Mecha-Streisand

"Mecha-Streisand" is episode 12 of Comedy Central's series South Park. It originally aired on February 18, 1998. The Episode parodies many Japanese TV shows and movies, including Ultraman and the Godzilla movies. Mecha-streisand herself is a parody of Mecha-Godzilla.

Plot
During a fossil dig, Cartman discovers a mysterious stone triangle only to throw it away. Kyle picks it up instead, and after an archeologist identifies the writing on the triangle as Anasazi, Kyle appears on TV with the find. However, because of its newfound value, Cartman instantly wants the triangle back. After Cartman breaks into Kyle's room in the middle of the night to reclaim the artifact, Kyle tires of the situation and gives the triangle back to Cartman. Meanwhile, Leonard Maltin turns up in the town and asks Chef if he has seen Barbra Streisand anywhere. Chef is confused at this, but Maltin explains that if Streisand has seen the news report about the triangle the boys are in great danger.

Later at the bus stop Barbra Streisand lands in her helicopter and demands to know where "the Triangle of Zinthar" is. The boys don't know who she is nor do they want to give her the triangle, which aggravates her. Meanwhile Chef is driving Maltin to Streisand's condo, while Maltin explains the situation—Streisand's "mother was a Jackal, and her father was an insurance salesman" and that she is an "evil, egotistical diabolical bitch" who wants to conquer the world with an ancient relic called "the Diamond of Pantheos." The diamond was split into two separate triangles and hidden at different points of the Earth, but Streisand found one of the pieces during the shooting of My Fair Lady. The other piece happens to be the triangle Cartman found, and according to Maltin if Streisand were to get her hands on that triangle she would become the most evil and dangerous creature to ever walk the Earth—Mecha-Streisand.

Later, a disguised Streisand finds the boys and tells them that the triangle is hers and that she will give them a monetary reward for it. Stan, Kyle, and Kenny are suspicious and reluctant to go with a stranger but Cartman drags them along, saying that stranger situations aren't bad if they include money. Streisand takes them to her condo in the mountains to complete the transaction. Once at her mansion home, Streisand ties up and tortures the boys with medieval torture and her singing until Cartman relents and gives up the triangle. She takes the triangle and combines it with the one she had unearthed years before, forming the Diamond of Pantheos. The Diamond transforms Streisand into Mecha-Streisand, a giant mechanical dinosaur-songstress that begins to completely destroy South Park. Shortly thereafter, Leonard Maltin and Chef find Streisand's home and free the boys, who fill them in on what had just occurred.

As Streisand goes about destroying the town, Leonard Maltin transforms into a giant robot, like Jet Jaguar or Ultraman, in hopes of defeating the evil Mecha-Streisand. Streisand proves too powerful, though, and Maltin is quickly defeated. Fleeing the battle, Kenny is strangled in a school yard tetherball. Sidney Poitier joins the battle and takes the form of a giant turtle much like Gamera. He, too, is no match for Mecha-Streisand, and South Park appears in utter peril until Robert Smith of The Cure arrives. He morphs into a giant moth, in the form of Mothra, and is told what to do through a wrist-watch, like Giant Robo. Discovering that Mecha-Streisand's weak spot is the nose, Smith is able to punch the Diamond of Pantheos out of her—using the Robot Punch—thus rendering her powerless. Smith is then able to mega-toss the weakened Mecha-Streisand into outer space, where she explodes. After the fighting subsides, the town cheers for Robert Smith, including Jesus, who hails Smith as a "savior". Robert Smith walks off into the sunset while Kyle shouts "Disintegration is the best album ever!"

The boys decide that the diamond is better off separated, as "no one should have that kind of power." However, the episode ends with it being re-discovered, and the boys cowering in the presence of a giant Ike Broflovski, Mecha-Ike.

Kenny's Death
During a battle between Mecha Streisand and Leonard Maltin, Kenny walks with Stan and Kyle to the school playground, starts up a game of tether ball (rather randomly, too), and is hanged to his death when the tether ball rope pins him to the pole as it wraps tightly around his neck. This is presumably because all the viewers expect Kenny to be killed in the crossfire, so this bizarre form of death is totally unexpected.

Trivia

 * At the beginning of the episode Mr.Garrison is holding a newspaper with Mr.Hankey on it.
 * Leonard Maltin mentions to Chef that Barbara Streisand found the first triangle while filming My Fair Lady. However, My Fair Lady starred Audrey Hepburn.
 * Barbra Streisand took the opportunity of her characterization in this episode to criticize the show, claiming it was bad for children for promoting cynicism. In a later episode, Spookyfish, her image was again used, apparently in response.
 * The word "Roshambo" (Rochambeau) is another way of saying "rock, paper, scissors". However, Cartman's concept of Roshambo is for opponents to take turns kicking each other in the balls until one of them falls over.
 * Barbra Streisand has a picture of Satan and herself in her torturing chamber.
 * Barbra Streisand's short monologue is heavily accented and grammatically incorrect Japanese, roughly translatable as "Today, for me, it is a new beginning! From this day forward, my name is.... Mecha-Barbra-Streisanda!"
 * The music that plays when Robert Smith walks away after defeating Mecha-Streisand is reminiscent of Love Song by The Cure.
 * This episode largely parodies Japanese Kaiju movies, such as Godzilla.
 * In a reference to The Omen, Leonard Maltin explains that Streisand's parents were a Jackal and an insurance salesman.
 * Guest star Robert Smith was given his lines out of context and told it would be funnier for him to just read them and did not discover the plot until it aired.
 * This is the last episode (until season 2) to have South Park destroyed.
 * In the beginning of the episode, Cartman finds the golden triangle, and a male figure is drawn inside it when it's being held sharp end up. Few seconds later, Kyle is holding the triangle, and female is there instead if male's.
 * Stan's line, during the fight against Mecha Barbara Streisand, "My mom always said there were no monsters, but there are, aren't there chef?" is reminiscent of a similar line said by the character Newt to Ripley in the movie Aliens.
 * The 4 characters resemble as:


 * Barbara Streisand - MechaGodzilla
 * Leonard Maltin - UltraMan
 * Sidney Poitier - Gamera
 * Robert Smith - Mothra (which topple Mecha Streisand)

Quotes
Barbra Streisand: You know who I am, don't you?

Officer Barbrady: Well, you ain't Fiona Apple, and if you ain't Fiona Apple, I don't give a rat's ass.

Barbra Streisand: [screams in anger]]

Officer Barbrady: Whoa, what a bitch! Stan: Wow, Robert Smith is the greatest person that ever lived!

Jesus: Our savior!

Kyle: Disintegration was the best album ever! Kyle: Well, that whole experience sure did suck.

Stan: Yeah, I'm sure glad that's over with.

Kyle: But you know, I've learned something today. I've learned that people who want power, a lot of power, always end up dead.

Cartman: Yeah, and I've learned something, too. Robert Smith kicks ass. Cartman: I'll Roshambo you for it!!