Question: When Stan first tries to return the drink machine, an employee explains that the store just takes an initial payment, then remaining payments are handled by a separate finance company. How does the store even make a profit if they only get the initial payment? I know this is a TV show, but it sounds like the banks who let people mortgage homes for small down payments in the late 2000s, then sold the debt to other companies.
Question: Whenever a character enters or calls City Wok, Tuong Lu Kim says "Can I take order, pree?" I get the show is playing with the stereotype of Asians mixing up their L's with R's, but why does he say "pree" instead of "prease?"
Chosen answer: City Wok is a real-world Chinese restaurant that happens to be a favorite of series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone; Mr. Kim's speech peculiarities are taken from his real-life counterpart, which is also why he says "Sh*tty Wok' rather than "City Wok" when he answers the phone.
Question: I seem to remember a scene in which Cartman knocks on Kyle's bedroom window one night and wakes him up, just to laugh at him. Any idea what episode? Might have happened with Stan instead of Kyle.
Question: Where is Liane Cartman during this episode? The Stotches talk about Butters' friendship with the other boys, including Eric, and they want to be friends with the other parents. But his mom doesn't come to the gathering at the Stotch house, nor does she go on the Aspen trip.
Answer: Maybe she simply couldn't come to the Stotch house or go on the trip, either. She might have been working, on a date, etc. Also, the other parents are couples. She may not like being the "seventh wheel" or "extra wheel" sometimes. Especially not on an overnight trip.
City on the Edge of Forever (a.k.a. Flashbacks) - S2-E7
Question: Why is there a "missing" flyer for Macaulay Culkin?
Answer: I think it's just a joke about how out of work and the limelight he had been. This episode aired in 1998. From '88-'94, Macaulay had been in 14 movies, 3 TV shows, 2 music videos, and appeared on over a dozen shows as himself (SNL host, late-night talk show guest, etc). After "Ritchie Rich" in 1994, he wasn't in anything or on TV. So he was nowhere to be found for 4 years. Although, prior to the airing of this episode, he did appear in Sonic Youth's "Sunday" music video. But I think this episode was created before the release of the video.
Question: Cartman hears that their new teacher is from Denver, and he says "We'll be able to walk all over her." Why does he think she'll be a pushover just because she's from Denver? I have never been to Colorado, so I might be missing a local joke.
Answer: Denver is the biggest city in Colorado, and South Park is a small town with farms. Small town characters are often portrayed as thinking that "city people" are weak - pampered by having more luxuries and comforts. Cartman thinks they can intimidate someone who is not used to their small town.
Question: What's the episode where Barbrady rides with a cameraman from COPS? He talks of how people who assume small-town police have nothing to do are wrong.
Answer: It's Season 2, Episode 4 "Chickenlover".
Question: What is the name of the song that the band plays at the beginning of the announcement of Hat McCullough's release from prison? It's a pretty common song used in films and television, but I've never heard its name. I tried to use the Shazam app on my phone to identify it, but no luck.
Simpsons Already Did It - S6-E7
Question: Butters/Professor Chaos suggests creating a website and posting secrets about everyone in the town. General Disarray says that "The Simpsons" already did it. What episode of "The Simpsons" was this?
Answer: S12e06 "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes." Homer creates his own webpage using the name "Mister X" and eventually begins posting rumors he overhears about others on his webpage (which turned out to be actual secrets, getting the townspeople into trouble). Incidentally, this Simpson's episode parodied "The Prisoner" in the 3rd act, which goes along with what Chef says that the Simpsons also reuse other people's ideas.
Question: When they get back at Motivation Corp at the end, how did Cartman manage to get into the building, along with his Mexican painting crew, and also how did they manage to paint the whole place in crap so quickly before any of the staff came in for the day?
Chosen answer: Cartman has a knack for getting into places he's not supposed to be. We don't need the details. As for how they worked so quickly, either Cartman worked them mercilessly or it's a cartoon, your pick.
Question: Have Stan and Wendy gotten back together, since breaking up in the episode where Stan becomes Gothic/punk?
Answer: They get back together somewhere in the seasons because they spoke about just breaking up in season 18 episode 2, which was way after that episode which you are speaking of.
Jewpacabra - S16-E4
Question: At the end of the episode, is Cartman really serious about converting to Judaism and understanding how Jews feel or is he just lying like he usually does?
Answer: I would assume he is lying, Cartman seems to continue his Jewish prejudice in the episode following.
Make Love, Not Warcraft - S10-E8
Question: What is the song playing when the boys are slaying the boars in the World Of Warcraft forest?
Chosen answer: "Live to Win" by Paul Stanley.
Hooked on Monkey Fonics - S3-E12
Question: Is the word Kyle was given at the spelling bee even a word? If so, what is the definition?
Chosen answer: No, unfortunately Krocsyldiphithic is not a real word.
Hooked on Monkey Fonics - S3-E12
Question: At South Park Elementary, Mark the home-school kid rolls into the class in some sort of bubble and Cartman wonders if he has a John Travolta disease. What does he mean by this?
Chosen answer: John Travolta did a film in his youth called "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" about a teenager whose immune system was so weak that almost any germ could kill him, so he lived in a plastic bubble.
Cartman Gets an Anal Probe - S1-E2
Question: There is a photo of a non-animated real life person displayed next to the couch at Cartman's house, in this episode only. Who is she? (00:15:50)
Chosen answer: Matt Stone's sister Rachel.
Pilot: The Spirit of Christmas (Jesus vs. Santa) - S1-E1
Question: In the fireside chat introductions on the 1st Season VHS and DVD releases, who is asking Matt and Trey the questions?
Answer: Nobody. It's a spoof of DVD special features. They are just talking to the cameraman.
Question: Across the whole show, how come whenever Cartman uses the word authority, he says it as if it was spelled authoritAY?
Answer: He's doing a mock impression of a southern USA sheriff.
Question: Is it true that the episode about scientology was made at Penn Jillette's insistence?
Answer: I'm guessing you're referring to the episode "Trapped in the Closet" (ep. 9-12). While it is true that Jillette had a part in the decision to make the episode, Matt Stone and Trey Parker had parodied scientology before, and had been thinking of doing a full episode for some time. Jillette only convinced them to stand up for what they believed in, which is poking fun at anything and anyone.
Butters' Very Own Episode - S5-E14
Question: I would have sworn the first time this episode aired, the group of alleged murderers (Ramseys, Condit, and Simpson) were chanting (or mentioned) the "Got Away With It Club" in the restaurant. I just saw a rerun and this time, Condit was saying something nonsensical while the rest chanted "one of us". Was it changed, or was it just my imagination?
Answer: The store sells the debt (at a discount) to the finance company, which then has the right to collect the balance due. This frees the store from the administrative burden of tracking payments and transfers the risk of non-payment to the finance company. This scheme usually works best when there is a huge markup on the product.