Original air date: 2/25/1998 (produced in 1997)
Cartman goes on a quest for the identity of his father. Meanwhile, Stan, Kyle and Kenny try to tape Cartman's weird behavior so they can send the video to America's Stupidest Home Videos for a grand prize of $10,000.
Followed by "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut".
This episode contains the following:
- Actually Pretty Funny:
- Stan's grandfather and the studio audience find Bob Saget funny, much to Stan and Kyle's disbelief.
- At the beginning of the episode, Kenny says that the reason Cartman didn’t show up for school is probably because he’s too big to get out of bed. It gets himself, Stan, and Kyle laughing.
- Ambiguously Gay: When Cartman publicly accuses Mr. Garrison of being his father, Jimbo says that's impossible because Garrison's gay. Garrison openly denies it, but the flashback shows he was most interested in Liane when Chef was there.
- Angrish: Cartman, upon seeing the video of him playing with his dolls on tv, is so livid he can barely get the words out threatening to kill Kyle and Stan.
- Angst? What Angst?: When Stan's parents inform him and Kyle that Kenny was hit by a train that morning, neither of them (having witnessed his death themselves) feel remorse.Randy: Is there, uh, anything we can do for you, son?
Stan: (chipper) How 'bout some ice cream?
Kyle: (likewise) Yeah, with butterscotch.
Sharon: You bet, you poor dears. - Artistic License – Biology: Liane said she was pregnant with Cartman the day after the Drunken Barn Dance. Her body would've needed at least 1 week to produce the proper levels of HCG for a positive pregnancy test.
- Bait-and-Switch: While Mr. Mackey puzzles out what could be wrong with Cartman, he appears to glance at one of the posters about fatherhood in his office, seemingly realizes that Cartman is bothered by his lack of a dad, excitedly says "Oh, of course!" Then he goes to pick his camera up off his shelf, indicating that's what Mackey was looking at the whole time and he still hasn't figured it out.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall:
- The characters responding to the cliffhanger narrator's questions about whether or not they're Cartman's father.
- Cartman also does this when the cliffhanger narrator doesn't reveal who his father is.
Cliffhanger narrator: Find out in the next five weeks on an all-new episode of South Park.
Cartman: Aw, son of a bitch! - Call-Back: When Jimbo says Mr. Garrison is gay, he responds "You go to hell! You go to hell and you die!" This was a quote he said to Kyle in the very first episode.
- Captain Obvious:Kyle: Mr. Mackey, something's really wrong with Cartman.
Mr. Mackey: Oh, well, there's a newsflash! - Censored Title: On a lot of cable and TV guides, this episode is retitled "Cartman's Mom" (with and without the ellipses). When Comedy Central originally announced the episode, they simply billed it "Cliffhanger".
- Cliffhanger: Much to Cartman's irritation.
- Comically Missing the Point:
- Although the Father's Day posters are all around the school and Cartman is clearly bothered, instead, Mr. Mackey just gives Stan, Kyle and Kenny a video camera to record his antics.
- Chef's song to Cartman after revealing that he isn't Cartman's dad ends up doing this.
- Crack Defeat: Stan and Kyle's video of Cartman's tea party loses the $10,000 grand prize to Grandpa Marsh's video of Kenny's go-kart ride and death on the train tracks.Stan: Oh my God, they videotaped killing Kenny!
Kyle: You bastards! - Cultural Personality Makeover: Cartman takes on Black, Native American and other stereotypes depending on who he thinks his father is at different points.
- The Dreaded Pretend Tea-Party: Cartman is mortified to find the other guys have covertly videotaped him having a pretend tea party with his dolls and action figures, together with his giving them distinctive funny voices, and have the video submitted to America's Stupidest Home Videos.
- Establishing Character Moment:
- Cartman's playing with dolls and using them to talk to him and boost his self-esteem is established in this episode.
- Mr. Garrison's deep denial of him being gay is firmly established in this episode.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Cartman gets angry when his mother is called a slut.
- Heroic BSoD: Cartman goes into a depressive state when he can't afford the money for DNA testing for his father.
- Hidden Depths: Cartman is genuinely distressed over not having a dad. He also uses his dolls to boost his self-esteem.
- High-Pressure Emotion: Cartman turns red with rage when he sees Stan and Kyle recorded his tea party and sent it in to America's Stupidest Home Videos.
- Irony: When Mr. Mackey talks to Stan and Kyle about Cartman dealing with not having a father, a poster behind Mr. Mackey reads "If you don't have a dad, you're a BASTARD!"
- Jerkass Ball: Stan and Kyle. They took footage of Cartman having a tea party with his dolls and send it into America's Stupidest Home Videos to win $10,000. When Cartman sees their video while watching the show with them, he gets furious, but Stan and Kyle show no remorse and instead talk about how their video will win enough money to afford Cartman's DNA tests. At the very least, they do give Cartman the $3,000 runner up prize.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Cartman having a tea party with his dolls. Kyle wants to make fun of him for it, but Stan sees it means he's dealing with a major problem and needs help.
- Pet the Dog:
- When they first see him playing with his dolls, Kyle gets up to go make fun of him, but Stan holds him back, noting that something is very wrong with Cartman.
- When they hear they can win $10,000 in America's Stupidest Home Videos, Stan and Kyle offer to let Cartman use some of the money for DNA testing to find out who his dad is, and when they get a runner up prize of $3,000, they let him use it all.
- Pretty Fly for a White Guy: When Cartman thinks Chef is his dad, he acts like this. He stops once Chef says he isn't Cartman's dad.
- Really Gets Around: Mrs. Cartman has slept with every adult in the town except for Halfy.Stan: Wow. I always knew Cartman's mom was a slut, but goddamn!
- Special Guest: Parodied. Jay Leno supplied the cat noises for Kitty.
- Take That!: America's Stupidest Home Videos is obviously one towards America's Funniest Home Videos. They also use the opportunity to mock something related to it.Kyle: He's almost as bad as that guy from Full House.
- That Makes Me Feel Angry: Cartman, upon seeing the video of his tea party:Cartman: I'm...so...pissed off right now.
- They Killed Kenny Again: Kenny loses control of a go-kart, lands on some train tracks, and gets hit by a train.
- Three-Way Sex: In the Flashback, Liane Cartman discusses with Chef if he and Mr. Garrison could do the "manage-o-three"note with her.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Kyle is disgusted to learn that even his own father slept with Cartman's mom.
- Wild Take: When Kenny starts the go-kart and it suddenly takes off, his body separates into floating pieces for a split second.
