The Passion of the Jew
| "The Passion of the Jew" | |
|---|---|
| South Park episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 8 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Trey Parker |
| Written by | Trey Parker |
| Production code | 803 |
| Original air date | March 31, 2004 |
"The Passion of the Jew" is the third episode of the eighth season and the 114th overall episode of the American animated series South Park, originally broadcast on Comedy Central on March 31, 2004. It was written and directed by Trey Parker, who, along with fellow series co-creator Matt Stone, voiced most of the characters in the episode. "The Passion of the Jew" is a satirical critique of the media discourse surrounding Mel Gibson's 2004 film The Passion of the Christ.
The boys are playing Star Trek in Cartman's mother's new minivan, and as usual Cartman is giving Kyle a hard time about being Jewish. Cartman dares Kyle to watch The Passion of the Christ, the box-office success of which Cartman holds up as proof that everybody hates Jews. Kyle sees the film and is horrified by its violent depiction of how Jesus was tortured and crucified. Kyle feels intense guilt and has nightmares in which he and other Jews laugh while killing Jesus. He tells Cartman that he was "right all along" about the Jews; overjoyed, Cartman prays to a poster of The Passion's director Mel Gibson and vows to dedicate his life to making sure everyone sees the film. Meanwhile, Stan and Kenny watch The Passion and hate it. Declaring it a "snuff film", they demand their $18 back from the theater, but are told that they can only get their money back from Gibson.
Attempting to contact Gibson, Stan and Kenny telephone the head of the Mel Gibson Fan Club—Cartman, who yells at them for disliking the film, but lets slip that Gibson lives in Malibu. Stan and Kenny make their way there. Meanwhile Cartman dresses in a brown Hitler-esque uniform and hosts a fan club meeting in his backyard. The attendees have gathered to celebrate The Passion's role in helping them rediscover Christianity. Cartman suggests that each attendee take one more person to see the film before they begin what he refers to as "the cleansing"—the fan club members obliviously agree.
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