The Coon
"The Coon" | |
---|---|
South Park episode | |
Episode no. | Season 13 Episode 2 |
Directed by | Trey Parker |
Written by | Trey Parker |
Production code | 1302 |
Original air date | March 18, 2009 |
"The Coon" is the second episode of the
The episode was written and directed by series co-founder
The episode parodied several dark-toned comic book films that had been recently released at the time, including
Episodes
This episode would eventually lead to the season fourteen three part arc revolving around Coon and Friends.
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
206 | 11 | "Coon 2: Hindsight" | Trey Parker | Trey Parker | October 27, 2010 | 1411 | 2.76 |
207 | 12 | "Mysterion Rises" | Trey Parker | Trey Parker | November 3, 2010 | 1412 | 2.85 |
208 | 13 | "Coon vs. Coon and Friends" | Trey Parker | Trey Parker | November 10, 2010 | 1413 | 2.79 |
There was also another episode in season twenty-one.
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
281 | 4 | "Franchise Prequel" | Trey Parker | Trey Parker | October 11, 2017 | 2104 | 1.12 |
Plot
Donning a disguise modeled after a
Coon decides to rid the town of Mysterion, enlisting the help of Professor Chaos (
Despite the threat of imprisonment, Mysterion unmasks himself, showing the television viewers only the portion of his face that looks similar to almost all of Mr. Garrison's 4th grade class. The crowd, however, is shocked to learn Mysterion's identity and, much to the regret of all except Coon, who says that he knew who Mysterion was, even calling him out on it at one point (though this helps the audience little as Cartman claimed that practically everyone in his class was Mysterion at times), Mysterion is hauled to prison. With Professor Chaos, General Disarray and Mysterion defeated, Cartman now perceives that he is the superhero in South Park and that every town should have a Coon like him.
Production
"The Coon" was written and directed by series co-founder Trey Parker. It first aired on March 18, 2009 in the United States on Comedy Central.[2] Like most South Park episodes, "The Coon" was first conceived by Parker and fellow co-founder Matt Stone within a week of the episode's broadcast date.[3] Kenny, Kyle and Stan were originally planned to be made superheroes as well as Cartman, and for the episode to revolve around a group of superheroes in the style of Watchmen, a graphic-novel-based film that had been released earlier that month. They started working on sketches of the other superhero costumes, but Cartman and his alter-ego, the Coon, were finished first. From the start, Parker and Stone wrote Cartman as caring more about his superhero image than fighting crime, but as they worked further on the episode, it began to take up more and more of the story until they decided to make Cartman the only superhero of the four boys.[4]
Parker and Stone long planned to create an episode about the
Mysterion is just another one of those things, like 'Who is Cartman's dad?' where everybody wants to ask us who is Mysterion. And we don't know.
Trey Parker,
South Park co-creator[4] (statement made prior to season 14)
The identity of Mysterion is never revealed in "The Coon". After the episode aired, the question "Who is Mysterion?" became a frequently asked question at the FAQ for the official South Park website, South Park Studios. The answer posted at that site was that "there is no answer", and that only Trey Parker and Matt Stone actually know.[6] Parker said it was one of the most common questions he was asked about the show, along with the identity of Cartman's father, which was resolved in the fourteenth season episode "201". Parker and Stone originally said there was no actual answer to Mysterion's identity, as they never chose a specific character to be him. In the original ending of the episode, after Mysterion is arrested, Kyle is shown to be in prison and it is believed he is the superhero. However, the real Mysterion visits him, and Kyle explains he pretended to be Mysterion so the real superhero could remain free and continue fighting crime. As a thank you, Mysterion revealed his identity by showing his face, but like in the actual episode, the viewer cannot determine who he is because all the children look alike without hats. The ending was ultimately cut because Parker and Stone decided it took too much time for a simple throwaway gag and to show that Kyle was not Mysterion. The clip is available as a deleted scene in the thirteenth season DVD and Blu-ray sets.[4] The superhero characters from "The Coon" returned in the fourteenth season episodes "Coon 2: Hindsight", "Mysterion Rises" and "Coon vs. Coon and Friends", in which Mysterion is revealed.[7]
Keo Thongkham and Kevin Dalton, who serve as South Park storyboard artists, drew the detailed image of Mysterion that appeared in a news broadcast within the episode.[8] Within a week of the episode's original broadcast, the online retailer Zazzle and South Park Studios, the official South Park website, released T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts based on the episode, including one with an image of Cartman as the Coon, and one of Mysterion with the words, "Who is Mysterion?"[9][10][11]
Cultural references
"The Coon" is primarily a parody of dark-toned comic book films.
Cartman and Mysterion both refer to themselves as "the symbol this town needs", a line from The Dark Knight, and Cartman encourages Butters to film a video threatening to blow up a hospital, the same as the
Cartman's Coonicon 2009 convention is held at the
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "The Coon" was watched by 3.27 million overall households, according to the
The episode received generally positive reviews. Carlos Delgado of iF magazine said, "The mockery of comic book based movies is perfectly done...Though not quite as funny as last week’s 'The Ring', 'The Coon' is right up there as a classic episode, ... A beacon of hope in the sometimes drab world of television,"[19] while at the same time, he believed the episode title, "The Coon" (being a well-known ethnic slur against black people) was a jab intended for Barack Obama, the first African American U.S. President.[19]
Percy Olsen, television editor for Student Life, said "The Coon" was an improvement over "The Ring" because it was less heavy-handed in its morals. Olsen also said it raised the question, "What ever happened to the goofy superhero movies? From Batman to the Hulk, it seems like every comic book hero movie has been given a splotch of mud and some dim lighting before being sent out the door."[20] Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+ grade, although she did not like the "non-reveal" ending. She also said the target material for "The Coon" is too easy, but she said the episode was "really likable" and she particularly liked Cartman's growing frustration when his superhero persona is ignored.[14] Travis Fickett of IGN also said he did not like the ending and, although he liked Butters' part in the episode and the riffing on comic book stereotypes, Fickett felt the episode lacked any "brilliant moments" and "ultimately runs out of steam with the super-hero riff".[21] Mitchell Geller of The Tufts Daily said the episode would be more enjoyable to people familiar with the comic book film franchise it was spoofing than it would be for those who are not, although he said Cartman "never ceases to be funny". Comic book writer and creator of Watchmen, Alan Moore, was reported to have appreciated the episode.[22][17]
Home release
"The Coon", along with the thirteen other episodes from South Park's thirteenth season, were released on a three-disc DVD set and two-disc
"The Coon" was also released as a special "bonus episode", on the season fourteen DVD on April 26, 2011,[1] as well as the two-disc DVD collection A Little Box of Butters.[25]
References
- ^ a b Cabin, Chris (May 9, 2011). "South Park: The Complete Fourteenth Season". Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ "'Who is The Coon?' In an All-New 'South Park' on Wednesday, March 18 at 10:00 pm on Comedy Central(R)". PR Newswire. March 16, 2009. Archived from the original on March 21, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ^ Lewinski, John Scott (March 31, 2009). "Creative Chaos Keeps South Park Timely, Tack-Sharp". Wired. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Parker, Trey (November 2010). South Park: The Complete Thirteenth Season: "The Ring" (Blu-ray Disc). Paramount Home Entertainment. Audio commentary.
- ^ Parker, Trey (November 2010). South Park: The Complete Thirteenth Season: "Margaritaville" (Blu-ray Disc). Paramount Home Entertainment. Audio commentary.
- ^ "FAQ". South Park Studios. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
- ^ O'Neal, Sean (November 4, 2010). "SOUTH PARK: "Mysterion Rises"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ "The Coon Online". South Park Studios. March 18, 2009.
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(help) - ^ "Get South Park Stuff!". South Park Studios. March 20, 2009.
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(help) - ^ "Products: 013 Who's Watching South Park?". Zazzle. March 20, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ^ "Products: 013 Who is Mysterion?". Zazzle. March 20, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ^ a b Marshall, Rick (March 19, 2009). "'South Park' Superhero Parody Spoofs 'Watchmen,' 'The Dark Knight' & Dark Comics Trend". MTV. Archived from the original on March 12, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ a b c Outlaw, Kofi (March 19, 2009). ""South Park" episode parodies Watchmen & The Dark Knight". ScreenRant. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Koski, Genevieve (March 18, 2009). "The Coon". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ a b Stone, Matt (November 2010). South Park: The Complete Thirteenth Season: "The Coon" (Blu-ray Disc). ParamountHome Entertainment. Audio commentary.
- ^ "Darkman (1990)". IMDb.
- ^ a b Geller, Mitchell (March 23, 2009). ""South Park" takes on the Jonas Brothers and costumed superheroes in new season". The Tufts Daily. Medford, Massachusetts. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ Kissell, Rick (March 24, 2009). "Fox leads TV ratings in key demos". Variety. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ a b Delgado, Carlos (March 19, 2009). "TV Review: South Park – Season 13 – "The Coon". If Magazine.
- ^ Olsen, Perry (March 20, 2009). ""South Park" starts 13th season". Student Life. St. Louis, Missouri.
- ^ Fickett, Travis (March 19, 2009). "South Park: "The Coon" Review". IGN. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ "Tripping to ... THE DCnU with ALAN MOORE, Part Three". May 3, 2023.
- ^ Foster, Dave (December 14, 2009). "South Park Season 13 (R1/US BD) in March". DVD Times. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ Liebman, Martin (March 5, 2010). "South Park: The Complete Thirteenth Season Blu-ray Review". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
- ^ Burchby, Casey (September 28, 2010). "South Park: A Little Box of Butters DVD Review". DVDTalk. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
External links
- "The Coon" Full episode at South Park Studios
- "The Coon" at IMDb