Original air date: 10/29/2008
Part two to Pandemic, this episode follows after Craig, Cartman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny are sent to Peru, while the Guinea pigs terrorize South Park.
Tropes:
- Both Sides Have a Point: On Craig's side, the boys do have a habit of getting into absurd situations and didn't really consider Craig's feelings about dragging him into this specific one or using him for self-profit. On the boy's side, it's true that they don't actively seek them out and are often thrown into them by forces out of their control. For example, while they did convince Craig to join their Peruvian flute band so they could make money, they had no idea that the government would capture them and deport them for it. Also, considering that Craig accepted their offer, he is definitely not blameless in this.
- Broken Aesop: Deliberate. The Aesop seems to be that you don't have to do what is expected of you, no matter how much pressure there is on you. Craig is the only one of the boys who actually tries to do this. Except... it's in trying to fight fate that he is The Chosen One.
- Brown Note: Peruvian flute music, for some reason, acts as this for the Guinea pigs.
- Character Development: Between the previous episode and this one, Craig's character was finalised - he's still a Living Prop in comparison to the main cast, but now he has a solid personality as a snarker who doesn't like being pushed around - by anybody.
- The Chosen One: The prophecies say Craig is destined to save the world. Craig just wants to go home.
- Cute Is Evil: The giant monsters destroying the world are just adorable looking live-action guinea pigs wearing silly costumes. And their leader is just another cute giant guinea pig wearing a pirate costume.
- A Day in the Limelight: Craig. Or two days, counting the previous episode.
- Deadpan Snarker: Craig's character is cemented as being this.Craig: Okay, now sparks are shooting out of my eyes.
- Greater-Scope Paragon: The ancient Incans, who had previously fought the guinea creatures and managed to drive them off with the pan-flute music. They correctly predicted Craig would be The Chosen One...and even accounted for his unwillingness to follow their predictions.
- Jump Scare: Spoofed; Randy has the camera focused on him and the other survivors in hiding, and suddenly screams. He excuses himself as having startled himself, then screams again before the scene cuts away.
- Medium Blending: The giant Guinea pigs are live-action Guinea pigs in little costumes composited into the animation. Cutest Apocalypse Ever.
- Militaries Are Useless: The US Armed Forces do intervene against the Guinea pig invasion, but their weapons have no impact.
- No-Sell: After the DHS director goes on his Motive Rant, one of the soldiers opens fire on him. It has no effect outside of some bullet holes through his suit.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Craig keeps telling the boys that no one wants to hang out with them because they're always going off on dangerous adventures.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Turns out Randy forgot to put a tape into his camcorder, rendering his entire subplot pointless.
- Skewed Priorities: The Department of Homeland Security took it upon themselves to round up all Peruvian flute bands and deport them, despite knowing full well that they are the only thing capable of keeping the giant Guinea pigs away. Why did the DHS think that facing a giant Guinea pig apocalypse would be preferable to listening to the Peruvian flute music? Because they found it annoying. It was actually because the head of the DHS is the Guinea-Pirate, who was removing the obstacle that could allow him and the other Guinea creatures to overrun the planet.
- Slurpasaur: Spoofed with the giant Guinea pigs, and the other giant Guinea creatures, which are just Guinea pigs in adorable costumes.
- Unknown Rival: The DHS director aka the Guinea Pirate is flummoxed by Craig's appearance in Machu Picchu, and seems to think Craig's been intentionally acting as The Chosen One per the prophecies, and ignores Craig's statements to the contrary.
- We Are Not Going Through That Again: Craig voiced his displeasure in being roped into the boys' scheme throughout the entire two-parter, so it should come to no surprise that he slams the door on them when they try to coax him into another one at the end.
- Whole-Plot Reference: Randy's storyline to Cloverfield. In particular, it points out how ridiculous the idea of someone compulsively shooting video in the middle of a disaster is.
- You Can't Fight Fate: Craig doesn't want to be the Chosen One and tries to fight it despite it being obvious to everybody, and even he is freaked out by seeing a prophecy carved into an ancient temple wall. But he just wants to go home, while everybody else puts him under terrible pressure to keep going deeper into trouble - even the evil Guinea-Pirate. Ultimately though, he proves that you can just walk away, which makes him the one who is destined to... learn that when you're the chosen one, you can't. Kudos for trying though, Craig.
