Original air date: 11/7/2007
Stan and Kyle are both hooked on Guitar Hero, which drives a wedge in their friendship.
"Guitar Queer-O" contains examples of:
- Backhanded Compliment:
- When Stan and Kyle meet then-Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler at the party, Stan tells him "you kinda suck, but my dad says you might be good some day." Cutler gives him a confused thanks.
- Stan and Kyle themselves get the bluntest one possible from the game itself in response to playing long enough to break a million points. "CONGRATULATIONS! YOU. ARE. FAGS!"
- Breakup Breakout: Parodied In-Universe when Stan and Kyle are split as a Guitar Hero duo. The manager sees Stan as the one with potential, noting that he thinks Kyle is holding him back. Kyle is left playing in a bowling alley.
- Fictional Video Game: Heroin Hero is a game about chasing a pink dragon through an enchanted forest while using up needles and smack. But you don't ever catch the dragon. You just... keep chasing it. Rehab Hero is a game about running away from a pink dragon to escape the addiction.
- Going Home Again: Stan is unable to handle the wealth and fame he attains through playing Guitar Hero. He stops playing with Kyle on the advice of his manager, and eventually, the stress leads him to an addiction to Heroin Hero, until the end of the episode when he quits his contract, reunites with Kyle, and abandons his fame. Together, they finally manage to get a million points (but are less than thrilled with the reward).
- Here We Go Again!: Cartman and Butters pick up the controllers after Stan and Kyle walk off, ready to duplicate the events of the episode.
- Pun: One could call Heroin Hero the ultimate first-person shooter.
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: The manager urges Stan to ditch Kyle, believing the latter will hold the band back from breaking the record. The "break-up" causes Stan to have a total meltdown and become hooked on Heroin Hero, leaving him in such a morbid state during the big day that he can barely even play at all.
- Serious Business: Breaking a hundred thousand points on Guitar Hero would probably not get such a reaction in the real world.
- Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll: To ease his stress, Stan plays Heroin Hero. On the day when he is supposed to break a million points and unlock super-stardom, his manager finds Stan passed out on the couch. When Stan shows up in poor condition at the arcade, Butters explains he's been up playing that game for three days straight.
- Shout-Out: The driving game that Stan plays in this episode is quite clearly modelled after Outrun 2.
- A Winner Is You: When Stan and Kyle finally break a million points and unlock super-stardom, all they get is the message, "CONGRATULATIONS! YOU... ARE... FAGS!" The two are not happy.
