South Park Zone - Season 16 - Episode 1603 - Faith Hilling
"Faith Hilling" is the third episode of the sixteenth season of the American television series South Park, and the 226th episode overall.
It premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on March 28, 2012. In the episode, the boys must deal with the fact that "Faith Hilling", the memetic trend in which they enjoy participating, is being supplanted in popularity by newer ones, including one that involves cats, "cat breading", which leads investigators to believe that cats are evolving in intelligence, and have become a threat to humanity.[1]
The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker and is rated TV-MA L in the United States.
Mankinds evolution begins to accelerate at a rapid and disturbing pace. Concurrently, another species on the planet is exhibiting the same drastic development. Eventually the two species will battle to the death and Faith Hilling may be humanity's only hope.
South Park Spoiler Alert!
(The complete plot for this South Park Episode)
The boys and Butters are seen attending the Colorado Republican Debate (2012) debate. They seem to be performing some kind of co-operative "mission". After a brief discussion, the Secret Service get word that someone may try to "Faith Hill" the event. However, despite locking down the area, they are unsuccessful, allowing Cartman to perform a successful "faith hilling".Afterwards, a news reporter is seen reporting on "faith hilling". He states that everyone is wondering when the first person will die from performing the meme. Later, the fourth grade class is seen being ridiculed by Professor Lamont, who shows them a video detailing the dangers of performing memes.
After the end of the school day, the boys are shown wondering where they should "faith hill" next. However, Butters, traumatized by the aforementioned video, refuses to "faith hill". Shortly afterwards, Craig Tucker reveals that the boys made the front page of the newspaper due to their "faith hilling" the presidential candidate debate. After purchasing a newspaper, to their horror, they read that "faith hilling" has already become outdated, being replaced by "Taylor Swifting".
After coming to the mutual opinion that "faith hilling" is much better than "Taylor Swifting", the boys go to Café Monet, to film Cartman "faith hilling" in front of it. However, another group of children are already there "Taylor Swifting". Cartman interrupts them, standing in front of the camera. Later, after a brief disagreement about the merits of "Taylor Swifting" in comparison to "faith hilling", the situation devolves into a fight, resulting in the other group of children being put into the hospital.
Professor Lamont is then informed by two unidentified men of a new Internet meme being practiced by another species: Photos of cats with their heads poking through slices of bread. Lamont sees this as evidence that cats are evolving to become as intelligent as humans. And this and newer memes continue to emerge among both people and cats, which in some instances result in the deaths of participants, the boys continue to Faith Hill, but after taunts and jeers by spectators, they are forced, one by one, to eventually come to terms with the fact that doing so is no longer in style.
At the same time, Lamont and other humans attempt to communicate with the cats, which are now apparently capable of speech, which the humans feel represents a danger to mankind, and will eventually lead to war between the two species.
The boys attempt to remain current by participating in newer memes, including one that combines elements from previous memes, and involves dragging one's nude buttocks across the floor while holding a cat with its head poking through a slice of bread. The boys attempt to perform this meme at another Colorado Republican debate, but after Cartman storms the stage with his cat, he finds himself unable to continue, seeing that it is beneath him to adopt a meme simply because it is new. He aborts the intended prank, and instead takes a stand by performing the meme he really wants to. He pulls his shirt out to simulate breasts, and begins to sing a number that spurs both the crowd and the Republican candidates on stage with him-Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich –to join him in a massive act of group Faith Hilling.
The episode concludes with a reporter claiming that the messages behind these latest memes is unclear, but it does not matter as long as audiences are given a song, celebrity bashing, and Republican hopefuls dancing around with breasts, a practice known as "Pandering". He is immediately struck and killed by a train that appears out of nowhere.