"Pandemic" | |
---|---|
South Park episode | |
Episode no. | Season 12 Episode 10 |
Directed by | Trey Parker |
Written by | Trey Parker |
Production code | 1210 |
Original air date | October 22, 2008 |
"Pandemic" is the tenth episode in the twelfth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 177th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 22, 2008.
It is the first of a two-part episode. In the episode, the boys try to capitalize on a sudden rise in Peruvian flute bands, unwittingly becoming players in a demonic being's plan to employ giant guinea pigs to attack the public. The storyline of this episode concludes in the next episode, "Pandemic 2: The Startling".
The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker.
Seeing all the Peruvian pan flute bands that have become popular recently, and the money they can make daily by selling CDs, Stan convinces Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny to start their own pan flute band. They convince their classmate Craig to invest his $100 birthday money as venture capital. The plan backfires when the head of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff cracks down on all Peruvian flute bands, rounding them up and imprisoning them in Miami, with the boys also arrested in the process. While imprisoned, Craig continually criticises Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny, saying that the four main protagonists' constant schemes and their subsequent failures are the main reason for their unpopularity. The boys attempt to convince their captors that they are American citizens, but Michael Chertoff only agrees to release the boys if they agree to go on a mission to overthrow the country of Peru, in order to stop the pandemic of Peruvian flute bands at its source. As the boys prepare for their mission, Peruvian musicians still interned in the camp warn guards that their captivity will unleash the "Furry Death".