Ep 1. Tonsil Trouble
- TV-MA
- March 12, 2008
- 22 min
-
7.9 (3,306)
In South Park season 12 episode 1, entitled "Tonsil Trouble," the small Colorado town is hit with a major health crisis when an outbreak of tonsillitis quickly spreads throughout the community. In typical South Park fashion, the outbreak is traced back to the source: a contaminated shipment of Chinese toys that were given out as prizes at the local fair.
When Kyle is diagnosed with a severe case of tonsillitis, his parents take him to the hospital for surgery. However, due to the high demand for tonsillectomies, the hospital is backed up and unable to perform the operation in a timely manner. Desperate to help their son, Kyle's parents turn to an unconventional source of healing: a faith healer who claims he can cure Kyle's tonsillitis with the power of prayer.
Meanwhile, the rest of the town is in chaos as the tonsillitis outbreak continues to spread. The school is shut down, businesses are closed, and people are quarantined in their homes. Cartman sees the outbreak as an opportunity to skip school and play video games all day, but he soon realizes the severity of the situation when he comes down with the illness himself.
Throughout the episode, the town is skewered for its irrational reactions to the outbreak. People panic and hoard supplies, while others refuse to acknowledge the severity of the situation. As usual, the writers of South Park use humor to highlight the absurdities of real-world issues.
One of the standout moments of the episode comes when Kyle's faith healer, who claims to have successfully cured numerous ailments through prayer, is revealed to be a fraud. In a hilarious twist, it turns out that he was simply stealing the tonsils of his "cured" patients and selling them on the black market as a delicacy for wealthy Chinese businessmen.
Overall, "Tonsil Trouble" is a classic episode of South Park that tackles a serious issue in a humorous and absurd way. The episode is a reminder of the show's ability to provoke thought and inspire laughter through its unique brand of social commentary.
