Going Native/Trivia

References to Popular Culture

 * This episode takes some of the plot points from Star Trek: The Original Series' episode "Amok Time" as Butters takes a similar role to Spock who had to go back to his native planet Vulcan for a maturity test among his people.
 * The manner that the ferry was sunk and the unseen man shouting about the love of his wife is a reference to the film Titanic.
 * The native's leader said gravely to one of the natives that no one makes the first turn, similar to a phrase said in the film The Matrix that no one makes the first jump.
 * The way the bats flooded out of Coco Palms and the sound effects used are very similar to that of the original series of Scooby Doo cartoons, a likely reference.
 * Butters Stotch comes to accept Ben Affleck's career in his last rant to the native Hawaiians, by admitting his latest film Argo was a good movie.
 * The association of Elvis Presley with Hawaii derives from his famous 1973 Aloha from Hawaii concert as well as his starring in the 1961 movie Blue Hawaii.
 * The newscaster sounding doubtful about Barack Obama being a native Hawaiian is likely a reference to birthers, those who believe Obama was not born in the United States. However, Obama was indeed born in Hawaii.

Continuity

 * Butters is seen causing mass death, the last time this was seen was during the episode "You Got F'd in the A" when he unintentionally killed dozen of people by tap dancing.
 * This is the second time an impersonation of Elvis Presley is seen in South Park, the first time was by Officer Barbrady in the episode "Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods".
 * This is the third episode to reference Ben Affleck, with the other two being "How to Eat With Your Butt" and "Fat Butt and Pancake Head".
 * The end of Kenny's first letter diverges into him seeing breasts while on the beach, a continuing trend of his high sex drive as well as his obsession with breasts, notably seen in the episode "Major Boobage".
 * Butters' unusually angered behaviour is another sign that he is going into puberty.