Recap / South Park S 12 E 13 Elementary School Musical

Original air date: 11/12/2008

The boys realize they are the only kids at school who are not hit by the new High School Musical fad, making everyone in school break out in song.

Tropes

• Abusive Parents: Played for Laughs. Bridon's dad is a flamboyant Camp Straight who tries to force him to become a singer, when he really just wants to become a basketball player. He attacks both his son and his wife by weakly slapping them.
• Ascended Extra: Somewhat. Scott Malkinson appeared as an Early-Bird Cameo in the HD version of "The Jeffersons", but this is the first time he's given a speaking role and we get to know his character.
• Big Bad Wannabe: Bridon Gueermo's dad. He strictly forbids Bridon from playing basketball. Near the end, when Bridon tries to run away and his dad stops and threatens to slap him, he finally stands up for himself and punches him in the nose. This is enough to shock his dad and run to his wife, clutching his bleeding nose and crying about what is happening. Bridon's mom, for some reason, has never considered hitting him back an option, so she takes the opportunity to give her husband a few punches in and have him crying like a little bitch. All that revealed the fact that he's nothing more than a weak, sissy coward.
• Call-Back: When the boys are asked where they've been the past few days for missing the premiere of High School Musical 3, Craig flatly answers Peru.
• Cool and Unusual Punishment: Bridon's dad threatens and follows through with physical violence on anyone who makes him angry (including his family). However, to go along with his sissy and flamboyant Camp Straight personality, said violence is just relatively harmless slaps on the face.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Stan gets increasingly jealous at Bridon unwittingly stealing Wendy's attention and tries force the former to quit singing to win her back.
• Deconstructive Parody: This episode deconstructs the musical elements in the show, where the boys find it annoying that their classmates burst into song randomly. Also, there are two instances when there's a music build up as a cue for Stan to sing; the first time, he tells the group to shut up, and the second time he does sing... but only simple songs that you'd typically hear in 20th century elementary school music classes.
• The Dog Bites Back: After suffering from his father's abuse for so long, Bridon stands up for himself and punches his dad in the face. Afterwards, his mom launches a few punches at her husband as well.
• Driven to Suicide: Cartman decides he can't live in a world where High School Musical exists. The fuel exhaust from his mother's hybrid is not enough to kill him.
• Extreme Doormat: Bridon and his mom. Both never stand up to Bridon's dad, which is why he keeps abusing them. Near the end, Bridon finally gets fed up with his dad's callous regard for him and annoying theatrical mannerisms and gives the asshole the treatment he deserves by punching him in the nose. His mom, having never realized punching was an option, punches her husband afterward.
• Favoritism Flip Flop: Near the end, when the boys finally break out into song, all the other students walk away, uninterested, to watch Bridon play basketball; Scott tells them everyone only liked singing, dancing and High School Musical just because Bridon was doing it.
• Faux Horrific: Mr. Gueermo's weak slaps are treated by everybody as if they were much worse acts of violence.
• "Gender-Normative Parent" Plot: Inverted. Bridon's true passion is basketball, but he's forced into flashy song and dance routines by his effeminate father, who angrily insists that no son of his will become an asshole jock. In other words, the exact opposite of Troy's main conflict in the first High School Musical movie.
• Happy Birthday to You!: Stan briefly sings this when he should be singing a song expressing his feelings.
• Hypocritical Humor:
  • With the CPS agents:
    Female CPS Agent: We received a report from a concerned student who wishes to remain anonymous.
    Male CPS Agent: His name is Stan Marsh.
  • Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny sing a song about being true to yourself and following what you want to do. However, none of them actually like High School Musical. They only did it as an attempt to get their popularity back after being the only kids in school who didn't know what it was.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Stan trying to make Bridon stand-up to his dad and join the basketball team comes from a selfish place (he wants Bridon to stay away from Wendy) but he's ultimately right.
• Karma Houdini: Despite "assaulting" CPS agents, Mr. Gueermo suffers no punishment from the law over it.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Bridon's dad gets a taste of his own medicine from his wife and is forced to watch Bridon play the game he's always dreamed of. He starts warming up to it when he sees the rhythmic cheers done by the spectators.
• Musical Episode: Naturally, since "Musical" is in the episode's title.
• Paper Tiger: It turns out that for all his slapping, Mr. Gueermo can't take an actual punch from a child.
• Saw "Star Wars" Twenty-Seven Times: Bridon has seen High School Musical 3 100 times.
• Social Services Does Not Exist: Subverted. Child Protective Services visit the Gueermo household and attempt to question Bridon how his father treats him. Unfortunately, they're driven away from Mr. Gueermo's slaps and don't seem to pursue the matter afterwards.
• Take That!: This episode constantly takes jabs at High School Musical, in case the episode title didn't give that away. Cartman immediately heads off to commit suicide once he learns that he'd have to start liking High School Musical to fit in.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: After the boys finally embrace the High School Musical fad, it dies immediately after Bridon opts out and they're left as outcasts again.