Trapped in the Closet (South Park)

"Trapped in the Closet" is episode 912 (#137) of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired on November 16, 2005.

The episode was nominated on July 6, 2006, for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour), the show's sixth nomination (one of which they won, for 2005's "Best Friends Forever"). It made #10 on Comedy Central's list of "10 South Parks That Changed The World" as well.

The episode, however, caused controversy among Scientologists because it parodies Scientology and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard. The episode also parodies several celebrities, such as Tom Cruise, John Travolta and R. Kelly.

Isaac Hayes, who had voiced Chef, quit the show in March 2006, shortly before the start of the tenth season of South Park. The reason for his depature, as reported by Matt Stone, was due to his faith in Scientology and this episode, which he felt was very offensive.

Plot synopsis

Template:Spoilers The episode begins with Stan walking on the street along with Kyle, Cartman and Kenny. Stan is saving his money for a bike, so he can't join them when they go off to play laser tag. Opting for something that is "fun and free," Stan separates from the group and takes a personality test that is being offered by the Scientologists on the street. After answering a long questionnaire^[I], Stan is informed that he is "one messed up kid" who is "completely miserable and totally depressed". Fortunately, this makes him a perfect candidate for Scientology—they offer to help him out for $240. Back at home, Stan asks his parents for the money to help him with his depression. His father suggests that he use the money he has been saving for a new bike. After he pays, Stan is taken into an auditing room with Michelle, who gives him a brief history of Scientology and reads his "thetan levels" using a device called an "E-meter." Michelle is shocked by the high reading, and tries several different meters before pointing these readings out to a higher-up, who faxes the results to the Scientology headquarters in Los Angeles. There, Scientology’s president reviews the results and determines that, because his reading is so high, Stan must be a reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology’s founder and prophet.

File:South Park Tom Cruise.jpg

Tom Cruise in Stan's bedroom.

Back in South Park, Stan is taking out the garbage when he notices a large group of people outside. A large group of Scientologists, including John Travolta (complete with his Welcome Back Kotter accent), have gathered there to celebrate Stan's "second coming." The President of Scientology arrives in a helicopter and goes inside to talk with Stan’s parents. Stan's parents oppose his being in the group, but the president informs Randy and Sharon Marsh that "We're not asking him to join us; we're asking him to lead us." Randy sends his son Stan, confused and exhausted, to his room where he finds Tom Cruise waiting for him. Cruise, thinking Stan is genuinely Hubbard's reincarnation, asks his prophet whether he enjoyed his acting and what film he liked best. When Stan tells Cruise that his acting is not as good as Leonardo DiCaprio, Gene Hackman or "that guy" from Napoleon Dynamite," but that he is "okay," Tom yells in agony, runs, and locks himself into Stan's bedroom closet, believing he is "a failure in the eyes of the prophet"^[II][III].

File:South Park R. Kelly.jpg

R. Kelly next to the closet.

Stan calls for his father’s help, and Randy knocks on the door and says, "Mr. Cruise, you can't just stay in the closet, all right; you need to come out." Four hours later, Tom is still in the closet and a large crowd has gathered, with the South Park police chief on a megaphone urging him to "come out of the closet." R. Kelly is on the scene and sings a brief song about Tom Cruise being in the closet, that nobody knows why, and then pulls out his gun and threatens to shoot someone if he is not informed of why Tom Cruise is in the closet^[IV].

Xenu, as seen in the episode. Note the caption.

Downstairs, the Scientology president tries to convince Stan’s parents to let their son join them. They want to reveal the great secret of life behind their church to Stan. Randy asks his son if he would like to know this information and Stan responds with a "sure." Usually it takes several years before a member can hear this information, but Stan is on the fast track. The president tells him a condensed version of the story of Xenu; this segment is based directly on the actual Scientology OT III document and is accompanied by an onscreen caption reading, "THIS IS WHAT SCIENTOLOGISTS ACTUALLY BELIEVE"^[V][VI]. After explaining these beliefs, he tells Stan to continue writing where "L. Ron" left off. Meanwhile, upstairs, Nicole Kidman is trying to get Tom to "come out of the closet," but Tom repeatedly denies that he is in the closet.

Stan begins writing and, when Kyle, Cartman and Kenny come over to invite him to the movies, he doesn’t have time for them. Kyle is concerned about the "cult" that Stan has joined, but Stan assures him that Scientology is based on fact. If they can’t accept that he has found meaning (instead of the depression he didn’t know he had) then they are no longer friends. John Travolta also tries to get Tom to "come out of the closet," but instead he finds himself joining him. Out on the street, R. Kelly sings a short song about this latest development, then again pulls out his gun, this time grabbing a hostage, and threatens to "cap this bitch."

Stan shows his writings to the Scientology president, who approves of most of his work, but, when Stan says that "to really be a church, [they] can't charge money to help," the president reveals to Stan that the church is a money-making scam.

Upstairs, R. Kelly has now been brought in to try to get both Tom and John to "come out of the closet." R. Kelly gets angry, pulls out his gun, and, when the closet door opens, finds himself going inside. Outside, the president introduces Stan to his followers, to whom he will read his new doctrine. However, instead of presenting it to them, Stan reveals that he is actually not the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard, and that "Scientology is just a big fat global scam." His followers grow angry, and threaten to sue him. Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and R. Kelly leave his closet and appear, threatening to sue him, except for R. Kelly, who seems to be pouting and rubbing his arm and he flees instead of joining the others in angrily threatening to sue. Stan dares them to do so, and the episode ends with the credits listing only "John Smith" and "Jane Smith", a reference to the Church of Scientology's reputation for litigiousness.

Controversy

Scientology

Template:ScientologySeries The episode sparked controversy when and after it was aired. In fact, the episode's credits list each contributor's name as "John Smith" or "Jane Smith", a reference to the possibility of lawsuits from the Church of Scientology.

The criticisms of Scientology were partially inspired when the show's creators heard from Penn Jillette that he was originally planning to do an episode of Bullshit! based on Scientology, but was prevented from doing so by Showtime executives to avoid the possibility of legal action from the church itself.

Isaac Hayes' departure

On March 13, 2006, Isaac Hayes (who provided Chef's voice) announced that he was quitting the show because of the series' treatment of religion, though he didn't specifically mention Scientology in his statement. There is speculation that Scientology leaders pressured Hayes to quit. In an interview for The A.V. Club on January 4, 2006, Hayes was asked about the episode. Hayes said that he told Parker and Stone, "Guys, you have it all wrong. We're not like that. I know that's your thing, but get your information correct, because somebody might believe that shit, you know? But I understand what they're doing. I told them to take a couple of Scientology courses, and understand what we do. [Laughs]"

Stone responded to Hayes' departure in an interview with The Associated Press saying, "This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology... He has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians...He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and, to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin." However, recent reports say that Hayes was in no condition to stay, because of a stroke he suffered in January. According to a Fox News article, Hayes' agent Christina Kimball, herself a devout Scientologist, as the source of the statements that Hayes had quit South Park.

Trey Parker stated that what had previously kept the show's creators from making fun of Scientology on South Park was Hayes' belief of Scientology.

Rebroadcasts of the episode

This episode was scheduled to rebroadcast on March 22, 2006 on Comedy Central, but that airing was cancelled without prior notice. It was replaced with Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls. Representatives of Comedy Central insist that the episode was changed as a tribute to Isaac Hayes. While the "South Park" creators didn't directly comment on Comedy Central's decision to pull the episode, they issued an unusual statement to Daily Variety on March 17, 2006 indicating the battle is not over:

"So, Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun! Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies. Curses and drat! You have obstructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail! Hail Xenu!!!"

The duo signed the statement "Trey Parker and Matt Stone, servants of the dark lord Xenu."

Tom Cruise has denied being involved in stopping the rebroadcast of the episode: "First of all, could you ever imagine sitting down with anyone? I would never sit down with someone and question them on their beliefs. Here's the thing. I'm really not even going to dignify this. I honestly didn't really even know about it. I'm working, making my movie, I've got my family. I'm busy. I don't spend my days going, 'What are people saying about me?'"

Nevertheless, on July 19, 2006 Comedy Central did air a rerun of the episode at 10:00 Pacific Time and did so again on July 23, 2006 at 11:00pm Eastern Time and on September 24 at 10:00 PM Eastern time.

The episode did not broadcast in the UK Paramount Comedy 1 as planned, although every other episode of the season has been. It has been reported that the channel decided not to air it because of concerns that Cruise will file a lawsuit against the channel.

In Canada, the episode continues to air on The Comedy Network. No word has been given to the media on how/if any of Bell Globemedia's other outlets will be affected.

"C'mon Jews, show them who really runs Hollywood" - Comedy Central advertisement, Variety, August 1, 2006

New Zealand television network C4 aired the Trapped in the Closet on May 3, 2006. There was speculation that New Zealanders may not see it at all as the Bloody Mary episode had already aired much earlier in the year despite the fact that it was actually placed two episodes after Trapped in the Closet.

On August 1, 2006, Comedy Central placed an advertisement in Variety showing the South Park stars against a background of "L. Ron Hubbard's Scientology Celebrity Center", with the headline: "C'mon Jews, show them who really runs Hollywood." The advertisement congratulates South Park on gaining an Emmy nomination for "Trapped in the Closet" and satirises the still-disputed issue of whether Tom Cruise used his influence to pull the episode's rerun in March. As Comedy Central put it, "It's a little bit of an inside joke at our expense for pulling the Scientology episode."

On August 3, 2006, Comedy Central announced the release of DVD titled "South Park the Hits: Volume 1", which includes the episode. The DVD was released on October 3, 2006.

Notes

I^ : The questionnaire was based on the actual OCA personality test that Scientology uses.

II^ : Tom Cruise locking himself in a closet is a reference to rumors of Cruise's sexuality, as being "in the closet" is a slang description for homosexuals who keep their orientation a secret and those who announce their orientation are said to be "out of the closet" (or simply "out"). Rumors of Cruise being gay have swirled for decades, and Cruise has filed several lawsuits over such allegations.

III^ : This scene was referenced in the South Park segment of the opening of the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards on August 27, 2006, in which Conan O' Brien is trying to get to the show, but at some point, he ends up in the South Park universe. Stan starts yelling at him when he runs into the closet. When Conan exits the closet he says, "There's someone else in there" and leaves the door open. Tom Cruise pops out and closes the door.

IV^ : This reference does seem to poke some fun at his rap opera (of the same name), his singing narration, and repeatedly brandishing a semi-automatic pistol.

V^ : In the actual story of Xenu as written by L. Ron Hubbard, the alien beings are chained to the base of the volcanoes, and then blown up with hydrogen bombs. The H-bombs are omitted in the South Park episode, which shows the aliens being dropped directly into the volcanoes and then perishing in the lava within.

VI^ : While Scientology and Star Wars both have their roots a long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away, this episode draws a particular parallel between the two. When it is concluded from Stan's unusually high "thetan" levels that he must be the reincarnation of Hubbard, a parallel may be drawn to Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. In The Phantom Menace, it is concluded from Anakin Skywalker's unusually high midi-chlorian levels that he must be the one to fulfill a Jedi prophecy and bring balance to the Force. A Star Wars parallel is also made in "The Return of Chef", the episode that wrote out Scientologist cast member Isaac Hayes; after being "brainwashed" by the Super Adventure Club, a thinly veiled send-up of Scientology, Hayes' character Chef dies and is brought back as Darth Chef.

External links

• Transcript from 'Trapped in the Closet'
• Scientologist soul singer Isaac Hayes (Chef) quits 'South Park'
• ChefGate - The official on-line petition to bring back this episode