The battle for which gaming console will dominate, PlayStation 4 or Xbox, builds, with both sides of kids and the companies of each game system, vying for the win.
This episode contains examples of:
- Ambiguous Syntax: When calling Microsoft, Cartman has to clarify what his title of "wizard king" means:Cartman: No, I'm not king of wizards, I'm a king that happens to be a wizard.
- Art Shift: When Kenny is crowned a Japanese princess, the style shifts into the opening sequence of an anime show.
- Bilingual Bonus: The Anime Theme Song talks about killing Princess Kenny and how cute he is.
- Brother–Sister Incest: Tom and Tammy Thompson, the hosts of the South Park morning news (it wouldn't be a Game of Thrones parody without it).
- The Chessmaster: The news reporter plays both sides of the console wars so that Black Friday will become a bloody war to report on.
- Cliffhanger: Black Friday gets moved from November 29th to December 6th to make way for the saga to continue two weeks later (there wasn't a new episode the following week so they can show "A History Channel Thanksgiving" for the holiday).
- Continuity Nod:
- Kenny's loyalty to Sony's consoles goes back to "Best Friends Forever", where he once owned a PlayStation Portable.
- Bill Gates has a bandage on his head where he was shot in the movie.
- Empty Promise: Parodied with George R.R Martin, who constantly torments Butters and Scott with the promise of dragons in Game Of Thrones, and later can not even hold to the promise of delivering a simple pizza (which he similarly hypes vigorously).
- Faux Affably Evil: This is not the Bill Gates from the movie.
- From Bad to Worse: Black Friday being pushed back and offering a even bigger deal to the first hundred people makes the shoppers even more restless and murderous.
- A Glass of Chianti: Bill Gates takes time to pour himself a glass of wine, before sitting calmly down and delivering his Motive Rant to a dying Steve Ballmer.
- Hypocritical Humor: Cartman endlessly arguing with the old man listening in on his conversations about invasion of privacy...who is quick to point out he is trespassing on his garden.Cartman: Why don't you stay the fuck out of my business?!
Old Man: Why don't you stay the fuck out of my yard?! - Lemony Narrator: Kenny's narration at the beginning of the episode, done in the voice of a woman due to his desire to be a princess.
- Motive Rant: Bill Gates delivers one to Steve Ballmer, as the latter lies mortally wounded and bleeding out on the floor.Bill Gates: Do you know what weakness is, Steve? Weakness is believing that competition is "healthy". See, there was a time where Xboxes and PlayStations could both survive in this world, but that time's done. It's all headed to one device — that people game on, watch TV on, socialize on... There is only going to be one winner! I can't have you idiots throw away everything I've worked so hard to achieve.
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Bill Gates has a conversation with Steve Ballmer before his assassin carries out his attack against the latter:Steve Ballmer: There might be some changes we need to make to our marketing. But I'm optimistic.
Bill Gates: Aha...?
(the assassin approaches Ballmer from behind, knife in hand)
Steve Ballmer: Y'know, I think we'll ultimately sell the number of units we want to.
Bill Gates: You're right, Steve. Some changes do need to be made.
(the assassin grabs Ballmer and cuts his chest open) - Previously on…: A recap of "Black Friday"
appears at the beginning. The phrase is said by Kenny, muffled as usual. - Reasonable Authority Figure: Steve Ballmer seems to be one of the few sane adults in the world. He doesn't consider the console wars to be that serious and remains calm and collected despite what is happening. He gets killed by Bill Gates for not treating it like a real war.
- Running Gag: Cartman talking about betrayal in the old man's garden, with a different companion each time.
- Serious Business: Played straight concerning Black Friday, however Steve Ballmer subverts this regarding the console wars, not taking Cartman's melodrama seriously at all and wishing to maintain an adjusted impersonal business. This defiance of Serious Business gets him assassinated by Bill Gates.
- Shout-Out:
- In addition to Game of Thrones, the episode throws in a dose of The Walking Dead for good measure.
- The CEO of Sony shows the reporter a box with mysterious content through an Unreveal Angle.
- Shown Their Work: During the "Wiener Chorus" scene, George R.R Martin mentions how Joffrey dies of poisoning, an event in the books that, at the time this episode first aired, had not yet taken place in the Game of Thrones TV series.
- Shrine to the Fallen: The police have a "Black Friday Wall of Honor" for all the fallen policemen during the yearly event. By the looks of it, there are already around 30 victims to be mourned.
- Single-Issue Wonk: George R. R. Martin is obsessed with penises and every discussion leads him to address this topic.
- Special Edition Title: A slightly modified version of the opening sequence is shown, with the theme song replaced by an epic theme with the kids dressed in their medieval outfits.
- Take That, Audience!: The anime version of Princess Kenny might be an exaggerated parody of the (often female) sector of the South Park fanbase that
draws the characters in "kawaii" anime style. The crossdressing is just part of the whole package. - Too Important to Walk: Cartman is carried in a sedan chair by his followers. This leads to a Failed Attempt at Drama moment when the vehicle doesn't fit through Kenny's front door.
- Translator Buddy: Stan acts as one for Princess Kenny when Cartman shows up to suggest a truce.
- Whole-Plot Reference: The episode is styled after Game of Thrones.
- X Must Not Win: Bill Gates specifically states this concerning the console wars, believing a good-natured run where no one necessarily loses is a sign of weakness and even kills Steve Ballmer for defying it.
- You Have Failed Me: Bill Gates has Steve Ballmer assassinated for refusing to treat the Console Wars as Serious Business.
- Zombie Gait: Parodied when Randy informs the approaching Black Friday shoppers that they're not allowed on mall property yet, so the shoppers start walking like this.Randy: Smartasses.
