The Jeffersons (South Park)
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| "The Jeffersons (South Park)" |
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"The Jeffersons" is episode 117 of the Comedy Central animated series South Park. It was originally broadcast on April 21, 2004 and has been described as "a howlingly funny assault on Michael Jackson."[1] This is the only episode of South Park to feature Kenny speaking audible lines, as he is disguised as Blanket and not wearing his trademark parka.
Plot
Mr. Jefferson and his son Blanket move into the Donovans' old residence. When the boys find out that Mr. Jefferson has arcade games, amusement rides and a small zoo at his house, they spend a lot of time hanging out with Blanket.
Kyle in particular becomes concerned for Blanket, as his father is too busy being a child to look after him properly. Cartman defends Mr. Jefferson, who has told him that he is his best friend, and provides free toys and entertainment.
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 Kobe 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.
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 alleged 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.
After seeing Mr. Jefferson dangle his son out of the window, Kyle tells the boys that they have to get Blanket away from Mr. Jefferson. Meanwhile, in an attempt to calm Blanket down, Mr. Jefferson plays the nose-grabbing game. 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 (Kenny is unhooded, but a copy of Blanket's mask is covering his face) in order to sneak the real one out of the house. 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.
Triva
- When the "time border" gets wider and many "time immigrants" come through, it resembles a scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind].
- The appearance of the "time border", including the lightning storm immediately before its appearance and the growing blue sphere, closely resemble the special effects used to show characters arriving from the future in the Terminator films. There is also a scene where a reporter mentions that the time portal follows the "Terminator rules", instead of Back to the Future rules of time travel.
- In the news scene with female reporter which boys watch at the woman's house, a hangar numbered "18" can be seen behind the fence. This is a reference to the Roswell UFO incident in 1947, in which the remains of aliens and their spacecraft were supposedly flown to Wright Field (now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base) in Ohio and stored in "hangar 18".
- The immigrants come through the portal covered in purple goo, hence the name "goobacks". This is a reference to the American term "wetbacks", a derogatory slur for illegal Mexican immigrants.
- After Goobacks start arriving en masse, there is road a sign shown on the highway near the portal cautioning motorists to watch for goobacks in the road. There are actually similar signs on I-8 in the US state of California cautioning motorists to beware of illegal aliens in the road.
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."[2] Maxim magazine states Mr. Jefferson is "a Michael Jackson-like freak"[3], and The National Board of Review's John Gallagher calls this episode "a howlingly funny assault on Michael Jackson."[4]