South Park (TV Series) Cartman Sucks (2007) User Reviews

I think maybe you are the ones who are confused

[tomevans0 · 10/10 · 25 February 2010]

The episode concentrates mostly on Cartman and Butters, and how Cartman's scheming mind and tendency to over-think things creates his own downfall. At the same time Butters' confusion and inability to understand people brings about a wonderfully innocent resolution to his situation — contrasted with Cartman's 'somewhat controversial' eventual humiliation.

The storyline promotes tolerance of homosexuality and ridicules the religious right's idea of 'conversion camps' ("A secluded camp where lots of bi-curious boys are put together; that sounds like a good idea.") Cartman's continued intolerance of Jews and homosexuality, and his strange fascination for art photography with Butters in degrading situations, gives him something of the air of a deranged Nazi, who is finally reduced to running crying to his mother. There is also a rather nice scene where the police officer patiently tries to take Cartman seriously, as Cartman reports the loss of the photograph of himself in a compromising situation and expects the police to help.

The penultimate scene, where Bradley is contemplating suicide and Butters saves him with a speech promoting tolerance, despite not really understanding what is going on, is one of the finest scenes in the show's history. A cynical show would have had Bradley die as a cheap joke, but when it becomes clear he will be all right it feels genuinely touching and far more rewarding. This is followed by the camp leader declaring ridiculously that "By the power of Christ we have saved this child." Sheer genius.

one of the best, most pressing episodes

[framptonhollis · 10/10 · 30 August 2021]

For all its scatological nastiness and misanthropic apathy, South Park can be sincerely sweet when necessary. Butters, as a character, has all kinds of psychological, even physical torture inflicted upon him by Cartman throughout the series, but his contagious optimism and childhood innocence anchor and counterbalance the mean spirited farce. Nowhere is this more apparent than in "Cartman Sucks" which sees the titular troublemaker verging on his pettiest stunt yet, and certainly his gayest one. I expected, based off the title, that this would be a capital-c Cartman-centric episode (like Cartmanland or Scott Tenorman), but what made the biggest impression on me was Butters' b-plot. Matt and Trey are good satirists because they're hilarious in spite of missing the mark like 40-50% of the time, but their parody of gay conversion camps is an unabashed indictment of American evangelism and homophobia (especially inflicted upon impressionable, confused kids). Butters' final speech marks an important step in maturity for the series, its legitimately sweet and precedes a memorably hilarious final moment with Cartman. An all around wonderful piece of TV.

Hilarious Second Episode Proves South Park still has it

[KingMFreak · 10/10 · 15 March 2007]

Last year I was worried that South Park might be losing it's edge, but last night's episode proved me wrong. Cartman Sucks is one of the freshest and funniest episodes to date. The episode doesn't deal entirely in the realm of original social commentary, but instead focuses on putting a twist on the classic story of Cartman pranks Butters.

Cartman has been having Butters spend the night at his house and while little Butters sleeps, Cartman does terrible things to him (like making him a mustache from cat crap, or sticking a tampon on his mouth). When Butters once again spends the night, Cartman does one of the stupidest things ever: he puts Butters' penis in his mouth and takes a picture.

The boys inform him that this makes him gay, and the only way to cancel this out is to stick his penis in Butters' mouth. While he is doing this, though, Butters' dad walks in with horrible assumptions. Cartman quickly flees, but Butters' father makes the horrible assumption that Butters is bi-curious.

Meanwhile, Cartman can't find his photo and assumes Kyle took it and will show it to the whole class for show and tell. He spends the whole night trying to stop Kyle, but when he comes to no avail, he decides he'd rather expose himself.

Butters is sent to Camp New Grace, where you "Pray away the Gay." At the camp, each child is assigned an accountabillibuddy. Butters, of course, has no idea what's going on and takes everything with the cheerful optimism that makes him such a beloved character. The campers continually commit suicide as they decide they'd rather go to hell now then be persecuted.

Cartman's storyline ends with one of the greatest laughs I've had in awhile, and the episode becomes one of the new greats. It really doesn't make any original statements on the issue of gays, though it has tackled this subject several times in the past. The basic message is that everyone should have the freedom of choice and religion is the great hypocrisy to freedom of speech: religion bans free speech.

But what I loved most about the episode was how Cartman's prank turned on him, and he went to such desperate measures to protect himself until he decides to expose himself. The picture itself is eventually seen, but Cartman is placed strategically in front of the screen to block any graphic elements. You get the idea though.

This is also the first episode to strongly suggest Cartman's sexual orientation. In past episodes we've had several indicators as to what his preference is: In the Condoms episode he watches Butters put on a condom; in the Simpsons episode, he claims to have gotten semen by meeting some guy in an alley, closing his eyes, and sucking it out of a tube; having tea parties with his stuffed animals; dressing up like Britney Spears and making out with a cardboard cut-out of Justin Timberlake; and so on and so on. Making Cartman actually come out of the closet would probably be a stupid decision on the creators' part, instead of just providing strong hints of what Cartman prefers.

Cartman Sucks may not contain a strong social commentary, but it basically is what I wanted: an episode more focused on an entertaining plot, rather then entirely on an issue. I half expected Ted Haggard to make an appearance, but the guys are leaving him buried for now.

Hilarious!

[gangstahippie · 9/10 · 21 September 2008]

This is one of the funnier episodes of South Park.This episode is an example of how Cartman tries to mess around with Butters.What happens in this episode is that Cartman tries to make everyone think Butters is gay.So Cartman puts his penis in Butters's mouth.However Kyle says that what Cartman did makes him look gay and the only way to reverse it is if Butters can put his dick in Cartman's mouth(Kyle is joking).So Cartman tries to put Butter's dick in his mouth and Butters's father catches them.He sends Butters to a strict camp for people who are "bi-curious".Meanwhile, Cartman loses the picture he took of it happening and thinks Kyle stole it.Cartman Sucks is a very funny South Park episode.

You won't be as confused as Butters in this biting satire on Gay Conversion Camps

[The-Last-Prydonian · 8/10 · 30 June 2020]

Cartman plays a prank of a homo-erotic nature on Butters and when he tells the other boys, Kyle informs him that rather than make Butters look gay it, in fact, makes the portly rascal himself look gay instead. As a result, Cartman sets out to attempt to, "cancel out the gay polarity" with Butters put in another compromising position which finds him sent to a gay conversion camp by his father.

You know when you have an episode where it's going to exploit and use the naivety of two of the series' most popular characters, that you're in for a treat with Cartman Sucks. As with Scott Tenorman Must Die we see the obnoxious Eric in typically mean-spirited form as he takes advantage of the good-natured naivety of Butters. This essentially acts as the catalyst for a pointed satire on gay conversion camps. Some of the comedy relies heavily on Butters total obliviousness as to what kind of camp he's being sent to and why. Thinking that he is merely going to a typical camp for kids, and being told that he's "confused" by his Christian counselors, he believes this to be the case. His confusion although not in the context of why his counselors say he is, is then exacerbated more and more as events unfold.

Trey and Matt as always aren't afraid to go to some dark places with their quintessentially contentious black humor, highlighting the tragic aspects and ramifications of gay conversion therapy. Funnier still is the brief inclusion of an "ex-gay" Pastor brought in to address the boys who couldn't be any more flamboyant or camp in his ostentatiousness. It arguably also takes a jab at anti-gay American evangelical pastor, Ted Haggard who was outed by a male prostitute who revealed he'd been a client of his.

The main narrative is supported by the amusing side plot involving Cartman's manipulative attempts to regain the compromising photo he'd taken. Believing it to have come into the possession of his main rival, Kyle. Pulling out all the stops in an attempt to emotionally exploit Mrs. Cartman's love for him to meet his ends. The plot from there does eventually take a twist which takes the story in a direction that is a tad unpredictable even if the final punchline is paradoxically predictable, but is still rounded off deftly enough.

As a satirical condemnation of the backward nature of Christian Gay Conversion Camps, Cartman Sucks is remorseless as it is ruthless in figuratively smacking its targets in the face with the unmitigated truth of them. It doesn't reach the comical brilliance of the boys at their most sublime (Apologies to Jesse Jackson is an absolute gem) but it gets the job done and does it with some considerable verve.

....still waiting for the big embarrassment!

[SebastienSpa · 18 March 2007]

As a huge South Park fan the only thing you are waiting for is Eric learning his lesson. As time goes by the viewer more and more abandons that faith. "Cartman sucks" doesn't 'hit' it, but it comes close to satisfying the urges of a fan seeing Cartman being humiliated by his own stupidity.

Frankly, I liked it! The more you know Trey and Matt (creators) the more you know about their multiple alter egos being represented in this show. Eric Cartman obviously remains a focus, and in this one he's getting it, but somehow out of his own fault.

Taking a picture of him having his penis stuck in Butter's mouth while holding his thumbs up may appear perverted in THIS context... But if you try to get into the minds of children, it may sounds reasonable. It works, as politically correct I'm trying to be in my awareness, this episode is not immoral or sick, no, it just shows a classical situation of misunderstanding that most of us have probably already been into. Definitely in a similar context but maybe in a similar feeling.

I liked it... All the time while I was confronted with these scenes I thought "Why not?"... He's just a boy (at least that's what we're supposed to know)!!!!

The episode was OK, not really what I expected

[jamiem-20 · 6/10 · 9 August 2007]

Well, this episode sparked a load of controversy. Cartman was kind of funny in this episode, I liked that photo when he put the tampon in Butters' mouth. LMAO. Anyways, this episode was about when Butters stays at Cartman's for a night, Butters is sleeping and Cartman plays a prank which involves something really nasty and then Cartman snaps a pic of it. Then he shows it to Kyle, Stan and Kenny. Kyle threatens to show the picture of Cartman and Butters. Then the photo turns up missing and then he accuses Kyle of stealing it when it turns out Kyle never took it. Butters is at camp and meets some boy but nothing more than friends. Don't watch it tho if you're, you know. That's all I'm gonna say so watch it, laugh at it and if you like and you have TiVo, rewind it over and over. If you thought it was offensive, don't say I didn't warn you. So if you are PC or you know, don't watch this episode.

Leopold Stotch: Portrait of a Confused Kid

[RainDogJr · 20 October 2008]

Right now I kind of want to start and complete watching a South Park Season, I haven't' watch a Season from its first to its very last episode since the Season 7 and of Seasons 8 to 12 I have seen just few episodes. But before watching a full Season I wanted to watch some episodes of which I had heard stuff: Canada on Strike!, Guitar Queer-o, the 3-part Imaginationland, Make Love Not Warcraft, Hell on Earth 2006 and The China Problem were the episodes that I wanted to watch in South Park Studios and once there, and after watching Canada on Strike! And Guitar Queer-o, I read the summary of Cartman Sucks and once again I laughed very hard since sometime ago I read an article, from the Rolling Stone magazine (the Mexican edition), of South Park and in it was described a scene that Trey Parker was working on. The scene is the one that shows when Cartman realizes that the joke he has just made to Butters is not going to make look Butters like a gay but him. Cartman took a picture when Butter's penis was in his mouth to make Butters look like a gay! So now he must put his penis in Butters' mouth to can "cancel" his previous action. Just a hilarious moment and practically when I read the summary in South Park Studios I thought "hey this is that episode from the article, can't wait to watch it".

Cartman Sucks begins in a hilarious way with Cartman showing to Stan, Kyle and Kenny the stuff he has been doing with a camera and Butters. Of course we already knew how can be Cartman with Butters but now Cartman has found a constant way to be an a****** with Butters, now is like a routine, now Cartman can change angles and lighting, the results are really funny with pictures of Butters with a tampon in his mouth or with the ass of Cartman near his face. Now that the boys knows about that Kyle is the one who will try to stop Butters from staying once again in Cartman's place to sleep but Butters will stay and Cartman will finally make what he considers will going to be his masterpiece. So we watch that already mentioned scene so now Cartman is desperate and Kyle is there to take a little advantage of that so now Cartman must put his penis in Butters' mouth to "cancel" his previous action. After this both Cartman and Butters will take different roads, different stories. Cartman will be focused in trying to avoid that Stan, Kenny and Kyle tell everyone of what they saw however the picture will be missed for Cartman. So of course Cartman thinks that Kyle is related with the missing picture and this part with Cartman is somewhat predictable but it does have a very hilarious ending that is also the ending of the episode. As for the Butters' story, well it is great and definitely the one that made laugh the most. Is hilarious because basically Butters doesn't know a single thing of what happened. He never knew about Cartman's routine, about Cartman's attempt to give him a surprise, about the fact that his father was witness of that Cartman's attempt, about the fact that he was send to a conversion therapy camp, about the fact that all the kids there were gays and that his roommate was starting to feel something for him. Butters was just confused and actually by admitting that caused the rest. Then this is a very good episode, not one of my favourites of South Park however it was absolutely worth to watch and is absolutely an episode I can easily recommend. Hell, how many times I just wrote Cartman?