Atomic Gas #1 - Casa Bonita (711)

South Park has been a presence in my life longer than any other television show. Spanning three distinct levels of schooling - elementary, high school, and college – Trey Parker and Matt Stone's animated juggernaut has been a common interest between myself and others since before I had a clue teabags served a broader purpose than steeping in hot water. As a matter of fact, South Park may have been my teacher on the matter.

Or maybe it was “to Hitler someone”

The giggle worthy blueness aside, this is a series that is close to my heart. This is a show I love so much, I might actually still not take it home to meet my mother. I have had serious arguments with girlfriends because they actively dislike this show. Yet once I became aware of the existence of South Park Studios – mainly its streaming of any and all South Park episodes – the consumption was reborn. By the sheer virtue of quantity, I would venture to say that I know South Park better than any other show. I mean, I feel in my bones that I have watched South Park more than any other television show in my lifetime.

So why not write about it? It could be simple narcissism; perhaps a need to build self-worth over useless pop-culture time has been lost to. Either way, choose to read this along with an episode; set an episode up with it; compliment an episode afterward. As you wish.

That being said, I introduce and irregular series on B-Side A-Hole: Atomic Gas

711 – Casa Bonita (original airing November 11, 2003)

Easter Egg: Chimpokomon on Cartman's calendar (@15m07s)

Casa Bonita is a criminally underrated South Park episode. This, however, is entirely irrelevant. The nature of what brings these specific 23 minutes up is a particularly pernicious perpetual principle: South Park is 25% funnier if you watch it and you happen to be from Colorado. Never having lived in this particular corner of the Southwest, I can only rely on anecdotal evidence. These are stories which are not too difficult to believe. Humor is often times thought of a as a defense mechanism for the socially inept and otherwise unloved; inside jokes can also be a way of creating a sense of bonding. Summer camp, school or class cliques, work teams: by and large camaraderie can spawn not just in common interests but a unique experience or moment that can always be remembered and laughed at.

Quite the way to bond with the real world setting of your fictional creation.¹

Casa Bonita is one such episode that upon first review is much funnier to residents of the 303. Consider that the location which Eric Cartman builds up to be his favorite in the entire world – the Eurodisney of Mexican food establishments – is a real place. Not only that, but Casa Bonita is relatively well known. Or is that notorious?

Top 4 Yelp! Reviews of Casa Bonita

4) "Casa Bonita just stole 2 hours of my life, and $40 out of my wallett [sic]. Lame."

3) "My opinion is that the food is barely edible and the entertainment is one step up from Chuck E Cheese"

2) "The only thing here that was mildly edible was the......on second thought there was nothing that was edible."

1) "I guess Casa Bonita is kind of like if I pooped on a plate, served it to you with some rice, lettuce and beans and then jumped off my roof into my pool to entertain you. In a Speedo. Kids love that stuff."

The point is that this is neither readily available information nor something that would seem likely; unless of course you are in on the lols. The irony only adds lemon juice to a salted tequila wound. Alas, after discussing the matter with my old donkey friend named Max² I chose to watch the 11^th episode of the South Park's 7^th season.

First of all, if one were to divide South Park episodes into two overarching categories it would be satire episodes and story episodes; current event commentary versus plot development. That being being said, “Casa Bonita” is a story episode and furthermore one which revolves around Eric Cartman. Not unlike the epitome of Cartman shows “Scott Tenorman Must Die,” it varies in the extent of the subject's psychotic behavior.

What makes this specific Cartman episode great, though, is that it very plainly showcases two things: one, Cartman's relation to two members of the “inner circle” (Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Butters), and the other is Cartman's exceptional decisiveness. Simply changing his mind, though, does not quite do this process justice. Cartman, more than anything, has a perverse talent at deleting his registry of known opinions and intuition only to input a new one in the void. Well, that is if it benefits him. Strictly, only, exclusively when the end results are in some manner beneficial to Eric will this happen.

Yet Eric Cartman is akin to any of us; an extreme case. Eric is the most rational player in the real politik of life. He lays claim to his own set of demons; but then again, does not every player? The psychological dimension arises.

In the first two minutes of the episode alone Cartman changes his entire opinion of Kyles four times: wishing he had AIDS, assuming they are friends, berating him for not inviting him to his birthday, apologizing, and repeating his tirade. Throughout, the only constant remains Cartman's desire to visit Casa Bonita; which evidently could not possibly happen without attending Kyle's birthday. No other option is ever addressed, eventually leading to Cartman punching Jimmy in the face for the sake of seeming worthy of an invitation to the Casa Bonita fest.

This is the first of the two relationships seen in “Casa Bonita”. Cartman and Kyle are eternally linked to each other. Like Archie and Michael “Meathead” Stivic before them, they do not have to like each other but by sheer association Kyle and Cartman are one. The only difference is in the case of Cartman and Kyle, they are not family; their bond is entirely synthetic. Their is no reason either must be loyal to the other. Cartman has a sociopathic ability to remove himself from the consequences of past actions; Kyle is naïve and opts to believe is blissful ignorance. Idealism versus anti-idealism. Even after Butters suspicious disappearance on the day of Casa Bonita, while Eric has called a “truce,” Kyle does not even initially suspect him to be involved involved.³ The dance continues.

This, mind you, is halfway through the episode. A stretch is taken to remember Cartman's pinpoint ability as the decider. A light shines: even though he has abducted Butters and placed him in a bomb shelter to survive a perceived meteoric disaster, Cartman does not gracefully bow out to regroup. The chance to abort his plan and spare the community the anguish of looking for a lost child are jettisoned. Instead Cartman commits even more.

Of course, the inevitable complexity of Cartman's plans are what brings an air of humor into an psychotic acts. Once Butter's accommodations are adapted to the new reality – there is now an active search for him. The police - unsurprisingly not Barbrady - suggest looking in "ducts wells and bombshelters." But once again, and escape clause miraculously presents itself and is rejected. Sure, this one carries with it a slightly more serious burden than the initial opportunity, but nonetheless it is a way to escape. If played correctly, unscathed could be used as an adjective to describe the action. But no, Cartman manages to move Butters - with a wonderful variation of kidnapping via radio play⁴. Now locked inside a refrigerator at an abandoned gas station (the same one where Butters was discovered in SmileyTown during Season 4 Episode 16 “The Wacky Molestation Episode”), Butters's overall situation has changed. For once, Leopold Stotch does not have the ability to make a decision determining his fate.

Throughout this ordeal Cartman has been playing an elaborate prank. This is a decidedly ill-humored joke, but a prank nonetheless. Remember, Butters has always had the ability to leave; instead staying back and singing Chicago's “If you Leave Me Now” with the lyrics “If you leave me now, you'll take away the biggest part of me / Uh uh uh uh no baby please don't go /And if you leave me now, you'll take away the very heart of me.” Coincidentally, this is the second relationship explored in “Casa Bonita.” Butters is ultimately Cartman's foil; more than a straight man. Butters's most formidable role on South Park is the result of when the most charismatic personality meets the most gullible/possibly influenced personality. For better (“AWESOM-O”) or for worse (“Marjorine”) Butters always eats up Cartman's propagandist feast.

Suddenly in his quest for “Casa Bonita,” though, Cartman, chooses to act like a dick. God (or “they” in “Oh my god they killed Kenny”) does not like this. Butters is set free (in a horribly comedic way, but nonetheless free⁵). Due to his hubris, Cartman is for this first time in this episode not in complete control; his plan begins to unravel. A so far poker faced Cartman makes a slip and even let's a past version show “Fuck Kyle!”).

But, as is often the case, Cartman gets exactly what he wants in the end. Not so much a case of cutting his losses anymore, Cartman has successfully carried out his ends justify the means mentality. Not only does he manage to enjoy Casa in less than a minute⁶ – as this is the time allotted to him once the party gets notice the police are after Cartman because Butters is found – but he cliff dives just like he wanted. Straight into the pool he crashes despite knowing it is all over for him⁷ . Pushing the limits and breaking the rules, like always.

Jonathan Cohen is a one-time news junkie, Handsome Boy Modeling School graduate, and sleeps with Ernie from Sesame Street in a strictly platonic way. You can follow him on Twitter at the handle @BoggleUrNoggle

1Still shockingly inapplicable to the Sacha Baron Cohen characters Borat and Bruno.

2In a football, not political sense. Get it right.

3Or in an eventual car ride when Cartman says “Fuck Kyle” and diffuses the situation with the birthday song

4With a bag over Butters' head Cartman guides him through the post-apocalyptic town. While protecting him from the cannibals (who may also be zombies) Eric gives a verbal description of the new entirely false surroundings.

5If anything were to resemble a vast wasteland it would be, well, a landfill. Giving rise, at least, to the fantastic line after cirticism of Butters's rebuilding “Hey, that's not very nice! This is my first society! I'm doin' my best!”

6 Exactly one minute from 19.36 to 20.36 when he meets the police, so by that logic...

7At 20.42