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Pip (South Park episode)
Encyclopedia
"Pip" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season
of the animated television series South Park
, and the 62nd episode of the series overall. "Pip" originally aired in the United States
on November 29, 2000 on Comedy Central
. It is a parody of the Charles Dickens
novel Great Expectations
and draws heavily on the 1946 film adaptation
.
The episode stars the South Park character Pip, who is named after the actual protagonist of Great Expectations, and features no other regular characters. "A British Person", played by Malcolm McDowell
, narrates the episode.
After this episode's premiere, it would not air again on Comedy Central until December 2006. Since then, it has been re-run infrequently. In commentary, Matt Stone
and Trey Parker
claim the episode is not very popular.
The BBFC rated this episode PG for mild infrequent language and bleeped profanity.
. He states that Pip, the character from South Park, is based on the main character in Charles Dickens
' book, Great Expectations
. The self-proclaimed "British Person" narrates the story throughout the episode.
The story begins with an orphaned Pip on his way to visit his parents' grave. While there, an escaped convict appears and threatens Pip. Pip, out of the goodness of his heart, aids the convict by giving him a sandwich and cutting the convict's handcuffs. Pip then goes home, where his sister's boyfriend Joe reads an advertisement about a Miss Havisham seeking a boy to play with her daughter. Pip goes and meets the daughter, Estella who constantly insults him. Miss Havisham hires Pip and throughout their playtimes he eventually falls in love with Estella; she in turn is nicer to Pip and lets him kiss her.
Pip fears Estella could never marry a commoner like him. However an offer comes for Pip from an anonymous benefactor to move to London
and learn how to become a gentleman
. Pip assumes the benefactor is Miss Havisham and accepts. In London
, Pip meets his roommate Mr. Pocket who tells the story of Miss Havisham. He explains that Miss Havisham grew up as a rich young girl, got engaged but was left at the altar. This caused her to stop all the clocks in the house and never leave the house again. Pip spends the rest of his time in London learning how to be a gentleman, by learning "fencing
, archery
, and how to eat box
."
After his time in London, he shows up at Miss Havisham's house to thank her for letting him go to London, and to see if he is good enough for Estella. Miss Havisham tells Pip that he can find Estella at a party at the palace on Friday. At the ball, held by Tony Blair
, the King of England, Pip and Estella dance, and talk about how Pip is now a fine young gentleman. Estella says that she has no heart, and cannot love. Right before Pip asks Estella to be his girlfriend, her boyfriend, an American seventeen year-old, Steve comes in wearing modern clothing. Estella states Steve has a car.
Pip, saddened, runs to tell Miss Havisham, only to find that she approves of Estella's boyfriend. Miss Havisham is glad that Estella has broken Pip's heart. Steve becomes saddened to know that Estella was using him to hurt Pip. Miss Havisham explains that she has Estella break men's hearts to use their tears to power her "Genesis Device". Miss Havisham desires youth and wants to use the device to switch bodies with Estella. She then uses robot monkeys to attack Pip. Pip escapes and falls unconscious, awakening at an old house with Joe and Pocket. The anonymous person who sent Pip to London is revealed to be the escaped convict Pip met at the beginning of the story. Because of Pip's kindness, the convict led a life of goodness and became a millionaire. Sending Pip to London was his way of repaying Pip for the good that Pip did for him. The four of them, Pip, Joe, Pocket, and the convict, decide to stop Miss Havisham.
The group returns to the mansion discovering a bunch of men with broken hearts and a Miss Havisham powering up her device. The convict is killed by an acid-spewing Miss Havisham in the struggle, and Joe is overwhelmed by the robot monkeys. Pocket tries to get the broken hearted men not to cry, so they won't power the Genesis Device. His attempts at distracting them however make them feel even sadder. Pip tries to convince Estella to leave the machine. Pip reaches into a sack and pulls out a bunny stating that no one with a heart would kill a bunny. He gives Estella the bunny and she breaks its neck. Pip then continues to pull out bunnies, with Estella killing each one, until they get to the twenty-sixth bunny. Estella doesn't see the point in killing the bunny and Pip says to Estella that her not killing the twenty-sixth proves that she has a heart which gets her to leave the machine. This destroys the machine and sets Miss Havisham on fire. Joe, Pocket, Estella, and all the men with broken hearts leave the mansion. Estella finally declares her love for Pip, after which Pocket asks for his bunnies back.
The episode ends with the British Person closing the episode declaring: "Then they all live happily ever after, except for Pocket, who died of Hepatitis B."
South Park (season 4)
Season four of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on April 5, 2000. The fourth season concluded after 17 episodes on December 20, 2000.- Episodes :-External links:...
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 62nd episode of the series overall. "Pip" 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 November 29, 2000 on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
. It is a parody of the Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
novel Great Expectations
Great Expectations
Great Expectations is a novel by Charles Dickens. It was first published in serial form in the publication All the Year Round from 1 December 1860 to August 1861. It has been adapted for stage and screen over 250 times....
and draws heavily on the 1946 film adaptation
Great Expectations (1946 film)
Great Expectations is a 1946 British film which won two Academy Awards and was nominated for three others...
.
The episode stars the South Park character Pip, who is named after the actual protagonist of Great Expectations, and features no other regular characters. "A British Person", played by Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell is an English actor with a career spanning over forty years.McDowell is principally known for his roles in the controversial films If...., O Lucky Man!, A Clockwork Orange and Caligula...
, narrates the episode.
After this episode's premiere, it would not air again on Comedy Central until December 2006. Since then, it has been re-run infrequently. In commentary, Matt Stone
Matt Stone
Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....
and 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...
claim the episode is not very popular.
The BBFC rated this episode PG for mild infrequent language and bleeped profanity.
Plot
The episode starts off with an introduction by A British Person discussing English literatureEnglish literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
. He states that Pip, the character from South Park, is based on the main character in Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' book, Great Expectations
Great Expectations
Great Expectations is a novel by Charles Dickens. It was first published in serial form in the publication All the Year Round from 1 December 1860 to August 1861. It has been adapted for stage and screen over 250 times....
. The self-proclaimed "British Person" narrates the story throughout the episode.
The story begins with an orphaned Pip on his way to visit his parents' grave. While there, an escaped convict appears and threatens Pip. Pip, out of the goodness of his heart, aids the convict by giving him a sandwich and cutting the convict's handcuffs. Pip then goes home, where his sister's boyfriend Joe reads an advertisement about a Miss Havisham seeking a boy to play with her daughter. Pip goes and meets the daughter, Estella who constantly insults him. Miss Havisham hires Pip and throughout their playtimes he eventually falls in love with Estella; she in turn is nicer to Pip and lets him kiss her.
Pip fears Estella could never marry a commoner like him. However an offer comes for Pip from an anonymous benefactor to move to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and learn how to become a gentleman
Gentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
. Pip assumes the benefactor is Miss Havisham and accepts. In London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Pip meets his roommate Mr. Pocket who tells the story of Miss Havisham. He explains that Miss Havisham grew up as a rich young girl, got engaged but was left at the altar. This caused her to stop all the clocks in the house and never leave the house again. Pip spends the rest of his time in London learning how to be a gentleman, by learning "fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
, archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, and how to eat box
Cunnilingus
Cunnilingus is an oral sex act performed on a female. It involves the use by a sex partner of the mouth, lips and tongue to stimulate the female's clitoris, vulva, or vagina...
."
After his time in London, he shows up at Miss Havisham's house to thank her for letting him go to London, and to see if he is good enough for Estella. Miss Havisham tells Pip that he can find Estella at a party at the palace on Friday. At the ball, held by Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, the King of England, Pip and Estella dance, and talk about how Pip is now a fine young gentleman. Estella says that she has no heart, and cannot love. Right before Pip asks Estella to be his girlfriend, her boyfriend, an American seventeen year-old, Steve comes in wearing modern clothing. Estella states Steve has a car.
Pip, saddened, runs to tell Miss Havisham, only to find that she approves of Estella's boyfriend. Miss Havisham is glad that Estella has broken Pip's heart. Steve becomes saddened to know that Estella was using him to hurt Pip. Miss Havisham explains that she has Estella break men's hearts to use their tears to power her "Genesis Device". Miss Havisham desires youth and wants to use the device to switch bodies with Estella. She then uses robot monkeys to attack Pip. Pip escapes and falls unconscious, awakening at an old house with Joe and Pocket. The anonymous person who sent Pip to London is revealed to be the escaped convict Pip met at the beginning of the story. Because of Pip's kindness, the convict led a life of goodness and became a millionaire. Sending Pip to London was his way of repaying Pip for the good that Pip did for him. The four of them, Pip, Joe, Pocket, and the convict, decide to stop Miss Havisham.
The group returns to the mansion discovering a bunch of men with broken hearts and a Miss Havisham powering up her device. The convict is killed by an acid-spewing Miss Havisham in the struggle, and Joe is overwhelmed by the robot monkeys. Pocket tries to get the broken hearted men not to cry, so they won't power the Genesis Device. His attempts at distracting them however make them feel even sadder. Pip tries to convince Estella to leave the machine. Pip reaches into a sack and pulls out a bunny stating that no one with a heart would kill a bunny. He gives Estella the bunny and she breaks its neck. Pip then continues to pull out bunnies, with Estella killing each one, until they get to the twenty-sixth bunny. Estella doesn't see the point in killing the bunny and Pip says to Estella that her not killing the twenty-sixth proves that she has a heart which gets her to leave the machine. This destroys the machine and sets Miss Havisham on fire. Joe, Pocket, Estella, and all the men with broken hearts leave the mansion. Estella finally declares her love for Pip, after which Pocket asks for his bunnies back.
The episode ends with the British Person closing the episode declaring: "Then they all live happily ever after, except for Pocket, who died of Hepatitis B."