Written by Robert Scucci | Published
Anywhere South Park A fan will tell you that Season 5's “Scott Tenorman Must Die” was Eric Cartman's turning point. After Scott Tenorman stole $16.12 from Cartman, he killed his parents, chopped them into peppers, and then fed them to him. It was the one time that everyone living in South Park, the parents, the teachers, and, most importantly, the boys, realized that they shouldn't meet Cartman because they now knew what he was capable of when they crossed paths.
Up until now, Cartman's behavior was problematic, but it didn't cross the line in this cruel way. Not only was he able to anticipate everyone's moves and counter them with alarming accuracy, he was able to feign ignorance and play just enough to make everyone think he was walking into their trap. “Scott Tenorman Must Die” turned Cartman into a Machiavellian mastermind, but what's more shocking is his behavior in Season 15, especially in “Bass to Mouth.”
Cartman is at his worst and most manipulative in “Bass to Mouth,” and it's worse because everyone is rooting for him. At this point in the series, 10 years after “Scott Tenorman Must Die,” everyone in South Park knows that Cartman is an unapologetic sociopath who only cares about defending himself when push comes to shove. When that behavior is empowered by authority figures and given the freedom to do whatever they want, it becomes dangerous for everyone.
You will never go to the mouth
While I'd love to talk more about the return of Lemmiwinks, his long-lost brother Wikileaks, sage-like advice from Catatafish and the Sparrow Prince, and what the other boys do when their secret information is leaked through the Eavesdropper app, none of this matters when it comes to Cartman's behavior in “Bass to Mouth.” It's important to plot the story, but Cartman is going to do what Cartman does whether there's an Eavesdropper app or not, so let's focus on what he's actually doing this time. South Park episode.
In “Bass to Mouth,” the Eavesdropper app leaks information that Pete Melman has gone second in his pants, and Cartman immediately starts fanning the flames. He was called to the office, where Principal Victoria, Mr. Mackey, and Mr. Adler facing him. We find out that the year before, a similar incident happened to a boy named Corey Duran, who was bullied by Cartman to the point that he was forced to kill himself. In a Hail Mary attempt to prevent another similar incident, the genius allows Cartman to do whatever he thinks is necessary to ensure that Pete Melman's life is not ruined.
Cartman, in his infinite wisdom, decides that the best course of action is to get another student to take off his pants, to divert attention from Pete's embarrassing incident. He gives Jenny Simons cupcakes laced with laxatives, and takes a trip to brown town during class. He then jumped on the desk to broadcast what had just happened. Jenny's suicide attempt fails, but she is left with a broken pelvis from the fall.
Knowing he won't get in trouble, Cartman explains to the South Park Elementary faculty that every single student needs the same embarrassment. His idea is simple: if everyone takes off their pants, no one will be laughed at.
The real smoking gun is the exchange between Principal Victoria and Cartman. Exasperated, he says, “That's crazy!” and without missing a beat, Cartman flatly replies, “Okay. Well, if you have a better idea, why am I here?” He knows that he is in control of the situation, and he knows that he will not face any consequences. In fact, you know you will be rewarded, because the only thing anyone cares about is avoiding bad press. They are all pawns in Cartman's game, and Cartman knows it.
Every Season Is Like This
The plan of Mr. Mackey in “Bass to Mouth,” when all Cartman's ideas backfire, is to throw him under the bus. Literally. Even then, after the episode under Lemmiwinks and Wikileaks has reached a boiling point, Cartman still gets the last laugh by destroying Mackey using the same methods he was encouraged to use earlier. Laxatives and Arby's Horsey Sauce go into the cookies, Mackey eats them, and explodes like Vesuvius. It's pretty clear what Cartman's intentions are with Mackey here, considering that everyone that has happened before has either tried to kill themselves, or succeeded in doing so. Cartman is 10 years old in this episode.
The odd part about Season 15 is that this fits Cartman's lesson. At this point in South Park's run, everyone should know better. After two episodes, when he is told by the other boys that he should stop playing with his dolls and grow up, he devises an ingenious plan to eliminate them which ends with Token's house being shot up. Early in the season, Cartman measures the length of every boy's wiener and posts the results. He steals crack kids from the hospital and forces them to play basketball to make internet money. The season closes with the arrest of his parents who raised him with good intentions but did not know that God is unknown, and the children they cared for ended up being orphans.
Season 5 may be the time when Cartman's true evil begins to show, but it doesn't fully change until Season 15, when everyone knows exactly what he's capable of and still chooses to empower him when it benefits them. Cartman isn't too bad when no one understands him and he gets out. He's in a terrible situation when everyone else does and they let him get away with it.
South Park airs on Paramount+.
