- Red Sleigh Down
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"Red Sleigh Down"/
"Christmas in Iraq"South Park episode
Santa strikes back at his captorsEpisode no. Season 6
Episode 17Directed by Trey Parker Written by Trey Parker Production code 617 Original air date December 11, 2002 Episode chronology ← Previous
"My Future Self n' Me"Next →
"Cancelled"South Park (season 6)
List of South Park episodes"Red Sleigh Down" (a.k.a. "Christmas in Iraq") is episode 96 of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired on December 11, 2002. The episode is notable for the return of Kenny from his death in Season Five. The title and episode parody the films Black Hawk Down and Three Kings.
Plot
Cartman's naughty or nice accountant (Kyle's cousin, Kyle) performs a tally, and it is obvious that Cartman has been too naughty to earn his coveted Christmas gift, a Haibo robot dog. Kyle says that even if Cartman finds cures for both cancer and AIDS, he will still owe two presents. He will have to perform the nicest act ever to reverse the prior year of evil, and sets out to spread Christmas cheer to the people of Iraq. Meanwhile, at a tree lighting ceremony, Jimmy begins to sing his favorite Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" which, unknown to the gathered crowd (which includes most of the town) will take him all of the episode to complete due to his stutter.
With the use of Mr. Hankey's Poo-Choo train (a train made of feces that Stan and Kyle want nothing to do with), Cartman and the other boys travel to the North Pole to convince Santa Claus to make a special trip. With the assistance of the Underpants Gnomes, Santa prepares his sleigh and travels to Iraq, only to be promptly shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade. The reindeer are dead, Santa is injured, and he is soon caught and tortured by his Iraqi captors who torture him by forcing him to drink crude oil and shocking his testicles in a scene referencing Three Kings and Lethal Weapon. The boys realize that Cartman's little ploy may have ended Christmas for everyone, including Santa, and set out to make things right.
Taking the backup sled and new reindeer (named Steven, Fluffy, Horace, Chantel, Skippy, Rainbow, Patches and Montel) from the stable, they seek out the one person who can help: Jesus, who is currently officiating midnight mass in his own name. When he hears of the tragedy that has befallen his old friend Santa, Jesus promptly arms himself with an array of automatic weapons and sets out with the boys to Iraq, brutally gunning down everyone who impedes him. Jesus and the boys break into the interrogation room where Santa (who is now being forced to drink oil) is being held and kill the Iraqi soldiers within, except for the interrogator, whom Santa kills, to Jesus's surprise. Santa insists "I just couldn't let him live, he shocked Santa's balls!"
The boys take Santa back to the sleigh, but moments before they can escape Jesus is shot dead by one of his Iraqi captors when his back is turned. Watching Jesus die, Stan says "This is pretty fucked up right here" (referencing the second The Spirit of Christmas episode, 'Jesus vs. Santa'. The character of Jesus would not return for 5 seasons outside of a very small cameo at the end of the following episode, leading viewers to slowly suspect in following episodes and seasons that Trey Parker and Matt Stone really did kill off Jesus). Outraged, Santa kills the soldier, acquires his fallen friend's weapons and then proceeds to blast his way out, setting off bombs which transform Iraq into a Christmas decorated country, complete with wreaths, Christmas trees, lights and tinsel.
To the town's delight, Jimmy then finishes his song that he started at the beginning of the episode. He switches on the lights on the Christmas tree, only to find they don't work, to the town's disappointment. At that moment though, Santa (accompanied by Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Mr Hankey) flies past the tree and magically enables the lights to work.
Santa returns the boys home and expresses his hope that people will always remember Jesus on this day. He also gives all three boys Haibo dogs, much to Cartman's disgust, as he wanted to be the only kid owning one and have his friends envy him. Kenny then shows up out of nowhere, his first appearance since his "permanent" death caused by muscular dystrophy in "Kenny Dies". The boys casually asked him where he's been. According to Trey Parker and Matt Stone from the season 6 commentaries, Kenny says, "Oh, I was just over there."
External links
- "Red Sleigh Down" Full episode at South Park Studios
- "Red Sleigh Down" Episode guide at South Park Studios
South Park Characters Seasons 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15Features Media releases The Spirit of Christmas · DVDs · Chef Aid: The South Park Album · South Park Imaginationland: The Movie · "Chocolate Salty Balls" · South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (Soundtrack: "Blame Canada" · "What Would Brian Boitano Do?") · "Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld" · Mr. Hankey's Christmas ClassicsVideo games South Park · Chef's Luv Shack · Pinball · Rally · South Park 10: The Game · Let's Go Tower Defense Play! · Tenorman's RevengeBooks and
pop cultureSouth Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today (Robert Arp) · South Park and Philosophy: Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating (Richard Hanley) · South Park Conservatives: The Revolt Against Liberal Media Bias (Brian C. Anderson) · South Park Republican (Andrew Sullivan)Wikipedia books South Park · Seasons of South Park · Seasons: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14South Park episodes Seasons: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15Season 6 "Jared Has Aides" · "Asspen" · "Freak Strike" · "Fun with Veal" · "The New Terrance and Phillip Movie Trailer" · "Professor Chaos" · "Simpsons Already Did It" · "Red Hot Catholic Love" · "Free Hat" · "Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society" · "Child Abduction Is Not Funny" · "A Ladder to Heaven" · "The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers" · "The Death Camp of Tolerance" · "The Biggest Douche in the Universe" · "My Future Self 'n' Me" · "Red Sleigh Down"South Park Christmas episodes Episodes "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" · "Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson!" · "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" · "A Very Crappy Christmas" · "Red Sleigh Down" · "It's Christmas in Canada" · "Woodland Critter Christmas"See also The Spirit of Christmas · Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics · Santa · Mr. Hanky · Christmas Time in South ParkReligion in South Park Agnosticism and Atheism - "Cartmanland"
- "Go God Go"/"Go God Go XII"
- "Red Hot Catholic Love"
- "The Poor Kid"
Christianity - The Spirit of Christmas
- "Are You There God? It's Me, Jesus"
- "Best Friends Forever"
- "Bloody Mary"
- "Cartman Sucks"
- "Christian Rock Hard"
- "Death"
- "Do the Handicapped Go to Hell?"/"Probably"
- "Fantastic Easter Special"
- "A Ladder to Heaven"
- "Margaritaville"
- "Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson!"
- "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo"
- "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics"
- "Spontaneous Combustion"
- "The Passion of the Jew"
- "Red Hot Catholic Love"
- "Red Sleigh Down"
- "The Ring"
- "Starvin' Marvin in Space"
- "A Very Crappy Christmas"
Mormonism Hell and Satanism Islam - "200"/"201"
- "Cartoon Wars Part I"/"Cartoon Wars Part II"
- "Chef Goes Nanners"
- "Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants"
- "The Snuke"
Judaism Scientology and other
new religious movementsCharacters Categories:- South Park Christmas episodes
- Santa Claus in film and television
- South Park (season 6) episodes
- 2002 television episodes
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