"HumancentiPad", stylized as "HUMANCENTiPAD", is the first episode of the
fifteenth season of the American animated television series ''
South Park'', and the 210th episode of the series overall. It originally aired 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 programmin ...
in the United States on April 27, 2011. In the episode,
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 ...
is kidnapped after agreeing to an iTunes user agreement, and forced to become part of a "revolutionary new product" that is about to be launched by
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
. Meanwhile,
Cartman, who has not acquired an Apple
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating ...
, pesters his mother on the issue, drawing her ire.
The episode was written and directed by series co-creator
Trey Parker
Randolph Severn "Trey" Parker III (born October 19, 1969) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, and composer. He is known for co-creating ''South Park'' (since 1997) and '' The Book of Mormon'' (2011) with his creative partner Matt Stone. ...
, and was rated
TV-MA-L in the United States. The episode's title, and main plot, refers to the 2009 film ''
The Human Centipede (First Sequence)''. This episode parodies reports about tracking software built into Apple's
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating ...
s and
iPhones, and also the tediously long
end-user license agreements.
The making of the episode was the subject of the TV special, ''
6 Days to Air'', which aired on Comedy Central on October 9, 2011.
Plot
After
Eric Cartman boasts to his classmates of owning an
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating ...
and mocks them for not having one, he is humiliated when it is revealed that he actually does not own one. When he and his mother
Liane go to
Best Buy to buy an iPad, the item's exorbitant price prompts her to suggest buying a less expensive
Toshiba
, commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, ...
HandiBook. The demanding Cartman, who had his mind set on the iPad as a status symbol, loudly excoriates her in the middle of the store, accusing her of "fucking" him. The embarrassed Liane decides to leave the store and grounds Eric without buying him anything.
Meanwhile, Cartman's classmate and frequent nemesis
Kyle Broflovski
Kyle Matthew Broflovski is a fictional character in the adult animated television series ''South Park''. He is voiced by and loosely based on co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the series' four central characters, along with his friends Stan ...
, who did not read the Terms and Conditions when agreeing to download the latest
iTunes update, is pursued by shadowy agents from
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company ...
, who wish to perform several intrusive acts upon him, informing him that he agreed to them when he downloaded the update. Kyle attempts to flee the men and is incredulous when his friends tell him they all read the entire Terms and Conditions when they downloaded the latest update. Kyle seeks refuge at his father
Gerald
Gerald is a male Germanic given name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Variants include the English given name Jerrold, the feminine nickname Jeri and the Welsh language Gerallt and Iris ...
's
law office
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...
. Still, the Apple agents taser Gerald, kidnap Kyle, and throw him in a cage with a
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
man and a young woman who also failed to read the fine print of their purchased updates.
At a
Stevenote
Stevenote is a colloquial term for keynote speeches given by Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple, at events such as the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, Macworld Expo, and Apple Expo. Because most Apple product releases were first shown to th ...
address,
Steve Jobs unveils the new product for which Kyle and the other two were kidnapped: the HUMANCENTiPAD, comprising the three kidnapped subjects on all fours and sewn together mouth to anus. The Japanese man is in front, with an iPhone attached to his forehead; Kyle is in the middle; and the woman is at the rear, with an iPad attached to her anus. However, Jobs is disappointed when Kyle continues to sign agreements that are put in front of him without reading them first and puts the "device" through tests in an attempt to make it read.
Meanwhile, Cartman appears on the talk show ''
Dr. Phil'' to publicly accuse Liane of "fucking" him. The audience misunderstands this to mean that she has
sexually molested
Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...
him. Cartman is given the first-ever HUMANCENTiPAD as Jobs unveils it to the public as a consolation gift. Cartman is elated to have a device that not only supports
web browsing
Web navigation refers to the process of navigating a Computer network, network of web resource, information resources in the International World Wide Web Conference, World Wide Web, which is organized as hypertext or hypermedia. The user interface ...
and
email
Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" mean ...
but also enables him to induce someone to
defecate
Defecation (or defaecation) follows digestion, and is a necessary process by which organisms eliminate a solid, semisolid, or liquid waste material known as feces from the digestive tract via the anus. The act has a variety of names ranging fro ...
into Kyle's mouth.
Seeking to free his son, Gerald goes with Kyle's friends to an
Apple Store
The Apple Store is a chain of retail stores owned and operated by Apple Inc. The stores sell various Apple products, including Mac personal computers, iPhone smartphones, iPad tablet computers, Apple Watch smartwatches, Apple TV digital me ...
, where the customer service agents known as "
the Geniuses," after considerable deliberations, determine that they can void Kyle's agreement if Gerald, a PC user, signs up with Apple and creates a family account. Gerald consents, after which he, the Geniuses, and Kyle's friends go to the studio where ''Dr. Phil'' is produced. Jobs, complying with Gerald's new deal, reluctantly makes preparations to have Kyle separated from his two fellow victims. This enrages Cartman, whose dream is now being quashed. Cartman looks up to the heavens and angrily excoriates
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
, after which he is struck by a bolt of
lightning
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...
. He is then shown recuperating in a
hospital bed
A hospital bed or hospital cot is a bed specially designed for hospitalized patients or others in need of some form of health care. These beds have special features both for the comfort and well-being of the patient and for the convenience of he ...
, crying while his mother flips through a book indifferently.
Reception
In its original American broadcast on April 27, 2011, "HUMANCENTiPAD" was watched by 3.108 million viewers, according to
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
.
Reviewing the episode for ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'', Ken Tucker called the episode "scabrously funny" and summed up its message as "
owledge really matters; many people are lazy and consequently become prey to exploitation".
[ Ramsey Iser of ]IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
rated the episode 7.5 out of 10. He said the episode was "a decent opening" for the season, but criticized it for overuse of Cartman's accusations against his mother, generic jokes about Apple's "Geniuses
Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...
", and "poop jokes ... hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
didn't do much for the story or the comedy".[
]
References
External links
"HUMANCENTiPAD"
Full episode at South Park Studios
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Humancentipad
South Park (season 15) episodes
Criticisms of companies
Works about Apple Inc.
Cultural depictions of Steve Jobs
Parodies of horror
Television episodes about child abduction
iPad
sv:HumancentiPad