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"Gnomes" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the animated television series ''South Park'', and the 30th episode of the series overall. It originally aired in the United States on December 16, 1998 on Comedy Central. The episode was written by series co-founders Trey Parker and Matt Stone, as well as Pam Brady. It was directed by Parker, and was rated TV-MA in the United States. This episode marks the first appearance of Tweek Tweak and his parents. In the episode, Harbucks (a reference to Starbucks), plans to enter the South Park coffee market, posing a threat to the local coffee business owners, the Tweak Parents. Mr. Tweak, scheming to use the boys’ school report as a platform to fight Harbucks, convinces the boys to deliver their school report on the supposed threat corporatism poses to small businesses, moving the South Park community to take action against Harbucks. "Gnomes" satirizes the common complaint that large corporations lack consciences and drive seemingly wholesome smaller independent companies out of business. Paul Cantor described the episode as "the most fully developed defense of capitalism" ever produced by the show, because of various themes in the episode. In the episode smaller businesses are portrayed as being at least as greedy as their corporate counterparts, while their products are of lower quality compared to the products offered by large corporations. ==Plot== Mr. Garrison's job is on the line because he does not teach anything relevant, so in an effort to save his job he makes the class do oral presentations on a current event for the town committee. Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny are grouped together with Tweek, a jittery child, who suggests that the presentation should be on the "Underpants Gnomes" who are tiny gnomes that sneak into his house and steal his underpants. The boys agree to stay at Tweek's house to work on Mr. Garrison's homework assignment and to see if Underpants Gnomes exist. Tweek's parents, who own a coffee shop, give the boys coffee to help them stay up. The boys drink too much coffee, and end up wired, bouncing off the walls of Tweek's bedroom rather than writing their report. As 3:30 a.m., the time Tweek said the gnomes come, approaches, the boys realize they have nothing to present. Tweek's father then enters the room, offering the boys a propagandist speech against Harbucks, a national chain of coffee houses that was recently threatening his business. As he does this, Tweek's gnomes steal the underpants from his dresser, but only Tweek sees them. The boys' presentation is a hit, much to Mr. Garrison's surprise since he suspects the boys made up the assignment. The town committee is so impressed that they lobby Mayor McDaniels to pass a law against Harbucks. The mayor agrees to a so-called prop 10, allowing the townspeople to vote on whether the Harbucks may remain in South Park. Mr. Tweek's plan worked, but Mrs. Tweek is unhappy, claiming that the boys are being exploited. The mayor tells the boys to do another presentation just before the vote. Mr. Garrison, knowing that the boys did not write the first presentation, piles the pressure on, telling them that it must be good. The boys, however, know nothing on the subject. As they are at their wits' end, they finally see Tweek's gnomes and ply them for information. At the gnomes' lair, the gnomes claim to be business experts and explain their business plan: # Collect Underpants # ? # Profit Kenny is crushed by a falling trolley cart used by the gnomes during the visit; the gnomes are aghast at the accident, but the boys are too fixated on their business research to express their customary outrage at Kenny's latest death. When the boys come up to give their presentation for the vote, they do a report that is completely different from their previous piece. They now say, having spoken to the gnomes, that corporations are good, and are only big because of their great contributions to the world, such as Harbucks with their great coffee. While speaking, they admit that they did not write the previous paper, which causes Mr. Garrison to be carried away as he lashes out at the boys that they have ruined his life once again. Mrs. Tweek applauds their honesty and admits to the same facts herself. Then she convinces the whole town to try Harbucks Coffee, which is famous because it tastes so good. When everybody does try it, they all agree (especially because the Tweek brand is awful), including Mr. Tweek, who accepts an offer to run the Harbucks shop instead of, jokingly, selling Tweak into slavery. Meanwhile, the gnomes continue to steal underpants from the oblivious townspeople. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gnomes (South Park)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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