South Park: Joining the Panderverse

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"South Park: The Streaming Wars Part 2"

"South Park: Joining the Panderverse"

"South Park (Not Suitable For Children)"

South Park: Joining the Panderverse
Directed by	Trey Parker
Written by	Trey Parker
Starring	Trey Parker, Matt Stone
Distributed by	South Park Studios, MTV Entertainment Studios
Network(s)	Paramount Plus/Paramount Global
Release Date	October 27, 2023
Movie Chronology
Previous	South Park: The Streaming Wars Part 2
Next	South Park (Not Suitable For Children)

South Park: Joining the Panderverse is the fifth short-form movie released on streaming service Paramount Plus. It was released on October 27, 2023.

Synopsis

In South Park: Joining the Panderverse, Cartman's deeply disturbing dreams portend the end of the life he knows and loves. The adults in South Park are also wrestling with their own life decisions as the advent of AI is turning their world upside down.

Plot

Spoiler warning! Plot details follow.

The episode starts with Cartman as a black woman in Universe 216-B. Cartman's mom says he will be late for school and will not let her stay home all day playing Baldur's Gate 3. At the bus stop, Cartman meets her friends Stan, Kyle, and Kenny, who are Latina, Indian, and Asian women, respectively. Stan says that Clyde is going to fart on Tammy Mullins during PE. Kenny says that Tammy has "sweet fucking knockers," but Kyle asks her to stop talking about Tammy's knockers because it looks like a white man trying to re-establish the patriarchy.

Regular Cartman wakes up from his nightmare and screams for his mother. He thinks Kathleen Kennedy and Disney executives are under his bed trying to replace him with a diverse woman, but his mother assures him that it is all in his head.

At Tegridy Farms, Randy wakes Stan and Shelley up early and tells them that their generation is lazy and does not know how to fix anything. He shows them how to fix the broken door of their oven by pulling out his cell phone and calling a handyman. However, the handyman cannot fix it right away because he has to change the parts and has an appointment with the Stotches. Randy offers extra money, but the handyman says that the Stotches offered him more. Sharon asks if Randy has fixed the oven yet, and he says he is working on it, and offers the handyman a beer, which he declines, saying that he has been swamped with work, because it seems like nobody knows how to do anything these days.

Cartman talks to a therapist about his nightmares. In the last one, he, as a black woman, realizes that all of his friends are also diverse women and asks why this is happening, with Kenny blaming Kathleen Kennedy. The therapist tells Cartman that people are actually being replaced by AI and asks him to think about who will be making money with AI in the future. In the middle of the session, the therapist's table lamp shorts out, prompting him to call the handyman, who also informs him that he cannot fix it right away.

Still trying to figure out a way to fix his oven door, Randy turns to Siri, who gives him step-by-step instructions while reiterating that she cannot fix the door herself. This further angers Randy, who believes that AI will eventually be able to do everything. Sharon asks if Randy has fixed the oven yet, and he replies that he is working on it. Turning back to Siri, Randy complains that all the handymen have gotten rich and there is no way to pay them anymore. Siri advises him to find an unlicensed worker who will agree to do some odd jobs.

At South Park school, regular Stan and Kyle tell Kenny that Tammy did not show up for physical education because she heard about Clyde's plan to fart on her. Kenny admits to telling her, and goes on to comment on her "great knockers". Cartman then approaches the boys, seemingly distraught, and asks why he has visions of being a diverse woman. Kyle accuses Cartman of being a fat racist, but Cartman retorts that he is being judged by a society whose standards of beauty are dictated by white men, but then wonders why he would even mention that. Cartman thinks that his dreams are actually windows into alternate universes, which Kyle dismisses, explaining that the concept is tired and contributed by lazy screenwriters. They leave, unaware that Cartman is being teleported to another universe via a bubble.

Meanwhile, Randy travels to the Home Depot to hire an unlicensed immigrant worker, only to find college-educated adults like Gerald and a news reporter offering their specialized services in exchange for basic home repairs.

In Universe 216-B, Stan and Kyle approach Kenny and ask her if she is in love with Tammy Mullins, citing an incident where Kenny told Tammy she would be farted on by Clyde. Kenny denies it, claiming she just likes her big knockers. Cartman joins in, desperately explaining that she has been having dreams that she is a fat white boy surrounded by white people, thinking that this is part of an alternate universe. Kyle, on the other hand, thinks she is acting crazy so she can go home and play Baldur's Gate 3. While their backs are turned, Cartman gets sucked into another universe and regular Cartman appears in her place. The girls still think this is part of Cartman's prank. Kyle comments that he is fat like their Cartman, but chubbier, while Kenny compares him to Tammy Mullins' knockers, much to the annoyance of the others.

In the Prime Universe, Stan informs the boys of Clyde's latest attempt to fart on Tammy Mullins and reminds Kenny to keep it a secret. Cartman 216-B then appears in front of the boys and talks about how right she was that this would happen. When she claims to be Cartman, the boys do not believe her, with Kyle maintaining his stance on the existence of multiverse.

Outside the Home Depot, all the adults in South Park are waiting for a handyman to come and help them. A handyman arrives in a van, and everyone tries to offer their knowledge in exchange for service, only to be told by the handyman to leave the premises. Randy realizes that he wasted his time in college learning something that everyone now knows through AI, and could have spent that time fixing things instead. He ends up gathering the other adults for a small protest at their former alma mater, with the goal of getting their money back. They bring a catapult with them, but it is packed in a box and no one knows how to set it up. The adults then reveal to Randy that they had gathered $20,000 for a handyman to assemble it for them, much to Randy's chagrin.

PC Principal calls Stan, Kyle and Kenny to the office, with Cartman 216-B present. PC Principal explains that he received complaints of the boys treating her badly. They say it does not make sense for a black woman to be Cartman and PC Principal suggests they are the problem. Stan asks if he thinks it is completely normal for Cartman to be a black woman and Principal asks if they had any issues with the new Indiana Jones being replaced by a woman or the black Spider-Man. Stan says he likes Miles Morales and Kyle explains that he is a character that has his own personality and narrative, instead of just being the original character with a different appearance. Cartman 216-B gets up and turns her ass in Kyle's face and farts. PC Principal says that the boys saw their white culture being threatened and they retaliated with racism and that they will get 3 weeks in detention if they say again that there is no sense in a Black Cartman.

In Universe 216-B, regular Cartman takes his place at his classroom "seat", seemingly exhausted from being in this universe. At the start of the class, Garrison asks Butters who is sitting next to her and she says she thinks it could be Eric, which he angrily confirms. Kyle assumes Cartman had wanted to play Baldur's Gate 3 and must have put this boy in her place. Cartman comes forward and announces he could no longer stand being in this universe, demanding to speak to the authorities. To his horror, two police officers who enter the room in response are diverse women too.

As the handyman is assembling the catapult, Randy complains that he wasted 8 years of his life going to college instead of learning how to do things, while Gerald says they all wasted time studying and memorizing things that are now accessible at the push of a button. With the catapult ready, they launch a giant rock toward the college and celebrate when it breaks one of the windows. However, another handyman (Mr. Fix-It) arrives soon after and fixes the window, much to the displeasure of Randy who thinks that a billionaire is trying to profit off from another.

At Walt Disney Studios, Disney Chairman Bob Iger gathers a group of executives to discuss their dwindling stocks and box office earnings, after making the same movie over and over to pander to everyone. The executives believe that the problem lies on Kathleen Kennedy, even postulating that she is Kathleen Kennedy from another universe, theorizing that the Disney studios may have pandered so much that they opened the doors to the Panderverse. An executive says that the Panderverse is a theory and another remembers that they have the Panderstone. When the Kathleen Kennedy, who resembles Cartman himself, enters at a meeting, the executives claim that they were discussing the way forward for the new Prince Eric movie, to which Kathleen Kennedy calls for a gay woman in the movie.

In the school cafeteria, Butters explains how he saw Cartman being sucked into another universe, which Kyle brushes off. Cartman 216-B arrives and drafts a plan on how to make everything work. She proposes forging a letter from Kyle's mom to give Kyle permission to buy a powerful computer with her credit card. Kyle initially rejects the idea, but Stan reminds him of PC Principal's instructions to help her.

In Universe 216-B, Cartman is arrested at the police station, trying to explain that he is Eric Cartman from another universe because of Disney. Yates is called to hear this story but she thinks he uses drugs. A police officer arrvies, informing that a white woman is here for Cartman, namely Kathleen Kennedy. In response, Cartman turns desperate and jumps out of the police station window.

Meanwhile, a reporter reports on a protest outside the South Park Country Club where demonstrators unite to protest injustice in the economy. Randy takes the microphone and says that billionaires control everything and that if just one of these billionaires shared his wealth, thousands of people would win and is interrupted by Sharon who calls to talk about the oven door once more. The handyman leaves the Country Club with elegant clothes and a hot wife and is asked why he no longer answers customer calls. He comments he has been very busy and has been trying to acquire social media and he just bought Instagram. Mr. Fix-It soon approaches the handyman, complaining about how he has been outbid on Instagram, but later boasts that he had bought Bloomberg. The two start challenging each other on a space race.

At Walt Disney Co., they try to find out if this Kathleen Kennedy is the real Kathleen Kennedy while she is distracted from filming the live-action Bambi demanding a gay woman in the film, even though it is a film about a baby deer. One of the employees decided to compare current photos of her with those from a few months ago using AI and realizes that there is something different about her. Bob Iger asks what they know about the "Panderverse" and they say that if a portal is opened by a Panderstone eventually the two universes will collide, causing an unimaginable level of pandering. Iger says everyone must return to their universes.

The boys get Cartman 216-B the computer and set it up in Kyle's room, except for Kyle himself, sulking on his bed. Sheila barges in, demanding how her credit card was being used at Best Buy. Cartman 216-B in turn manipulates Sheila to upgrade her internet speed to prevent card identity theft, with Sheila even accepting Cartman as who she is.

In Universe 216-B, Butters sits in her room cutting construction paper while being grounded, when Cartman intrudes from the window, startling her. Cartman convinces Butters that Kathleen Kennedy is after him, pleading for her to keep him safe for the time being. Cartman quickly hides behind a curtain when someone comes knocking on the door, who turns out to be Stephen (who is a woman) checking up on Butters. Butters, scared by what Cartman had told her, asks her father to look under the bed to see if Kathleen Kennedy is there, but her father is adamant otherwise. Just then, the real Kathleen Kennedy appears behind and chloroforms her, shocking Butters and Cartman. Cartman onces again makes his escape by jumping out of the window.

At the farm, Randy approaches Shelley in her room, informing her that she should drop school in favor of learning how to do stuff in the post-AI universe. Randy calls the handyman to inquire about internship offerings for Shelley, but realizes that the handyman is traveling in space with his own rocket, competing with Mr. Fix-It in the space race. Randy gets ignored before hanging up, commenting on how the "rich" are spending their time in space.

At Disney studios, the executives use an AI program and discover that this Kathleen Kennedy has the face corresponding to Eric Cartman. Bob Iger takes two executives with him to South Park, while the others have Kathleen Kennedy distracted in the restaurant, where she demands a gay woman in her linguine.

In Universe 216-B, Cartman desperately runs away from Kathleen Kennedy, coming across Jimbo and Ned from that universe, as well as Colonel Sanders depicted as a diverse woman on a KFC logo. Cartman is eventually cornered in an alley by Kathleen Kennedy, who explains that they are in the same boat and that she is in the wrong universe as well.

All the adults who had been protesting earlier in South Park visit Crunchy's Micro Brew, feeling dejected and blaming themselves for the billionaires' plights. Bob Iger and his executives then arrive, looking for Cartman and ask if they had noticed anything strange lately, explaining that they believe Kathleen Kennedy opened a portal to the Panderverse. Randy interprets Iger's statement differently, now shifting the blame on the adults' misfortunes onto Kathleen Kennedy. He then agrees to help look for Cartman.

With their computer assembled, Cartman 216-B starts up the system, however it is revealed that the entire plan was not meant for her to return to her universe, but rather for her to play Baldur's Gate 3. Stan is perplexed as to how this woman really is Cartman. Kyle tries to kick Cartman 216-B out of his room, but Randy comes in with the Disney executives looking for Cartman and they calmly accept that Cartman is now a black woman. At the same time, Cartman 216-B is devastated to discover she does not have a saved game, realizing that they do not cross over different universes. Desperate, Iger hastens the group, emphasizing on the need to take everyone back to their universes. The executive explains that they need "a place with integrity that has a broken door" to open the panderverse with the use of the Panderstone, leading to Randy's broken over door over at Tegridy Farms.

In Universe 216-B, Cartman and Kathleen Kennedy are at City Woke. She recounts of the time when she was replaced by another Kennedy after she started using an ancient piece of artificial intelligence called the "Panderstone" that was introduced to her by Bob Iger, used to create the same movie that can pander to everyone repeatedly. When Disney began to receive hate messages as a result of these films featuring diverse women as protagonists, she decided to double down and began to excessively use the Panderstone as a crutch to combat intolerance and racism, but this destabilized the device and opened a portal that transported a Kennedy from another universe, with Kennedy herself thrown into 216-B. Cartman summarizes the incident as to why "all Disney movies suck now."

Disney executives place the Panderstone inside the oven and activate it. Iger warns Randy of the dangers when traveling in the Panderverse, where he will pass through several alternative universes which his mind may not have time to process. Randy is then sucked through the portal gate along with Cartman 216-B, falling through different universes and wearing multiple combinations of clothes.

Back in City Woke, Cartman says that Kathleen Kennedy has to admit that the last few Disney movies were awful. Kennedy claims she just wanted to make good entertainment, but could not think straight after receiving so many hate letters and messages. Cartman reveals himself to be sole source of all the letters, especially after the last Indiana Jones, prompting a short argument over who is responsible for the entire incident. They both realize that each reacted to the other and created each other. Cartman apologizes for lashing out on his letters, while Kennedy reciprocates for being reckless with the things he loves, admitting she was just lazy. When the portal gate back to their universe appears next to them, the now-reconciled two enter hand in hand as Randy reaches for them.

Everyone returns to their universes. Cartman 216-B returns to the 216-B universe via a portal above the bus stop, where she falls onto Kenny 216-B, killing her. Similarly, Cartman and Kennedy return to their universe, with Kennedy promising the Disney executives that they will only make original content. Cartman finds Kyle and hugs him, telling how he was wrong about Kathleen Kennedy and that she is incredible. Randy also brings dozens of poor handymen into his universe to do repairs around town, which was met with cheers by the other residents. The Cartman-like version of Kathleen Kennedy also returns to her own universe, the 5429F universe. With her waking up from her nightmare when an alien version of Liane arrives and gives her a bowl of cereal, with all the pieces of cereal being made up of Kyle.

Continuity

• A part of the special focuses on AI, which is mentioned in "Deep Learning" on Season 26.
• Cartman's "Respect my authoritah!" and "Kyle's Mom's a Bitch" quotes are mentioned.
• There is a group picture of the Jew Scouts from "Jewbilee" on Kyle's gaming desk.
• The "Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset" version of "I've Got Some Apples" is heard from Butters.
• This is the first time since South Park: Post Covid Kenny has died.
  • Stan and Kyle also quote, "Oh my God, they killed Kenny!".
• This is Kyle's first time at Tegridy Farms.
• Kenny is mentioned to be attracted to a girl named Tammy Mullins; This is the first time Kenny has been attracted to a girl since "The Ring" and the third overall. Coincidentally, she also shares a first name with Tammy Warner.
• This is the second time that a Cartman from another universe invades the prime universe, the first being "Spookyfish". Strangely, Stan, Kenny and especially Kyle refused to believe in the concept of the multiverse when it had already happened before.