# Resolved: The Future-Telling Device episode is the most perfect South Park episode **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 11, 2006, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244 "2006-09-11T03:35:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/21 "2006-09-12T18:47:42Z")
Scott Tennerman must die. Great episode.John Edwards the biggest douche in the universe. Thye priest rallying against church pedophilia was also. Out of the closet with Travolta and some other obscure actor was fun too. ---
**Author:** ![\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/7cd45c/32.png) [@\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Deep_F_ied)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/22 "2006-09-12T18:52:49Z")
I hate to chime in without knowing the title but the ninja Anime one where Cartman thinks he is invisible is at the top of my list. ---
**Author:** ![\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/7cd45c/32.png) [@\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Deep_F_ied)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/23 "2006-09-12T18:54:23Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] Scott Tennerman must die. Great episode.John Edwards the biggest douche in the universe. Thye priest rallying against church pedophilia was also. Out of the closet with Travolta and some other obscure actor was fun too. [/QUOTE] Tom Cruise was in the closet. Travolta and R. Kelly were trying to get him to come out. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/24 "2006-09-12T19:17:39Z")
I like a lot of the episodes listed above but I think my all-time favorote would still have to be _The Biggest Douche in the Universe_. ---
**Author:** ![2lazy2pee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/4bbf92/32.png) [@2lazy2pee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2lazy2pee)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/25 "2006-09-12T20:51:28Z")
Some trivia appropriate to the date of the OP. In Episode 802, AWESOME-O, Butters mentions that his birthday is September 11. ---
**Author:** ![BabaBooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BabaBooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BabaBooey)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/26 "2006-09-12T22:28:31Z")
Love the AWESOME-O episode, but the Saints joke hurts me on the inside every time. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/27 "2006-09-12T22:55:44Z")
[QUOTE=«Ðëëp¤F®ïêd»™] Tom Cruise was in the closet. Travolta and R. Kelly were trying to get him to come out. [/QUOTE] Then they joined him in the closet and decided they liked it in there, ne pas? ---
**Author:** ![2lazy2pee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/4bbf92/32.png) [@2lazy2pee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2lazy2pee)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/28 "2006-09-12T23:15:49Z")
[QUOTE=«Ðëëp¤F®ïêd»™] I hate to chime in without knowing the title but the ninja Anime one where Cartman thinks he is invisible is at the top of my list. [/QUOTE] _Good Times With Weapons_ ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/29 "2006-09-12T23:36:32Z")
[QUOTE=garygnu] _The Monkey’s Paw_ references. Brilliant! [/QUOTE] Actually, they were riffing on [_Pet Sematary_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sematary) – which, by King’s admission, does owe something to “The Monkey’s Paw.” ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/30 "2006-09-13T06:18:29Z")
I counter your wikipedia cite with [my own](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey%27s_paw): > [@](#): > > In the South Park episode ‘Marjorine’ the character Butters is wished to be brought back to life by his parents, when he knocks on the door his parents regret it and refer to him as ‘it’. [Anoyingly Thorough And Righteous Cartman Voice]A specific reference to a resurrected son and the fact that _The Monkey’s Paw_ was written over 80 years before your ‘reference’ means I win. [/ATARCV] ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/31 "2006-09-13T08:44:58Z")
[QUOTE=Evil Captor] Meh. Trey and Stone are so over-the-top conservative that they completely lose their sense of comic pitch when they go bashing prominent lefties. [/QUOTE] They’re not, though, “conservative” in the sense that most people think of it (right wing), and they’ll bash the right too. ---
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/32 "2006-09-13T14:56:10Z")
“Scott Tenorman Must Die” is indeed the best episode. With many occasions of Cartman’s schemes failing, and several instances of failure suspected in this episode, the climax is unbeatable. The whole walkthrough is so matter-of-factly direct. It is hilarious to see Cartman unfold the whole plot and then taste Scott’s tears, taunting “I made you eat your parents!”. By far the most perfect episode of South Park ever! ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/33 "2006-09-13T15:28:15Z")
[QUOTE=feppytweed] “Scott Tenorman Must Die” is indeed the best episode. With many occasions of Cartman’s schemes failing, and several instances of failure suspected in this episode, the climax is unbeatable. The whole walkthrough is so matter-of-factly direct. It is hilarious to see Cartman unfold the whole plot and then taste Scott’s tears, taunting “I made you eat your parents!”. By far the most perfect episode of South Park ever! [/QUOTE] “Dude, let’s never piss Cartman off again.” “Agreed.” To the best of my knowledge, they haven’t since that episode. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/34 "2006-09-13T15:40:08Z")
[QUOTE=garygnu] [Anoyingly Thorough And Righteous Cartman Voice]A specific reference to a resurrected son and the fact that _The Monkey’s Paw_ was written over 80 years before your ‘reference’ means I win. [/ATARCV] [/QUOTE] Can’t it be both? The scene you describe is definitely inspired by _The Monkey’s Paw_, but the circumstances of the attempt to resurrect Butters - reburying him - comes straight from _Pet Semetary_. As does the dialogue from the guy who gives Butters’s father the idea. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/35 "2006-09-13T15:49:20Z")
FTR, (since I started this thing) here are my thoughts on some of the episode mentioned by other posters, in no particular order: **Marjorine** - Still the best because of brilliant qualities across the board; see my posts above. Admittedly, does not contain the “the best” gag(s) in the entire series, but there are _no_ weak links. **Scott Tenorman Must Die** - Spectactular episode, mostly for it’s surprise ending as others have noted. Definately within the top five ever, but if it didn’t have such a good pay-off, this episode would rate a C+ at best. **Awsome-O** - A fantastic premise gets this episode started in very high gear, but the dumb shoot-em-up ending keeps this episode out of the hall of fame, I’m afraid. **Cartman’s J-Lo Handpuppet** - The handpuppet business may qualify as the all-time funniest single gag the series ever produced, giving this show high, high marks in my book. It certainly makes my top five. Sadly, whenever the puppet wasn’t on screen the action dragged, and the scenes of crabby real-life J-Lo and self-absorbed Bennifer were just annoying. **Invisible Cartman** - Another fantastic, clever episode, to be sure, with very high overall scores, but not high enough to topple _Marjorine._ \*\*The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers \*\* - An ingenius premise, consitantly well executed. Maybe not in my top five, but real close. **Tom Cruise in the Closet** , **John Edwards** , **Mecha-Streisand** , etc - Some of these episodes had their moments, but they certainly don’t qualify for the top tier of shows, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![some\_white\_dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@some\_white\_dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/some_white_dude)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/36 "2006-09-13T16:53:36Z")
My nomination for Most Perfect South Park Episode is the one where they return “Whalezyx” to his home, the moon. As was said earlier, > [@](#): > > These are real life misinformed little boys trying so hard and earnestly to capture something so precious and potent to them – the “future-telling device” – but so laughable to everyone else, including us viewers. Plus, there’s a great payoff at the end, just like the Scott Tenorman ep. The end credits roll, but without the theme music. The image on screen is that of a dead killer whale lying on the moon’s surface. My explanation doesn’t really do the end justice, but if you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/37 "2006-09-13T17:03:45Z")
[QUOTE=feppytweed] “Scott Tenorman Must Die” is indeed the best episode. With many occasions of Cartman’s schemes failing, and several instances of failure suspected in this episode, the climax is unbeatable. The whole walkthrough is so matter-of-factly direct. It is hilarious to see Cartman unfold the whole plot and then taste Scott’s tears, taunting “I made you eat your parents!”. By far the most perfect episode of South Park ever! [/QUOTE] I love the episode, but I don’t like the looney tune ending thing. It should’ve been better if it’d finished off on that brutal, overkill note. It also had some logical flaws/plot holes. But it’s still pretty awesome. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/38 "2006-09-13T23:01:12Z")
[QUOTE=Paranoid Randroid] Can’t it be both? The scene you describe is definitely inspired by _The Monkey’s Paw_, but the circumstances of the attempt to resurrect Butters - reburying him - comes straight from _Pet Semetary_. As does the dialogue from the guy who gives Butters’s father the idea. [/QUOTE] Fine by me. Actually, I had stepped away just before the burial\* so I missed that bit. \*: Why I stepped away when I was watching it off my DVR I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/39 "2006-09-14T01:23:04Z")
[QUOTE=SenorBeef] They’re not, though, “conservative” in the sense that most people think of it (right wing), and they’ll bash the right too. [/QUOTE] I’m sorry, the notion that Matt and Trey don’t have a huge hard-on for lefties as opposed to righties is absolutely ludicrous. They may bash the occasional rightie – can’t remember any offhand, but they go after lefties wholesale. And generally they go after them with such fervor that they lose their comic edge. Look at the baddies in Team America, World Police: Janeane Garafolo, Alec Baldwin, Michael Moore, Danny Glover, Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Helen Hunt … you’d have to be REALLY REALLY unobservant not to get the point here … ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244/40 "2006-09-14T02:39:46Z")
They’re libertarians - who hate what the mainstream right wing has become as much as left wingers do, and if they’re anything like me, calling them right wing would be a pretty strong insult. I wanted to defend that. Of course, I’ve been called “extreme right ring” and “very liberal” and everything in between. People have very little room for ideas about political ideologies other than what’s laid out to them by a two-party system. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-future-telling-device-episode-is-the-most-perfect-south-park-episode/372244.md?page=1)