Cash for Gold (South Park)
| "Cash for Gold" | |
|---|---|
| South Park episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 16 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Trey Parker |
| Written by | Trey Parker |
| Production code | 1602 |
| Original air date | March 21, 2012 |
"Cash for Gold" is the second episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 225th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 21, 2012. The episode centers on Stan's irritation with J&G Shopping Network and television home shopping networks in general, as he discovers that they prey upon the elderly and fleece them of their money, as well as Cartman's new entrepreneurship inspired by that same idea.
The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker and is rated TV-MA L in the United States.
Stan Marsh's grandfather Marvin gives him a bejeweled bolo tie, saying that the Jewels & Gems (J&G) Shopping Network, from which he bought it, claimed that its 14 carat gold and diamonds makes it worth $6,000. After Cartman teases him for wearing such a tacky and unfashionable item, Stan takes it to a Cash For Gold store where he is offered $15 for it. Other such merchants similarly offer him little or nothing for the item, and Stan realizes that his grandfather has been swindled. Cartman shows his friends the J&G infomercials, where half-senile senior citizens are conned into buying cheap jewelry for their relatives. Stan tries to talk Marvin out of buying him or his sister Shelly more worthless items, but Marvin suffers from Alzheimer's disease and instead relates to Stan an oft-repeated anecdote of a Border Collie named Patches he once had, but laments that he can no longer remember what she looked like.
Stan begins a crusade to stop the exploitation of the elderly in this manner, and vows to track down whoever is at the top of the trade. Meanwhile, Cartman decides to get into the infomercial business with Butters as his sidekick, and not only starts offering his classmates cash for gold, he also sets up his own television channel and mimics the tone and techniques of Dean, the host on J&G. He visits a jewellery shop to restock, but he notices the women at the shop are using the very same mannerisms as he and Dean use, revealing they are scam artists as well.
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