Original air date: 12/2/2015
The boys try to figure out what happened when PC Principal, Jimmy and Leslie all go missing. Meanwhile, Randy discovers the downside to the town's gentrification, and Victoria, Garrison and Caitlyn Jenner return to find the town unrecognizable.
Truth and Advertising contains examples of:
- And Then I Said:
- When the boys are distracted by a trip to the ice cream parlor:
Cartman: So Clyde said to Token, "Why don't you open a bank account with your mouth so I can deposit my dick in it?"
(laughter)
Kyle: So then what'd Token say?
Cartman: Well Token was all like...- When the boys are at the shoe store:
Cartman: And then Token tells Clyde that if his mouth was a bank, Clyde's mom would have already deposited her dick in it, which is hilarious because Clyde's mom is dead.
(laughter)Mr. Garrison: So— so then— so then Caitlyn says "Look bitch, you're married to Bill Clinton. If anyone should be afraid of AIDS, it's you."
Jenner: That stupid bitch had it coming.
(laughter)
Mr. Garrison: Cait, we're so going to win the primaries.
(laughter) - Bait-and-Switch:
- When Jimmy betrays the newsmen and sets Leslie free, Tom takes out a gun and appears intending to shoot the kids himself, only to give the responsibility to Officer Barbrady instead.
- The PC Fraternity is stated to be on a hunger strike, though it is later revealed they have refused to "eat pussy" for two days.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: When Kyle compares Stan to Cartman, Stan gets angry and shouts a very Cartman-esque "FUCK YOU, KYLE!".
- Breaking the Fellowship: When Kyle and Stan come to blows.
- Brutal Honesty: Kyle walks up while the others are theorizing that he's sabotaging them. While Butters tries to cover up, Cartman calmly says that Stan was calling him a traitor.
- Cassandra Truth: The newsmen warn Jimmy that ads always lie and deceive, but he refuses to listen due to his attraction to Leslie.
- Continuity Nod: Aside from the continuity of this season, Cartman mentions that Clyde's mom is dead as of the episode "Reverse Cowgirl."
- One of the walls in the school's paper office, there are many reports that give a nod to seasons upon seasons of past episodes.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Leslie's attack on Jimmy.
- Fille Fatale: Leslie is able to manipulate Jimmy's attraction to her in order to escape from the Newsmen.
- The Friends Who Never Hang: Subverted; this is one of the few episodes where Butters is actually seen hanging out with all four of the other boys.
- Gilligan Cut: While trying to research PC Principal, the boys become distracted by the ads, culminating with them taking an interest in an ice cream ad, with the scene abruptly switching to them hanging out at an ice cream parlor. Later on, when Principal Victoria and her group enter the mysteriously abandoned PC frat house and find Leslie and PC Principal's State Farm ad, their attempt to investigate the ad immediately switches to them at the same shoe store the boys were at earlier on.
- Given Name Reveal:
- A few of the Newsmen get actual names now (the main one is Tom, for instance).
- Leslie's surname is revealed to be Meyers.
- The name of the GEICO representative from the previous episode is revealed to be Brian Boyt.
- Good Is Not Nice: The former newsmen might be against the ads and want to protect humanity, but they will have Barbrady shoot Jimmy if it stops them.
- Heel Realization: Randy after admitting his actions made it impossible for his family to live in South Park.
- Heroes Gone Fishing: The ads' main strategy is to distract anyone who's getting too close to learning about their plans; they manage to do this to the boys twice and the adults at the end.
- Honey Trap: After Jimmy broaches the idea that that not all ads are evil (obviously angling for Leslie to be one of the not-evil ones), the newsmen immediately point out he's thinking with his dick.
- I Resemble That Remark!:Kyle: That's very "Cartman" of you, Stan.
Cartman: Ho, that's low...
Stan: Don't you dare call me a "Cartman"!
Kyle: Oh, that's good! Just keep on distracting everyone! It seems to be working, "Cartman"!
Stan: FUCK YOU, KYLE! *punches him* - Musicalis Interruptus: After Randy rants about the state of the town at the wine bar, he walks out and starts singing the same song as in "Where My Country Gone?", only for the sequence to be cut short by Principal Victoria's group ambushing him.
- Never My Fault: Near the beginning of the episode, Randy tries Blaming "The Man" for all the changes around town despite the fact he was responsible for a majority of it. It's not until his interrogation by Mr. Garrison, Principal Victoria, and Caitlyn Jenner that he's forced to admit his involvement in South Park's gentrification, though he still insists that he thought it could be contained.
- Not Me This Time: It's implied that the PC Fraternity was up to nothing in this episode due to mysteriously disappearing, with Randy even pointing out there's always someone there, making everything the news said about their intent to be misinformation and/or propaganda.
- Person as Verb: When accusing Stan of manipulating the group, Kyle says that it's "very Cartman of you." An amused Cartman comments that that's a low blow.
- The Quisling: Nathan and pretty much any newspeople still operating have sided with the ads.
- Red Herring: It makes it appear that PC Principal is behind the conspiracy and Leslie is trying to stop him. It is later revealed that PC Principal is trying to stop it and Leslie is behind the conspiracy.
- Running Gag: More of Jenner running over people and Barbrady accidentally shooting people in the arm.
- This episode has the gag of people trying to research the situation on the internet, only to get distracted by the ads and go out to have fun.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Randy brings up the thought of moving away from South Park due to PC Principal's actions making it impossible to live there.Randy: So, umm, South Park kind of sucks now, you guys want to bail?
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Stan's accusations of Kyle being a backstabber ultimately play a huge role in Kyle (albeit unknowingly) backstabbing him
- Shout-Out: Jimmy's scenes with Leslie are inspired by Ex Machina.
- Take That!: The actions of the PC Fraternity is clearly a reference to the actions of the protesters at the University of Missouri. They go on a hunger strike and designate their house as a "safe space" from outsiders in response to what they perceive to be an injustice against them and call for the resignation of higher authorities that could not actually do anything to prevent the act.
- There's also the representing ads as being evil beings trying to take over the world, which is a reference to how pervasive advertising has become.
- Verbal Tic: A slight gag has the Newsmen constantly talk as if they were on the news, with phrases like "now to [name] with [information]" and "back to you, [name]."
- Unwitting Pawn: Kyle joins Leslie willingly at the end of the episode.
- World of Pun: Literally; Victoria lists recently gentrified areas around the world, several of which are puns ("Chimichanga" in Chicago, "NoMoAuschie" north of Auschwitz.)
