
Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid (Latin Cupīdō , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, lust, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus (mythology), Venus and the god of war Mar ...
-like version of himself, Cartman continues his efforts to strengthen their relationship by arranging various gifts for the couple that are made to appear to be from each other. Eventually, after developing an attraction to Nichole but realizing the girls' new-found interest in him, Kyle angrily confronts Cartman over his lie. Cartman defends his actions by arguing that Token and Nichole belong together because they are black. Kyle retorts that because Token and Nichole are black does not mean that they belong together, a notion echoed by Nichole's father, William, who is troubled that Nichole is seemingly drawn to the one other black child in town so soon after moving to South Park. Nichole tells him that Token's race is coincidental, as she did not begin a relationship for that reason. She subsequently finds a teddy bear placed on her bed by Cartman, thinking that it is from Token, and after seeing that its dog tag reads "'Cuz Blacks Belong Together", she breaks up with him. Cartman, heartbroken that his match has failed, excoriates Cupid Me, and beats him bloody with a baseball bat. Cartman eventually has a change of heart after watching an ad for
laxatives Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lub ...
, and rejuvenates Cupid Me with his pleas, telling him that they still have work to do. When Cartman learns that Kyle and Nichole have gone to
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to watch an
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game between the
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and the
Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
together, he goes to the
Pepsi Center Ball Arena (formerly known as Pepsi Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado. It is situated at Speer Boulevard, a main thoroughfare in downtown Denver, and is served by two nearby exits off Interstate 25. A light r ...
arena, and makes an impassioned plea on the arena's Jumbotron for couples to recognize the importance of perseverance in their relationships, telling the audience that they should not let society dictate whom they should be with, masking it as a plea to Kyle to not give up on their "relationship". This speech moves Nichole and Token, who are sitting across from one another in the audience. Cartman sabotages Nichole and Kyle's date by singing to him the love song "
I Swear "I Swear" is a song written by Gary Baker and Frank J. Myers that became a hit for American country music artist John Michael Montgomery in 1993, and for American R&B group All-4-One in 1994. Released in November 1993 as the lead single from ...
" with
Brad Paisley Bradley Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album ''Who Needs Pictures'', he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashvil ...
. Kyle angrily leaves, telling Nichole that Cartman is the one who set her up with Token, and that he did so because he thinks black people belong together. After the crowd empties the arena following Cartman's announcement that the
Batmobile The Batmobile is the fictional car driven by the superhero Batman. Housed in the Batcave, which it accesses through a hidden entrance, the Batmobile is both a heavily armored tactical assault vehicle and a personalized custom-built pursuit a ...
is outside, Token and Nichole run into each other. She tells him that she thought he was only with her because she was black, while he says that he would not even talk to her at first because she was black. Realizing they still have feelings for each other, they decide to ignore the expectations of others, and share a loving embrace. Cupid Me then tells the satisfied Cartman that he has found someone for him as well: Stacy Mullenberg, the poster child for
Halitosis Bad breath, also known as halitosis, is a symptom in which a noticeably unpleasant breath odour is present. It can result in anxiety among those affected. It is also associated with depression and symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder. Th ...
Kidz!, an organization dedicated to aiding children with morbidly bad breath. Cartman angrily curses Cupid Me, before a love-induced Stacy begins chasing him around the arena.


Critical reception

Jacob Kleinman of the ''
International Business Times The ''International Business Times'' is an American online news publication that publishes five national editions in four languages. The publication, sometimes called ''IBTimes'' or ''IBT'', offers news, opinion and editorial commentary on busi ...
'' thought the episode was "pretty funny", despite not measuring up to the classic Token episode "
Here Comes the Neighborhood "Here Comes the Neighborhood" is the 12th episode of the fifth season of the animated television series ''South Park'', and the 77th episode of the series overall. "Here Comes the Neighborhood" originally aired in the United States on November 28, ...
". Ryan McGee of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave the episode an " A−", finding it a strong mid-season finale for a first half of a season that was otherwise inconsistent. While less serious than the previous season's mid-season finale "
You're Getting Old "You're Getting Old" is the seventh episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series '' South Park'', and the 216th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on June 8, 2011. In ...
", McGee enjoyed the "sweet, empathetic core" to the episode, and the juxtaposition of Cartman's desire to play matchmaker with the racism that motivated it. McGee also found
Mr. Garrison Herbert Garrison, formerly known as Janet Garrison, Ethan F Garrison, and the President, is a fictional character and occasional antagonist on the American animated television series ''South Park''. The character is voiced by cocreator Trey Pa ...
's ''
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'' lesson "hysterical". Max Nicholson of
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found the episode to be a "classic" episode, and a "comfortable" mid-season finale that Nicholson said harkened back to the series' early seasons, though he felt that it did not ultimately "get off the ground" for him. Nicholson thought that Cartman's machinations, and the way they manifested through Cupid Me, were both entertaining, and represented a fitting way to explore the character's distinctive way of expressing affection. Nicholson thought the scenes with Nichole's parents and at the playground did not work as well, though he appreciated the lack of pop culture references and celebrity parodies.


References


External links


"Cartman Finds Love"
Full episode at South Park Studios. * {{Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets LGBT-related South Park episodes Television episodes about racism South Park (season 16) episodes