South Park Is Gay!: Difference between revisions

| season_article = South Park (season 7)

"'''South Park Is Gay!'''" is the eighth episode of the [[South Park (season 7)|seventh season]] and the 104th overall episode of the American [[cartoon series|animated television series]]sitcom ''[[South Park]]''. It originally aired on [[Comedy Central]] in the United States on October 22, 2003. In itthe episode, [[Kyle Broflovski|Kyle]] struggles to understand a new [[metrosexual]] fad that has sprung around the men and boys of South Park and is the only one who does not want to conform to it. The episode features a parody of the TV show, ''[[Queer Eye (2003 TV series)|Queer Eye for the Straight Guy]]''.

The episode was written and directed by series co-creator [[Trey Parker]]. In 2011, he and co-creator [[Matt Stone]] listed it as one of their least favorite episodes of the series.<ref name="ew"/> However, the "crab people" segment has become one of the sitcom's most iconic moments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goodwillie |first=Ian |date=2021-02-14 |title=South Park: Crab People Are the Series' Best Accidental Gag |url=https://www.cbr.com/south-park-crab-people-are-the-series-best-accidental-gag/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref>

After the [[television program|TV show]] ''[[Queer Eye (2003 TV series)|Queer Eye for the Straight Guy]]'' begins showing, [[metrosexual]]ity becomes extremely popular among the males, who all begin acting [[effeminacy|effeminately]]. At the school bus stop, instead of their usual winter clothing, [[Stan Marsh|Stan]], [[Eric Cartman|Cartman]], and [[Kenny McCormick|Kenny]] wear unmasculinefeminine clothing. [[Kyle Broflovski|Kyle]], whom they pressure into conforming but who declineslater returns to conformhis normal self, is beaten up by Craig, Token, Jason, and Tweak at school., and is abandoned by Cartman, Kenny, and even Stan abandon Kyle. [[Mr. Garrison]] and [[List of staff at South Park Elementary#Mr. Slave|Mr. Slave]], the town's gay couple, are initially excited but quickly turn against the fad when they realize that metrosexuals are straight men imitating gay culture and lifestyle, which Garrison believes insults actual gays. The women of the town initially enjoy their husbands' improved [[hygiene]] and willingness to communicate, but soon tire of the men's increasing self-absorption. TheWhen wivesthey confront the men and boys about this, whoRandy accuseaccuses them of being "metrophobic" and the other males concur, consequently becomebecoming even more feminine.

Hoping to end the fad, Kyle, Mr. Garrison, and Mr. Slave go to [[New York City|New York]] to kill the Fab Five, the hosts of "Queer Eye". Their mission fails but the Fab Five decide against pressing charges. Mr. Garrison then tries to talk the nonchalant gay stars out of selling out gay culture for mere ratings, which they ignore. Mr. Garrison demands to know how gays could betray their own people, and then slowly realizesrealizing that they are not actually gay at all. The five suddenly gravely turn to the others and their human bodies burst open, revealing thatthemselves they areas an ancient race of "[[Crab]] People".

Captured by thesethe Crab People (who chant "Crab People" repeatedly), the gay couple and Kyle are unablefail to stop the crabs from executing their plans of ruling the earthEarth by destroying the human race (through changing men into metrosexuals) and the Crab People forceare themforced to become Crab People instead; however, the wiveswomen attack and kill the ''Queer Eye'' guys.quintet, Theyexplaining explainafterwards that masculinity is what really makes males attractive, even if said males are gross. The ''Queer Eye'' producers are about to press charges on the women until they discover that the Fab Five were not human, noting that the Crab People tried this before with ''[[The Jeffersons]]''. They decide instead to "bring back the Latin fad" —, which the citizens of South Park slavishly adopt.

At school, Stan, Kenny, and Cartman accept Kyle again, but when he expresses his angercomplains that they previously forsook him, the others call him "gay" and go and play [[American football|football]]. He initially walks away in the opposite direction, but then, he stops, turns around, and reluctantly goes to play with them, anyway.

Parker and Stone have since criticized the third-act twist of "crab people" and consider the episode one of their worst. Though they brainstormed for hours to improve the episode (after having deleted the initial subplot of Mr. Garrison leading the other gay people in South Park to "compete" with the metrosexuals), they were unable to come up with anything better than crab people. Executive producer Anne Garefino particularly criticized the idea, deeming it "stupid." Parker later noted that {{"'}}Crab people' became this thing [in the writers' room]. It's like, you just know there's something better, but you can't think of it, and now you've just got to go with crab people."<ref name="ew">{{citeCite magazine |date=October 11, 2011 |title='South Park': Matt Stone and Trey Parker Name Their 15 Best Episodes (and 53 Worst) |url=http://www.ew.com/gallery/south-park-matt-stone-and-trey-parker-name-their-15-best-episodes-and-53-worst/502151_worst-51-south-park-gay |dateurl-status=Octoberdead 11,|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525032828/http://www.ew.com/gallery/south-park-matt-stone-and-trey-parker-name-their-15-best-episodes-and-53-worst/502151_worst-51-south-park-gay 2011|magazinearchive-date=[[Entertainment2015-05-25 Weekly]]|accessdate=March 21, 2016 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref>

[[Category:South Park (season 7) episodes]]