”Dude seriously you better stop being so poor or else I’m gonna start huckin’ rocks at you.”
Original air date: 8/26/1998After Stan's sister, Shelly, is laid up in the hospital with chickenpox, Stan's, Kyle's, and Cartman's moms agree to have their sons spend time with Kenny (who also has chickenpox) so they can get it now (as chickenpox isn't as dangerous in childhood as it is in adulthood). Meanwhile, Sheila (Kyle's mom) learns from Carol (Kenny's mom) that Gerald (Kyle's dad) and Stuart (Kenny's dad) used to be friends when they were teenagers and arranges for the men to reunite.
"Chickenpox" contains examples of:
- The Alleged House: Apparently, the McCormick house is an old fort Gerald and Stuart built in the backyard of the latter's mother when they were young.
- Both Sides Have a Point: While the parents are doing good by trying to get their kids infected with chickenpox so that they'll safe from it during adulthood, the kids are also upset because they're at the risk of dying from chickenpox, as Kenny eventually does die from it at the end of the episode.
- Chickenpox Episode: Stan's older sister Shelly gets hospitalized with chickenpox, so the younger boys' parents plot to infect them while they're young so it won't be as severe. They set up a sleepover with the infected Kenny, which gets Stan and Cartman sick, but not Kyle. When the boys find out about this plot, they get mad and take revenge by infecting their parents with herpes (which comes from the same virus category) with help from an old prostitute. The boys end up very sick by the end of the episode, and Kenny dies from chickenpox, showing how ridiculous the "chickenpox party" idea is.
- Double Take: Too late does Chef realize he told the kids how to best get revenge on their parents.Chef: Wait a minute, what the hell did I just do?
- "Everybody Laughs" Ending: Everyone laughs at Cartman's joke at the end, though they pause briefly when Kenny dies. Then, everyone continues laughing, including Kenny's parents.
- Final Solution: Gerald tries to tell Kyle about the differences between the rich and the poor, by Kyle thinks he meant this, never mind that Kyle's family is Jewish and they should know that killing off a large group of people is a bad idea (The Holocaust, anyone?).
- Green-Eyed Monster: Stuart's jealousy towards Gerald's success is the reason why the two grew so distant and over the course of the episode have a falling out.
- Hypocritical Humor: Stuart tells Cartman that they don’t say “fuck” at the table, yet he says it himself followed by “asshole”.
- Innocently Insensitive: A lot of Gerald's attempts to make friendly small talk with Stuart only rub the latter the wrong way since much of what he says illustrates how he has a job and a decent amount of wealth while Stuart...doesn't.Gerald: What a great Saturday morning. Aren't weekends just the best?
Stuart: When you're unemployed, weekends are meaningless. - Karma Houdini: Shelly's abuse of Stan throughout the episode when he visits her and when they're in the hospital together is completely ignored by Sharon when she's around.
- Kill the Poor: Gerald inadvertently gives Kyle this advice.
- Laser-Guided Karma: The parents trying to purposely give their kids chickenpox is countered by the kids giving them herpes, which they feel they deserved.
- My God, What Have I Done?:
- Sharon and Sheila's reaction to their kids passing out from chickenpox.
- Gerald's reaction to reading Kyle's letter saying how he interpreted his advice.
- Never My Fault: Stuart refuses to take any responsibility for his inability to find success, hold a steady job, or stay friends with Gerald, accusing the latter of only being successful because he's lucky and Jewish. Similarly, he blames his wife's serving of frozen waffles for dinner every night on her inability to cook. She is perfectly and bluntly willing to point out all these problems just stem from him being a deadbeat.
- Poor Communication Kills: When Kyle overhears that Sheila and the other mothers sent their kids to Kenny's house to get infected with chickenpox on purpose, Kyle is distraught by this revelation that he refuses to listen to Sheila when she tries to explain that chickenpox isn't as dangerous in childhood as it is in adulthood. Then again, considering that Kenny was dying from chickenpox, he also has a point at getting angry at his mother.
- Shout-Out
- When the boys walk to Kenny's house on the Wrong Side of the Tracks, Cartman sings "In the Ghetto".
- Kyle and Cartman hope Kenny has a Nintendo. The family instead owns a ColecoVision.
- Cartman’s sleeping bag is Steve Urkel.
- "I'm a Believer" plays when Frida is infecting the parents' objects, then over the end credits.
- Take That!: To the notion of "pox parties" and parents who think they're a good idea.
- They Killed Kenny Again: The chickenpox disease kills Kenny at the end of this episode.
- We Used to Be Friends: Gerald and Stuart were best friends for years, but then Gerald got into college while a bitter Stuart stayed at their old pizza place job. Their attempted fishing trip is a disaster. They end up patching things up in the end, though.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- The doctor when the parents tell him that they purposefully infected their kids with chickenpox.
Doctor: Oh wow. You guys suck.- After finding out Sheila lured Gerald and Stuart into going on an outing together (which due to bad blood, ends with Stuart beating the shit out of Gerald), an annoyed Gerald rebukes her for lying, reminding her the same white lie approach didn't do Kyle any good either.
