Spookyfish
Encyclopedia
"Spookyfish" is the fifteenth episode of the second season
of the animated television series South Park
, and the 28th episode of the series overall. "Spookyfish" originally aired in the United States
on October 28, 1998 on Comedy Central
. It was the season's Halloween
special, with a "spooky" theme by having pictures of Barbra Streisand
in the screen corners, accompanied with the words "spooky vision" (in response to Streisand's reception to the season one
episode "Mecha-Streisand
").
According to the official website and the DVD set, the episode's title is "Spookyfish". Other sources occasionally refer to it as "Spooky Fish".
in South Park, and Cartman
has skipped class but shows up at the bus stop to meet the boys when they get off the bus - wearing a goatee
and acting strangely agreeable. He goes on to explain that he missed school that day because he was taking care of his mother, who has the flu. Later, when Stan
and Kyle
meet up with him to go buy a pumpkin
, he is back to his normal obnoxious self (arguably even more so with his new catchphrase, "Hella
"). Throughout the episode, he continues to switch between these two personas, thoroughly confusing all involved.
Meanwhile, Stan arrives home, where Sharon tells him that his Aunt Flo has come to town for her "monthly visit
", and gives Stan a goldfish
in a bowl as a present. Stan takes an instant dislike to the fish due to its uncomfortable habit of constantly staring at him, but his mother dismisses his protests and makes him take it to his room, where it continues to stare at him most of the time and makes it hard for him to sleep. At first, the fish does not display any overtly evil tendencies, although a shirt which Stan had placed over the bowl to hide the staring fish ends up on the floor and the fish looks toward it when Stan asks it where the shirt went. Eventually, however, it starts writing messages on the inside of the bowl such as "KILL" and "Yes I Will" (the latter when Stan tells the fish, "You're not gonna get away with this.") Dead bodies also materialize next to the dresser. Stan, terrified, demands his mother remove the fish. Thinking that Stan had killed them, Sharon buries each of the bodies, while muttering to herself how Stan is handsome and a good boy and she starts slowly losing her sanity
. She abducts Officer Barbrady to stop him from taking Stan away (although he showed no signs of suspicion), takes away his pants, and shackles him in the basement.
Stan, Kyle and Kenny discover that the two personalities of Cartman are in fact two separate people. Chef
tells the boys that the kinder version of Cartman is from an "Evil Parallel Universe
" and that Stan's fish must be from the same world, the boys ask Aunt Flo where she got the fish from and she tells them that she got it from the Ancient Indian Burial Ground Pet Store. Moments later, Aunt Flo ends up dead, and Sharon is upset that she will "no longer have her monthly visits.
" Randy, however, is glad he no longer has to sleep on the couch once a month. The boys decide to return the fish to its pet store, but not before it kills Kenny
too, which is the first time the fish is actually seen killing anyone. Stan, Kyle and Evil-World-But-Actually-Good Cartman track down the Ancient Indian Burial Ground Pet Store, where they find the portal to the alternate universe. The store owner explains that the portal appeared after he built his shop on top of an old Indian burial ground (and after he dug up the corpses, urinated on them and then buried them in funny positions for no apparent reason).
After returning the fish to the owner and advising him to move his store off the burial ground, the boys leave — just as the Stan and Kyle from the evil world show up. Just as "evil" Cartman is the complete opposite of his normal self, "evil" Stan and Kyle are both the opposite of their normal selves and are thus cruel, wanting to bring their wussy "friend" Evil Cartman back so they can torment him once more. They align with Good-World-But-Actually-Evil Cartman, who is sick of his goody-two-shoes clone and the trio find Normal Stan and Kyle along with Evil-World-But-Good Cartman. In the background of the ensuing showdown, evil animals from the pet store are slaughtering people; this goes unnoticed by most of the main characters, although Sharon is now convinced that Stan's fish did really kill the people in the house.
The evil Stan and Kyle have a "gingification gun" which shoots a beam that sends things back to the alternate world. Good Stan manages to get it and sends back the two clones. He and Kyle then decide to use it on Cartman — their Cartman — so they can keep the nice one. Cartman, shocked by this, then attacks Evil Cartman and rips off his goatee. The two wrestle until Stan and Kyle do not know which is which. One Cartman says that Stan should shoot them both, so as to be sure to get rid of the "real" Cartman. Figuring this one to be the kind one, Stan fires on the other Cartman, who vanishes yelling "Screw you guys!" Unfortunately he chose wrong; Cartman — the mean one from the real world — knew that Stan and Kyle would fall for that trick and happily taunts them, ("You guys are hella stupid!") much to their anger.
South Park (season 2)
Season two of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on April 1, 1998. The second season concluded after 18 episodes on January 20, 1999...
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 28th episode of the series overall. "Spookyfish" 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 October 28, 1998 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 was the season's Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
special, with a "spooky" theme by having pictures of Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
in the screen corners, accompanied with the words "spooky vision" (in response to Streisand's reception to the season one
South Park (season 1)
The first season of the American animated television series South Park initially ran for 13 episodes on the US network Comedy Central, from August 13, 1997 to February 25, 1998. The creators of the series, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, wrote and directed most of the season's episodes, while Dan...
episode "Mecha-Streisand
Mecha-Streisand
"Mecha-Streisand" is the 12th episode of the first season of the animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on February 18, 1998. In the episode, Barbra Streisand obtains the Diamond of Panthios from the South Park boys and transforms into a...
").
According to the official website and the DVD set, the episode's title is "Spookyfish". Other sources occasionally refer to it as "Spooky Fish".
Plot
It is near HalloweenHalloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
in South Park, and 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...
has skipped class but shows up at the bus stop to meet the boys when they get off the bus - wearing a goatee
Goatee
Goatee refers to a style of facial hair incorporating hair on a man’s chin. The exact nature of the style has varied according to time and culture.Traditionally, goatee refers solely to a beard formed by a tuft of hair on the chin...
and acting strangely agreeable. He goes on to explain that he missed school that day because he was taking care of his mother, who has the flu. Later, when 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...
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...
meet up with him to go buy a pumpkin
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
, he is back to his normal obnoxious self (arguably even more so with his new catchphrase, "Hella
Hella (word)
Hella is a word associated with Northern California used throughout the United States and Canada. It is a contraction of the phrase "hell of a" or "hell of a lot [of]"....
"). Throughout the episode, he continues to switch between these two personas, thoroughly confusing all involved.
Meanwhile, Stan arrives home, where Sharon tells him that his Aunt Flo has come to town for her "monthly visit
Menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle is the scientific term for the physiological changes that can occur in fertile women for the purpose of sexual reproduction. This article focuses on the human menstrual cycle....
", and gives Stan a goldfish
Goldfish
The goldfish is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish....
in a bowl as a present. Stan takes an instant dislike to the fish due to its uncomfortable habit of constantly staring at him, but his mother dismisses his protests and makes him take it to his room, where it continues to stare at him most of the time and makes it hard for him to sleep. At first, the fish does not display any overtly evil tendencies, although a shirt which Stan had placed over the bowl to hide the staring fish ends up on the floor and the fish looks toward it when Stan asks it where the shirt went. Eventually, however, it starts writing messages on the inside of the bowl such as "KILL" and "Yes I Will" (the latter when Stan tells the fish, "You're not gonna get away with this.") Dead bodies also materialize next to the dresser. Stan, terrified, demands his mother remove the fish. Thinking that Stan had killed them, Sharon buries each of the bodies, while muttering to herself how Stan is handsome and a good boy and she starts slowly losing her sanity
Cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously. The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance. They do this by changing their attitudes, beliefs, and actions. Dissonance is also reduced by justifying,...
. She abducts Officer Barbrady to stop him from taking Stan away (although he showed no signs of suspicion), takes away his pants, and shackles him in the basement.
Stan, Kyle and Kenny discover that the two personalities of Cartman are in fact two separate people. 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...
tells the boys that the kinder version of Cartman is from an "Evil Parallel Universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
" and that Stan's fish must be from the same world, the boys ask Aunt Flo where she got the fish from and she tells them that she got it from the Ancient Indian Burial Ground Pet Store. Moments later, Aunt Flo ends up dead, and Sharon is upset that she will "no longer have her monthly visits.
Menopause
Menopause is a term used to describe the permanent cessation of the primary functions of the human ovaries: the ripening and release of ova and the release of hormones that cause both the creation of the uterine lining and the subsequent shedding of the uterine lining...
" Randy, however, is glad he no longer has to sleep on the couch once a month. The boys decide to return the fish to its pet store, but not before it kills 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...
too, which is the first time the fish is actually seen killing anyone. Stan, Kyle and Evil-World-But-Actually-Good Cartman track down the Ancient Indian Burial Ground Pet Store, where they find the portal to the alternate universe. The store owner explains that the portal appeared after he built his shop on top of an old Indian burial ground (and after he dug up the corpses, urinated on them and then buried them in funny positions for no apparent reason).
After returning the fish to the owner and advising him to move his store off the burial ground, the boys leave — just as the Stan and Kyle from the evil world show up. Just as "evil" Cartman is the complete opposite of his normal self, "evil" Stan and Kyle are both the opposite of their normal selves and are thus cruel, wanting to bring their wussy "friend" Evil Cartman back so they can torment him once more. They align with Good-World-But-Actually-Evil Cartman, who is sick of his goody-two-shoes clone and the trio find Normal Stan and Kyle along with Evil-World-But-Good Cartman. In the background of the ensuing showdown, evil animals from the pet store are slaughtering people; this goes unnoticed by most of the main characters, although Sharon is now convinced that Stan's fish did really kill the people in the house.
The evil Stan and Kyle have a "gingification gun" which shoots a beam that sends things back to the alternate world. Good Stan manages to get it and sends back the two clones. He and Kyle then decide to use it on Cartman — their Cartman — so they can keep the nice one. Cartman, shocked by this, then attacks Evil Cartman and rips off his goatee. The two wrestle until Stan and Kyle do not know which is which. One Cartman says that Stan should shoot them both, so as to be sure to get rid of the "real" Cartman. Figuring this one to be the kind one, Stan fires on the other Cartman, who vanishes yelling "Screw you guys!" Unfortunately he chose wrong; Cartman — the mean one from the real world — knew that Stan and Kyle would fall for that trick and happily taunts them, ("You guys are hella stupid!") much to their anger.
External links
- "Spookyfish" Full Episode at South Park Studios
- "Spookyfish" Episode Guide at South Park Studios