‘South Park’: The 5 Best Butters Episodes to Make You Go, ‘Oh, Hamburgers!’
Much like Paula Deen’s recipes, South Park episodes are simply better with Butter(s).
Butters Stotch is a bit like the fifth Beatle to the core four cast members of South Park. Though not officially a part of the gang, Butters’ involvement in so many chaotic schemes and the embarrassing earnestness he brings to each episode makes him an irreplaceable part of the South Park formula, if for no other reason than the fact that he’s just such a good punching bag for everyone in town — especially Mr. and Mrs. Stotch.
Here are the five best Butters episodes in South Park history, starting, of course, with…
‘Awesom-O’
With all the crap that Cartman puts Butters through in every South Park season, it’s always spectacularly swell when the tables turn and Butters ends up on top — even if it’s entirely by accident. When Cartman pretends to be a robot named AWESOM-O in order to gain Butters’ trust and expose his embarrassing secrets, he finds that the disguise is good enough to trick a major Hollywood studio — as well as the United States Military.
After Cartman undergoes starvation, dehydration and near death without suspicion, a simple fart outs him as an imposter, and Butters gets back at the robot who betrayed his trust by showing all of South Park a video of Cartman pretending to be Britney Spears.
‘Professor Chaos’
Though the creation of Butters’ evil alter ego Professor Chaos later leads to some of the most unfortunate moments of Butters abuse in South Park history, the supervillain’s introductory episode gave us the first true glimpse of Butters’ bad side. After getting fired from his role as temporary Kenny replacement for being too lame, Butters unleashes his adorably innocent havoc on the world, swapping around soup orders and evilly rumpling his own clothes before unleashing an aerosol attack intended to destroy the world (it doesn’t).
‘Butters’ Very Own Episode’
Butters’ defining characteristic that makes him so endearing to South Park fans is the fact that, despite the fresh hell he’s put through in every episode, he always finds a way back to his optimism and deeply buries trauma that would send most of us reeling for decades. When Butters’ mom enlists his help to find out what her husband is getting her for their anniversary, Butters accidentally uncovers his father’s double life, leading his distraught mother to try to drown him in the river.
Mrs. Stotch fails to murder her only child, and, after an adventurous walk home, chastises his parents for their deceptive ways, which leads to a series of truth bombs that shake Butters’ faith in the world to its core — though a delicious meal at Bennigan's might help ease the pain.
‘Raisins’
An eternal romantic, Butters falls for a waitress named Lexus at a Hooters-style restaurant, quickly becoming what kids today call a “simp” as he showers her with gifts and tips. Eventually, Butters learns a harsh truth about how falling in love with a woman who is paid to pretend to like you always goes, though the heartbreak leads to the most iconic and uplifting speech in South Park history as he realizes that, even in his lowest moments, he truly loves life.
‘Butters’ Bottom Bitch’
The comedic set-up of a square accidentally becoming a literal pimp is one that’s been done a few times in a few different comedy projects, but Butters did it best, quickly becoming the rising star of the burgeoning South Park sex work industry. Butters even offers health care to his stable of hoes, and his interest in providing benefits to his employees and legitimizing his business leads to a very timely parody of the ACORN scandal.
Eventually, Butters turns his back on the pimp life after realizing the importance of “true love.” Do you know what I am saying?
