South Park is one of the most popular adult animated series of all time and has been running since the late 90s. The show is famous, or infamous, for its grotesque and raunchy comedy, which is the crux of the series. South Park has gotten progressively more intense with a clear shift occurring in the summer of 2001.
Eric Cartman is one of the most popular South Park characters, and has changed fairly little since the cartoon's premiere. That said, he wasn't always depicted as evil as he is today. Before the Season 5 episode, "Scott Tenorman Must Die", many would've thought Eric Cartman somewhat redeemable. Ultimately, the fantastic episode proved once and for all that Eric Cartman was pure evil and would accomplish anything to get his way.
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Eric Cartman Is Now Considered Pure Evil, But That Wasn't Always the Case
Cartman Hasn't Always Been An Evil Mastermind
On the surface, Eric Cartman is a "big-boned" and loudmouthed fourth grader with a terrible attitude. Diving further, he's an unfeeling sociopath capable of extreme means to get what he wants. Since the beginning of the show, Cartman has always been intense, but he wasn't necessarily evil until a little later in the series.
At the beginning of South Park, Cartman is definitely a bad person, but he isn't necessarily irredeemable. He is most certainly selfish, and that often causes him to misstep, but many could argue that comes from naivety rather than downright sadism. The early show even proves that Cartman might not be capable of kindness, but that's just because he's a selfish kid.
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It's very likely this selfish, childlike archetype is what set the tone for Cartman's personality. That tone quickly shifted and changed over the years as Cartman performed progressively worse actions. Yet, in later episodes, he is nowhere near a normal child. Cartman goes from being an annoying, uncaring brat to a criminal mastermind over the course of several seasons. Yet there is one key moment that changed Cartman forever. During the Summer of 2001, one Season 5 episode would prove just how evil Cartman could be.
One Incredible Season 5 Episode Changed Everything For Cartman
Cartman Met His Greatest Enemy and Stooped To Their Level
In South Park Season 5, Episode 4, "Scott Tenorman Must Die", Cartman butts heads with high school student Scott Tenorman, who essentially scams the fourth grader out of some money. Cartman is repeatedly taunted and one-upped by Scott, until Cartman thinks of a truly sadistic plan. Taking advantage of a local Chili cook-off, Cartman derives a plot to truly scar the teenager for life.
Scott arrives at the cook-off confident that his own chili will be enough to stop Cartman's antics for good. Sadly, Cartman already has the upperhand and begs Scott to try his seemingly inconspicuous chili first. Scott finds the chili delicious, only to quickly find a dismembered finger in the bowl. The sadistic fourth grader then reveals that he used Scott Tenorman's parents to make the chili.
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This one moment took Cartman from an annoying and selfish urchin, to a being capable of unspeakable evil. Tenorman would never truly recover from what Cartman did, which was the entire plan. Cartman would have several more victims over the show, but none of his rivalries are as poignant as his beef with Scott Tenorman.
Scott Tenorman Must Die Is One of South Park's Most Popular Episodes
The Episode Is Easily Considered the Best of Classic South Park
South Park Season 5, Episode 4, is now considered one of the best the show has to offer. The absurd but gruesome plot paired with Cartman's jovial execution is absurdly hilarious. What should be one of the most grotesque scenes in television history is actually somewhat easy to sit through due to the pervasive comedy of the episode. That said, if the series weren't animated, the moment wouldn't come across nearly as well.
"Scott Tenorman Must Die" is now referred to as classic South Park. This is the standard that both the writers and fans hold the show to and marks the point when many characters truly find themselves. For Cartman, that meant unlocking a level of evil so great it makes even the series' version of the devil slightly concerned.
Some fans are worried that the show might have Cartman pull a "Stewie" and lighten up on his more evil tendencies. Thankfully, Cartman's actions are a large part of what makes the show work. If Cartman weren't a bad person, many events in the show simply wouldn't have happened. Ultimately, the show only works because Cartman doesn't, at least not traditionally.
Recent Episodes Have Proven There's No Going Back For Cartman's Evil Antics
Cartman Has Only Grown Worse With Time
Since turning Scott Tenorman's parents into chili, Cartman has only gotten worse. He spreads chaos and pain throughout the show simply to garner more enjoyment. His once selfishness has turned to sadism. Thankfully, karma consistently humbles the maniacal fourth grader.
South Park Episodes 200 and 201 would reveal that Cartman's father was actually Jack Tenorman, Scott Tenorman's father. This means that not only did Eric turn Scott's parents into chili, he fed his father to his half-brother. The revelation isn't nearly as shocking as fans might think about the young menace, as he's most upset to learn that he's related to people with red hair.
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Some fans believe that Cartman still has good in him when that is simply not the case. He refuses to learn from his actions and will continue to make the same mistakes as long as they benefit him. Thankfully, the universe continues to balance him in the form of Stan, Kenny, and Kyle. Eric Cartman has never been a good person, but he wasn't always depicted as evil. Nevertheless, once he made the chili, his fate was sealed. Cartman has never once looked back, and it appears as though he lacks all forms of conscience. Fans have yet to see him do anything worse than "Scott Tenorman Must Die", but only time will tell if he decides to top himself.
- Release Date
- August 13, 1997
- Network
- Comedy Central
- Showrunner
- Trey Parker
- Directors
- Adrien Beard
- Writers
- David A. Goodman, Nancy M. Pimental, Kenny Hotz, Philip Stark, Dave Weasel, Dan Sterling, Susan Hurwitz Arneson, Trisha Nixon, David R. Goodman, Tim Talbott, Pam Brady, Robert Lopez, Dani Michaeli, Kyle McCulloch, Karey Dornetto, Jonathan Kimmel, Jane Bussmann
Cast
-
Trey ParkerEric Cartman / Stan Marsh (voice) -
Matt StoneKyle Broflovski / Kenny McCormick (voice)
- Franchise(s)
- South Park
- Creator(s)
- Matt Stone, Trey Parker
