The Secrets of
"Raisins"

"Peanuts" moment - Stan looks down from a small stone bridge into the creek below. The stone bridge looks like the stone wall Charlie Brown used to stand at from time to time.

Raisins = Hooters
Benny's = Denny's

The songs that play after Stan is dumped by Wendy are "You Don't Know What You Got" by Cinderella and "All Out of Love" by Air Supply.

Raisins are undeveloped Hooters, which are just nipples.

All Raisins customers are expected to buy hats and T-shirts. Raisins has a daily paper.

Interesting that all the Raisins girls are named after luxury cars.

Tommy from shop class is seen among the kids at Raisins. Been a while since he's been seen on the show.

One or more of the ladies featured in the guest voices this week must have had some Hooters experience for Raisins and its waitresses to come off as they did. :D

I've never had a waitress come up to me and my friends and say "I'm so glad you guys came in. Everyone here is such a loser, but you guys seem really cool." I'd be amazed if one did, seeing as she'd probably say that to every group that came in, as the Raisins waitresses do here. But every once in a while a waitress will stroke my shoulder and I feel flattered. :) Of course, she probably does that to any number of other guys that come in. :D All this is an example of how low-level sex (flirtation and such) is used to keep customers in place and hungry for more ...food ...and ambience.

Last time I saw waitresses dance around like they do here is at a bar about two years ago. :)

Stan does indeed play a Peter Gabriel song on his boombox when he stands under Wendy's window, but it's "Shock the Monkey" instead of "In Your Eyes," which is what John Cusack was playing on his boombox in Say Anything. Later, the movie was referenced when Stan talked to the goths about hanging out with them after losing his girl. John Cusack did much the same with a group of his peers.

Something I've noticed since the first season, but haven't commented on till I saw the locker room and heard the showers: South Park Elementary has a gym. I've never seen a gym at an elementary or grammar school - all our physical activities were outside. I didn't see a gym until I went to middle school. I'm hearing from different people that they've gone to grammar school that have gyms, so I suppose it all depends on where you grow up. Being a Los Angeles boy, I didn't see any, but others who live in colder climates did. :)

Looks like Goths are descended from the beatniks of the 1950's on the emo side. Beatniks were known for their poetry and non-conformity as well, and drinking coffee at coffee houses and performing there. Their musical preference was jazz, though. Something tells me Goths aren't really like this.

Here are some comments from Goths and their acquaintances: Syren writes: True, true. Goths and beatniks have similarity in execution, as do, perhaps, Wiccans and Satanists. However, like Wiccans and Satanists, they are following entirely different ideologies. Whereas beatniks were searching for the essence of sheer creativity almost as one seeks enlightenment, Goths focus more on the darker, more esoteric and emotional aspects of existence, although this is a fairly glib and imprecise summation of a movement that seems to be better defined by what it is not than what it is. While both are 'counterculture' movements, beatnik was more directly countercultural, while Goth is more secessional. Goth is actually more directly related to the Punk movement, although I for one can see a bit of beatnik influence. Goths don't all hate life or spend all their time being miserable and despising the rest of the world - they just see it all differently. To them, as to nonconformists, the mainstream ideals are too artificial for them to feel comfortable adopting - if it's not you, it's not you, period. Avoidance of the mainstream is more because most people don't understand one's point of view and may even openly reject it; however, Goths do this more out of a 'live and let live' attitude rather than out of shame or hatred of the mainstream. This is not, however, to say that all 'nonconformists' are Goth, mind you. Goth is merely a loosely defined, nebulous 'culture' existing separately from the mainstream; nonconformists in general set out to do their own thing without bothering to define themselves by the terms of The Majority. Some 'Goths', or babyGoths, as they are known in Gothdom, are like those in 'Raisins', but those are the usually middle-or-high-school types who only begin to act 'Goth', or what people commonly think Goth is, for shock value, to rebel against their parents or classmates or their own dissatisfaction with their lives. Real goths don't take themselves so seriously, and have fun with the misconceptions as well as the true aspects of being Goth. Real Goths can be any age, and don't have to act any differently, or even have a reason, to be Goth - they just find out that they are, and that it suits them to be. ;) Marilyn Manson IS NOT GOTH. Peter writes: The goth kids in the episode 'Raisins' appear to be dressed like famous goth/emo musicians. The kid with the hair that covers his face is dressed like Robert Smith of The Cure, the kid next to him is dressed like Ian Curtis of Joy Division. I'm not sure who Henrietta is modeled after (possibly Elvira), but the little kid next to her (Filmore from Ike's Kindergarden class?) appears to be modeled after Marylin Manson, based of his statement about 'Nazi conformist cheerleaders.'

When Stan reads his poem there are some candles just visible by screen left, some distance from him. After Henrietta suggests a change to his poem, the camera shows the candles right next to him.

When did different parts of South Park fall under different times of day? It's daytime at Raisins but nighttime at Butter's house when he talks to Lexus over the phone.

The song playing at Raisins during Butters' call is Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," or something awfully close to it.

Looks like Trey's gonna stick with Stephen for Butters' dad's name, so either Richard or Stephen will be used, depending on context. If Richard is dropped, the change will be reflected in The Families' bio page.

Mr. Stotch reads from "The World News."