Funnybot

"Funnybot"

"Funnybot" is the second episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 211th episode of the series overall. "Funnybot" premiered in the United States on Comedy Central on May 4, 2011. It was rated TV-MA.

The episode parodies Comedy Central's 2011 Comedy Awards in response to South Park winning Best Animated Series, as well as African-American comedian Tyler Perry, and various depictions of robots in science fiction, such as a Dalek from "Doctor Who".

Plot

The South Park Special Ed department hosts its first annual comedy awards show. The show appears to be a direct send-up of The Comedy Awards aired on Comedy Central. Among the awards given are the award for Most Unfunny People, which goes to the Germans, and the Kathy Griffin Award, given for the celebrity most likely to show up and receive it, which goes to Tyler Perry. The only person to laugh at Tyler Perry is Token Black, who appears upset with himself after realizing that no one else finds Tyler Perry funny.

When the news reaches the Germans, they are irate. The next day, they attack South Park Elementary and take the students hostage. The Germans unveil a robot called Funnybot in an attempt to show the students that Germans are funny. Funnybot (who has an appearance similar to a Dalek from Doctor Who) tells jokes in a robotic tone, punctuated by the punch line "Awkward!"

Funnybot surprisingly takes the comedy world by storm, becoming ubiquitous in all kinds of media. This distresses a number of human comedians, such as Jay Leno and Adam Sandler, who fear for their livelihoods. The comedians decide to storm South Park Elementary, demanding that the students stop Funnybot. The boys, with the addition of Jimmy, take up the task, but it is complicated by Funnybot's increasingly sinister behavior. During a stand-up performance, Funnybot reveals that his body houses two rotary cannons, very much like those seen on the ED-209 from RoboCop, which he then proceeds to fire into the audience, killing scores of people.

The boys manage to gain access to Funnybot, only to discover that he plans to destroy the world as the ultimate joke. Funnybot connects to the defense mainframes (in a manner similar to that of R2D2 from Star Wars) of both Russia and the United States, arming the nuclear missiles of both countries. The boys are unable to disconnect Funnybot due to a defensive field surrounding him. However, Kyle remembers that robots can be confused by a logical paradox. Jimmy asks Funnybot how there can be a comedy awards show, because if one accepts an award for being funny, it means they are taking themselves and comedy seriously, which is not funny. Funnybot is confounded by this paradox, his defenses are disabled, and the boys manage to disconnect him.

The scene then cuts away to a junkyard where the Germans, the boys, the comedians, and President Barack Obama overlook a massive hole. The boys push a wooden crate onto a platform where it is encased inside three massive metallic shells, and is dropped into the large hole, which is filled with concrete. Funnybot then appears, stating that he now knows that comedy is meant to be performed by humans. A noise is heard from the concrete-filled hole, and it is revealed to be Tyler Perry, buried in the ground.

Production

South Park co-creator Trey Parker wrote and directed "Funnybot"

"Funnybot" was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. It was rated TV-MA upon its initial airing in the United States. "Funnybot" originally aired in the United States on Comedy Central on May 4, 2011.

Cultural references

The episode depicts the enraged Germans as speaking a mixture of real German and caricatured German gibberish. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is lampooned, being portrayed as having an impossibly deep voice. Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble is depicted standing in the background, although in reality he is wheelchair-bound. The other three politicians appear to be President Christian Wulff, who does most of the talking, Labour and Social Affairs Minister Ursula von der Leyen, and Chief of Staff Ronald Pofalla.

A variety of references are made to the death of Osama bin Laden, which occurred three days prior to the airing of the episode. President Barack Obama is shown giving a speech addressing Funnybot's attempt to destroy humanity in the same location in which he gave his address concerning bin Laden, and much of the speech in the episode is lifted word-for-word from the real address. Bin Laden is further referenced at the conclusion of the episode, where President Obama states "I am pleased to announce the greatest threat to mankind is gone forever." The "greatest threat" that Obama is referencing is Tyler Perry, who was buried alive.

Tyler Perry is portrayed in the episode constantly spouting off one-liners in his Madea character to the puzzled South Park students and faculty. African-American student Token Black is the only character who laughs at Perry's jokes, and appears upset and uncomfortable with the fact that he cannot help laughing and subsequently giving Perry money. The episode references the criticism of Perry's African-American-oriented programming, specifically the ways in which he exploits negative African-American stereotypes for his own financial benefit.

The Funnybot also appears to be created, in speech and appearance, similar to the Daleks of the long running British science fiction television show Doctor Who. Instead of the classic Dalek catchphrase "exterminate!", Funnybot instead says "awkward!"

When the boys attempt to stop Funnybot at the television studio, a poster titled "One And A Half Men" can be seen in the hallway, mocking Charlie Sheen's departure from the show.

Reception

Ratings

In its original American broadcast on May 5, 2011, "Funnybot" was seen by 2.591 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. It finished third in overall viewers, yet tied for first with a 1.8 rating in the critical 18-49 age demographic. This represents an audience drop of roughly 17% from the season fifteen premiere "HUMANCENTiPAD", which drew 3.108 million viewers, and compares negatively to the second episode of season fourteen, "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs", which drew 3.24 million viewers.

Reviews

The episode received a mixed to negative reaction from critics. IGN gave the episode a negative 6.5/10 rating, stating "this episode could really be summed up in three words: not very good." TV Fanatic, while praising the ability of the show to stay with current events, awarded the episode a mixed review of 3.5 out of 5, noting "it wasn't the strongest episode of (sic) the show's history." While praising the episode's central concept, Assignment X nevertheless concluded that Funnybot had "a good idea that strangely doesn’t deliver on the funny." Positive reviews focused mainly on the show's ability to quickly incorporate current events into its episodes. Entertainment Weekly noted "One of the most fun parts about watching South Park is slowly piecing together its seemingly inane and ridiculous plot points and realizing that its creators are actually delivering a well-thought-out and relevant statement." The Wall Street Journal echoed this sentiment, claiming the episode was "an impressive example of speedily manufactured humor." Those people with an actual sense of humor thought that it was the funniest thing they had seen in a very long time.

External links

• "Funnybot" Episode guide at South Park Studios
• "Funnybot" Full episode at South Park Studios
• "Funnybot" at IMDb
• Template:TV.com episode