The Boondocks reviews/discussion thread

[DotheBartman]

The actual rate/review threads seemed to be getting relatively little traffic, and no one's started one for the latest episode, so I thought I'd just start one thread for the show for all discussion and reviewing. Hopefully this will get a little more activity, if there's enough people here that are watching this show.

Anyway, latest episode was "Grandad's Fight". I was a little shocked by the realism of the violence actually, and the fact that a character was actually killed at the end. Anyway, really funny episode regardless. The shot at FEMA must have been a relatively late addition.

Any thoughts on this episode or the show itself?

[Semaj]

If anyone's ever been in a "Nigga Moment", they better pay close attention.

5/5

[The "Urban" Lenny]

I thought the episode was alright, it had some pretty funny jokes like Riley realizing that "every time somebody throws a chair niggas start wilin' out." However the episode was not as funny as the other previous ones. I was actually really shocked when Grandad actually killed Stinkmeaner. I just thought that was just taking it a little to far. Also felt that the fight was kinda of uncharacteristic of Grandad's character. Overall however it was a good episode, and I loved Huey's fight with the Blind swordsman I thought the whole scene was well done. The episode wasn't bad but I was incredibly disturbed that a main character has already killed somebody in the fourth episode. 3/5

[StrideR]

Pssh... it was a nigga moment. Clearly, grandad thought he was facing a highly skilled opponent as Huey had led him to believe. Also, he showed a lot of guilt/remorse over the whole matter afterward. My nitpick is over the fact that Huey had enough foresight to have the fighters legally non-liable in the case of a death.

[barts friend]

i probably won't be watching this show anymore I give it a 3/5.

[DotheBartman]

"A Date with a Health Inspector"-
Surprisingly smart and metaphorical episode...I'll have to watch it again to really catch it all, but evidentally the whole episode is one giant metaphor for the 9/11, the Iraq war, etc.

Really hysterical too, I don't think I ever stopped laughing. I'm surprised there hasn't been much buzz about this show here; it's definitely a keeper.

[kupomog]

"We was lookin' for weapons of mass destruction."
"...did you ever find 'em?"
"You know goddamn well we ain't find 'em! What are you, some kind of a political humorist?!?"

[Icedragon]

Very good episode, I was laughing the entire time.

[†JTHM†]

"The Reality" 5/5

This is the best episode i have seen in the series i have seen so far.

"Thay speak english in what?!"

[DotheBartman]

"The Reality" 5/5



It's "A Date with a Health Inspector" actually. For some reason info went out for "The Reality" instead (that one hasn't aired yet).

[StrideR]

"The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence."
"Your father wants you to know he's nobody's bitch."
Gold.

[manashima]

It was Indeed a reference to the war in in Iraq.

Tom being mistakenly arrested- Racial profiling of Arabs
X-Box Killer = Osama Bin Laden
Wunceler the III = George W. Bush
Gin Rummy = Rumsfeld or Cheney
Wunce & Gin roughing up random black folks for information = the Patriot Act
Robbing the liquor store which is out of the way of the original plan- Invading Iraq/ catching Osama Bin ladin
Beer = Oil
Store owner = Saddam Hussein
Wun & Gin's insistence that the store owner had a gun = Our administration's belief that Saddam had WMD's
The confused cop = Tony Blair/ other countries
Store employees = Iraqi army
Tom being freed but the X-Box killer actually getting away & killing someone else = Using our military to free Iraq but forgetting our original plan of going after Osama & Al-Qaeda

Also the owner(Sadam) telling Ed(GWB) that his father(GHB) helped him set up the store(Iraq).

And the owner telling Ed that the Korean store north of there was the guy with the weapons. (Korea is known for having WOMD)

Also, Gin rummy characters logic (No proof of something is not proof of nothing) mirrors Bush's, too. and "I didn't know they would shoot back!" too.

Oh yeah, give the episode a 10/10!
Pulp Fiction/ Monty Python Jokes= Gold :D

[The "Urban" Lenny]

Another great episode!- 4/5

"They Speak English in What?"
"What"
English Motherfucker! Do you speak it!"

[Mira]

I like it so far, best adult swim show since The Venture Brothers.

[pat]

"all the greatest fighters in the world were white. jack dempsey, rocky marciano, sylvester stallone, and don't forget ralph macchio!"

finally started watching this show, and i absolutely love it. "grandad's fight" was quite possibly the greatest episode i've seen of anything ever

[Semaj]

This show just keeps getting better and better. Last week's was brilliant, too.

5/5 (both episodes)

I can't wait for next week's Christmas story.

[Jolly Bengali]

Well, DtB, you've convinced me. I'll start watching. Adult Swim schedule is kind of nutty - when do new episodes air? Apologies for slight laziness, but I figure an answer here is more reliable than the Internet and less me-working intensive.

[DotheBartman]

Sundays nights, after Family Guy (or American Dad, I don't really remember which...they have an hour of those two). The official time is 11:00, but you'll probably want to look at your listings or something.

And they always show it in the same slot, for the record.

EDIT: Now that I've seen it, solid episode this week. I don't really know much about gangsta rap, but I enjoyed the lampooning anyway, and there were a bunch of good lines. Callbacks to "Grandad's Fight" were nice too. 4/5

[kupomog]

Bahaha, what is that line that Riley said when Gangstalicious's face was getting sucked? "Ew, they just busted a slob!" or something...haha, I cracked up when he said that.

[Veryjammy]

Does this show have standalone episodes or should they be viewed in order? I was thinking of downloading one to see what it was like.

[DotheBartman]

Viewing it in order might help, but it doesn't matter too much. I'd suggest "Trial of R. Kelly", "Grandad's Fight", or "A Date with a Health Inspector" to see this show at it's best (so far).

[mayo]

a few weeks ago, i kept thinking that this show was getting better and better. the xbox killer was pretty confusing and the gangstalicious one (while it had it's hilarious) just wasn't that good.

looking forward to the christmas one though.

[Isaac]

I love the comic strip, and the TV series. Truly hilarious stuff. I am very interested in political topics. 8-)

[Semaj]

The Christmas episode fucking ROCKED!!! :headbang

-Huey did the one thing Charlie Brown DIDN'T do when directing a Christmas play; he fired the slackers. :thumbsup
-Riley is becoming a terrorist...on gigantic proportions.
-I was glad to see a solo outing for Mr. McGruder.
-I'd love to know how Huey was able to get in touch with Quincy Jones, and how Jones himself was willing to go the long way with his project...
-I liked the other Peanuts swipes here, mostly when Huey was giving Granddad a lecture on the history of Christmas.
-I'm really enjoying the anime-styled art direction and designs for this show. The magna character designs are outstanding.

As I said, the episodes so far are only getting BETTER each week, which is an extreme rarity on television these days. The other thing that I'm liking about The Boondocks is that it's finally breaking new ground for African-American animation.

5/5

[Ihaveblink]

Anyone else think this show is a lot like KOTH, just in the way they present things in the stories?

[DotheBartman]

A Huey Freeman Christmas-Only complaint here is actually with the comic strip. McGruder seems to be recycling some of the (great) material from this episode into the strip, which feels a little cheap to me.

But another great episode anyway. All the Charlie Brown references made me laugh, and I love that it sort of mixed a small amount of sweetness with the overall cynicism. 4.5/5

[Semaj]

Another thing I forgot to mention is that with all the energy Huey put into making an extravagant Christmas play, he never thought about lamenating the contract.

[Alpha]

I caught part of the Christmas special. Funny, as always. I didn't really see enough to give it a grade though.

[Isaac]

Only complaint here is actually with the comic strip. McGruder seems to be recycling some of the (great) material from this episode into the strip, which feels a little cheap to me.

My guess would be that it's for the fans of the strip that don't have cable.

[StrideR]

Or for the fans of the show who don't read, e.g me.

[Seabrook Moleman]

thats what you get being a erresposible white person. I gave it a 4.5/5, It had a lot of Charlie Brown referances in it which was just WOW.......

[Thomas]

This show is classic.

"Where's Gangstalicious?"
"I'm sorry could you repeat that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of me sh*tting myself."
That and Riley's letter are some of the best jokes on TV, ever.

[bmac]

i hadn't watched more than a few minutes of this show until i saw the entire christmas episode, but i enjoyed it a lot. will have to start catching it on a regular basis.

[BlindPsychic]

BUMP

Re: MLK Jr. Episode

Seen this one twice already, on FNF and when it premiered tonight. Man these episodes just keep getting better. And this one was episode I found rather depressing, and most of the political commentary was spot on. Loved every minute of it.

[Semaj]

They should've made this one a two-parter.

5/5

[DotheBartman]

"The Real"-Good, funny episode. Plot kinda didn't go anywhere, but it was really funny for the most part. B+

"The Return of the King"- I was looking forward to this for a looong time. When I first saw the plot synopsis I thought it was possibly the funniest plot I'd heard of in years. It could fill a movie. Thankfully it lived up. I could barely stop laughing through much of it, and the commentary was so true. A+

[StrideR]

"The Return of the King" - A brilliant episode that excavates the spirit of Martin Luther King, jr. amid a world of social indifference and political division. It's a lamentation of how much needs to be done.

A boy can dream.

[Moose of Doom!]

I only caught the 2nd half of Return of the King (starting right after King argues with the Bill O'Reilly parody) but damn that was good.

[Icedragon]

Return of the King - I thought the political and social commentary was spot on, and there was nothing I didnt like about this episode.

[box elder]

i don't know. i can't really get all that into the Boondocks (and i've really tried, too, seeing as Aaron MacGruder got his start at the University of Maryland). it just doesn't strike me as all that funny, and the social commentary alone isn't fresh enough to keep my attention every day (or every week with the TV show).

take this episode, for instance. the idea was fairly promising, but i don't think it really came off all that well, i mean "oprah elected president" is the utopian ending? sorry, no.

[vox]

take this episode, for instance. the idea was fairly promising, but i don't think it really came off all that well, i mean "oprah elected president" is the utopian ending? sorry, no.
she's a successful black woman, a minority in ever sense of the word. it makes sense as huey freeman's vison of utopia. plus, it's funny.

anyways, i thoroughly enjoyed the episode, and i think my sentiments about the commentary have been pretty well covered by other posters in this thread. A

as for the series as a whole, since i just realized i haven't commented in this thread yet, i'm really enjoying it. it's been very well done so far, and is probably my most looked forward to thing on sunday nights (even after having seen it on friday night fix).

[Mira]

MLK- "And now I'd like to talk about Soul Plane..."

[manashima]

The itis was another great episode (ala a date with the healt inspector in a sense) as it was another hidden message about the crack aditions in towns in the urban area, a good neighborhood going bad, mr wancler representing the republican/higher power supplying the stuff, classic.

[DotheBartman]

"The Itis"-It's funny...I didn't really quite catch the crack metaphor (though I got the general drugs metaphor in the town turning to crime and such). It didn't help that I couldn't quite make out Riley's "This is what crack must feel like" line until it was pointed out on another board. But it already stands pretty well on it's own as commentary on the country's addiction to unhealthy food, so it still worked for me. And the ending with Wuncler building over the park was great. Probably B/B+ I'll have to give it another watch though to catch what I obviously missed.

[Icedragon]

After watching it, I wondered if Wuncler knew what would happen with the Itis, and did it intentionally to get the park's price down.

[DotheBartman]

20-episode second season coming later this year (the last five episodes of season one also have yet to air):

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/cabletv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001918470

There's also reports of McGruder wanting to do a movie and video game at some point.

[Icedragon]

Let's Nab Oprah

The Fight scenes were awesome. The plot was good. The political commentray was fun. Overall, A-/B+

[BlindPsychic]

Sweet, another action filled episode with Ed and Rummy. Excellent fight scenes, and great use of the Madvillain songs.

[Semaj]

I liked the music. Surprised Riely didn't get hurt tumbling down them stairs. The part with Bill Cosby was funny, as was the ending.

4.5/5

[DotheBartman]

"Man, you come straight out of a comic strip."

Brilliant. Another great Star Wars reference, the Bill Cosby scene, Maya Angelou, pretty impressive action sequences....basically more Boondocks brilliance. A

[Curtis]

Last night was the first time I stopped what I was doing just to watch the show, usually I put it on but dont pay much attention, I must say this show is great, The Bill Cosby part was hilarious, I'll be watching more attentivley from now on. 5/5

[TransponderHut]

I love this show and catch it when I can. Really gives me a different outlook on life and I occasionally see things from Huey's point of view now.

[Rowdy]

I'm not really a fan of the episodes with the shootouts/fight scenes (the two with the Iraq vets)..........they're slightly funny in that they have absolutely nothing to say, but I find myself pretty disinterested.

[manashima]

Gin Rmmy and Ed Wuncler (Probably rumsfield and George Bush) set out to kidnap Oprah (Osama Bin Laden). First they rob a bank (Their own bank), and completely forget what they are looking for.

After that, they realize that Oprah is going to be at a book store, so they can kidnap her there. They don't have it planned out well, and end up going into the completely wrong store (Iraq) and getting someone they didn't intend to get, Maya Angelou, (Saddam).

Then they blame themselves for poor planning, and screwing up the mission without having intel.

got this from somebody, sounds likje gin/ ed were used again for political commentary
4.5/5

[BlindPsychic]

Episode 13 - Riley wuz here

More boondocks gold, the bob ross look-alike was great. Kind of disappointed that the Huey subplot didn't really go anywhere.

[Semaj]

Wingmen

Another excellent episode. Sheds some new light on Huey and Riley's background.

5/5

[TransponderHut]

Wingmen was awesome. I liked the reference to Michael Jackson's 'Wanna Be Starting Something' (The "Mamasaymamasamamamasa" chant).

[Semaj]

The Block is Hot

90 degrees in February?! This shit is crazy!!

Indeed.

Nice homage to Do the Right Thing.

5/5

[manashima]

5/5

[Semaj]

The Passion of Reverend Ruckus

Another episode that would've been even greater as a two-parter. Also an excellent way to top off Season 1.

5/5

[pocketfox]

Heh, "Shabazz K. Milton Berle", that alone is enough for a 5/5, btu there was tons of funny stuff here, especially the Reagan opening. This show started off a little rough, but now is consistently one of the funniest shows on TV.

[DotheBartman]

Dvd in June!

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=5423 (cover art in the link)


Boondocks, the hit [adult swim] show on Cartoon Network and based on Aaron McGruder's controversial comic strip, is coming to DVD from Sony! This animated series features satirical comedy about the Freeman family: elementary school-aged brothers Huey & Riley have been moved by their "granddad" Robert from inner city Chicago to the quiet and almost completely white suburb of Woodcrest, where left-wing Huey and rap-fan Riley disrupt Robert's quiet retirement - hysterically!


# Includes songs from Kanye West and other top hip hop stars!
# 15 episodes on three discs
# Includes added value with creator Aaron McGruder (subject to change):

* 7 Episodic Commentaries
* Exclusive Behind the Scenes Featurette
* Animatics Collection of Scenes
* DVD-ROM Storyboards
* Bonus Previews

# Aspect Ratio: Full Screen Presentations
# Audio: English (Stereo)
# Subtitles: French
# Running Time: 318 Minutes
# Street Date: June 13th
# SRP: $49.95 SRP
# Available for DVD and for Sony PSP's UMD format

[Ihaveblink]

:)

[DotheBartman]

Small update with new (much different) cover art, and news of it being widescreen (Huh? Cool, though...) as well.

http://tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=5426

[DotheBartman]

Bumpage.

I just got the dvd set on Sunday. In terms of special features it seems to be just "okay"; I've only listened to one commentary so far and it was sort of interesting but could have been better (the Uncle Ruckus commentaries are supposed to be great though. I still need to listen to them). The quality is great though overall. I love the menu design, and the visual and audio quality are pretty much perfect.

[DotheBartman]

The return of the comic strip delayed indefinitely.:'(

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/books/09/25/boondocks.comics.ap/index.html

Return of 'Boondocks' comic strip delayed
POSTED: 2:43 p.m. EDT, September 25, 2006


KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) -- "The Boondocks," the comic strip about a black family living in the suburbs, will take a longer hiatus from the nation's newspapers than originally planned.

Aaron McGruder, who in February put his strip on what was supposed to be a six-month hiatus, has not decided when, or if, he will return to newspapers, Universal Press Syndicate announced Monday. The syndicate stressed that McGruder has made no statement about retiring.

The comic was to return in October and new strips would have had to be in by mid-September to meet newspapers' deadlines for printing them, said Lee Salem, president of Kansas City-based Universal Press.

McGruder, 31, is busy with a Cartoon Network animated TV show of his comic and other ventures and didn't believe it was the right time to decide whether to return to newspapers, Salem said in a telephone interview from Washington D.C.

"It's my understanding, in the communications with Aaron and his agent, that the biggest problem is finding the right time to make a decision," Salem said. "He's not ready to do that at this point. I don't know the answer to (the comic's future)."

"The Boondocks" touched on several controversial issues, including race and politics, through the characters of Huey Freeman, his little brother, Riley, and their grandfather, who moved the black family from Chicago to the suburbs.

Universal said it was not able to make McGruder available for interviews Monday. McGruder's editor, Greg Melvin, was out of the office Monday and also unavailable for interviews.

Salem said Universal hoped to have a decision from McGruder in the next month or two and wanted to continue its relationship with him in the future, in one form or another.

EDIT: Wow, I didn't even realize this was a triple post now...