Chickenlover
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox television episode
| series = South Park
| image =
| caption =
| season = 2
| episode = 4
| airdate = {{Start date|1998|05|27}}{{Cite press release |url=http://www.comedycentral.com/press/pressreleases/release.jhtml?f=pr1504.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040817200124/http://www.comedycentral.com/press/pressreleases/release.jhtml?f=pr1504.xml |archive-date=August 17, 2004 |date=May 26, 1998 |title=It's Back To School For Officer Barbrady In The New Episode Of 'South Park' Titled 'Chickenlover,' May 27 At 10:00 P.M. ET/PT |publisher=Comedy Central |access-date=December 27, 2011}}
| editor =
| production = 204
| director = Trey Parker
| writer =
- Trey Parker
- Matt Stone
- David R. Goodman
| season_article = South Park season 2
| episode_list = List of South Park episodes
| prev = Ike's Wee Wee
| next = Conjoined Fetus Lady
}}
"Chickenlover" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 17th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on May 27, 1998. It marks the first appearance of Stephen Stotch, who is Butters Stotch’s father in later seasons, as well as a more finalised design for Randy Marsh. The episode was written by series co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with David R. Goodman, and directed by Parker. In the episode, Officer Barbrady resigns as South Park's only police officer because of his illiteracy. Anarchy ensues, just as chickens are mysteriously being molested across South Park. Barbrady enlists the help of the boys to learn to read and discover who is molesting the chickens. Cartman, meanwhile, masquerades as a police officer.
Plot
Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman visit the Booktastic Bus, a mobile library. They are initially intrigued, but become uninterested in reading after meeting the strange driver. Word spreads that a pervert is molesting chickens in town. When Officer Barbrady starts the investigation, he is confronted with his illiteracy, which is depicted as him seeing strange symbols in place of letters. He resigns in shame and anarchy immediately breaks out. Later, he is put into the boys' class to learn to read.
Barbrady recruits the boys to help him with his task, showing his knowledge of the police code. From then on, Cartman patrols the town on his Big Wheel, enforcing his own brand of justice. The molester is finally caught in the petting zoo and turns out to be the bookmobile driver. He plotted this all along to encourage Barbrady to learn to read. After Barbrady is given a copy of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, Cartman arrives on the scene and finds out that the bookmobile driver was the molester, to which he responds by whacking him in the kneecap with his nightstick; this prompts Barbrady to show Cartman how to properly deal with criminals, by clubbing the bookmobile driver in the head with his own nightstick. The town holds a parade for Barbrady, and when he is asked to give a speech, he reveals how Atlas Shrugged convinced him to never read again. As the end credits play, Kenny, who has narrowly avoided death multiple times earlier throughout the episode, finally dies when a tree falls over and crushes him beneath it.
Production
Originally, Cartman was supposed to receive a gun during his stint as a deputy police officer, but Comedy Central's censors were reluctant to show a child with a firearm. The season one episode "Volcano" depicted children wielding firearms, but it was allowed then as the usage was considered less controversial by Comedy Central. The episode was originally titled "Chickenfucker", but it was changed as Comedy Central did not want any profane wording in any of its titles.Dyess-Nugent, Phil (July 29, 2009). [https://www.avclub.com/south-park-classic-ike-s-wee-wee-chickenlover-1798173638 "South Park (Classic): "Ike's Wee Wee"/"Chickenlover""]. The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
Broadcast
"Chickenlover" was originally broadcast on Comedy Central in the United States on May 27, 1998.{{Cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/ct-xpm-1998-05-26-9805260016-story.html |title=The Antics Continue |date=May 26, 1998 |first=Allan |last=Johnson |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |location=Chicago |access-date=February 21, 2022}} The second season of the show started in April 1998, with two episodes. Then, on May 20, the episode "Ike's Wee Wee" started a six-episode run of the season.{{Cite press release |url=http://www.comedycentral.com/press/pressreleases/release.jhtml?f=pr1506.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040817195655/http://www.comedycentral.com/press/pressreleases/release.jhtml?f=pr1506.xml |archive-date=August 17, 2004 |date=May 18, 1998 |title=The Boys Set Out To Save 'Ike's Wee-Wee' In The Second Season Debut Episode Of 'South Park,' May 20 At 10:00 P.M. ET/PT |publisher=Comedy Central |access-date=December 22, 2011}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/south-park-fans-aren-laughing-viewers-don-suffer-april-fools-gladly-cartman-father-episode-scratched-article-1.790594 |title='South Park' Fans Aren't Laughing Viewers Don't Suffer April Fools' Gladly, As Cartman's-father Episode Is Scratched |date=April 3, 1998 |first=Richard |last=Huff |work=Daily News |access-date=February 21, 2022}}{{Cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=l7RRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-4EMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1505%2C3606073 |title=South Park: New season begins |date=May 20, 1998 |newspaper=The Vindicator |location=Youngstown, Ohio |page=C6 |access-date=December 22, 2011}}{{Cite news |title='South Park' Kicks Off New Season |date=May 20, 1998 |newspaper=Press-Telegram |location=Long Beach, California |quote=Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny find out that tradition can be pretty scary when a loved one's anatomy is involved in 'Ike's Wee Wee,' the second season premiere of the much-ballyhooed animated comedy 'South Park,' airing at 10 tonight on cable's Comedy Central.}}{{Cite web |url=http://epguides.com/SouthPark/ |title=South Park (a Title & Air Dates Guide) |publisher=Epguides |access-date=December 22, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928162050/http://epguides.com/SouthPark/ |archive-date=September 28, 2015 }}
Home media
"Chickenlover" was released on VHS in April 1999, along with the episode "Ike's Wee Wee", on a video titled South Park: Volume 8.{{Cite book |title=South Park, Vol. 08: Chickenlover/Ike's Wee Wee
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{wikiquote}}
- [https://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/c1m717/south-park-chickenlover-season-2-ep-4 "Chickenlover"] Full Episode at South Park Studios
- {{IMDb episode|0705911}}
{{South Park episodes|2}}
Category:1998 American television episodes
Category:South Park season 2 episodes