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Recap / South Park S17 E3 "World War Zimmerman"

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Original air date: 10/9/2013

In this loose parody of World War Z, Cartman fears for his life and all of humanity after learning that George Zimmerman was found not guilty of shooting Trayvon Martin and black people are upset over the verdict.


This episode contains examples of:

  • Adults Are Useless:
    • The adults on the plane listen to Cartman despite not even knowing what he's talking about.
    • Mr. Mackey calls out Tolkien for causing a scene in the gymnasium despite the fact that Cartman was openly harassing him at the time. When Tolkien gets shot by Cartman, he threatens to give the former detention if he doesn't make up with Cartman, even defending the shooting because he was "standing his ground."
  • Artistic Licence – Law:
    • There are no "Stand Your Ground" laws in Colorado, so Cartman shouldn't have gotten away with shooting Tolkien, though considering what else Cartman has gotten away with and how crummy a town South Park is, this should hardly be a surprise.
    • Zimmerman is executed even though Cartman survives the shooting. In Real Life, no one is executed for attempted murder anymore, only successful murder. The judge also declares Zimmerman guilty without the need of a jury, and he is executed within ridiculously quick pace. Of course, given the entire point is the Double Standard to an assault on a white person, all this is Played for Laughs.
  • Bait-and-Switch: Kyle calls Cartman a murderer after the latter shoots Tolkien, who is absent from class. Then Cartman is called to Mr. Mackey’s office, where Tolkien is alive (though injured), meaning that Kyle must have been referring to the deaths from plane crashes that Cartman caused.
  • Call-Back:
    • This is the first appearance of Jimbo's gun shop since season one's "Weight Gain 4000".
    • Tolkien and Nichole sit together during a school assembly and share a smile at each other, showing that they're still dating.
  • The Cameo: The Orange County Crew coach from You Got F'd in the A can be seen among the rioters in Cartman's nightmare.
  • Double Standard: When George Zimmerman shoots a black-faced Cartman, he is congratulated for standing his ground. However, when Cartman is found to be a white kid in black make-up, he is immediately tried, convicted, and executed.
  • Downer Ending: Cartman gets away with killing hundreds of people due to sheer stupidity and attempting to murder Tolkien, and repeats the cycle after Tolkien gets pissed at him again.
  • Freeze-Frame Bonus: When Jimbo shows Cartman the states with "Stand Your Ground" laws on a map, you can pause and see that he's come up with some creative names for them.
  • Here We Go Again!: When Tolkien gets angry at Cartman for shooting him, Cartman believes he's out for blood again and the scene cuts to another plane crashing.
  • Hypocrite: When Cartman and Tolkien "talk it out" in Mackey's office, Cartman stresses that Tolkien shouldn't generalize and blame all white people for the Zimmerman trial. It doesn't take a psychology degree to say that Cartman is projecting here, as not only is Tolkien's alleged racism against white people all the product of Cartman's imagination, but Cartman has been prone to incredibly racist and supremacist behavior throughout the entire series. Just the fact that he thinks all African-Americans will turn into a mindless horde because of yet another example of racially charged Police Brutality speaks volumes.
  • Ironic Echo: George Zimmerman's family life is identical to Cartman's (as Brad Pitt) in his dream.
  • Karma Houdini: Aside from shooting Tolkien after luring him into a red circle and being declared "not guilty" for a nonexistent "Stand Your Ground" law in Colorado, Cartman hijacks and crashes multiple planes, resulting in hundreds of deaths. He does get shot at one point, but his shooter is sentenced to death despite actually having a legitimate self-defense claim (Cartman was on his shooter's property with the intent to kill him).
  • Killed Mid-Sentence: The woman that traveled with Cartman gets run over just as she was thanking him for "saving" her life.
  • Lethally Stupid: The entire plot happens and over hundreds of people are killed because Cartman assumes that every black person (including and especially Tolkien) would riot over the George Zimmerman case. The airplane passengers also immediately assume it’s a Zombie Apocalypse, but only ever point to African-Americans as zombies despite not knowing that Cartman is, in fact, talking about black people.
  • No Sympathy for Grudgeholders: Mr. Mackey threatens to send Tolkien to detention for not making up with Cartman despite the latter shooting him. Even worse, Mr. Mackey defends Cartman's actions because he was "standing his ground," something that isn't even legal in Colorado.
  • Oh, Crap!: George Zimmerman after being informed the kid he shot was white.
    Zimmerman: Wait, what?
  • Only Sane Man: The boys, save for, of course, Cartman. Craig and his friends also count.
  • Running Gag: Cartman causing planes to crash.
  • Take That!:
    • Near the end, Cartman has a nightmare about the ending to World War Z.
    • George Zimmerman's execution is likely one at the justice system being blatantly biased towards white people.
  • There Is No Kill Like Overkill: During his execution, Zimmerman gets electrocuted six times.
  • Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Cartman causes one plane to crash in full view of the South Park Elementary playground. Stan is the only one who notices.
  • What the Hell, Hero?:
    • Tolkien calls out Cartman for his racism twice over, only leading Cartman to think he's on the verge of a rampage. Kyle also delivers a deadpan one for his antics.
    Cartman: *defensive* The jury found me innocent, Kyle!
    Kyle: But you're a murderer.
    • Tolkien also calls out the rest of the school for just sitting there while Cartman is harassing him at the assembly.
  • Whole-Plot Reference: The episode is a parody of World War Z, especially Cartman's dream sequence. Here, he dresses like Brad Pitt's character and the rioting black guys act like the zombies from the film.

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