Line #1 Recap/SouthParkS9E13FreeWillzyx


1	'''Original air date:''' 11/30/2005
2
3	When a prank convinces the boys that a whale in a local aquarium is an alien from the moon, they go to extreme measures to send it home.
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5	!!This work contains examples of:
6	* ActuallyPrettyFunny: At the end, as he stands over the body of his dead friend and watches as the whale is rocketed into space, Brian can't help but laugh at the sheer absurdity of the whole thing.
7	* AdultsAreUseless: Kyle's parents leave him and his friends home alone to take Ike to see ''Film/HarryPotter''. This gives them the evening they need to "free" Jambu without distractions.
8	* AnimalWrongsGroup: Animal activists shoot down a group of police officers, border patrol officers, and an innocent bystander to get a whale to Mexico. Worse yet, the reason, which the animal liberation group is unaware of, is that the whale is being transported to Mexico not to get it to the ocean, but to the moon. It is only after witnessing the whale being rocketed to the moon that [[OhCrap they realise they may have made a mistake.]]
9	* BaitAndSwitch: The ending looks like it's setting up a RealAfterAll gag where Jambu really does end up with a civilization on the moon, only for reality to set in when it cuts to the whale's lifeless body.
10	* BecauseItAmusedMe: The whole reason Brian and Mike don't turn themselves in is because Brian insists to Mike that their prank is still funny, even when it's clear that several people will and do die as a result. Though the possibility of being fired also contributed.
11	* BlackComedyAnimalCruelty: Kyle taps on "Willzyx's" tank multiple times (which any marine biologist will tell you is a serious no-no), the poor orca spends most of the episode either in a small pool or beached in various places, and just when he's freed in the ocean, he's rocketed up to the moon's surface when he dies of asphyxiation.
12	* ComicallySmallDemand: The Mexican space program only asks for $200 to fly somebody to the moon on a rocket.
13	* ContrivedCoincidence: The rest of the fourth grade boys are skeptical that the whale at the sea park talked to them, until Craig reveals he had the same experience. The aquarium workers comment that they have pulled this prank repeatedly.
14	* DownerEnding: The boys think it's a BittersweetEnding, Willzyx (Jambu) is gone, but with his own kind. In reality, several died including the whale after it landed on the moon.
15	* DudeNotFunny: Mike keeps telling Brian this, about their prank on the boys having gone too far. It ends up being Mike's last words, with Brian admitting it went too far this time.
16	* FromBadToWorse:
17	** [[CaptainObvious A whale would die on the moon.]]
18	** A space trip to the moon would be [[{{Pun}} astronomically]] expensive.
19	** Invoked by Brian and Mike. They know that if anyone learns of their accountability in Jambu's kidnapping, they'll be fired. This leads them to try to get the whale back themselves without anyone knowing.
20	* FullFrontalAssault: One of Mike and Brian's pranks behind the PA System for voicing the whale is saying that some kids' dads are going to sneak into their bedrooms naked one night and beat them up. Even Craig himself fell for it when he went to try to see Jambu by tapping on the glass three times like Kyle did earlier.
21	-->'''Craig:''' Hey, that whale talked to me too. After everyone left the show I walked up to the glass and he started talking.\
22	'''Kyle:''' Well, why didn't you tell anybody?\
23	'''Craig:''' I thought I was crazy. He said my dad was gonna sneak into my room naked one night and beat me up.\
24	'''Kyle:''' Well, you're '''not''' crazy. The whale talked to all of us. And he needs our help getting him home.\
25	'''Craig:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint ...So it's true.]]
26	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Mike's (ironically the more responsible of the two) prank gets him killed by the ALF at the end.
27	* HurricaneOfPuns: Several whale-based puns are made during the report of the missing whale, ending with a LamePunReaction when the anchor tries making a pun on "bear".
28	* IdiotHoudini: None of the boys get in trouble for stealing a whale and launching it to the moon, completely oblivious to its death.
29	* IsThisThingStillOn: Defied by Brian and Mike, they make sure to cover the microphone when they make inappropriate comments during their commentary.
30	* JapaneseRanguage: The Chinese told Jimmy, Timmy and Tweek to "fruck" themselves after learning they can't afford to take it to space.
31	* KarmaHoudini:
32	** Brian gets off scot-free for his role in the whale's kidnapping and death, except for losing Mike and possibly his job.
33	** The ALF gets off for killing multiple people and [[CopKiller two highway cops]]. Unless you consider having the whale they were trying to save being sent to the moon karma enough.
34	* LamePunReaction: The news reporter tries to keep up with the puns by calling the situation un-''bear''-able. Since a bear has nothing to do with the situation, nobody laughs.
35	* MistakenForPrankCall: Kyle's call to Putin, though Kyle was carrying misinformation caused by a prank.
36	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: At the end, the ALF are horrified to see the whale being launched into space, realizing that they backed the wrong people.
37	* NoodleIncident: After UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin gets a call from Kyle requesting a trip to the moon, Putin is told it's to get a space whale back to his family on the moon. Putin responds it's a prank call ''again'' and thinks [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush George Bush]] is on the other end.
38	* NoPeripheralVision: A security guard somehow didn't notice the boys stealing Jambu. His boss understandably calls him out on it.
39	-->'''Advisor:''' [[EpicFail How could you not have seen anything? It's a]] ''[[EpicFail whale]]'', [[EpicFail for Christ's sake!]]\
40	'''Security Guard:''' It must have been taken while I was going to the bathroom.\
41	'''Advisor:''' Were you in there for ''3 hours''?!\
42	'''Security Guard:''' Don't yell at me!
43	* ObliviouslyEvil: The kids all think they're freeing an imprisoned alien and taking him home to his family. In truth, their efforts only risk hurting, and ultimately kill, an endangered animal.
44	* PetTheDog: Cartman of all people is completely on board with bringing Willzyx back to his home planet, and at the end even says he feels good having completed the operation successfully. Sadly, his good intentions are wasted because all his efforts to save the orca only end up getting it (and other people) killed.
45	* PoliceAreUseless: The security guard couldn't even stop the boys from abducting the whale out of the sea park, and then those two highway cops when they intervene on the boys transporting the whale get outnumbered and slaughtered in cold blood by Animal Liberation Front.
46	* PrecisionFStrike: "Save the whales, motherfucker!"
47	* RippedFromTheHeadlines: The brief scene of Putin getting excited about someone wanting to use Russia's space program (only to think it's UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush prank calling him again when the boys reveal what they want to do) came from Russia attempting to send Creator/LanceBass to space, only to pull out when he couldn't raise enough funds (yes, really).
48	* ShoutOut:
49	** Kyle's parents take Ike to the new ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' movie.
50	** When Clyde's mother looks at the photo-realistic sketch of Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny, she says, "The fat one in the middle kind of looks like Creator/DakotaFanning."
51	* SilentCredits: The credits roll in silence over the final shot of the orca lying dead on the moon.
52	* ShootTheShaggyDog: Brian and Mike's attempts to fix the mess they made and keep their jobs end with Mike getting killed and Brian left all alone.
53	* SpaceWhaleAesop:
54	** Literally! Take what you hear with a grain of salt and don't be afraid to question things, or else people die and you'll send an endangered whale to the moon to die of asphyxiation.
55	** Pranks can be funny but be careful who you target because they may send a whale to the moon.
56	* StylisticSuck: Inverted. Because of the show's already crude, simplistic style, the forensics sketch of the boys is drawn in as overly-detailed a way as possible.
57	* TakeThat: Clyde's mother mistakes a photo-realistic Cartman for Creator/DakotaFanning.
58	* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom:
59	** Brian and Mike's little prank on Kyle sets the whole plot of the episode into motion, leading to the theft and eventual death of Jambu.
60	** Craig revealing that he heard Jambu talk as well. Before then, the rest of the boys were skeptical of Kyle's story, but after what Craig said, they are convinced in helping with stealing the whale and launching it to space.
61	* WholePlotReference: The episode is a take on ''Film/FreeWilly''.

Context Recap / SouthParkS9E13FreeWillzyx