The episode was never actually banned, but rebroadcasts did get shelved amid rumors Tom Cruise was mad and planning to sue. Scientologist Isaac Hayes, the voice of Chef, left the show as a result of Parker and Stone's mockery of his religion. After it aired, millions more knew about Xenu and thetans, which were explained through some of the series' finest animation underneath a caption that read "This is what Scientologists actually believe." It also highlighted the church's litigiousness. Before "Trapped In the Closet," Scientology was generally known as the quirky, disreputable religion practiced by celebrities like Tom Cruise and John Travolta. This Scientology-parodying episode is one of the most controversial of the whole series, and arguably the one with the most significant real-world legacy. The downer mood shows that South Park could be a BoJack Horseman-style sadcom if it wanted to be. The next episode reset the show and returned to the status quo, except Stan remained depressed.
At the time, it seemed like it could be the last episode of South Park, but was actually just an experiment in tone. It ends on a genuinely sad note, as Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" plays over a montage of dreams fizzling out. Meanwhile, Randy also can't deal with getting older and losing his edge, and he and his wife Sharon get divorced after growing apart. The creators' shift in perspective is clear in Season 15's extraordinarily well-written "You're Getting Old." Stan turns 10, and finds that with age comes cynicism and depression, as life gets repetitive. Parker and Stone are pushing 50, and Parker has said that they relate more to the adults now, so they write more for them now. In later seasons, the adults of South Park have taken on a much bigger role, especially Stan Marsh's father Randy.
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