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Member Berries "Member Berries" "Skank Hunt" "The Damned" The Damned
"Skank Hunt"
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Sp-2002-news-episode-announcement
Episode no. Season 20
Episode 02
Production no. 2002
Original airdate September 21, 2016
Episode chronology
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"Member Berries" "The Damned"
List of all South Park episodes

"Skank Hunt" is the second episode of Season Twenty, and the 269th overall episode of South Park. It aired on September 21, 2016.[1]

Synopsis[]

Kyle's dad manages to keep his identity as a troll a secret while he takes his on-line abuse global.[1]

Plot[]

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

The episode starts in the school gym, where parents are at a community meeting about online internet trolls. Gerald Broflovski is shown looking proud about what he has accomplished as Skankhunt42. On their way home, Gerald and Sheila discuss the meeting and how society is changing as a result of internet trolls.

Heidi Turner is shown looking at her phone and then walking on a bridge overpass. She appears to be suicidal, but she actually deletes her Twitter account and throws her phone into the raging river below.

At South Park Elementary, there is a heavy police presence as Kyle Broflovski walks in. In the school library, Mr. Mackey tries to help the students cope with the loss of their friend on Twitter. He encourages them to tweet about all the good times they had with Heidi. At the cafeteria, Stan suggests that they need to stop Skankhunt42 immediately.

At the Broflovski Residence, Gerald decides to give Ike a talk about the incident and continues to feel happy about his accomplishments. He then goes into his office to begin another night of trolling. He goes to various Facebook posts and makes offensive comments. The song "Smokin'" is played by the rock band Boston and they are briefly shown performing before Gerald decides to call it a night.

Back at South Park Elementary, the girls are not happy and are discussing how to teach the boys a lesson. The boys watch from afar, wondering what the girls are plotting, knowing they are not happy. In the boys bathroom, they are discussing what to do with Cartman. It is suggested that they need to take out Cartman, meaning to forcibly take him off social media, by destroying his electronics. The boys then approach Cartman to deceptively invite him to go to Stan's Uncle Jimbo's cabin; he happily agrees to come.

Back at school, Mr. Mackey is fantasizing over Memberberries, when Scott Malkinson bursts in and threatens to delete his Twitter account. Mackey convinces Scott to not go through with it, however, he comes back in and threatens to delete his Twitter again.

In the woods, the boys are solemnly walking to the cabin, as Cartman talks about how awesome it will be to be alone in the woods to play Counter-Strike.

In a Presidential Campaign headquarters building, an employee claims they are being trolled by Skankhunt42. Back in town, Gerald takes a happy stroll through town, in the process almost getting hit by a car and bike. He then goes to the grocery store and then happily walks back home with his groceries.

Back at the school, Mr. Mackey is preparing to leave for the day when Scott appears and again threatens to delete his Twitter. Mr. Mackey tells Scott it's after hours but eventually lets him inside of the office to get him to back down.

Back at the cabin, the boys walk into the dark, secluded cabin and Cartman begins to take out his computer. As he does, the boys pull out a variety of weapons. Cartman turns around shocked to discover there is no internet, as the boys approach him, and he pleads for them to reconsider. They move closer and start destroying his electronic devices. Cartman passes out and the boys bury his stuff in the ground.

Late at night, Mackey is sleeping and receives a phone call from Scott who, once again, threatens to quit Twitter. Mackey, having enough of Scott's antics, is forced to listen to him talk about how the kids at school would be happier if he deleted his social media.

Back at home, Gerald is up late leaving hateful comments. As he gets ready to go to bed, a Google notification comes through on his computer. He watches a video from CNN where a Danish Olympian is discussing Denmark's response to his hateful comments. Gerald says that it is "game on".

At school, Kyle approaches Stan and Clyde, as the girls are angrily slamming their lockers. The three are in shock to find out that Skankhunt was still active the previous night, coming to the conclusion that Cartman was not the troll. Upon the boys realizing that destroying Cartman's devices was all for nothing, the girls are meeting saying it is time to punish the boys, still believing them responsible for Skankhunt's misdeeds.

At the school, Annie is the first girl to give her boyfriend a letter stating that she is breaking up with him. More girls across the school start to do this; Clyde is shown crying in the school library. In a Kindergarten classroom, a girl hands the boy a note saying "I brake up" and the boy faceplants into the blocks next to him. As Tolkien is playing basketball, Nichole approaches him to give Tolkien a break up note, which causes him to fall to his knees. Two boys in the school bathroom resort to hugging each other for comfort after also receiving letters.

Kyle sits on a swing looking at a picture of Cartman disappearing in a class photo, likely feeling guilty for destroying his electronics. In the school hallway, the boys (inculding Kenny) are shown crying on the floor with break-up notes strewn all over the hallway. Stan is walking around in disbelief as Wendy approaches him. She stoically hands him a note saying "This is goodbye forever, Stan. I can't fix you, Wendy." Stan and Wendy, along with all of the other couples, have ended their relationships. So starts troubling times at South Park Elementary.

Critical Reception[]

AV Club gave "Skank Hunt" a "A-" rating saying: "South Park has always excelled at this type of intentionally overblown grimness, and with the many great episodes before it, “Skank Hunt” also had a argument at its core: Why not just go offline with grace? Why do we give so much weight to the decision to simply step away from the internet for a little while, a force that has proven time and time again to be psychologically damaging? “Skank Hunt” is more interested in the question than the answer, and as a result, it can yield either action or compelling thought within the viewer."[2]

IGN gave "Skank Hunt" a "8.3" rating saying: "This week's South Park wasn't quite hilarious enough to stand with the greats, but it was a much more focused and enjoyable episode than last week's scatter-brained season premiere. Whether it was Gerald tormenting his fellow citizens, the boys hitting Cartman where it hurts or Mr. Mackie dealing with a particularly difficult student, there was plenty to enjoy this week. The question is whether this online troll conflict can grow to the point where it can carry the entire season."[3]

References[]


  2002: "Skank Hunt" edit
Story Elements

Skankhunt42TwitterFreja OllegardDr. Wayne SchroederScott Malkinson •"Smokin'" • "Steal My Sunshine" • "Gortoz A Ran"

Media

ImagesScriptExtrasWatch Episode

Release

South Park: The Complete Twentieth Season

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