"Tom's Rhinoplasty" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on February 11, 1998. In the episode, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick become infatuated with the new substitute teacher Ms. Ellen, which highly aggravates Stan's girlfriend Wendy Testaburger. Meanwhile, Mr. Garrison gets a nose job that makes him resemble actor David Hasselhoff.

"Tom's Rhinoplasty" was the first Valentine's Day-themed episode of the series and was written by series co-creator Trey Parker. The episode advocates the concept of inner beauty through the Mr. Garrison subplot, and shows the boys' efforts to win Ms. Ellen's affection despite the fact that she is a lesbian.

Natasha Henstridge makes a guest appearance as Ms. Ellen, marking the first time a celebrity guest played a major role in a South Park episode. She is credited as "The Chick from Species" in the opening credits. The episode marked the first time a real photographic image of a person's head (in this case David Hasselhoff) was superimposed over a cartoon body, a practice which would become common throughout the series.

"Tom's Rhinoplasty" introduced the song "No Substitute", which was sung by Chef and was later included on Chef Aid: The South Park Album. Trey Parker and Matt Stone said they were initially unhappy with "Tom's Rhinoplasty" when production of the episode concluded, and were surprised when fans responded positively to it.

Plot

Valentine's Day approaches, and Wendy Testaburger suggests to her boyfriend Stan Marsh ways to spend time together. However, when their schoolteacher Mr. Garrison decides to get a rhinoplasty, a new substitute arrives named Ms. Ellen (Natasha Henstridge). Stan, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick all fall in love with her. Wendy becomes incredibly jealous and warns Ms. Ellen to stay away from Stan, unaware that the substitute teacher does not return Stan's affection.

Concerned about the children's education, Ms. Ellen reveals she will buy dinner for the winner of a spelling test. The boys actively try to court Ms. Ellen, but Chef (having beaten them to it) warns them she is a lesbian and thus only likes other lesbians. The boys do not realize what this means and try in vain to become lesbians in order to attract Ms. Ellen, but misinterpret what others tell them about lesbianism - for example, Cartman, when told by his mother that lesbians "lick carpet", resorts to literally licking the carpet on the floor of his house.

Meanwhile, Mr. Garrison's nose job makes him a "hot and sexy" man, with his face resembling David Hasselhoff, and he decides to quit teaching to pursue women. Stan wins the dinner (much to Wendy's dismay), but finds out that Ms. Ellen has no intention of making love with him. Wendy however sees them through the window and leaves distraught. The next day, several Iraqi men burst into the classroom and declare that Ms. Ellen is actually an Iraqi fugitive, a traitor to the state, and a murderer using a false identity and her real name is "Maqesh Alaq Makaraqesh". Protesting her innocence, she resists arrest and inadvertently kills Kenny in the process by impaling him with a sword to his face. The soldiers take her into custody and shoot her into the center of the Sun via a rocket.

Mr. Garrison becomes a successful model, but he soon finds himself being chased throughout the streets by a large group of women attracted to him. Frightened by all the attention, Mr. Garrison decides to return to his normal looks. Wendy reclaims Stan as her boyfriend after he vomits on her. Despite Ms. Ellen's arrest, Cartman is still trying to become a lesbian by "chowing on [a] box" - that is, literally eating a cardboard box.

Later, Kyle goes to Wendy's house, where a party is occurring. Wendy thanks two of the women in the mob that chased Mr. Garrison, for getting him back as teacher. Wendy then speaks with the Iraqi men in fluent Arabic and pays them with a wad of American money. Later, Wendy watches joyfully as the rocket blows up in the Sun, and Kyle realizes Wendy orchestrated this entire series of events, including hiring the Iraqis to kill Ms. Ellen. Kyle angrily condemns Wendy for this, but she declares (with deranged eyes), "I told her: 'Don't... fuck... with... Wendy... Testaburger! Kyle looks shocked, says nothing further, and then the credits roll.

Production

thumb|200 px|right|[[Natasha Henstridge (pictured) was cast as Ms. Ellen solely because Trey Parker found her attractive in the 1995 science-fiction horror film Species]]

"Tom's Rhinoplasty" was written and directed by South Park co-creator Trey Parker. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on February 11, 1998. It is considered the show's first Valentine's Day episode, since it came out three days before Valentine's Day and involved semi-romantic plot-lines. Natasha Henstridge makes a guest appearance as substitute teacher Ms. Ellen. Following the success of "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo", a large number of celebrities started contacting Comedy Central with the hopes of making guest appearances in South Park episodes, allowing Parker and fellow co-creator Matt Stone to practically take their pick of guest stars. Parker asked for Henstridge solely because he found her attractive in Species, the 1995 science fiction horror film in which she starred. Henstridge was nervous performing the role because she had never conducted a voice over performance before. Henstridge was credited as "The Chick from Species" in the opening credits.

"Tom's Rhinoplasty" marked the first time a real photographic image of a person's head (in this case David Hasselhoff) was superimposed over a cartoon body, a practice which would become common throughout the series. Parker said the technology was not previously available in the earliest episodes of the series. Comedy Central was required to pay royalties to the photographer of the picture used for Hasselhoff's head, but was not required to pay Hasselhoff himself. The song is called "I Love Domestic Chores", and was written "as sort of a lesbian anthem". The humor of the show comes from the disparity between the cute appearance of the characters and their crude behavior. However, Parker and Stone said in an early interview that the show's language is realistic. "There are so many shows where little kids are good and sweet, and it's just not real ... Don't people remember what they were like in third grade? We were little bastards."

"Tom's Rhinoplasty" in general advocates the concept of inner beauty by showing how miserable Mr. Garrison becomes after having his nose job. As a model, he feels burnt out and becomes a heroin addict who only finds happiness once he sheds his new outer image and becomes his old self. The episode also demonstrates the lack of understanding many have about the gay community by portraying the characters as seeking to become lesbians in order to win Ms. Ellen's affection, even though they do not know what a lesbian is.

Cultural references and impact

thumb|200px|right|[[David Hasselhoff was the first celebrity whose head was used on the body of an animated South Park character.]]

After Mr. Garrison gets a nose job, his face resembles that of David Hasselhoff, an actor and singer who starred in the series Knight Rider and Baywatch. Mr. Garrison refers disparagingly to the 1997 science fiction drama film Contact.

The store Tom's Rhinoplasty first appeared in the background of the short Jesus vs. Santa; it is regularly shown in the background throughout the rest of the series, as well as in the 1999 South Park film, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. A South Park drinking game included in the book "The Complete Guide to Television and Movie Drinking" encourages viewers to drink whenever South Park residents walk by or gather in front of the Tom's Rhinoplasty building.

Release and reception

When production of "Tom's Rhinoplasty" ended, Parker and Stone were dissatisfied with the final product and believed audiences would hate it, but were surprised to receive largely positive feedback from fans, some of whom described it as their favorite of the latter half of the season. In 2003, the Chicago Tribune listed it among the top 10 episodes of the series. Walt Belcher of The Tampa Tribune praised the episode and said it "celebrates Valentine's Day [as] only the Comedy Central series can", although he warned it was not for children. During a brief scene in "Tom's Rhinoplasty", Mr. Garrison leans against a mailbox with a United States Postal Service logo printed on the side. The Postal Service contacted Comedy Central after the episode aired and threatened legal action if the logo was used again without permission. The DVD commentary recorded by Parker and Stone for "Tom's Rhinoplasty" has been named as one of the primary reasons the commentaries were not included in the South Park Season One DVD release. Warner Bros., which released the DVD set, refused to include the commentaries due to "standards" issues with some of the statements unless Parker and Stone allowed the tracks to be edited, which they refused. Media outlets said the commentary that most bothered Warner Bros. executives was the one for "Tom's Rhinoplasty", in which Parker and Stone say they agree with Mr. Garrison's character that the 1997 film Contact (also released by Warner Bros.) was "terrible". The commentaries were ultimately released on CD separately from the DVDs.

References

  • "Tom's Rhinoplasty" Full episode at South Park Studios

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