AWESOM-O

"AWESOM-O" is episode 116 of the Comedy Central series South Park. It was originally broadcast on April 14, 2004. It holds the show record for being created in the shortest amount of time, taking only three days.

This episode was advertised as "The Return of Lemmiwinks." However, no such episode exists. This (fictional) disclaimer appeared before the episode began:
 * "Due to this week's tragic events in Hawaii, the Lemmiwinks episode of South Park will not be shown tonight. Instead, we present the all new and slightly better episode, AWESOM-O."

Plot synopsis
Cartman disguises himself as a robot named "The A.W.E.S.O.M.-O 4000" and puts himself in a crate on Butters' doorstep, planning to befriend a gullible Butters and thereby discover Butters' embarrassing secrets (presumably so he can blab them to everybody at school). However, Butters also tells "AWESOM-O" that he knows one of Cartman's secrets -- he has a videotape of Cartman dressed up like Britney Spears, making out with a cardboard cut-out of Justin Timberlake. Butters adds that he plans to show the tape to the town next time Cartman plays a prank on him.

Cartman, terrified about Butters' plan, searches Butters' room furiously for the tape (while having the robot suit on, or Butters will know "AWESOM-O" was another prank) but fails. Meanwhile, he starves because Butters believes that he is a robot and doesn't need to eat. With agreement from Cartman's mom, Butters' parents (knowing who "AWESOM-O" really is but thinking it's an elaborate game that Butters is in on) decide to let "AWESOM-O" come with Butters on a trip to Los Angeles to visit his aunt. Left with no alternative, Cartman is forced to go, or else reveal his disguise. Upon arriving, Cartman is so hungry and is feeling terrible (as travelling on a flight in a robot costume is obviously not pleasant) that he makes up an excuse to use the bathroom and proceeds to eat toothpaste.

In Hollywood, movie producers hear about the "robot" and decide to hire him from Butters to create movie ideas; Cartman, as the robot, pitches over one thousand nonsensical ideas (800 of which star Adam Sandler), while the movie producers are gullible enough to buy them. Meanwhile, the U.S. military hears about "AWESOM-O", and decides to capture him to make him into a weapon. "AWESOM-O" flees the movie studio in panic after a film producer tries to sodomize him, thinking that he is a "pleasure model". The military captures "AWESOM-O" by shocking him, and abduct him into a secret base.

Cartman tries to explain that he's really a kid, but the military believes that Cartman is a robot with A.I. that made them think he was human. A scientist attempts to save Cartman. Cartman is about to reveal that he is a human when Butters shows up to rescue him. Cartman has to keep his disguise, allowing the military to kill the scientist (because he tried to stop the military from converting "AWESOM-O" into a weapon).

Butters pleads with the military to spare "AWESOM-O" and the general is touched. At this point, Cartman farts, causing Butters to suspect and finally reveal his true identity. Butters carries out his promise and shows the video of Cartman dressed as Britney Spears to the whole town, as well as to the movie producers and the military (because they met "AWESOM-O" too). As Butters celebrates his victorious revenge on Cartman and everyone laughs (and the general says "wow kid you're a little faggot") to Cartman, all Cartman can unhappily muster up in response is the word "Lame!"

Production
On the creator's commentary, Matt Stone states that the idea for this show came from the idea of Cartman saying "lame" in a robot voice.

Cultural references

 * The name "AWESOM-O" is a play on the robotic humanoid ASIMO.
 * In the scene where Butters is opening the package that AWESOM-O is in, he says that his birthday is not until September 11th. This shows Butters' misfortunes go back to his birthday (as of 2001).
 * Butters' bedtime song is "If You Leave Me Now" by Chicago.
 * The scene in which "robot" Cartman, bound to an upright operating table, asserts to the military that he is human is reminiscent of a similar scene involving the Puppet Master from the film Ghost in the Shell.
 * During the L.A. montage of clips, Butters and Awesom-O are seen in a log ride that exactly looks like the Yeti ride in Colorado's Funland. In the previous shot from the Season 5 episode, there are trees and bushes in a mountain-like atmosphere. In this episode, the tree (and one of the bushes) was changed into a dinosaur.
 * The Hollywood producer's asking if AWESOM-O is a "Pleasure Model" is likely from Blade Runner where Pris is identified as a Pleasure Model.
 * Butters' song "My Robot Friend" is a parody of the theme song of the television series The Courtship of Eddie's Father.
 * In the Los Angeles montage, the "shark attack" ride and the homeless man in front of Catamount Studios are references to Parker and Stone's short film, Your Studio and You (1995).
 * The "shark attack" ride is in Universal Studios, and "Catamount Studios" is a parody of Paramount Pictures (which is owned by Viacom, also the parent of Comedy Central).
 * 'Puppy Love' and 'Punch-Drunk billionaire', two titles proposed by the movie producers to accompany two of AWESOM-O's movie ideas are a reference to the movie Punch-Drunk Love and Mr. Deeds starring Adam Sandler. The final movie idea, where Adam Sandler falls in love with a coconut on a desert island is a parody of Cast Away with Tom Hanks.
 * The idea of the scientist refusing to destroy the AWESOM-O's consciousness is a parody of the movie Short Circuit.

References to other South Park episodes

 * Ms. Cartman's reference to Cartman being grounded for "trying to exterminate the Jews two weeks ago" refers to "The Passion of the Jew" which aired two weeks before "AWESOM-O".
 * Butters remembers the events from "Casa Bonita" where Cartman convinced Butters to hide in a bomb shelter, and "Jared Has Aides", where Cartman imitated Butters on the phone to his father, verbally bashing him.
 * AWESOM-O has been made into an action figure in the fourth series of South Park action figures by Mezco Toyz.
 * The Hollywood studio and its president return from the episode "It Hits the Fan".

Reception
In the recent UK poll Paramount Comedy's Top 10 Episodes, this episode was ranked number 5.