The Jeffersons (South Park)

"The Jeffersons (South Park)"

"The Jeffersons" is episode 117 of the Comedy Central animated series South Park. It was originally broadcast on April 21, 2004.

Plot

Mr. Jefferson and his son move into the Donovans' old residence.

When the boys go to visit their new neighbor, they meet a kid named Blanket who always wears a mask. Mr. Jefferson has moved to South Park "to get away from it all; he said he wanted peace and quiet, and to live with a bunch of hicks who don't know anything". They do not believe that his name really is Blanket and refuse to hang out with him until he tells them that there are arcade games inside his house. Mr. Jefferson, donning a fake mustache that keeps falling off, has amusement rides and a small zoo in his backyard, as well as a favorite "wishing tree", and other assorted toys. After the boys meet him and notice his eccentricities (which preclude him from genuine fatherhood), Kyle keeps a special eye on his son.

Cartman, expounding its brilliance, tells all the other 4th-graders to come to the Jeffersons'. Kyle feels bad for Blanket because Mr. Jefferson seems to want to be a kid more than to have one. When Mr. Jefferson once again neglects his son, who has sustained a cut to his knee, Kyle takes him to the bathroom to fix him up. Kyle learns that Blanket thinks he is a test tube baby and does not know his mother.

Cartman defends Mr. Jefferson, who has told him that he is his best friend, and tells Kyle that, if he somehow gets rid of Mr. Jefferson, he will "rip his balls off with his bare hands".

When the parents meet Mr. Jefferson at the Marshes' dinner party, they find his obsession and empathy with children unsettling. When they ask him to comment on the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case, he voices his opinion that it is wrong for the police go after wealthy black men and that they, the police, have "doo doo in their souls". He also begins to make repeated use of "ignorant" in reference to anyone or anything of which he does not approve.

At the police station, the police receive a report that a wealthy black family has purchased a house in South Park with cash. Sergent Yates and his team, confirming Mr. Jefferson's suspicions, plan to take him down, just as they did Bryant — not because he is guilty but because he is black and wealthier than them.

At night, Mr. Jefferson sneaks over to Stan's house, dressed in a Peter Pan outfit, shortly followed along by Cartman. Kyle also shows up, accompanied by Blanket. Kyle explains to Stan that he found Blanket wandering around alone in his yard, and is startled by Mr. Jefferson's presence. Kyle and Stan implore Mr. Jefferson to go back home, but to no avail: he and Blanket insist that they are afraid to go home because "there's a ghost in our house" and, according to Blanket, "Dad says it wants to eat us!". At that, Mr. Jefferson makes a high-pitched "hee-hee" sound. Reluctantly, Stan shares his bed with Kyle, Blanket, Cartman and Mr. Jefferson. Stan has a nightmare about the latter two kissing.

In the morning, Mr. and Mrs. Marsh are alarmed to find Mr. Jefferson sleeping in their son's bed. Mr. Jefferson bribes his way out; Cartman is the only child who wants to go back.

The Jeffersons return to their home just as the police, having planted all manner of evidence in it the night before, wake up in their squad car. Yates is surprised by Jefferson's appearance, believing that someone has made a mistake (referring to Michael Jackson's vitiligo . He states that he no longer has the stomach for it but vows to continue to frame rich black men, but only if he is sure that they are black.

Later that day, when Kyle, Stan and Kenny pass by Blanket's window, Kyle asks him if he would like to learn how to chop wood. Mr. Jefferson arrives and tells Kyle that chopping wood is "poopie work" and that Blanket would rather play. He then proceeds to dangle his son out of the window to show them how Blanket can "fly". The boys are appalled.

Kyle later tells the boys that they have to get Blanket away from Mr. Jefferson.

At home with his father, a terrified Blanket begins to cry. In an attempt to calm him down, Mr. Jefferson plays the nose-grabbing game. It works, as Blanket calms down almost at once. He tries to play back but, in so doing, pulls his father's nose off, terrifying him even more.

Mr. Jefferson is on the phone with his plastic surgeon because he is now literally falling apart. In the meantime, the Santa Barbara Police, after revealing their "good police work" in framing him previously, confirm that Mr. Jefferson is the person for whom Yates is looking. Stan and Kyle dress Kenny up as Blanket in order to sneak the real one out of the house.This is the second time in South Park history that he removes his parka.

Jefferson, wearing the Thriller costume, intercepts them and playfully throws Kenny into the ceiling, crushing his skull.

The kids are rescued by the cops. Cartman tries to save Mr. Jefferson from his 'tormentors'. Kyle convinces the man to make a normal life for his son; he plans to give away most of his money. The cops leave, as Mr. Jefferson is no longer rich.

Parody

Amazon.com's official review states Michael Jackson is "portrayed in the episode 'The Jeffersons' not as a child molester, but as an infantile parent who needs to grow up." Maxim magazine states Mr. Jefferson is "a Michael Jackson-like freak", and The National Board of Review's John Gallagher calls this episode "a howlingly funny assault on Michael Jackson."