Original air date: 12/7/2005
When Randy gets busted for drunk driving and sentenced to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, he becomes convinced that his mostly out-of-control drinking is a disease. Meanwhile, a Virgin Mary statue begins to bleed from its butt and is declared a miracle.
Tropes:
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parent: Randy when caught drunk driving and sent to the police station. Even worst his pants were falling down. The following day, Randy is forced to give a speech at Stan's class while Ms. Garrison demeans him, addressing him as "Stan's Dad" to twist the knife.
- Bait-and-Switch: After Randy wonders how he raised such a smart kid, Stan responds by saying he had a great teacher. It seemed like Stan meant his dad before he clarifies that the karate teacher is who he was referring to.
- Baldness Means Sickness: Parodied. Randy shaves his head after being told that his alcoholism is a disease. It grows back after he's sprayed with the blood erupting from the statue of the Virgin Mary which supposedly gives him the ability to give up drinking.
- Breaking Old Trends: The first season finale since Season 5 to not be a Christmas Episode.
- Call-Back: Stan mentions to the Alcoholics Anonymous members that the way they're acting is like a cult, bringing up his time as the leader of Scientology as an example.
- Drunk Driver: Randy gets arrested for drunk driving and has to go to AA.
- Humiliation Conga: Thanks to his dad, Stan suffers a ton of embarrassment this episode. First at the police station, then at school, and finally at the line to the Virgin Mary statue.
- Insane Troll Logic: Why the pope declares the statue not a miracle after all. The blood isn't coming from her ass; it's coming from her vagina, and blood comes from women's vaginas all the time.
- Japanese Ranguage: The karate teacher at the beginning reprimands Cartman for "racking disciprine" and teaches that "true disciprine comes from within." Stan takes the lesson to heart and pronounces discipline the same way as the teacher did.
- Kids Driving Cars: Randy, fully in his delusional state, forces Stan to drive him to the church where the bleeding Virgin Mary is by pulling a If You Won't, I Will on Stan.
- Never My Fault: In classic Randy fashion, Randy uses the Alcoholics Anonymous philosophy that he has no control over his addiction as an excuse to indulge in his drinks and fish for pity.
- Placebo Effect: At least when Randy thought he was cured by Virgin Mary, he was able to give up on drinking alcohol. Stan pointing this out to him is what makes Randy realize he can do it on his own.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: In the commentaries, Trey Parker stated that Randy getting arrested for DUI was based on a near-identical experience Trey went through with his dad when he was nine.
- Sorry Ociffer: A very drunk Randy says this when he's being pulled over:"What seems to be the officer, problem?"
- Take That!: Towards Alcoholics Anonymous for their cult-like practices and applying the "disease model" to all problem drinkers even when its clearly not the case.
- Tempting Fate: After Stan asks Kyle and Cartman to not mention Randy's DUI to anyone else in class, guess who shows up to give a motivation speech about alcoholism?
- Wacky Parent, Serious Child: As usual, Randy acts like a complete moron, thinking his alcoholism is a disease that can only be cured by a higher power, continuing to drink, shaving his hair and sitting in grandpa Marsh's spare wheelchair. Meanwhile, Stan is the one parenting him. He calls his out on his behavior, but eventually Randy forces him to drive them both to the Virgin Mary statue and push his wheelchair. Randy thinks the statue cured him, but after it is revealed the statue doesn't bring miracles, Randy thinks he wasn't cured and starts drinking again. Luckily, Stan points out that this whole time, Randy stopped drinking by himself, which convinces Randy that he can control his impulses.
- You Can't Fight Fate: The AA leader convinces Randy that his poor choices are this despite Randy's initial remarks to the contrary. He completely buys into it and becomes even more alcoholic as a result, much to Stan's annoyance.
