Margaritaville (South Park)
| "Margaritaville" | |
|---|---|
| South Park episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 13 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Trey Parker |
| Written by | Trey Parker |
| Production code | 1303 |
| Original air date | March 25, 2009 |
| Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) |
"Margaritaville" is the third episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 184th overall episode of the series, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 25, 2009 as an Easter special. The episode is a satire and commentary on the global recession affecting much of the industrialized world at the time of the episode's broadcast. Kyle is portrayed as a Jesus-like savior working to save the economy, and Stan spends much of the episode trying to return a personal Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville machine.
The episode was written and directed by series co-founder Trey Parker, and was rated TV-MA L in the United States. Parker and Stone long planned to create an episode about the economy and considered making it the season premiere, but decided they needed more time to craft the script, and instead opened the season with "The Ring", a spoof of the Jonas Brothers boy band. In their original idea for an economy episode, Parker and Stone considered having Cartman dress as a superhero who fights the economy. That idea was ultimately scrapped, and elements were transferred to the season's second episode, "The Coon".
"Margaritaville" reflected Parker and Stone's belief that most Americans view the economy in the same way as religion, in that it is seldom understood but seen as an important, elusive entity. The Margaritaville blender featured in the episode serves as a metaphor for American consumerism, as well as the housing bubble. The script proved challenging for Parker and Stone, and they did not finish writing it until the night before the episode first aired. Parker and Stone themselves were not entirely pleased with the final product of "Margaritaville", but it received generally positive reviews by television critics.
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