Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s South Park is one of the smartest, sharpest satires on television, and it has been for over two decades. Every episode is produced the week that it airs, which allows for the show to take aim at current affairs in a way that few animated series can.
Ripping stories straight from the headlines has led to mixed results, but there are far more great South Park episodes than bad ones. And the great ones each have more than a few unforgettable moments. So, here are the best scenes from IMDb’s 10 top-rated South Park episodes.
Grounded Vindaloop (9.1) – Stan Comes Out Of Virtual Reality
Season 18’s “Grounded Vindaloop” lampooned then-burgeoning VR technologies. Initially, it’s about Cartman tricking Butters with a fake Oculus Rift headset. But it devolves into twist-filled science fiction when Cartman is told that he’s in virtual reality.
At the end of the episode, Stan finally manages to escape from virtual reality. Stan and the boys are shown to be sitting in Stan’s bedroom in live-action, with Butters, who’s excited to no longer be grounded.
The Death Of Eric Cartman (9.1) – The “Make It Right” Montage
In “The Death of Eric Cartman,” when all of Cartman’s friends start ignoring him, he concludes that he’s dead, trapped on Earth as a ghost. Since Butters isn’t ignoring him, he thinks he’s the only one who can see him in his ghostly form.
Together, they determine that Cartman has to make peace with the people he’s wronged on Earth, so they set about making gift baskets for Cartman’s enemies. They deliver the baskets in a montage set to a ludicrously upbeat song called “Make It Right.”
Trapped In The Closet (9.1) – Scientology Explained
The Church of Scientology was furious about its portrayal in the South Park episode “Trapped in the Closet.” The church reportedly sent people to Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s houses to sift through their trash after the episode aired.
Just as they’d done with the origins of Mormonism in season 7’s “All About Mormons,” Parker and Stone delivered a hilarious satirical retelling of the origins of Scientology with a caption declaring, “This is what Scientologist actually believe.”
Woodland Critter Christmas (9.1) – The Narrator Is...Cartman
The first two-thirds of “Woodland Critter Christmas” are presented as a regular Christmas episode, with a voiceover narrator telling the story of Stan helping a bunch of woodland animals with the birth of the Antichrist.
However, the twist ending reveals that the whole episode has been a Christmas story that Cartman wrote for school. He’s been reading it to the class, who are eager to hear how it ends.
Good Times With Weapons (9.1) – Cartman Sneaks Across The Stage Naked
The boys get their hands on some martial arts weapons at a town fair in the season 8 premiere “Good Times with Weapons,” but the fun is cut short when Kenny throws a ninja star into Butters’ eye.
As part of their plan to avoid getting in trouble, Cartman activates his power of invisibility, takes off all his clothes, and sneaks across a stage in front of the whole town. He gets halfway across the stage before realizing he’s not actually invisible.
AWESOM-O (9.2) – Cartman Pitches A Bunch Of Adam Sandler Movies
When Cartman dresses up as a robot to prank Butters in “AWESOM-O,” he ends up being whisked away to Hollywood and “programmed” to come up with movie ideas for a big studio.
Cartman himself has to come up with the pitches, and almost every single one of his pitches is for a high-concept comedy starring Adam Sandler.
Casa Bonita (9.2) – The Cops Chase Cartman Through Casa Bonita
After convincing Butters that the world had ended and confining him to a bomb shelter for a week, Cartman finally got to go to Casa Bonita for Kyle’s birthday party.
Unfortunately, his plan fell apart a couple of hours before he planned it to, and the police chased him through the restaurant as he tried to fit in everything he wanted to do.
The Return Of The Fellowship Of The Ring To The Two Towers (9.3) – Butters Watches An Adult Film
Trey Parker and Matt Stone have often said that “The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Tower” is one of the strongest episodes of South Park, and it’s easy to agree with them. As the boys set off on a quest to return their Lord of the Rings tape to the video store, their parents chase them around town as the tape turns out to be an adult film.
In one scene, Butters watches the movie and is stunned by it. The episode as a whole parodies The Lord of the Rings, and this scene turns Butters into its Gollum.
Make Love, Not Warcraft (9.5) – Cartman’s Mom Brings Him A Bedpan
At the climax of “Make Love, Not Warcraft,” the boys launch a 17-hour battle against the griefer that has been terrorizing them and their friends in World of Warcraft.
When Cartman needs to use the bathroom, he calls in his mom, who brings in a bedpan and holds it behind him while he does his business.
Scott Tenorman Must Die (9.6) – Cartman’s Shocking Revelation
Widely regarded to be the greatest episode in South Park’s 23-season history, “Scott Tenorman Must Die” ends with a gruesome revelation that changed Cartman’s character forever.
When Cartman revealed his diabolical plan to feed Scott his own parents, South Park fans were introduced to the true depths of his evil.