The ending, in which the pirates are each shot to death by American snipers, reflects the resolution of the pirate hijacking of the MV "Maersk Alabama" in April 2009, where U.S. Navy SEALs rescued the captain after three snipers simultaneously killed three pirates with one shot each. They are portrayed in a particularly sympathetic light when they are killed during the ending. Travis Fickett of IGN said, "It's one of those moments where "South Park" feels the need to give voice to a side the media is ignoring—and points out that things aren't quite as cut and dry as we might like." The episode has also been described as a commentary on the way in which Americans tend to take their relative wealth and comfort for granted. A U.S. Navy SEAL ordering another to "not hit the white ones" has also been described as an indictment of the American approach to foreign policy.