History Recap / SouthParkS5E8Towelie

* AlienInvasion: At the end of the episode it turns out that [[spoiler: Tynacorp were aliens who were planning to take over the world, while the military actually were a resistance group determined to stop them.]] The boys still don't care.
* AnimateInanimateObject: Towelie is a towel come to life through a government project to create the perfect towel.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Towelie appears out of nowhere with one of his catchphrases, "Don't forget to bring a towel!" and explains why it's best to do so, painting him as some kind of overly-specific PSA character come to life. After the boys stare at him in stunned silence for several seconds, he changes the subject with another of his catchphrases: "Wanna get high?"

* SkewedPriorities: The Boys spend the entire episode, after their Okama [=GameSphere=] is stolen, apathetic to what's going on and just want to get back to playing video games.

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: The military's plan after failing to capture Towelie is to destroy every towel in a thousand mile radius. They do this by shooting every towel to pieces with automatic rifles. When that fails to destroy Towelie, their next plan was to blow up all of Colorado.

* TorturedMonster: A failed Towelie clone can only say "kill me."

* BlandNameProduct: The "Okama [=GameSphere=]", a pastiche of the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}. The [=PlayStation=] 2 was originally going to be featured in this episode, but the creators couldn't get Creator/{{Sony}}'s permission.

* SkewedPriorities: The Boys spend the entire episode after their Okama [=GameSphere=] is stolen apathetic to what's going on and just want to get back to playing video games.

'''Cartman''': That's... so... cool!

* Blackmail: Cartman finds one of Sharon's used tampons and accidentally blackmails her through his badgering of what it means.

* FriendOrIdolDecision: While Towlie dangles the boys over a lava pit, the muscular clone holds out a blunt and offers it to Towlie if he drops the boys and their [=GameSphere=]. Towlie, using his elasticity, [[TakeAThirdOption Takes the third option]] and saves the boy and the [=Gamesphere=] while getting high off the blunt.

* SubvertedCatchphrase: When Kenny falls into the acid pit, Kyle remarks "Oh my god... our [=GameSphere=]!"

* TheyKilledKennyAgain: Kenny falls into an acid pit and dies. Kyle is more worried about the boys' [=GameSphere=].

* TakeThat: To Comedy Central, who were and still are willing to commercialize any new character that appears on the show. Towelie was intentionally created to be as stupid and annoying as possible, and the ParodyCommercial listed above is a burn of Comedy Central's rabid merchandising.

* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: The military is destroying all towels to stem the threat posed by Towelie. Mr. Garrison is getting out of the shower in a ModestyTowel when the soldiers storm in and rip it off. He assumes that they're going to rape him and cries out, "Oh alright, have your way with me if you must! Go on, fulfill you sick pleasures! "... and is immensely disappointed when they leave once the towel's destroyed.

* ParodyCommercial: A [[https://southpark.cc.com/clips/152906/towelie-merchandise#source=473fef35-48a7-434c-afc6-207874c7f1a3:603178ce-ecfd-11e0-aca6-0026b9414f30&position=10 commercial]] for Towelie merchandise is shown. Besides the Towelie towel, the customers who like Towelie can get the "I Love Towelie t-shirt" and those who don't can get the "I Hate Towelie t-shirt."

** The scene with all the previous Towelies, with one begging to be put out of it's misery, is taken from the same scene in Film/AlienResurrection.

* TakeAThirdOption: The evil Towlie clone tells Towelie that he has to choose between saving the boys from falling into the acid and getting high. Towelie chooses both by stretching enough to take a puff while holding on to the boys - this also allows the boys to grab the [=GameSphere=].

!"Towelie" contains examples of:

'''Original airdate''': August 8, 2001

** To Sci-Fi movies, especially ones about genetic engineering.
** Specifically, Cartman does an impression of Karl Childers from Film/SlingBlade in the opening scene.

* BlandNameProduct: The "Okama [=GameSphere=]", a pastiche of the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, UsefulNotes/Playstation2, and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}. The Playstation 2 was originally going to be featured in this episode, but the creators couldn't get Creator/{{Sony}}'s permission.

* BlandNameProduct: The "Okama [=GameSphere=]", a pastiche of the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube.

* NoPeriodsPeriod: Subverted. Cartman finding a freshly discarded tampon in the trash at Stan's house kicks off the plot. An extremely embarrassed Sharon bribes the boys with Okama GameSphere to get them to drop their questions about it.

* RunningGag: The boys are reluctantly dragged into a science fiction plot with Towelie, but only want their GameSphere back. They repeat "Don't care, don't care" as they are repeatedly fed cliche exposition.

* SkewedPriorities: The Boys spend the entire episode after their Okama Gamesphere is stolen apathetic to what's going on and just want to get back to playing video games.

* TakeAThirdOption: The evil Towlie clone tells Towelie that he has to choose between saving the boys from falling into the acid and getting high. Towelie chooses both by stretching enough to take a puff while holding on to the boys - this also allows the boys to grab the Gamesphere.

* AnimateInanimateObject: Towlie is a towel come to life through a government project to create the perfect towel.

* NoYou: Whenever someone calls Towelie out for being a towel, he responds that the accuser is the towel.
* ParodyCommercial: A [[https://southpark.cc.com/clips/152906/towelie-merchandise#source=473fef35-48a7-434c-afc6-207874c7f1a3:603178ce-ecfd-11e0-aca6-0026b9414f30&position=10 commercial]] for Towelie merchandise is shown. Besides the Towelie towel, the customers who like Towelie can get the "I Love Towlie t-shirt" and those who don't can get the "I Hate Towlie t-shirt."

* TakeAThirdOption: The evil Towlie clone tells Towlie that he has to choose between saving the boys from falling into the acid and getting high. Towelie chooses both by stretching enough to take a puff while holding on to the boys.

* TorturedMonster: A failed Towlie clone can only say "kill me."

'''Air date''': August 8, 2001

The boys can't stop playing their new Okama [=GameSphere=] until they find it missing one day. To get it back, they must bring an animated, drug smoking towel to the government and become involved in a feud between paramilitaries and aliens.