Let Go, Let Gov
Let Go, Let Gov
| Season | s17 |
| Episode | e01 |
| Written By | Trey Parker |
| Production Code | 1701 |
| Original Air Date | 2013-09-25 |
Episode Chronology
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Story
Description
Cartman wants to hold the government accountable for secretly monitoring all of his personal information. When Cartman manages to get himself behind the doors of the NSA, he doesn’t like what he finds in his personal file. He thinks it’s time he told everyone the truth. Meanwhile, Butters finds someone new to listen to his prayers.
Memorable Quotes
- "And if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd really like to get a puppy for Christmas this year. G'night, Government!" -Butters Stotch
- "Wow, that's cool. She's cute, wink. emoji." -Eric Cartman
- "When was the last time you went to your local DMV?" -Butters Stotch
- "Your Government is watching you, and your government wants you to be happy." -Butters Stotch
- "We're just goin' through the neighborhood and seeing if you've accepted the government into your heart." -Butters Stotch
- "We live forever… in the cloud." -Butters Stotch
- "Uh trust me, he's not fat and unimportant. I think we need to change his status to ripped and sweet." -Eric Cartman
- "What the hell is going on here? This is the DMV! There will be no joy here!" -Head of DMV
- "Look, I am telling you that you are making a HUGE mistake. Eric Cartman is the NSA's worst nightmare." -Eric Cartman
- "It's not going to be okay because now I'm a whistleblower against my country and I'm gonna have to hide out in Russsiaaaaa..." -Eric Cartman
- "With Shitter, I don't even need a cel phone, my thoughts are sent DIRECTLY to the internet, and then to everyone else on Shitter." Cartman
Main Characters
Locations
Behind The Scenes
- The writers first started talking about this episode during a Writer’s Retreat in July.
- A lot happened during our hiatus between seasons, and the writers wanted something that'd still be relevant. So they built it around Snowden and the NSA.
- Just a few days before the episode aired, it was reported that the NSA employees were illegally "keeping tabs" on spouses and girl/boyfriends.
Where'd The Idea Come From: "Cartman on Speakerphone"
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The speakerphone idea really kicked off when Trey did an imitation of how the Kardashians talk on their cell phones.
Butters' Pajamas Art
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Even the slightest change to a character -- like Butters' pajamas and "prayer" pose -- require entirely new storyboards and designs from the art department.
Storyboard: Butters' Bedroom
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After the script is written, the first step in production is having our Storyboard department create "boards". They used to be drawn by hand, but they are all done digitally now.
Art Department: Props
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All of the props used in the show, like this pamphlet with the girl on fire, are designed by our storyboard department.
Deleted Scenes
- A deleted scene shows Pat, Darryl Weathers and more at an AA meeting a Butters trying to tell them to go to the DMV.
Here is an excerpt from it.
PAT: I THINK I LIKE WHATS SAYING.
DARRYL: THAT'S 'CAUSE YOU'RE DRUNK PAT.
PAT: OH YEAH.
Pop Culture References
- "Living in America" is a song originally performed by James Brown... although we kinda like Butters' version better.
- When talking about the book "1984" (a novel by George Orwell), Cartman says he "saw the puppet show version at Casa Bonita". He is of course referring to one of the boys' favorite places -- the Mexican paradise Casa Bonita.
- Bill Clinton has appeared in the serious numerous times, most recently as a sex addict in Sexual Healing.
- The women Butters goes door-to-door with in this episode are Jehovah's Witness -- not to be confused with Mormons, who also go door-to-door.
- Game of Thrones was previously referenced in Season 16's Cartman Finds Love. Later this season, it would get the full spotlight in the Black Friday Trilogy.
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- The speech Detective Lawson gives when he and Cartman go to a suspect's house is parodying a classic episode of "Dragnet", where Joe Friday lectures a suspect on the perils of drug use.
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- The machine that Santa is hooked up to is similar to the device that allows "Pre-Cogs" see the future in the movie Minority Report.
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Where'd The Idea Come From: "Shitter"
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Where did the idea come from? Alec Baldwin threatened a reporter with violence during a gay-bashing twitter rant.
Bonus Factoids
- Naked boys on leashes have also appeared in Hell on Earth 2006 and Fantastic Easter Special. This is a reference to sex abuse scandals in the Catholic Church over the past few years.
- When Cartman is driving in the car with the Detective, you'll notice a live-action background. We've done this a few times previously, the first being in Mecha-Streisand back in Season 1.
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- Kenny was killed by that very same tetherball in Season 1's Mecha-Streisand.
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- We debuted our brand new Season 17 intro at the beginning of "Let Go, Let Gov".
New Season 17 Intro
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This intro was actually created with the same type of 3D program we normally use to animate the show. We just render the textures flat, so it looks like the original paper pilot.