Chickenlover

"Chickenlover"

"Chickenlover" is the 16th episode of Comedy Central's animated series South Park. It originally aired on May 20, 1998. In the introduction for the South Park: Volume 8 home video, Trey Parker and Matt Stone explain that the title was originally going to be "Chickenfucker" but was changed due to the use of profanity.

Plot

The episode starts with Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman visiting a book mobile bus. They start to get interested in reading, but after meeting the Book Mobile driver and realizing how weird he is, they give up on reading, except for Cartman who is intrigued by romance novels.

Then, word eventually spreads that a pervert is having sex with chickens in town. When Officer Barbrady starts the investigation, he is confronted with his inability to read (proclaiming "I'm illegitimate"). He resigns in shame and anarchy immediately breaks out. Barbrady is put into the boys' class to learn to read. Meanwhile, the "Chickenfucker" strikes again.

Officer Barbrady's book report on Go, Dog. Go! gets him an A. He then starts to enjoy the school life a little too much. Mayor McDaniels forces him to learn reading more quickly to solve the case. He promotes the four boys to deputies to help him in his task. From then on, Cartman patrols the town on his tricycle, enforcing his own brand of justice and dealing violently with those who fail to respect his "authoritah." Meanwhile, Barbrady puts some clues together by reading some children's books. When he almost gives up, the boys keep up his spirits.

The molester is finally caught in the petting zoo(wearing a mask of Richard Nixon, possibly from the movie Point Break), and turns out to be the Book Mobile driver. He plotted this all along to encourage Barbrady to learn to read. He gives Barbrady a copy of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, and Barbrady tells the children he will "get in the bathtub, and then curl up with a good book", after which the Barnaby Jones theme tune plays as Barbrady gives the children the thumbs up. He remains, seemingly unable to move, in this position as the children walk away. Atlas Shrugged convinces Barbrady that reading "totally sucks ass." In the end, he swears never to read again.

At the end of the episode, the Barnaby Jones theme tune plays again, and still shots of the parade are shown, including Kenny's death.

Kenny's death

During the episode, Kenny is shown in many situations which make it appear like he's dead, but then reveal that he has actually survived (i.e., "cheating death"). For example, during the riots in South Park, a car seems to have crushed him, but then he just emerges from the door of the car unharmed. Every time something similar happens, Stan starts with his catchphrase "Oh my god, they killed...", just to mutter "Oh, never mind." the first two times. The last time Kenny almost died, Stan says "God damn it!". But when Kenny finally dies (from a tree falling on him), neither Stan nor Kyle say their usual catch phrases.

Trivia

• When in class the alphabet reads "dios mio han matado ha (sic) Kenny Bastardos" which is the spanish form for "Oh my God, they killed Kenny. You bastards"

• When Officer Barbrady attempts to read the 'STOP' sign, the letters morph into '멍청이' (Meong-cheong-i), which is Korean for idiot.

External links

• Chickenlover at South Park Studios Episode Guide