Kenny Dies
Encyclopedia
"Kenny Dies" is the thirteenth episode of the fifth season
of the animated television series South Park
, and the 78th episode of the series overall. "Kenny Dies" originally aired in the United States
on December 5, 2001 on Comedy Central
. In the episode, Cartman comes across a truckload of fetus
es that he can't sell thanks to a recent government ruling on stem cell research. When Kenny
is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Cartman uses it to lobby Congress to restore stem cell research.
The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker
and is rated TV-MA in the United States. Notably, the gag of Kenny dying in almost every episode was dropped after this episode, and he did not reappear bodily until "Red Sleigh Down
". This was the final appearance of the "4th Grade" title sequence which was first seen in "4th Grade". On the DVD commentary for the episode, Parker and Stone state that they had originally planned to kill Kyle
off for a year, but decided to kill Kenny instead as they were running out of original ways to kill him.
with a woman giving her permission for doctors to use her aborted
fetus
for stem cell
research. However, the truck transporting the fetuses to a medical research facility is destroyed in an accident. Its cargo is noticed and subsequently stolen by Cartman
(riding his bike and singing Sheena Easton
's "Morning Train
"), who intends to resell the fetuses for a tremendous profit. This goal leads him to call various institutions in the style of a fast-talking agent, with the famous recurring line "you're breaking my balls, here", finally landing a deal with a government organization. To his dismay, the government puts a ban on stem cell research immediately afterward.
Meanwhile, Kenny
is diagnosed with what is presumably muscular dystrophy
, and his friends and family are told that he will probably die. The boys are shocked and saddened by the news, but do everything they can to support him and keep him company during his stay in the hospital - all but Stan
, who cannot bear to see Kenny dying and refuses to visit him. This marks one of the few episodes in which Kenny's friends mourn his death. Cartman, in the meantime, has a doctor explain to him how stem cells actually work, and learns that they might be used to help Kenny. Cartman also mentions using stem cells to duplicate a Shakey's Pizza
restaurant, although the researcher advises him that lumber
would be better suited for that task. Cartman gives a speech to the House of Representatives
on behalf of stem cell research. He ultimately succeeds in getting the ban lifted by singing "Heat of the Moment
" by Asia
, and begins visiting laboratories around the area to collect more fetuses.
Stan, with the supporting words of Chef
, finally gets up the courage to come visit Kenny in the hospital, only to find out that Kenny has finally died. On hearing that Kenny's last words were "Where's Stan?" he accuses himself of being Kenny's worst friend. During the funeral, Cartman bursts in and exclaims that a miracle has occurred. He drags Stan and Kyle
away to show them how he has manipulated the stem cells from his aborted fetuses into building his very own Shakey's Pizza. Kyle promptly beats up Cartman, assuming that Cartman had pretended to take Kenny's death seriously in order to get the ban on stem cells lifted, therefore allowing him to make his own Shakey's Pizza
. Stan is relieved after he realizes Cartman was Kenny's worst friend.
called the scene from the episode where Cartman leads members of the United States Congress
in a sing-along of "Heat of the Moment
" by Asia
as one of his "Greatest Cartoon Moment[s]". In an article for ESPN.com
Tim Kavanagh discussed stem cells and how they were used in the episode, writing: "This, as with many other important topics of our day, I learned from "South Park," specifically Episode 513, entitled 'Kenny Dies.'" In a review of the South Park season 5 DVD
release, Choire Sicha of The New York Times
gave a "not-so-surprising surprise ending alert" that "Kenny finally really dies" at the end of the episode. Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times cited the episode when noting that the political commentary on South Park, like The Simpsons
and Freak Show
, was genuinely "provocative" satire, unlike the "safer...mainstream iconoclasm" of Saturday Night Live
.
South Park (season 5)
Season five of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on June 20, 2001. The fifth season concluded after 14 episodes on December 12, 2001...
of the animated television series South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, and the 78th episode of the series overall. "Kenny Dies" originally aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on December 5, 2001 on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
. In the episode, Cartman comes across a truckload of fetus
Fetus
A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
es that he can't sell thanks to a recent government ruling on stem cell research. When Kenny
Kenny McCormick
Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is one of the four central characters along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman. His oft-muffled and indiscernible speech—the result of his parka hood covering his...
is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Cartman uses it to lobby Congress to restore stem cell research.
The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
and is rated TV-MA in the United States. Notably, the gag of Kenny dying in almost every episode was dropped after this episode, and he did not reappear bodily until "Red Sleigh Down
Red Sleigh Down
"Red Sleigh Down" is episode 96 of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired on December 11, 2002. The episode is notable for the return of Kenny from his death in Season Five...
". This was the final appearance of the "4th Grade" title sequence which was first seen in "4th Grade". On the DVD commentary for the episode, Parker and Stone state that they had originally planned to kill Kyle
Kyle Broflovski
Kyle Broflovski is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
off for a year, but decided to kill Kenny instead as they were running out of original ways to kill him.
Plot
The episode begins in an abortion clinicAbortion clinic
An abortion clinic is a medical facility that primarily performs or specializes in abortions. Such clinics may be public medical centers or private medical practices.-Canada:*There were 197 abortion providers in Canada in 2001....
with a woman giving her permission for doctors to use her aborted
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
fetus
Fetus
A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
for stem cell
Stem cell
This article is about the cell type. For the medical therapy, see Stem Cell TreatmentsStem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells...
research. However, the truck transporting the fetuses to a medical research facility is destroyed in an accident. Its cargo is noticed and subsequently stolen by Cartman
Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman is a fictional character in the American animated television series South Park. One of four main characters, along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, he is generally referred to within the series by his last name...
(riding his bike and singing Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
's "Morning Train
9 to 5 (Sheena Easton song)
"9 to 5" is the title of a popular song written by British songwriter Florrie Palmer and recorded by Sheena Easton in 1980, becoming her biggest hit...
"), who intends to resell the fetuses for a tremendous profit. This goal leads him to call various institutions in the style of a fast-talking agent, with the famous recurring line "you're breaking my balls, here", finally landing a deal with a government organization. To his dismay, the government puts a ban on stem cell research immediately afterward.
Meanwhile, Kenny
Kenny McCormick
Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is one of the four central characters along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman. His oft-muffled and indiscernible speech—the result of his parka hood covering his...
is diagnosed with what is presumably muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy is a group of muscle diseases that weaken the musculoskeletal system and hamper locomotion. Muscular dystrophies are characterized by progressive skeletal muscle weakness, defects in muscle proteins, and the death of muscle cells and tissue.In the 1860s, descriptions of boys who...
, and his friends and family are told that he will probably die. The boys are shocked and saddened by the news, but do everything they can to support him and keep him company during his stay in the hospital - all but Stan
Stan Marsh
Stanley Randall "Stan" Marsh is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
, who cannot bear to see Kenny dying and refuses to visit him. This marks one of the few episodes in which Kenny's friends mourn his death. Cartman, in the meantime, has a doctor explain to him how stem cells actually work, and learns that they might be used to help Kenny. Cartman also mentions using stem cells to duplicate a Shakey's Pizza
Shakey's Pizza
Shakey's Pizza is a pizza restaurant chain based in the United States. The chain currently has about 500 stores globally, and about 60 in the United States.-History:...
restaurant, although the researcher advises him that lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
would be better suited for that task. Cartman gives a speech to the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
on behalf of stem cell research. He ultimately succeeds in getting the ban lifted by singing "Heat of the Moment
Heat of the Moment
UK 7" single-Chart performance:-Popular culture:* "Heat of the Moment" was repopularized in 2005 when it was featured in the motion pictures The 40-Year-Old Virgin and The Matador....
" by Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
, and begins visiting laboratories around the area to collect more fetuses.
Stan, with the supporting words of Chef
Chef (South Park)
Jerome "Chef" McElroy is a fictional character on the Comedy Central series South Park. He was voiced by Isaac Hayes. A cafeteria worker at the local elementary school in the town of South Park, Colorado, Chef was generally portrayed as more level-headed than the other adult residents of the town...
, finally gets up the courage to come visit Kenny in the hospital, only to find out that Kenny has finally died. On hearing that Kenny's last words were "Where's Stan?" he accuses himself of being Kenny's worst friend. During the funeral, Cartman bursts in and exclaims that a miracle has occurred. He drags Stan and Kyle
Kyle Broflovski
Kyle Broflovski is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
away to show them how he has manipulated the stem cells from his aborted fetuses into building his very own Shakey's Pizza. Kyle promptly beats up Cartman, assuming that Cartman had pretended to take Kenny's death seriously in order to get the ban on stem cells lifted, therefore allowing him to make his own Shakey's Pizza
Shakey's Pizza
Shakey's Pizza is a pizza restaurant chain based in the United States. The chain currently has about 500 stores globally, and about 60 in the United States.-History:...
. Stan is relieved after he realizes Cartman was Kenny's worst friend.
Reception
Serene Dominic of the Detroit Metro TimesMetro Times
The Metro Times is the largest circulating weekly newspaper in the metro Detroit area. Supported entirely by advertising, it is distributed free of charge every Wednesday in newsstands in businesses and libraries around the city and suburbs...
called the scene from the episode where Cartman leads members of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in a sing-along of "Heat of the Moment
Heat of the Moment
UK 7" single-Chart performance:-Popular culture:* "Heat of the Moment" was repopularized in 2005 when it was featured in the motion pictures The 40-Year-Old Virgin and The Matador....
" by Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
as one of his "Greatest Cartoon Moment[s]". In an article for ESPN.com
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
Tim Kavanagh discussed stem cells and how they were used in the episode, writing: "This, as with many other important topics of our day, I learned from "South Park," specifically Episode 513, entitled 'Kenny Dies.'" In a review of the South Park season 5 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release, Choire Sicha of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
gave a "not-so-surprising surprise ending alert" that "Kenny finally really dies" at the end of the episode. Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times cited the episode when noting that the political commentary on South Park, like The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and Freak Show
Freak Show (TV series)
Freak Show is an animated television series on Comedy Central created and starring actors David Cross and H. Jon Benjamin.The show chronicles a freak show, called the Freak Squad, which reluctantly moonlights as a group of second-rate superheroes employed by the US government.The first and only...
, was genuinely "provocative" satire, unlike the "safer...mainstream iconoclasm" of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
.
External links
- "Kenny Dies" Episode guide at South Park Studios
- "Kenny Dies" Full episode at South Park Studios