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Chef Goes Nanners "Chef Goes Nanners" "Something You Can Do with Your Finger" "Do the Handicapped Go to Hell?" Do the Handicapped Go to Hell?
"Something You Can Do with Your Finger"
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Episode no. Season 4
Episode 8
Production no. 409
Original airdate July 12, 2000
Episode chronology
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"Chef Goes Nanners" "Do the Handicapped Go to Hell?"
List of all South Park episodes
February 2011 Featured Article Winner

"Something You Can Do with Your Finger" is the eighth episode of Season Four, and the 56th overall episode of South Park. It aired on July 12, 2000.[1]

Synopsis[]

"Fingerbang" is the newest boy band starring all the boys and it's also Cartman's latest scheme to make a million dollars.[1]

Plot[]

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

In a dream, Cartman sees himself and the rest of the gang becoming the next big boy band to sweep the nation, earning them, or at least him, the admiration of thousands of beautiful women and $10,000,000 (his pursuit of which becomes a running plotline over the following few episodes). Convinced that his dream is a message from God, Cartman corrals Stan, Kyle, and Kenny into making a band called "Fingerbang". However, Kyle notes that most major boy bands have five members (using New Kids on the Block, the Backstreet Boys, and 'N Sync as examples). As a result, they decide to hold auditions for a fifth member. However, when Stan tells Randy about the idea, Randy inexplicably throws a fit and forbids Stan to take part in the band.

Auditions go on as planned. Butters performs his Little Bunny Foo Foo song, which is not impressive enough. Cartman leaves a poor remark on Butters' intonation and rejects him. The next candidate Ike does not make the cut either. Cartman wants him out impatiently, causing Ike to flip him off before Cartman believes that this audition is going to take forever. At last, Wendy shows up with her rather explicit song and turns out to be the best out of all the auditions. Stan, Kyle, and Kenny approve of her, but Cartman was stubborn about allowing a girl in a boy band; arguing that everyone will notice that Wendy's a girl due to "her huge freakin' hooters." Outvoted, Cartman has to compromise and admits Wendy into the group as long as she dresses up like a boy.

They start rehearsing at six in the morning, their costumes are made by Cartman's mom. An argument occurs between Cartman and Kyle on the subject of being "the tough one" of the band, Cartman fails to reason with Kyle and gives in. Stan asks Cartman what "fingerbang" means, Cartman interprets the term as referring to Finger Gun the action of pretending one's hand is a firearm. Only Kenny knows the actual definition of the term, but no one believes him.

After several days of practice, the boys and Wendy attempt to secure a gig at the mall. They plan to meet the Mall Manager first. But since they do not have proper clearance, Cartman gets pepper-sprayed by one of the mall cops. Then Cartman broadcasts a false message that "The next 20 people to buy an orange smoothie will also receive a complimentary Nissan Sentra", which causes a stampede, giving them a chance to evade the ornery mall cops and sneak into the manager's office. They audition for the mall manager, but since their performance is nowhere near satisfaction, they are simply rejected. They end up running away in a fuss as the two mall cops reappear.

Randy hears that Stan is again practicing for the boy band and gets really mad. Sharon however tells Shelly that Randy in fact has a reasonable intention for doing so but it is a very complicated backstory. Cartman visits Chef to ask him about how to make the group successful, to which Chef tells him that he needs to make videos implementing the "Garmlich Effect" (if one girl screams, then all girls will scream) as all major boy bands do. Also, Chef reminds Cartman that "A cucumber in the pants don't hurt either", however, Cartman totally misunderstands this by putting a real cucumber in his pants.

Back in school, Cartman is about to make the video he has been told. He appoints Timmy as the cameraman. He tells the girls to scream as loud as they can, but does not get the desired effect. He asks who the girls would go crazy for and the answer is Matt Lauer, so he tells the girls to pretend that Fingerbang is Matt Lauer. As a result, the girls scream in an extreme loudness that shocks everyone, unveiling the true power of the "Garmlich Effect". They soon finish the video and decide to show it to the mall manager, however, Randy arrives and takes Stan away.

Cartman returns to the manager with the videotape, without checking the content of it. He should have realized that it is quite ridiculous to put Timmy on the camera since Timmy is cognitively disabled. The video becomes a failure, but to Cartman's surprise, the manager agrees to let them perform in the plaza for 20 minutes. Then footage of Mr. Mackey being the sex slave of Liane Cartman is shown unexpectedly since Cartman forgets to erase data before shooting.

Randy goes frenzy as Stan keeps complaining, he smashes his head into a cupboard, after which he calms down. Then he decides to tell Stanley the truth. He eventually reveals that he once joined a boy band called "The Ghetto Avenue Boys" back in the 1980s. Randy dropped out of high school and left his friends and family behind to pursue this fame. Although initially wildly successful, Randy and the other members were quickly replaced and knocked out due to their "getting too old" to be part of a boy band (despite only being nineteen at the time). All of their possessions were taken away by that record company as well. Deeply in debt and properly shamed, Randy was forced to return home with the remainder of his earnings to complete education. However, after a heart-to-heart father-to-son conversation, Randy agrees to let Stan play, realizing that his son has to make his own mistakes in order to learn.

The two rush to the mall for the gig, where Cartman is desperately stalling for a time due to the absence of Stan. They arrive in the nick of time—just in time when the manager is about to drive them out. Unfortunately, Kenny is crushed by an elevator, reducing their numbers once more to four. Randy gallantly steps in to replace Kenny and perform the Fingerbang song. They make $2 out of their performance. One of the few remaining audiences asks for an autograph afterward but gets pepper-sprayed by the mall cop who expresses his like over the band. The group finally realizes that, with all the "fame" that they have acquired, they will never be able to live normal lives. They promptly disband the band and get some orange smoothie.

References[]


  409: "Something You Can Do with Your Finger" edit
Story Elements

FingerbangSecurity GuardRookie Security GuardMall ManagerThe Ghetto Avenue Boys • "Fingerbang (Song)" • "Wendy's Audition Song" • "Little Bunny Foo Foo" • "Itsy Bitsy Spider" • "You Got It, Girl" •

Media

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Release

South Park: The Complete Fourth Season

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