Southpark

 

The landmark 201st episode of Comedy Central's animated series South Park, '201,' concluded a major two-part story. In it, on a path to discovering the true identity of his father, Eric Cartman has a showdown with an old nemesis, Scott Tenorman. The scene plays out in homage to the 1988 graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke. But instead of The Joker's creepy dwarf henchmen placing Commissioner Gordon on a rollercoaster ride of insanity, Tenorman's ginger goons place Cartman on a tormenting ride leading to the shocking truth of his existence. Various shots in the episode are directly inspired by Brian Bolland's memorable panels as well as John Higgins' intense coloring.

Cartman's revelation was only a secondary plot of '201' however. The episode is best known for its controversy regarding the Muslim prophet Muhammad in which Comedy Central allegedly censored all of the episode's references to the figure before airing it. Out of fear of outrage from the Muslim extremists, the episode was only aired once on April 21, 2010 and not made available for online viewing through South Park Studios.

 

The Killing Joke:

Television
Drew Carey
That 70's Show
One Tree Hill
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

 

 

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