Recap / South Park S12 E1 "Tonsil Trouble"

Original air date: 3/12/2008

When Cartman has to get a tonsillectomy, the doctors accidentally infect him with HIV through a blood transfusion from an infected donor. After Kyle makes fun of Cartman, Cartman intentionally infects him via blood and ropes him in in hopes of finding a cure.

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"Tonsil Trouble" contains examples of:

• Adults Are Useless:
  • The hospital staff were so stupid that they screwed up Cartman's procedure and infected him with AIDS.
  • The doctor who diagnoses Kyle with HIV should have asked if Kyle was being sexually abused once a blood transfusion was ruled out as an explanation. Instead, he asks Kyle if he's been "having (consensual) unprotected anal sex."
    Dr. Doctor: Little boy, are you sure you haven't taken it up the hoo hoo just once or twice?
  • Neither Mr. Mackey nor Principal Victoria take Kyle's account of Cartman infecting him with HIV seriously. All they do is make Cartman apologize for doing so and then make Kyle apologize for tattling.
    Kyle: A tattle-tale?! He infected me with AIDS!
    Cartman: See? He's tattling again. He hasn't learned a thing, you guys.
• Artistic License – Biology: Apparently injecting $150,000 of blended cash into the human body is not only harmless, but can totally obliterate one of the most incurable diseases known to modern medicine.
• Artistic License – Medicine:
  • Cartman gets HIV through a blood transfusion, despite the fact that donated blood has been screened for the virus since the '90s. However, it does highlight the stupidity of the doctors for having that happen, as they lampshade it's a one in a billion chance.
  • Cartman shows visual symptoms of the illness that normally only turn up in the terminal stage. This is, of course, because his appearance is intended to mimick Tom Hanks' appearance in the film Philadelphia. And, of course, everyone gets cured in the end — unfortunately not Truth in Television yet.
  • When the doctor asks Kyle how he got HIV, he specifically asks if Kyle has been having anal sex, specifically if he's a bottom. Of course, HIV can be transmitted via vaginal sex as well, even to the one performing penetration. This is justified in that the episode uses outdated stereotypes about HIV/AIDS towards a fourth grader for the sake of comedy.
• Anything but That!: When Kyle is breaking all of Cartman's stuff, Cartman first tells Kyle "Not Clyde Frog. Leave Clyde Frog alone." before Kyle rips the toy's head off. Immediately after this Cartman begs Kyle not to break his Xbox, with Cartman forced to promise to cure Kyle of his AIDS and reveal what he knows about Magic Johnson just to keep Kyle from breaking his Xbox.
• Berserk Button: Cartman uttering "We're not just sure, we're HIV positive" one too many times results in Kyle losing his temper and smacking Cartman at Magic Johnson's house.
• Big "WHAT?!": Liane shouts "What?!" upon being told that Cartman has been infected with HIV.
• Black Comedy: Pretty much the entire premise of the episode is making fun of a very serious disease, something Kyle points out.
• Book Ends: The episode begins and ends with Jimmy Buffett singing "AIDS/Cure Burger in Paradise".
• Bullying a Dragon: Kyle is pretty much asking for something bad to happen to him when he laughs at Cartman for having AIDS.
• Cassandra Truth: When Cartman tries to get Kyle to not to break his Xbox he says there is hope to cure their HIV, saying if Kyle breaks his Xbox he'll never know it. Kyle thinks he's just lying and prepares to smash it anyway, so Cartman quickly explains what he found out about Magic Johnson and how they can track him down and cure themselves. Kyle isn't sure but agrees to try, under threat that if Cartman's wrong, then he will break his Xbox.
• Comically Missing the Point:
  • Downplayed. A doctor states that AIDS isn’t as much of a big deal anymore because there have been major advancements in treatment. Cartman takes this to mean that no one gives a crap about people with AIDS at all. As it turns out, he isn't completely wrong.
  • Played straight when everyone is stupid enough to mistake Kyle and Cartman for lovers, even when Kyle tries to explain what actually happened.
  • The school also doesn't take Kyle's situation seriously, even claiming that he should also be held accountable for tattling.
• Didn't Think This Through: Cartman infects Kyle with AIDS, wanting to "teach him a lesson", thinking that everything will be over since they'll "be even" and the worst thing he'll have to do is apologize. He never stops to think that Kyle won't accept his (rather insincere) apology and will continue to retaliate against him by beating him up and destroying all his stuff.
• Disproportionate Retribution:
  • Inverted. When the school finds out Cartman gave Kyle AIDS, all they do is make Cartman apologize. And then they try to make Kyle apologize for tattling.
  • Played straight when Cartman purposely infects Kyle with AIDS simply for laughing at his condition.
• Dude, Not Funny!: Cartman tells Kyle that laughing at the fact that he has AIDS isn't funny but keeps making puns using 'HIV positive' as a synonym for certain throughout the episode. Kyle himself becomes bitter toward said puns, at one point asking him (without a hint of self-awareness) what he finds so funny about a deadly STD.
• Epic Fail: Cartman's procedure was so botched that he ended up contracting HIV. Though given the overall ineptitude of the hospital staff, this shouldn't be too surprising.
• Food as Bribe: The doctor who pays Cartman a house call is able to convince him to come to the hospital by mentioning all of the free ice cream tonsillectomy patients get. After cutting to Cartman having gotten the operation, and the news that they had inadvertently infected him with HIV, the same doctor tries to apologize by giving Cartman the ice cream he promised.
• Fooled by the Sound: Kyle hears that Cartman's been diagnosed with AIDS. He leaves the room for a moment and begins to laugh hysterically. Butters hears him and thinks he's crying.
• Guilt-Ridden Accomplice: Butters snitches on Cartman to Kyle and admits he helped Cartman enter his bedroom.
• Hypocrite:
  • When Kyle gets infected with HIV by Cartman, he tells Cartman there is nothing funny about getting AIDS, ignoring that he laughed at Cartman earlier for having HIV.
  • Cartman says nobody deserves to have AIDS, yet he has no problem giving Kyle HIV out of petty spite.
• Idiot Houdini: Surprisingly, the hospital staff never get sued nor face consequences for carelessly infecting Cartman with HIV.
• Irony: As Stan points out, after years of saying Kyle should get AIDS, Cartman himself is infected with it.
• Jerkass Ball: Kyle, for laughing at Cartman for having AIDS. Even worse considering Cartman hadn't yet done anything wrong in the episode, making this completely unprovoked. While Cartman later does give Kyle AIDS, he didn't stop to think twice about openly taking joy in Cartman's potential demise, unlike in "Fatbeard" where he wisely chose to be much more discreet.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • Cartman rightfully screams that getting all the ice cream he wants in no way makes up for the fact his surgery was screwed up so badly he got AIDS.
  • As callous as intentionally infecting Kyle with HIV was (to say the least), Cartman rightfully observes that Kyle doesn't seem to think AIDS is funny anymore.
• Lethally Stupid: The hospital staff inadvertently transfer HIV blood to Cartman.
• Literal Metaphor: The cost of curing HIV...is literally the cost that people put into their bloodstream to cure HIV.
• Mistaken for Gay: Kyle and Cartman, by everyone after Kyle denies Cartman being his friend but confirms that Cartman gave him HIV.
• Money, Dear Boy: In-Universe. Having a lot of money turns out to be a cure for AIDS.
• Never My Fault: Even though Kyle made fun of Cartman for getting AIDS, despite knowing the kind of person Cartman is, he doesn't hold himself to the slightest bit of accountability when Cartman gives him AIDS in retaliation.
• No Sympathy: Kyle laughs upon learning Cartman got HIV. Unfortunately for him, Cartman does not take this very well...
• Nobody Likes a Tattletale: Cartman has infected Kyle with AIDS for laughing at him, so Kyle tells Principal Victoria about this. However, she and Mr. Mackey expect Kyle to apologize too for telling on him, and Mr. Mackey quotes this trope almost verbatim. An exasperated Kyle refuses to apologize, pointing out that what Cartman did was much worse.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • When Cartman, a Big Eater and Villainous Glutton extreme, turns down free ice cream sundaes, you know that he's seriously upset.
  • Stan and Kenny are so taken back by Cartman's diagnosis, they actually drop the usual Last-Name Basis for once and greet him as "Eric".
• Ordered Apology: The school staff orders Cartman to apologize to Kyle for infecting him with HIV, then orders Kyle to apologize to Cartman for tattling on him.
• Properly Paranoid: Cartman was afraid of getting his tonsils taken out, and was assured it would be perfectly safe only to then find out he somehow got HIV due to the procedure being incredibly botched.
• Rage Breaking Point: While Kyle was already livid at Cartman for infecting him with HIV out of spite, the moment he really loses it is when the school refuses to take his situation seriously, even saying he should also be held accountable for tattling.
• Running Gag:
  • Cartman saying "I'm not just sure, I'm HIV positive."
  • People mistaking Kyle for gay and/or asking if he contracted the virus via unprotected anal sex.
• Shout-Out: Cartman is dressed like Tom Hanks' character in Philadelphia.
• Screw the Rules, They Broke Them First!: Butters questions the importance/hypocrisy of Cartman "teaching Kyle a lesson" by giving Kyle his AIDS, but Cartman insists that Butters should help him sneak into his room anyway because "helping people with AIDS is one of the most important things you can do" and Kyle needs to learn to help himself when he gets them.
• Share the Sickness: Cartman sneaks into Kyle's house and gives him HIV in retaliation for Kyle making fun of him.
• Skewed Priorities: A running gag throughout the episode involves people treating AIDS as hardly as big of a deal as cancer. A flight attendant outright admits that she would rather have AIDS.
• Stepping Out to React: The boys are told that Cartman has received AIDS from a botched tonsillectomy. Kyle leaves the principal's office and proceeds to laugh hysterically. Butters, however, thinks he's crying.
• Subverted Kids' Show: The initial plot before Cartman gets infected with HIV, the musical cues, and even the title of the episode itself initially seem straight out of a kids’ cartoon. You'd think the movie was happening all over again.
• Sympathy for the Devil: The boys (except Kyle) feel bad for Cartman after learning he got infected with AIDS or, at least, are able to feel the sting of him being so anguished and upset.
• Take That!:
  • At Jimmy Buffett, whom Cartman claims is only liked by "frat boys and alcoholic chicks from the South".
    Cartman: Fuck you, Jimmy Buffett! You fucking suck!
  • Also to people who do everything in their power to help people with cancer and absolutely jack shit for those with HIV/AIDS, a disease just as bad, if not worse.
• Too Dumb to Live: Kyle laughing at Cartman when he gets HIV was already a bad idea since Cartman was going to concoct a scheme while Kyle was inevitably vulnerable, but he made Kyle pay for it by giving him AIDS as a pay-off, which just makes the importance of why you should keep Cartman complacent at worst all the more obvious.
• The Topic of Cancer: Discussed in the episode; it even has activists claim that having AIDS isn't as bad as having cancer.
• Tragic AIDS Story: Outright laughs at the "tragedy", to start with.
• Tranquil Fury: Kyle on the airplane trip to Los Angeles. He doesn't raise his voice, but his anger is obvious.
  Kyle: Don't…touch me.
• Unstoppable Rage:
  • Kyle, upon finding out Cartman infected him with AIDS. It's easily the angriest Kyle has ever been at him in the entire series.
    Kyle: I am going to break everything that you own.
  • Even at the end, after him and Cartman have been cured, Kyle makes it clear that he is still furious and it isn't over yet:
    Cartman: Well I'll tell you this, Kyle. I'm never gettin' my tonsils out again! (laughs nervously)
    Kyle: I'm still breaking your Xbox.
• Wham Line: "Eric, I'm afraid that we accidentally infected you with the AIDS virus."
• Who's Laughing Now?: Cartman decides to give HIV to Kyle as payback for laughing at him upon learning he had AIDS.
• Worst Aid: The doctors were careless enough to infect Cartman with HIV during the latter's tonsillectomy.

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