Tsst

"Tsst"
South Park episode
Episode no. Season 10
Episode 7
Directed by Trey Parker
Written by Trey Parker
Original air date May 3, 2006

"Tsst" is the seventh episode in the tenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 146th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on May 3, 2006. In the episode, Liane has problems controlling her son Cartman, and enlists several reality television shows to help with his problematic behavior.

Plot

After Cartman gets into trouble at school, Liane admits that she cannot control her son anymore. She turns to several behavioural experts, but their attempts to curb Cartman's behaviour are unsuccessful. Desperate, Liane turns to Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. Millan doesn't treat Cartman as a human child, instead using dog-training techniques. Millan's methods are extremely effective, leading to intense frustration from Cartman. After a period of time, Cartman's behaviour improves, although he himself feels as if he is not in control of his own actions. As Liane enjoys her more flexible lifestyle, Cartman plots to kill his mother, although he cannot go through with his plan. With Cartman's behaviour now in-check, Millan returns for a final visit. Liane thanks him and invites him on an outing, which he declines because he sees her as a client and not a friend. As her son was previously her friend, Liane asks Cartman to join her on the outing. After he refuses, Liane persuades Cartman to spend time with her, saying he can have anything he wishes, and Cartman returns to his old self.

Reception

IGN's Eric Goldman gave the episode a score of 8.0 out of 10, writing: "While not among the terrific episodes that began the season, this was a very fun installment of the show, and a nice spotlight on Cartman and what it might take to finally make him obey."[1] Jordan B. Peterson praised the episode, calling it a brilliant exposition of a Freudian Oedipal situation.[2] When asked if he was offended by his caricature on the episode, Cesar Millan stated that he thought it and the entire episode was "fantastic".[3]

Cultural references

There are numerous obvious references to popular American reality television programmes. Of the most prominent, shows such as Nanny 911 and Supernanny which are both British programs in origin are parodied extensively. Both TV show hosts Stella Reid and Jo Frost are portrayed having accentuated British accents and stereotypically bad teeth. Unlike the real television shows, neither Stella's or Jo's methods of disciplining unruly children work - ultimately forcing an insulted Stella to refuse to work with Cartman, and Jo Frost being admitted to a psychiatric hospital. The Dog Whisperer is also featured in the episode, along with show host Cesar Millan.

As the episode ends, the closing shot of Cartman staring towards the viewer is an obvious reference to the closing shot of The Omen.

Home release

"Tsst", along with the thirteen other episodes from South Park's tenth season, was released on a three-disc DVD set in the United States on August 21, 2007. The set includes brief audio commentaries by series co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone for each episode.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Goldman, Eric (May 6, 2006). "South Park: Tsst! Review". IGN. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  2. ↑ Peterson, Jordan (January 30, 2017). "2017 Maps of Meaning 3: Marionettes and Individuals (Part 2)" YouTube Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  3. ↑ Witzeman, Jeff (March 27, 2016). "Cesar Millan: Changing The World One Dog Owner At A Time". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  4. ↑ Iverson, Dan (November 22, 2006). "South Park: The Complete Tenth Season DVD Review". IGN. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
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