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Ginger Cow "Ginger Cow" "Black Friday" "A Song of Ass and Fire" A Song of Ass and Fire
"Black Friday"
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BlackFridayPromo
Episode no. Season 17
Episode 7
Production no. 1707
Original airdate November 13, 2013
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"Black Friday" is the seventh episode of Season Seventeen, and the 244th overall episode of South Park. It aired on November 13, 2013.[1] It is the first part of a story arc that continues with "A Song of Ass and Fire" and concludes in "Titties and Dragons".

Synopsis[]

The boys prepare to battle the crowds already lining up for the first official day of holiday shopping.[1]

Plot[]

SPW pic -- Spoiler Spoiler warning!
Plot details follow.

At the South Park Mall, a security guard is informing his coworkers of the horrors of Black Friday. He explains with dread that the mall will be giving 80% off for the first 30 shoppers. Randy Marsh is among the security guards, and explains that he just wants some extra holiday cash.

Meanwhile, Cartman, dressed in wizard attire, goes to the McCormick Residence in search of Lady McCormick, whom he tells to come to the great hall for a meeting on how to get cheap Xbox Ones. At said meeting, Cartman informs the other 4th grade boys of Black Friday, and that they must reach the mall first before the other shoppers. The boys then begin to train and build weapons.

At the Mall, Randy and another security guard discuss the horrors of the previous year's Black Friday and how the oldest officer saved them all.

At the Cartman Residence, the boys start arguing about whether they should buy Xbox Ones or PlayStation 4s, which divides the group, including Stan and Kyle, specifically upsetting Kyle.

That night, Sharon Marsh confronts Randy about his job and he reveals he only took the job to get everything he wanted.

Later, Cartman contacts the Star Trek kids, and they decide to work together to get Xbox Ones, doubling their army. Cartman confronts Kyle on Stan's decision, as he is still indecisive.

Meanwhile, a new Elmo doll, Stop Touching Me Elmo, is announced to be released in the upcoming Black Friday. Parents start lining up to get the doll.

Later, Stan, Jimmy, and Craig ask the Goth Kids to help them, but the Goth Kids decline, even though they are all for the PlayStation 4. Kenny and Cartman discuss the chances of Kyle betraying them in the Garden of Betrayal, only to be shouted at by the owner of the garden for trespassing.

Meanwhile, Randy looks at his various options of what to buy. The Captain, Officer Krum, falsely considers Randy a good man. The mall's security is further daunted by the news that a new Tickle Me Elmo called "Stop Touching Me Elmo" is being released in time for Black Friday, which leads to shoppers camping outside even earlier than anticipated. As Randy seeks out the products to purchase during Black Friday, the Captain thanks him for his service, telling him that he can tell that Randy took the job because he genuinely cares about others. This compliment troubles Randy.

Meanwhile, the head of Sony learns of Cartman's campaign, and fearing that an Xbox One sell-through would be bad for Sony's image, decides to market a "Brack Friday Bunduru" to further entice PS4 customers, which includes four game controllers, a map of Japan, a United States $100 rebate, and an automatic pre-order for Metal Gear Solid V.

To address increasing crowds, the mall's security tries to hand out wristbands so shoppers can hold places in line, but this leads to a brawl in which the Captain is fatally stabbed. Cradling his dying superior, Randy reveals his true motives for having taken the job. The Captain notes that Randy now knows how serious Black Friday is, and peels off the scar over his left eye, revealing it to be a prosthetic makeup. Before dying, he places it on Randy's face, telling Randy that regardless of his early motives, he is the Captain now, and must now protect the mall. Inspired by the new responsibility, Randy tells his fellow guards that they now have work to do.

Thanks to the "Brack Friday Bonduru", more people have joined the PlayStation 4 side. Stan rallies his assembled army, telling them that a new leader has joined them to make sure that the winner of the console war is the PS4. The new leader is revealed to be Lady McCormick, who has betrayed the Xbox One side and is now been deemed "Princess Kenny".

Critical Reception[]

AV Club gave "Black Friday" a "A-" rating saying: "Here at The A.V. Club, we divide our reviews of HBO’s adaptation of Game Of Thrones into two tracks. One is for newbies to the series, and the other is for veterans. It’s a pretty good solution for a perpetual problem, or at least what will be a problem until the series catches up with the books, at which point, anarchy will reign down upon the land and send the world into the dark ages. I read David Sims’ reviews for newbies, because I made a decision before the series aired not to read the books until the television series ended. But while that decision potentially worried me during the outset of tonight’s South Park episode “Black Friday,” my fears were soon assuaged. What unfolded wasn’t a tale of economic insanity, next-generation console wars, and Randy’s overall Randy-ness through the prism of George R.R. Martin’s books but specifically through the HBO adaptation overseen by D.B. Weiss and David Benioff. And while it’s hard to judge this parody through the prism of a single episode in what looks like a multi-week narrative, the start is very promising indeed."[2]

IGN gave "Black Friday" a "8.7/Editors Choice" rating saying: "Cleverly fusing elements of the Next-Gen Console War with HBO's Game of Thrones, "Black Friday" was easily one of the best South Park episodes we've seen in Season 17."[3]

References[]


Holiday Episodes
Christmas
"Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" | "Merry Christmas Charlie Manson!" | "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" | "A Very Crappy Christmas" | "Red Sleigh Down" | "It's Christmas in Canada" | "Woodland Critter Christmas" | "#HappyHolograms" | "Bike Parade" | "Christmas Snow"
Halloween
"Pinkeye" | "Spookyfish" | "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery" | "Hell on Earth 2006" | "A Nightmare on Face Time" | "Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers" | "Sons A Witches" | "The Scoots" | "Tegridy Farms Halloween Special"
Thanksgiving
"Starvin' Marvin" | "Starvin' Marvin in Space" | "Helen Keller! The Musical" | "A History Channel Thanksgiving" | "Black Friday" | "A Song of Ass and Fire" | "Titties and Dragons"
Easter
"Fantastic Easter Special" | "Jewpacabra"
Others
"Tom's Rhinoplasty" | "Credigree Weed St. Patrick's Day Special" | "Summer Sucks" | "Holiday Special" | "Are You There God? It's Me, Jesus" | "Cupid Ye" | "Spring Break"


  1707: "Black Friday" edit
Story Elements

South Park MallStop Touching Me ElmoGarden of BetrayalThe Sony PresidentPrincess KennyGarden Owner • "Christmas Is Coming"

Media

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Release

South Park: The Complete Seventeenth Season

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