Cakes, one of Cartman's favorite snack foods. Reception In the book Leaving Springfield, author William J. Savage, Jr. said the episode "reveals a fine edged attack on censors and a thoughtful and subtle consideration of issues regarding assisted suicide." In the book The Deep End of South Park, Anne Gossage complimented the ambition of the episode's themes of censorship and the morality of assisted suicide, which she called "a great deal of ground to cover in 20 minutes". Gossage also said the episode shared many of the same characteristics of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, comparing Stan's contemplation of killing his grandfather to Hamlet's dilemmas after encountering his father's ghost. Home media "Death" was released alongside five other episodes in a three-VHS set on May 5, 1998, marking the first time South Park was made available on video. The episode was released on the "Volume III" video along with "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig"; other featured episodes included "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", "Volcano", "Weight Gain 4000", and "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride". "Death", along with the other twelve episodes from the first season, was also included in the DVD release "South Park: The Complete First Season", which was released on November 12, 2002. Parker and Stone recorded commentary tracks for each episode, but they were not included with the DVDs due to "standards" issues with some of the statements; Parker and Stone refused to allow the tracks to be edited and censored, so they were released in a CD separate from the DVDs. In 2008, Parker and Stone made "Death" and all South Park episodes available to watch for free on the show's official website, "South Park Studios". References External links "Death" Full episode at South Park Studios 1997 American television episodes Television episodes about personifications of death Portrayals of Jesus on television South Park (season 1) episodes Television episodes about censorship Television episodes about euthanasia Television episodes about suicide Television episodes about birthdays Television episodes set in New York City Television episodes about ghosts