By Robert Scucci
| Published
One of the reasons I’ve been a fan of South Park since the third grade is that Trey Parker and Matt Stone have always committed to the bit in ways that are so far-reaching that you can’t help but be impressed. So much, in fact, that Season 25’s “The Big Fix” retcons Token Black’s name to Tolkien Black, suggesting that his name has always been in reference to author J.R.R. Tolkien, even though his name was actually in reference to tokenism since he had his first speaking role in Season 3 because he’s the only black kid in town.
Going incredible lengths to gaslight their audience, Parker and Stone went so far as to go back through their entire catalog of clips, episodes, and character pages on their website to change the spelling of Tolkien’s name in the subtitles and captions, effectively (and sneakily) rewriting history as a means to lean into a joke that suggests their entire fanbase is racist for thinking his name was Token – something that generated a healthy amount of racist humor throughout the entire series’ run, like Token/Tolkien somehow being an accomplished bass player against his will after Cartman suggests he probably has a four string somewhere in his attic.
“The Big Fix” Is Meant To Be Taken Literally
South Park’s “The Big Fix” has a simple plot focusing on Stan Marsh, who’s shocked to find out that he’s the only person who thought his friend’s name was spelled “Token,” not “Tolkien.” The entire joke centers on the fact that everybody always knew his name was Tolkien, and that Stan’s racist for thinking that the only black kid in his class would have a name in reference to his social standing in a predominantly white town.
Stan feels so much guilt that he pays a visit to Dr. Gauche, who breaks the fourth wall by putting the onus on the audience, saying, “I wonder if anyone else thought that this kid’s name was Token? Hmm? Anybody? Anyone else just assume his name was Token? Because that’s disgusting, and you are the problem.”
As somebody who watches TV exclusively with subtitles, I knew where this South Park gag was going, and knew it was only a matter of time before Token’s name in written form would be swapped out with Tolkien on streaming after “The Big Fix” went on the air.
And if you’ve been watching South Park obsessively for as long as I have, you probably picked up on the joke too. However, if you’re a late bloomer and didn’t start watching South Park until much later in the run (or don’t watch TV with subtitles), you wouldn’t have any reason to believe that Tolkien’s name was actually Token through Season 24.
Expert-Level Gaslighting
Breaking the fourth wall once again at the end of this South Park episode, Dr. Gauche turns to the audience, stating, “The story of young Stan Marsh might seem incredible. But the fact is many people suffer from unconscious biases. If you or somebody you know might have also thought the name Tolkien didn’t come from J.R.R. Tolkien, then please call 1-800- I AM A GIANT PIECE OF SH*T because you are the f*cking problem.”
What’s more, Tolkien’s father, Steve, is involved in a B-story with Stan’s father, Randy, who realizes that South Park doesn’t want to purchase marijuana from white-owned farms. In his desperate attempt to rebrand Tegrity Farms so it appeals to a wider demographic, Randy hires Steve as a financial consultant for his business so he can use his likeness on billboards to generate more sales than he’s ever had before.
Steve, who realizes that he’s being used as a token black person (like his son’s original canonical name suggests) to drive sales, decides to open up shop across the street from Randy with his new farm, Credigree Weed, a purveyor of the psychoactive plant that has more “cred” than its white-owned counterpart.
A Joke With Layers
Pointing out the problem with tokenism, which has been a source of humor in the series for literally decades, South Park retconned Token to Tolkien so any viewer who felt unjustifiably called out as a racist by Dr. Gauche would scramble to its back catalog on Max, only to find out that the spelling had already been changed, all but confirming that his name has always been in reference to the Lord of the Rings author.
Taking a dunk on the concept of inclusion for the sake of performative morality, South Park got away with rewriting history and retconning Tolkien’s character that’s so involved (seriously, who retcons subtitles?) that you can’t help but be awestruck by how far Trey Parker and Matt Stone are willing to take things to land a joke.
