Line #8 Recap/SouthParkS1E4BigGayAlsBigGayBoatRide


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/biggayboatride.png]]
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3	'''Original air date:''' 9/3/1997
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5	Stan is embarrassed when he discovers his new, macho dog is a homosexual and tries to [[CureYourGays make him heterosexual]], but when Stan's dog runs away, Stan goes after him and nearly blows Jimbo and Ned's chances at beating the point spread of the elementary school football game.
6	----
7	!!"Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" has the following examples:
8	* ThirteenIsUnlucky: Kenny's football jersey. Just as it seems like Kenny's going for a running touchdown for the South Park Cows, [[UnnecessaryRoughness he suddenly gets torn apart by]] [[RuleOfThree three]] [[YankTheDogsChain Middle Park Cowboy football players]].
9	* TheAce: The ''Middle Park Cowboys'' are so brutal that South Park only aims to beat the spread against them (that is, losing by less than 70 points).
10	* AdvertisedExtra: Creator/GeorgeClooney was advertised as a guest star on the show. Yet, in the episode itself, he is just Stan's gay dog, Sparky. All he does is bark.
11	* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Sparky's EstablishingCharacterMoment is when he starts humping the tough street dog Sylvester.
12	--> '''Cartman:''' He's not kicking his ass but he's definitely doing ''something'' to his ass.
13	* AnimalLover:
14	** Big Gay Al is passionate about the animals he shelters at his sanctuary, giving them boat rides and dance floor parties, before returning them to their owners when they accept their homosexuality.
15	** Stan takes good care of his dog and bonds with the other gay animals fairly easily.
16	* ArmoredClosetGay: Mr. Garrison is a villainous example, as he projects his internalized homophobia into his young students.
17	* ArtEvolution: This episode puts in more texture to emulate the look of construction paper relative to the last few episodes. Creator/MattStone and Creator/TreyParker consider it a huge improvement.
18	* ArtisticLicenseAnimalCare: Somewhat justified since the animals are somewhat anthropomorphic (they even dance and go on boat rides), but Big Gay Al's "sanctuary" is a huge house where he keeps lions, rabbits, geese, water-buffalos, turtles, dolphins, dogs, humming birds, and multiple other gay animals from different environments. It doesn't take an expert to realize that cramming all these creatures in such a tight space would realistically be a perfect recipe for disaster, gay or not.
19	* ArtisticLicenseSports: With the clock having run out during the play from which South Park scored their touchdown, South Park would have been allowed to attempt a conversion before the game was declared at an end.
20	* AxCrazy: The ''Middle Park Cowboys''. There's roughing, and then there's tearing the limbs and head off an opponent.
21	* BaitAndSwitch:
22	** When it seems like Mr. Garrison understands what Stan's going through with his gay dog and would reassure him that there's nothing to worry about, Garrison instead calls out other gay people as evil.
23	** When Stan presents Fifi (the female poodle) to Sparky, he pounces her and it seems like he's about to mate with her, but it turns out that he was only trying to steal her pretty collar.
24	* BagOfHolding: Big Gay Al apparently moves around by hiding [[ToonPhysics his entire sanctuary and himself]] in a flying suitcase.
25	* BewareOfViciousDog: Subverted with Sylvester. Cartman calls him the meanest and toughest street dog in South Park, but he's soon left scurrying away and yelping after Sparky humps him.
26	* BigDamnHeroes: Stan reuniting every lost gay animal with their original owners.
27	* BittersweetEnding: Stan finds Sparky and accepts his homosexuality, and he teaches everyone else that [[GayAesop being gay is okay]], leading them to find their long lost pets as well, which Big Gay Al praises him for, before heading off to the next town. As for Jimbo's subplot, the South Park Cows beat the spread against Middle Park (albeit with some causalities), but the bomb strapped to the latter group's mascot blows up when Richard Stamos sings his high F.
28	* BlackComedyRape: Sparky has sex with both a street dog named Sylvester and Clyde's dog Rex, leaving them both whimpering and yelping as they scurry away.
29	* BookDumb: Jimbo proudly declares himself to be a South Park Elementary alum, since that was as far as most of the town got.
30	* BrutalHonesty: Mr. Garrison doesn't allow anything to stop him from speaking his mind about a subject, whether it be homosexuality, his newfound favoritism for Stan, or Richard's Stamos' lack of singing prowess.
31	-->'''Cartman:''' Wait a minute, why the hell does he get an A-?\
32	'''Mr. Garrison:''' Eric, Stanley just might lead our team to victory against the Middle Park Cowboys for the first time in decades. And we treat star athletes better because they're better people.\
33	'''Cartman:''' That's not fair!\
34	'''Mr. Hat:''' Life isn't fair, kiddo, get used to it.
35	* ButtMonkey: Pip not being allowed to use a helmet while playing football. He's probably not allowed to wear Kenny's helmet even though he's dead.
36	* CampGay: Big Gay Al, a cheery stereotype of gay men being feminine, wearing a pink Hawaiian shirt in the cold mountains of Colorado, and being passionate, upbeat, happy, optimistic, and flamboyant. He's quite proud about it too.
37	* CensoredTitle: On TV Guide, this episode was retitled "Big Al's Big Boat Ride".
38	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Chef's song "Loving the Football" starts off as an attempt to coach the kids on how to hold the football properly, but he soon starts talking about it as if it were a lover.
39	-->'''Chef:''' Gently, yet firmly. You wanna be both nurturing and clinging at the same time. Oh yeah!
40	* CompletelyOffTopicReport: We see Cartman finishing a report for school on how Series/SimonAndSimon were not actually brothers — only on television. Unfortunately, the assignment was on Asian cultures.
41	* ContinuityNod: The visitors from ''[[Recap/SouthParkS1E1CartmanGetsAnAnalProbe Cartman Gets an Anal Probe]]'' can be seen cheering for the ''South Park Cows'' with cow-themed hats, mirroring how they made peace with the cows in said episode.
42	* TheCorrupter: Mr. Garrison is the one to drill into Stan's head that gay people are evil.
43	* TheCorruptible: Stan shows his naivety again when he's made a homophobe by Mr. Garrison, though he stops after being given a GayAesop by Big Gay Al.
44	* CorruptTheCutie: Once again, Stan is negatively influenced by an adult figure, -this time his teacher- into abusing an animal, only this time he's snapped out of it by another adult influence.
45	* CureYourGays: Stan spends a large chunk of the episode trying this on Sparky after he's convinced that gay people are evil.
46	* DeathOfAChild: Kenny is decapitated when a Middle Park player rams into him. He's not even allowed to be scraped off the field after that.
47	* DisproportionateRetribution: The Middle Park players dismember and then decapitate Kenny for getting too far into their field during Homecoming.
48	* DreadfulMusician:
49	** Much to Jimbo's chagrin, Richard Stamos can't sing a high F, and screws it up during Homecoming. [[GoneHorriblyRight Much to his chagrin again]], he gets better at the end of the episode.
50	--->'''Garrison:''' It's obvious where all the talent in that family went!
51	** Jimbo, Ned, and their bombs expert, spend a rather long time trying to hit the high F themselves, with Ned being particularly bad at it due to his laryngeal cancer.
52	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
53	** This time Clyde is voiced by Matt Stone instead of Trey Parker, which is why he sounds like Butters in this episode.
54	** ''Jesus and Pals'' is depicted as a call-in advice show rather than a daytime talk show, as seen in later episodes (such as "The Mexican Staring Frog of Southern Sri Lanka").
55	** Once again, Kyle says Stan's [[TheyKilledKennyAgain Oh my God, they killed Kenny!]] catchphrase. Justified, as Stan wasn't available at the moment since he was searching for his dog.
56	** The ''Middle Park Cowboys'' captain who bullies the team will later be re-established as the 5th (later 6th) grader leader and a student at South Park Elementary, as he was shown to be in the unaired pilot.
57	** During Stan's "almost victory" speech, Butters can be spotted in the crowd, only he's shown wearing Kevin Stoley's attire.
58	* EnemyToAllLivingThings: Jimbo and Ned apparently kidnap the Middle Park mascot routinely, but in this episode, they booby-trap it. Poor Enrique blows up at the end of the episode.
59	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: This is the first real hint at Mr. Garrison's homosexuality.
60	* EstablishingSeriesMoment:
61	** After the previous episode mocked liberals and Democrats for making anti-hunting laws with gaping loopholes, this episode takes a shot at conservatives and Republicans for their anti-gay beliefs, confirming that ''South Park'' isn't taking sides.
62	** This episode, with its genuinely emotional moral and moments, also establishes that, even with its indulging of VulgarHumor, ''South Park'' can be [[{{Dramedy}} a show with as much dramatic moments as there are comedic ones]]. A trait that grows as the show goes on.
63	* EveryoneHasStandards: Kyle sees no problem ramming into Pip during football practice for kicks, but he's shocked when the Middle Park players dismember Kenny during homecoming.
64	* EveryYearTheyFizzleOut: Subverted. The team loses the game, but they beat the spread, [[VictoriousLoser which is what they were aiming to do in the first place]].
65	* EvilCounterpart:
66	** The ''Middle Park Cowboys'' are this to the ''South Park Cows'', being incredibly efficient, ruthless, brutal, and with high expectations; while the latter are childish, bumbling, and are happy with losing by less than 70 points. Middle Park Elementary also seems to be an upgraded version of South Park Elementary, complete with a satellite dish.
67	** Bill and Fosse are this to Stan. They're all jocks who have a childish view of being gay, but Stan's homophobia comes from a misguided sense of love for Sparky, and he redeems himself at the end of the episode, while Bill and Fosse are actively malicious in their bullying of Stan and Sparky for the latter's homosexuality.
68	* {{Foil}}: Big Gay Al is one to Jimbo both in this episode and the previous one. Both are role models to Stan who center their lives around animals, but Jimbo is a thrill-obsessed hunter and weapons seller who shoots any wild animal he sees, while Big Gay Al is a proud Gay Animal Sanctuary Runner. [[Recap/SouthParkS1E3Volcano In the previous episode]], Jimbo tried to convince Stan to hunt wild animals, [[GoneHorriblyRight and was horrified when he succeeded]]. while in this episode, Al got Stan to reunite with his dog and reunite other gay animals with their owners, [[SoProudOfYou and was proud of him when he succeeded]]. Furthermore, Jimbo's demeanor is that of a redneck stereotype while Al's is that of a gay stereotype.
69	* FriendToAllLivingThings: Big Gay Al is established as an AnimalLover who takes very good care of abandoned gay animals, including geese, lions, water-buffalos, and humming birds.
70	* {{Gayngst}}: Sparky overhears Stan complaining about not wanting a gay dog, so he dejectedly runs away from home, which is how he meets Big Gay Al. He and Stan eventually rekindle their friendship.
71	* GayAesop: Being gay is perfectly natural, and anyone who is gay shouldn't be discriminated against or treated differently because of it, nor should they let others try to make them stop being gay.
72	* GoneHorriblyRight: [[Recap/SouthParkS1E3Volcano Once again]], Jimbo has a goal that he indirectly accomplishes at the wrong time. This time, it's ensuring that South Park beats the spread (snice he convinced the town to bet a lot of money on his nephew) by strapping a bomb to the opposing team's horse mascot, set to go off during half time [[MusicalTrigger when Richard Stamos hits his high F during his cover of "Loving You"]]. Since Stamos is a DreadfulMusician, the bomb doesn't go off, but Stan beats the spread against Middle Park anyway, saving Jimbo's hide. Unfortunately, Stamos learns his high F at the end of the episode, causing the bomb to go off long ''after'' the game.
73	* GoodCounterpart: Big Gay Al is one to Garrison. Both are homosexuals who aren't afraid to say what they believe and who give Stan advice on how to deal with his gay dog, but Al is flamboyant, proud, and understanding while Garrison is closeted and very harsh. Furthermore, Mr. Garrison fractures the relationship between Stan and Sparky by convincing Stan that gay people are evil while Big Gay Al mends their relationship by convincing Stan that being gay is okay.
74	* HateSink: The ''Middle Park Cowboys'' aren't just arrogant and unpleasant, they're also needlessly cruel to the ''South Park Cows'' who clearly have no way of beating them. They're so motivated to win them without allowing them to get any points that they murder Kenny when he comes close to a touchdown, which doesn't even draw a flag. Suddenly Jimbo's plan to blow them up doesn't seem as cruel.
75	* HaveAGayOldTime: ''We are gay, and it's O-kay. Cause "gay" means "happy" and "happy" means "gay"''.
76	* HeroesLoveDogs: In this episode, Stan gets a pet dog named Sparky, and he's quick to call him his best friend.
77	* HiddenDepths: Though he is never praised for it unlike Stan, Kenny makes it quite far as the running back, reaching the opponent's 30 before and dodging three Middle Park players before they have to resort to tearing his limbs off to stop him.
78	* {{Hypocrite}}: Mr. Garrison considers gay people as evil, even though he most likely is one (and, as later episodes would show, can be downright evil). When Chef calls him out on it, Garrison doubles down by saying [[BlatantLies that he only acts gay to get chicks]].
79	* IncompatibleOrientation: Stan mail-orders a female poodle named Fifi and tries to set her up with Sparky to force the latter into a straight relationship. He fails.
80	* InnocentBigot: Stan doesn't mean any harm throughout the episode, but his naiveté and poor choice of role models make him susceptible to bigotry.
81	** His frustrations with his dog's homosexuality stem from Garrison telling him that gay people are inherently evil, and he really thinks that it's in Sparky's best interests to be straight.
82	--->'''Stan:''' ''[after having Sparky sit and shake]'' Good boy. Now, don't be gay. ''[Sparky looks confused]'' Don't be gay, Spark. Don't be gay.\
83	'''Kyle''' Did it work?\
84	'''Stan:''' I don't know.\
85	'''Cartman:''' He still looks pretty gay to me.
86	** Another example occurs when told to make a presentation on Asian culture, and he makes it up as he goes along despite knowing nothing of the subject.
87	--->'''Stan:''' Um... Asian culture has plagued our fragile Earth for many years, we must end i-\
88	'''Mr. Garrison:''' [[TeachersPet Excellent, A-]].
89	* IntercourseWithYou: Chef sings a song to motivate the kids on how to hold the football that soon becomes more about how to hold your lover.
90	* InternalizedCategorism: Mr. Garrison is a massive homophobe, but Chef implies (and future episodes confirm) that he's a homosexual himself.
91	* {{Jerkass}}:
92	** Mr. Garrison is extremely homophobic, unapologetically sucks up to Stan for being the school's quarterback, and bluntly tells Richard Stamos that his rendition of "Loving You" sucks.
93	** Bill and Fosse are annoying bullies who constantly mock Stan for having a gay dog.
94	** Jimbo accidentally gets the townsfolk to bet heaps of money on Stan beating the spread. When he begins to panic that maybe Stan isn't good enough, he ensures the victory by planting a booby-trap the opposing team's horse mascot and setting it to explode during half-time and wipe out the rivals.
95	** The ''Middle Park Cowboys'' eagerly taunt the ''South Park Cows'' before overwhelming them. When Kenny receives the punt and gets surprisingly close to a touchdown, they straight-up murder him.
96	* JerkassHasAPoint:
97	** Though Stan is very harsh on Sparky for being gay, he's right to be angry at him for continuously having sex with other male dogs (including Clyde's) who are later left whimpering as they run off.
98	** Though he himself wasn't sure of it at first, Jimbo turned out to be correct in that Stan would be the one to beat the spread against Middle Park, which saves him from being beaten up by the townsfolk whom he got to bet on him.
99	** While [[CompletelyOffTopicReport his presentation]] was worthy of failing, Cartman rightfully calls out Mr. Garrison for being unfairly lenient on Stan because he's the school's quarterback, giving him an A+ for his equally crappy presentation.
100	* JerkassToOne: Chef is a FriendToAllChildren except Pip, constantly forcing him to play football without a helmet, which gets him heavily injured on at least two occasions. He initially excuses his actions by saying that there aren't enough helmets for all the children (and [[ButtMonkey Pip]] is always the one chosen to go without one), but it's later revealed to be bullcrap when Stan goes missing and Kenny dies and Pip is not allowed either of their helmets.
101	* JerkJock:
102	** Downplayed with Stan. His role as the school quarterback is the focus of the episode, and he goes through a homophobic phase, but he proves to be a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
103	** Played straighter with Bill and Fosse, both ''South Park Cows'' players who harass Stan for having a gay dog.
104	** Played ''even'' straighter with the ''Middle Park Cowboys'', who fit more the "Psychopath Jock" label.
105	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite Stan's flaws, he really cares about his dog, and wants what's best for him. When he runs away, Stan leaves Homecoming to go find him.
106	* KarmaHoudini: Since Stan manages to beat the spread as expected, Jimbo doesn't get hassled by the Townsfolk for getting them to bet on him, so he essentially gets away with blowing up the rival team's horse mascot.
107	* KarmicRape: Sylvester, the meanest dog in South Park, is driven away by Sparky when he humps him.
108	* KickTheDog:
109	** Chef not allowing Pip a football helmet, even when they have one to spare.
110	** Kyle, helmet-clad, intentionally rams into a helmetless Pip during football practice, leaving him with an open wound.
111	* KidsAreCruel:
112	** Kyle, Cartman and Kenny rip on Stan and his dog for the latter being gay, as do Bill and Fosse.
113	** ''The Middle Park Cowboys'' beat Pip and Kyle to a pulp, ''kill'' Kenny, and seem to be in general umpleasant.
114	* LaserGuidedKarma: During football practice, Kyle rams Pip when he was without a helmet. During Homecoming, Kyle himself (helmet-clad) is rammed by many Middle Park players diving in on him.
115	* LovableSexManiac: Sparky may have a tendency to hump every male dog he sees, but he's still a good boy. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], as he's a dog.
116	* MachoCamp: According to Stan, Sparky is half-wolf and half-doberman. He's also got a very effeminate fashion sense, wearing a pink scarf and at one point a rhinestone collar.
117	* MeaningfulName: The ''Cowboys'' essentially destroy the ''Cows'', with one of them being mutilated. [[MeaningfulAppearance Furthermore]], the ''Cowboys'' have revolvers drawn in the side of their helmets, while the ''Cows'' have... well, [[ShapedLikeItself cows]], symbolising that the former will butcher the latter.
118	* MoralityPet: While Stan isn't inherently unpleasant, his pet dog Sparky is one of the few things he's unfailingly nice towards. Even when angry at him, he never gives up on him and tries to be stern but fair.
119	* MusicalTrigger: Jimbo straps a bomb on the opposing team's mascot, set to go off when the high F of "Loving You" is sung during halftime. Unfortunately, the singer (John Stamos' less talented brother, Richard Stamos) can't hit the high F and the plan fails. And then at the end, after the game is over, [[BrickJoke he manages to sing the high F and the bomb goes off]].
120	* NiceGuy: Big Gay Al, he takes in gay animals and takes care of them and teaches people that being gay is natural.
121	* NiceMeanAndInBetween: Big Gay Al, Mr. Garrison, and Jesus are all adults whom Stan comes to for advice on how to deal with his gay dog. Al encourages him to accept and support his dog, Garrison tells him that gay people are evil, causing Stan to accidentally drive him away after failing to set him straight, and Jesus attempts to give a nuanced take on the subject before being cut off when his program is interrupted by Marty's Movie Reviews, having no impact on Stan's decisions whatsoever.
122	* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Richard Stamos stands out from the other characters in having a realistic appearance and slightly rounder eyes with blue pupils.
123	* NotHelpingYourCase: Jimbo's claim that Stan is the best football player in the town is followed by Stan getting distracted when hearing his name and getting bonked on the head by the football.
124	* NoSympathy: Frank the game announcer makes over-the-top commentary over the South Park Cows getting pummelled, even when Kenny is killed.
125	-->'''Frank:''' Why, I haven't seen a beating like that since Rodney King
126	* OhCrap:
127	** Stan when he realizes Sparky is not kicking Sylvester's ass, but ''humping'' it, and again when he starts doing the same to Rex.
128	** Clyde when Sparky starts having sex with his dog.
129	** Jimbo when he realizes that if his confidence in Stan's ability is wrong, the town will kick his ass since they bet heaps of money on him.
130	* OffWithHisHead: Kenny is rammed by the ''Middle Park Cowboys'' captain with enough force to tear his head clean off.
131	* OnlySaneMan: At one point during Sparky's "don't be gay" training, Kyle (who had previously laughed at Cartman's gay jokes) says that he doesn't see the bad in the dog being gay, and suggests that maybe Mr. Garrison was wrong to tell Stan otherwise.
132	* OverlyNarrowSuperlative: Stan (who seems to be about average) really is the best quarterback South Park has to offer. The bar is set quite low for him, but a large ammount of the adults still bet that he'll be the one to beat the spread.
133	* PetTheDog:
134	** Barring some initial tension over his sexuality, Stan really cherishes his dog Sparky very much, and later learns to accept his homosexuality.
135	** When Stan is trying to lead everyone to Big Gay Al's animal sanctuary, only for it to disappear and for everyone to believe that Stan is crazy, Cartman sincerely tells him that he's worried about him and that he should "lay off the cough syrup". Stan obviously doesn't appreciate the statement, but Cartman could've easily mocked him instead.
136	* PinkIsForSissies: Stan constantly finds himself frustrated at Sparky's obsession with wearing pink scarves.
137	* ProducePelting: When Stan doesn't show up for Homecoming and it seems like the ''Cows'' are going to lose, he's pelted with rotten fruit by the townsfolk.
138	* PyrrhicVictory: Middle Park essentially wins the Homecoming tournament, but fails to beat them by more than 70 points, which is what the Townsfolk were aiming for. Notably, the announcers only praise South Park Cows for beating the spread, and in the end, it's Stan who gets to do a speech about his "almost victory". Also their horse mascot blows up at the end, with more than a few players likely being blown with him.
139	* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Frank, one of the announcers for the football game, is constantly making inappropriate commentary during Homecoming.
140	-->'''Frank:''' Oh my! I haven't seen a Jew run like that since Poland, 1938!
141	* PositiveFriendInfluence: Big Gay Al helps Stan rekindle his relationship with his gay dog by teaching him about the history of gay people.
142	* ProfessionalButtKisser: A strange example in that it's a teacher spoiling a student. Mr. Garrison is uncharacteristically lenient on Stan compared to the other classmates because he's the school's quarterback and the only hope the ''South Park Cows'' have to beat the spread against Middle Park. He's not subtle about his favoritism either.
143	-->'''Mr. Garrison:''' Don't forget your assignments tonight children, they're due tomorrow for everybody but Stan.
144	* TheRunaway: Sparky after feeling rejected by Stan for being gay.
145	* RunningGag: Sparky being always found with pink scarves even after Stan keeps tearing them off.
146	* RuleOfThree: Three Middle Park Cowboy football players tear Kenny apart.
147	* ShapedLikeItself: Cartman calls Sparky a "gay homosexual".
148	* ShipperWithAnAgenda: At one point during Sparky's "straight training", Stan tries to set him up with a female poodle named Fifi. This fails when Sparky jumps onto Fifi just to steal her diamond-encrusted collar.
149	* ShooTheDog: An unintentional example: Stan complains that he doesn't want a gay dog like Sparky, but a butch dog like [[HeroicDog Rin Tin Tin]]. Sparky overhears this outside Stan's house through his window, so he digs under the fence and runs away, sighing at how his owner rejected him for his sexuality.
150	* SpecialGuest: {{Parodied}}. Creator/GeorgeClooney provided the dog noises for Sparky.
151	* SmugSnake: Jimbo boasts about his nephews proficiency at football to the entire town, causing them to cast their vote on him. When the bucks start piling up, Jimbo starts worrying that Stan might not be as good as Jimbo claimed, and attempts a contingency plan to avoid getting the town on his ass if they fail.
152	* StraightMan: Phil the game announcer repeatedly shuts his companion Frank's politically incorrect and out of place commentary, out of fear of getting in trouble for his companion's statements.
153	* SuddenDownerEnding: Everyone -including Stan- find and accept their long lost gay pets, the ''South Park Cows'' beat the spread against Middle Park, and Rickard Stamos learns how to sing a high F. Everything seems to be leading into a HappyEnding but then Jimbo remembers that he had set the middle park mascot to explode at the high F, and the horse explodes.
154	* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Mr. Garrison denying he's gay and claiming he acts that way to pick up chicks.
155	* TheyKilledKennyAgain: Three ''Middle Park Cowboy'' football players dismember and decapitate Kenny.
156	* TheUnreveal: We never get to see what Jesus Christ's stance on homosexuality is.
157	* TookALevelInKindness: Big Gay Al's influence causes Stan to accept Sparky's homosexuality, leading to the both of them reuniting.
158	* ToxicFriendInfluence: Mr. Garrison is at his nicest with Stan in this episode, but the advice he gives him about gay people only makes things worse for the boy and his dog.
159	-->'''Mr. Garrison:''' Stanley, gay people... Well. gay people are evil. Evil right down to their cold, black hearts, which pump not blood like yours and mine, but rather a thick, vomitous oil that oozes through their rotten veins and clots in their pea-sized brains which becomes the cause of their Nazi-esque patterns of violent behavior. Do you understand?\
160	'''Stan:''' I guess.\
161	'''Mr. Garrison:''' Good, I'm glad we could have this little talk, Stanley. Now you go outside and practice football like a good little heterosexual.
162	* {{Troll}}: Cartman farting on Kyle's face at the line of scrimmage when the latter is made to be the quarterback and has to hike the ball.
163	* TeachersPet: A variation. Mr. Garrison spends most of the episode spoiling Stan due to the kid being the best quarterback at the school's football team, unfairly giving him perfect grades, letting him off doing homework, and giving him genuine (if toxic) advice, which he's usually too aloof to do. On his part, Stan is happy about the luxuries but never does anything to take advantage of this.
164	* ThoseTwoGuys:
165	** Bill and Fosse the pair of bullies.
166	** Frank and Phil the game announcers.
167	* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: While it's not unusual for kids to be rough at football, the ''Middle Park Cowboys'' tear Kenny's arms off and then plow into him, tearing his ''head'' off, for getting to the 30 with the football.
168	* UncertainDoom: Jimbo's booby trap on the ''Middle Park Cowboys''' mascot Enrique (meant to cripple or kill the opposing team) goes off ''after'' the game has ended. Though poor Enrique is blown to bits, it's unknown if any of the players died on the blow as well.
169	* UnnecessaryRoughness: Kenny being decapitated on the gridiron doesn't even draw a flag.
170	-->'''Chef:''' Hey, come on! That was roughing! At least let us scrape him off the field!
171	* VictoriousLoser: The South Park Cows lose the game by 72 - 6 and everybody in town celebrates the fact they lost by less than 70 points.
172	-->'''Frank:''' Stan, what do you wanna tell the world about this stunning almost victory?
173	* VitriolicBestBuds: Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny rip on Stan for having a gay dog, but later help him try to set him straight when they are made to think that gay people are evil, and show a degree of worry when he runs away.
174	* WouldHurtAChild: As a back-up plan in case the ''South Park Cows'' don't beat the spread with Stan's help, Jimbo (and to a lesser extent Ned) rig the Middle Park mascot to explode during half-time, with the intention of injuring/killing the opposing team.
175	-->'''Jimbo:''' Damn, I love football.
176	* YankTheDogsChain:
177	** When Stan abandons Homecoming in search for his missing dog, Pip believes that he will now be able to wear his helmet, only for Chef to refuse him the chance and send him out into the field with nothing but his cap.
178	** For Enrique, the Middle Park mascot, he's initially spared of being blown up by [[MusicalTrigger Jimbo's bomb]] when Richard Stamos is unable to hit a high F, only for Stamos to learn his vocals at the worst possible moment, blowing the horse to smitheries.

Context Recap / SouthParkS1E4BigGayAlsBigGayBoatRide