South Park (TV Series) Breast Cancer Show Ever (2008) User Reviews

This episode takes Southpark back to its roots...almost

[AlsExGal · 9/10 · 17 September 2016]

We've always known Cartman as the personification of the little bit of garbage that is in everybody's soul. He's the morbidly obese kid that is so not because of genetics or a medical condition, he is just a glutton. He is a weasel at heart with an enabling mother and friends that just tolerate him. The thing is, Cartman doesn't know any of that. Wendy is the serious kid, and Stan's heartthrob. This episode brings Cartman and Wendy together in a most unusual way.

Wendy gives a school report on breast cancer, and Cartman heckles her throughout her presentation saying truly awful things, even for a nine year old. Wendy takes this subject very seriously, and in front of all of the kids, promises to kick Cartman's ass after school. Her words not mine. At first Cartman laughs this off, this little girl is going to beat him up...a boy? But then he sees the fiery look of anger in her eyes and gets scared. He tries everything you would expect of Eric Cartman to get out of a fight -lies, bribes, manipulation, etc.

How does this all work out? Watch and find out. I will say one thing. In this one episode one adult - I won't say who - does a very helpful thing. I think it would be very helpful for cancer patients to visualize cancer as Cartman, a force of evil that cannot be reasoned with but just needs to be fought, regardless of the outcome.

This episode also shows that some people can rationalize anything. I should ask Cartman, if you are so afraid of losing your "friends" if a girl beats you up, why is it that you are the only one of the boys that is called by your last name instead of your first?

Highly recommended

Wendy challenges Cartmen to a fight

[Tweekums · 10/10 · 24 November 2012]

When Wendy gives a speech in class about breast cancer awareness Cartmen giggles every time she says the word breast; then when she complains he starts making jokes about the subject. Eventually she can take it no more and challenges him to a fight! He accepts thinking he can easily beat her but as the day passes he starts to have his doubts. During lunch she stares him down and afterwards he quietly apologises to get out of the fight; she says if he wants to apologise he must do it in public; he won't do that though. As time passes he gets desperate; first getting a detention to avoid the fight then when Wendy reschedules for the morning he and his mother come round to the Testaburgers' house to complain about how Wendy is bullying him... it looks as if the fight will be off until Wendy gets the go-ahead from an unlikely person!

This was a great episode; it didn't feature any topical events or anything strange; just children being children in a way that reminded me of the early seasons. For me the main highlight was seeing Wendy take centre stage for a change; she was one of my favourite characters in the early seasons but sadly seemed to get relegated to being just a minor character; seeing her beat the living daylights out of Cartman just made it even better although anybody who remembers what she did in 'Tom's Rhinoplasty' won't be too surprised! I really enjoyed seeing Cartmen trying to worm his way out of the fight without losing face in front of the crowd even if it did mean doing some fairly gross things. If you loved the old 'South Park' but aren't so keen on episode based on topical events that go stale as soon as the event is forgotten then watch and enjoy this; it is a classic.

"I'm finished"

[RainDogJr · 9/10 · 17 October 2008]

It's been a long time since I don't watch a South Park on TV, right now I can say that I'm not into South Park at all even that all the episodes are there in their website. Last week the new episode of the new Season was news in the newspaper I usually read, it is mostly a sports newspaper but it does contains other stuff including a section of movies, music and TV so it was like "George Lucas and Steven Spielberg rape Indiana Jones…in the new episode of South Park". Like 3 months ago I discovered that all the South Park episodes are available for free in the website and I clearly remember I watched a couple (the two parts of Cartoon Wars) and I found them really great so I began "re-discovering" the show by hearing for the first time some of the comments of Trey and Matt from the DVDs and by watching once again the great movie. Now with that note from the newspaper I was like "this time I'm really going to watch this episodes" and I do began watching The China Problem like 2 days ago, it was fun but I had to go and I didn't finished watching it. Today I came to see what happened to Cartman and Butters in their "fight" against the Chinese and to see if Kyle will be finally fine after what he and the boys experienced by watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull BUT this appeared to me "DUE TO PRE-EXISTING CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS, WE CANNOT STREAM THIS EPISODE UNTIL 11.08.08". Well that's why I'm writing my comment for Breast Cancer Show Ever before writing stuff about The China Problem, anyway this was a really hilarious introduction to Season 12.

By the end of this episode there's a brutal and awesome fight between Cartman and Wendy, a fight that will reminds you the Guy Ritchie picture Snatch and the Paul Thomas Anderson masterwork There Will Be Blood, but why was Cartman fighting against a girl? Well because he really really sucks and this episode confirms that. We have in one hand Wendy who is really concern about breast cancer and who is trying to make that all of her partners feel the same. She is working pretty hard but there's our Cartman who can't hear the word breast without laughing and who later will be just making fun of breast cancer, he really sucks so he is really hilarious. I didn't know and I think Cartman didn't know also that Wendy was so tough but I did know how Cartman is sometimes, the fight is announce and Cartman will make you laugh really hard thanks to all the things he will make to avoid the fight, after all he makes hardcore stuff, he is a f****** edgy punk rocker! And at one point Wendy will experience the bastard Cartman is and is really funny, really funny but she will fight no matter of what her parents will make after that. And like I write, that fight is brutal and really awesome (funny) just like the last words of Cartman after hearing what we all know, what his partners think of him but anyway he is still cool! Finally, this one is a simple episode that I loved! 9.5 out of 10

Sometimes the simplest episodes are the best

[TOMNEL · 16 October 2008]

The season 12 midway premiere was awful, and thankfully, they made up for it with a great episode. This episode doesn't rely on pop culture references to pull the entire plot along, and actually gives the characters funny dialogue. It's not heavy handed and satirical, it's just a show about some foul mouthed kids, and it's good the have the show evened out with both these types of episodes and pop culture ones. The pop culture one's tend to be more clever in how the message is displayed, but these one's tend to be a lot funnier.

Mr. Garrison's class is supposed to give speeches on important subjects, and Wendy does her's on breast cancer awareness. Cartman finds talking of breasts in class hilarious, so he begins to make fun of her cause, and she sets up a fight after school. Cartman has no problem with it until he realizes that she's not joking, and she could beat him up, so Cartman creates diversions and comes up with reasons not to fight. Cartman defecates in class, and is forced into detention, but Wendy just reschedules the fight. If Cartman fights, he'll lose and be humiliated, if he doesn't, Wendy will lose her cause.

Eric Cartman is one of those fan favorite characters, and it's understandable why. Of the kids, he's the character, with the most character, and he is more likely to be over the top and rude then any of the other boys. For me, Cartman plots are usually a mixed bag. I either find him obnoxious, or funny, and rarely is it both. Here, it's both. He is such a jerk, but at the same time hilarious. After tattling to his mother, and Wendy's parents about the fight, Eric resorts to baby talk with his mom, and that was a gem of a short gag. The fight scene is well done, and the ending was effective in both getting laughs, and in gaining pity for Eric. What a tragic figure he is, and what a great episode this was.

This episode is one of those rare one's that doesn't get too much attention upon initial release, but afterward is considered a cult classic episode. I enjoyed this one thoroughly, and it was a welcomed change of pace from Butters shooting guys in the groin.

My rating: *** 1/2 out of ****. 30 mins. TVMA

I love that episode!

[mauriciohouse · 10/10 · 25 August 2022]

It is very satisfying to see Cartman get what he deserves. Wendy has my respects for what she did in this episode.

In addition, the fight between Wendy and Cartman is very epic, bloody and ends with a very good reference to the movie Snatch by Guy Ritchie.

After the disappointing "China Probrem", here is a great episode!

[gangstahippie · 9/10 · 16 October 2008]

The episode "China Probrem" was disappointing in my opinion, but Trey and Matt come back with a bang with this episode.Unlike most episodes of the newer seasons, this does not spoof current events, it's just an example of kids being kids, much like the earlier seasons! In this episode, Cartman makes fun of breast cancer, a topic which Wendy is sensitive about.Wendy then decides to fight Cartman after school.Wendy is known as Stan's girlfriend and is most of the time innocent, however we see her dark side in certain episodes such as "Tom's Rhinoplasty".At first Cartman does not mind fighting her, but afterwords, he becomes afraid of Wendy and does not want to fight her.Cartman tries to get the fight cancelled, by apologizing, by going to detention and even by calling in his mother, but Wendy still insists on fighting him.This is a very funny, entertaining and good episode of South Park.A good comeback after the mediocre "China Probrem".

Where the last episode was cancer, this episode is about cancer and more specifically Cartman as the personification of it

[SLionsCricketreviews · 9/10 · 13 January 2018]

From "The China Probrem" to "Breast Cancer Show Ever" is one of the most staggering improvements in consecutive episodes that I can recall. As far as I am concerned, nothing worked with the former episode and yet here in "Breast Cancer Show Ever", we effectively get a classic South Park episode.

This episode is all about Cartman and what makes him the most evil, remorseless, cowardly, pathetic, vile piece of filth for his age which in itself is amusing because the episode's subject matter relates to breast cancer. There's something truly brilliant in the traditional South Park sense that an episode about breast cancer still manages to find a way to be more about Cartman.

There's an absolutely fantastic scene where Principal Victoria gives a monologue to Wendy about cancer and how she as a breast cancer survivor relates to Wendy's struggles in bringing a sense of dignity and seriousness to something as terrible as cancer. Her drawing comparisons between cancer and Cartman is one of the most wonderful moments in this episode and truly, the pivotal way to characterize Cartman: he is cancer. Wendy at one point even notes to Mr. Garrison while attempting to give her speech about breast cancer awareness that Cartman appears to get worse each week (amusing joke with a double meaning in that we as viewers of the show have seen him move through various ranks of evil on a weekly episode basis).

At its core, "Breast Cancer Show Ever" is simply about Cartman and the comeuppance he deserves for being a vile piece of shit. Watching Cartman go from mocking and insulting Wendy at the prospect that she will fight him after school towards fear and eventually desperation (he eats his own underwear in front of Wendy) is absolute genius. Even when Cartman eventually is pummeled into the ground by Wendy in front of the whole school, he still finds a way to try and win and it is truly brilliant. Cartman is every bit as vile a creature as he is mesmerizing. Truly one of the greatest characters I have seen and this is among his finest episodes.

A inexplicably entertaining episode, but Wendy did have a point

[elliotrobinson-67147 · 10/10 · 12 April 2023]

I can't explain why, but I honestly really enjoyed this episode. However, Wendy did have a point in the episode: Why was Cartman constantly knocking her down and mocking breast cancer? Sure, Cartman is a complete scumbag, and this episode clearly shows it, but Wendy is right, Cartman had no reason to mock breast cancer, and if he stood up and apologised, the fight never would've happened. I guess I have a lot of respect for Wendy as a character, as she is encouraging and supportive, further supported by her appearance in South Park: The Fractured But Whole, as the sole reason she becomes Call Girl is because she knows that men are considered better superheroes than women, though she definitely did behave out of character and like a maniac in Tom's Rhinoplasty. Meanwhile, Cartman definitely deserved to be beaten up for joking about breast cancer, and as Kitty Monk stated, he had no reason to given that men can have it too. Overall, this was a funny episode, and an interesting look into the relationship dynamic between Wendy and Cartman, and a look into how they constantly are at each other's throats.

Best episode of the season. BY FAR.

[passionate_mint · 9/10 · 15 November 2019]

Season 12 was kind of a rough season for South Park. With episodes like Britney's New Look and The China Problem, it's easy to think this season is all bad. But this episode is a return to form.

Okay, so the general synopsis for this episode is Cartman makes fun of breast cancer, Wendy challenges him to a fight, and Cartman, after accepting the challenge, decides to get out of it. Pretty standard right? Well, yes, but actually no.

Cartmans antics in the episode were pretty hilarious, from eating his own underwear, trying to convince Stan to forbid Wendy to fight, and going so far as to get detention by literally crapping on his teachers desk, it was all pretty funny to see, but as you would've guessed, they didn't work. Eventually he has to tell his mom and it actually works, much to everyone else's disappointment. He goes so far as to taunt Wendy by giving his own speech about breast cancer. Right after Wendy gets called into Principal Victoria's office, where after she gives an oddly inspiring speech about fighting cancer the fight actually happens.

This part of the episode was one of the most cathartic, satisfying moments in the whole series with Cartman getting the absolute crap kicked out of him, and with this being one of like, what, 6 times, Cartman getting his comeuppance, it really delivers, and Cartman still thinking everyone thinking he's still cool even after they tell him the have always hated him is really funny. So yeah, great episode smiled through it i recommend it a lot.

Funny episode despite obviousness

[Payback1016 · 10/10 · 8 March 2009]

I watched this episode yesterday, and it was funny. However there were some character traits that were pretty obvious if you watched south park since season 1. Cartman for example, no matter how serious an issue is he can not hear a single term or word without mocking and laughing is A** off. In this case Wendy was trying to raise Breast Cancer Awareness, but Cartman couldn't hear the word breast without laughing and mocking Wendy with stories of "killer t**ies". Wendy's reaction to that was pretty obvious too if you seen "weight gain 5000" and "tom's Rhinoplasty". She acts like a complete psycho and goes as far as having her substitute teacher launched in a rocket headed for the sun. All of that because she thought the teacher wanted to steal Stan from her. That alone shoulda given cartman the hint that he shouldn't mock her, but know he had to find out the hard way. Aside from the obviousness of this episode, I come to find it very hilarious.

BREAST CANCER SHOW EVER: Quiet, fascinating, juvenile, genius

[acjd_shmacjd · 9/10 · 15 March 2020]

Currently watching SOUTH PARK almost completely out of order, only really watching episodes that sound interesting to me. Granted, the reason I chose to watch this episode was mostly due to the funny title, but I was still interested enough to give it a go. What I expected to be an okay-but-nothing-more episode turned out to be one of my favourites of the entire series.

SOUTH PARK has never gotten enough credit for just how smart it can be, and this is mostly due to its juvenile and deliberately offensive nature. I think this dilemma is greatly exemplified in this episode, as - while it may feature Eric eating his underwear and, later, defecating on Ms. Garrison's desk - it also manages to exemplify just how hilarious, disturbing, and overall well-written of a character Eric Cartman really is. Instead of honing in on its staple outrageous, shocking brand of humour - which is still evidently present - this episode chooses to more so be a quiet and reflective study of Eric's character: his delusions, his insecurities, and his inability to ever change. It's a disturbing, thoughtful, and very funny look into a (flanderized for comedic effect) psychotic mind.

Cartman has no understanding of emotion or empathy or basic common courtesy. He only knows what - he thinks - will benefit him. This is showcased countless times throughout the series, but this is one of the show's best cracks at doing so.

In BREAST CANCER SHOW EVER, he pulls the usual tricks as he tries to escape his inevitable humiliation: he tries to fake an apology, but Wendy's not having it; he showcases his absolute lack of respect for anyone, himself included, as he eats his underpants in a form of "bribery"; and gets himself into detention to avoid the fight. In the end, the retribution of his actions is inescapable, and the showdown of Cartman v. Testaburger ends in him broken and bruised, laying bloody in the playground. He believes that everyone's "respect" of him is now gone - of which there actually never was any to begin with - but his incredible ego jumps through impossible imaginary hoops to convince itself that his "status" is untouchable, and everyone loves him no matter what. No one loves him. Everyone he knows would thrive without him, but he thinks that he's their god. He manages to rationalize his inexcusable actions and he goes home, thrilled, without having learned anything.

I don't think my review did it any justice (I'm pretty tired and my writing gets to be pretty messy this time of night), but to put it bluntly: BREAST CANCER SHOW EVER is funny, frightening, and it's some of this show's greatest, most grounded, psychologically thoughtful work yet.

Maybe serialization in South Park is a good thing

[10086cn · 1/10 · 10 August 2021]

I mean, come on, we don't get to find out what happened to Wendy after the fight. Her parents were obviously completely against the idea, and it would have been good to see what they would have done to Wendy after what had happened. This is an issue that would have probably not been an issue had this episode been released nowadays (particularly in seasons 19 and later, when serialization became a thing in South Park).

This is also the sort of issue that has plagued other shows, most notably The Simpsons, where we don't get to find out what happened to Bart after he got arrested in the episodes Bart Star and Peeping Mom. But to see this issue in South Park is just ridiculous (and is what knocked those 9 stars off my review of this episode). To see and hear all these people saying how serialization supposedly "killed" South Park really repeatedly angers me.

And yes, in case it was not obvious enough, I am an avid and sworn enemy of the Status Quo Is God trope.