Original air date: 6/24/1998
It's summer and there's no snow in South Park (the only time this ever happens in the show's history, even though later episodes don't always show snowy places), but due to a fireworks ban after a North Park kid gets injured, the boys can't play with fireworks and have nothing to do. Meanwhile, Mr. Garrison goes insane after Mr. Hat goes missing, Jimbo and Ned go to Mexico for illegal fireworks, and Cartman must contend with peeing first graders at the town swimming pool.
This episode contains the following tropes:
- Big Damn Heroes: Jimbo and Ned with fireworks from Mexico, which blow up the giant snake.
- Blackface: Parodied. The town gets covered in ashes, causing all the ash-covered residents to look like they're in blackface. Needless to say, Chef, the resident black man who'd just returned from his vacation, isn't pleased.Chef: Okay, everybody get in line so I can whoop all your asses.
- Crossover: Dr. Katz shows up when Mr. Garrison seeks psychiatric help from him when he can't find Mr. Hat. He ends up getting killed by the ash snake.
- Didn't Think This Through: The giant snake manufacturer Lampshades this when their oversized snake causes mass damage to the town due to not anticipating how long it would run.
- Epic Fail: Making the giant snake and not accounting for when it'll stop.
- Jimbo keeps answering "yes" to the question "Are there any fireworks or explosives in your car?" when he's supposed to lie and say "no."
- The Mayor's excuse for why she doesn't make a public appearance after causing the giant snake incident is that she's sick. No one buys it for a second... until one of her aides quickly claims that she's having her period.
- Failure Is the Only Option: Cartman being able to swim in the pool without the 1st graders peeing in it.
- Heroic BSoD: Though "heroic" is stretching it, Mr. Garrison has a mental breakdown because Mr. Hat goes missing and ends up replacing him with Mr. Twig.
- Jerkass: The kids discover that Pip has to attend summer school because he's an orphan. The boys use this as another excuse to mock Pip because having both parents dead reinforces what a loser he is.
- Jerkass Ball: Chef basically tells the boys to go fuck themselves when they ask for his help on dealing with the giant snake destroying South Park.
- Mistaken for Racist: Chef comes back from Aruba and sees everyone in blackface from the ash snow. He doesn't take it too well."Okay, everybody get in line so I can whoop your asses!"
- Nonstandard Character Design: Sort of. Dr. Katz is rendered in the usual construction-paper style, but has a filter of sorts over him to evoke the Squigglevision appearance in his own show.
- Pet the Dog: Stan and Kyle jokingly suggest shoving a firecracker up Mr. Kitty's butt, Cartman surprisingly defends him saying he'll blow up their nutsacks if they do that.
- Rewatch Bonus: It's entirely possible that the Bigger, Longer & Uncut movie was intended to be set right before this episode. The film had elements such as Mr. Hat disappearing, Saddam Hussein having only died 6 weeks ago (he was shown residing in Hell just two episodes prior) and a highly-anticipated movie being released, which would coincide with a change in seasons.
- Selective Enforcement: Apparently while a kid being mutilated from a firework was enough to propose a ban, a toddler getting killed from holding one a few years back supposedly caused no such stir. Justified since the later scare stemmed from North Park. South Park couldn't care less if "some twerp blew their hands off".
- Shout-Out:
- The four boys turn a pile of mud into something resembling a snowman and Kyle sings "Dusty the Dirtball".
- The whole class continuing to play their instruments even as the giant snake destroys everything around them parodies the scene with the musicians from Titanic.
- Take That!: Towards Brett Favre, the then current quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. Five months prior to this episode airing, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's beloved Denver Broncos upset the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII, the team's first victory after four lopsided losses.
- They Killed Kenny Again: Kenny is killed by the giant snake as it rampages. He also dies in a brief flashback when a firework blows him apart.Baby Stan: Omgosh killed Kenny!
Baby Kyle: Oo bastards! - Throw the Dog a Bone: Cartman manages to make it to the deep end of the swimming pool by taking advantage of the pool's closure for the duration of the snake's rampage.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: ...Only for a bunch of 1st graders to rush in and immediately pee in the pool after the snake is destroyed, depriving Cartman of being able to enjoy the pool.
- Too Much Information: Dr. Katz's reaction when Garrison tells him of Mr. Hat's fantasy of being alone with Brett Favre and a bottle of Thousand-Island dressing.Dr. Katz: That I did not need to know.
- Your Television Hates You: Mr. Garrison is treated to Lamb Chop's Play-Along as he tries to get his mind off of his own hand puppet. He angrily imagines frying Hush Puppy alive, to Shari's horror.
