South Park: Season 2 (1998 - 1999)

The second season opener of Comedy Central's irreverent animated series South Park alienated many of the show's hardcore fans. Instead of finishing the cliffhanger left concerning the identity of Cartman's father, Trey Parker and Matt Stone fashioned a half-hour vehicle for those Canadian jokesters Terrance and Phillip; they go to Iraq to find Terrence's kidnapped daughter. Before the half hour wraps up, Canada, Celine Dion, and television censorship advocates all receive the kind of stinging blows South Park fans have come to expect. "Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus," originally aired April 1, 1998.

Chef and the boys rush to the hospital to check on Mephesto, who's gunned down just as he's set to reveal the identity of Cartman's father. Meanwhile, the townspeople search for the gunman and battle a snowstorm.

Kyle's adopted Canadian brother, Ike, is to be circumcised. In an effort to protect Ike's "fireman," the boys stick him on a train to Nebraska. Meanwhile, Mr. Mackey is fired for exposing the children to marijuana in an attempt to teach them that "drugs are bad, m'kay." After a drug-induced trip to hippieville, Mackey enters rehab and gets his job back. Meanwhile, the boys learn that the point of circumcision is actually to make the pee-pee look bigger, so they happily bring Ike back from Nebraska.

The animals of South Park are nervous, and it's up to Barbrady and the boys to figure out who in the town is, um, "loving" the chickens. When it's discovered that Barbrady can't read, Cartman is deputized so that the town will be kept safe while Barbrady goes back to school. While Cartman revels in his new-found "authoritah," the Magical Bookmobile driver helps promote literacy by engaging in bestiality.

While the kids of South Park are on the bus to China for the Dodgeball World Championships, the townsfolk make an effort to make the school nurse, who happens to have a dead fetus hanging off the side of her face, comfortable. Having won the championship, the kids return just in time for the festivities, including the Conjoined Fetus parade.

Ned and Jimbo's show "Huntin' and Killin'" is king of the public access ratings, even surpassing the popular "Jesus and Pals." Jimbo and Ned tell the boys of their experiences in Vietnam, but the boys find out that they're being duped. So the gang decides to pull a prank on Ned and Jimbo and stage an incident involving the Mexican Staring Frog, which puts any person looking at it into a coma. The scam ruins the credibility of the show, returning "Jesus and Pals" to its proper place in the ratings.

When television shows run out of ideas, the producers resort to a "clip show" where cast members sit around saying "Remember when?" while viewers are treated to scenes from old episodes. This episode of the irreverent animated series South Park mocks that convention. As their school bus dangles precariously on a steep cliff, Eric, Kenny, Kyle, and Stan remember incidents from old shows, but anyone familiar with those old clips will notice subtle and not so subtle changes. While the boys sort-of relive old times, Mrs. Crabtree, the bus driver, enjoys a career as a stand-up comic. "City on the Edge of Forever" first aired June 17, 1998, on Comedy Central.

Abandoned by Mr. Hat, Mr. Garrison seeks therapy from Dr. Katz, who implies that Mr. Hat may have been a manifestation of Mr. Garrison's sexual persuasion. It turns out that Mr. Hat is fulfilling his own fantasy with Brett Favre. Meanwhile, Fourth of July fireworks are banned because one kid got hurt, so the town tries to figure out how they can celebrate Independence Day. The Mayor decides to light an enormous snake, which burns down the town.

The South Park Film Festival attracts all the top Hollywood types, including Fred Savage. Unfortunately, the sudden influx of people with high-fiber diets overwhelms the sewage system, threatening the well-being of Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo. When he and the boys try to get the movie people to leave, it almost costs Hankey his life. Luckily, Chef's culinary concoction -- his salty chocolate balls -- help give Hankey the strength to banish the outsiders.