03 Dec 2010
by alyceswonderblog
in The Boondocks
I enjoyed watching this series because it made me laugh, cry (from the laughter), and think about the issues McGruder presented in each episode and how it affect my family, friends, my community and me. I did not realize that there were 30 episodes when the two seasons were combined. The good thing about that was my word count for the blog was not as much for others with blogs with fewer episodes as me.
Aaron McGruder
On the first third of the blog entries, I had saved all my blogs on word to a USB flash drive as Professor Dunphy advised. As the time for the blog due date approached I had decided to post them once I edited them one last time the Wednesday before the blogs were due. When I got home from school I was shocked and frustrated that, I had lost my USB flash drive. It was 11pm and I was up writing my blogs over from what I could remember of the blogs I first typed up. I did not finish typing them until 4 am and once I finished editing and adding pictures it was 5 in morning. Next time around I e-mailed all my blogs to myself to have a plan B just in case I had this problem again.
Regina King
Now that I have sheared my experience with writing this blog I found that it was actually fun to do even though this was my first time doing a blog. I enjoyed the first two seasons of The Boondocks and while I began watching the episodes the reruns of the third season began to air again. I watched a few but when I got to the episode that explained why Uncle Ruckus believed he was white and his hatred for black people I stopped following the season because I did not want it to effect my writing for my blog.
John Witherspoon
I think the most challenging part of this series was that McGruder wanted to put forth a cartoon satire series unlike that of Comedy Central’s South Park without seeming cliché or unrealistic in the eyes of his black audience. The Boondocks cartoon series only reminded me of South Park because of the vulgar things that are said on each show other than that the distinction is clear that they are conveying two different worlds in my opinion.
Gary Anthony Williams
The criticism I think only sparked people in media, the hip-hop community and other critics to watch the show. The fact that the series is on the Adult Swim programming block on the Cartoon Network is great for me because I think a lot of the people in my generation who grew up watching Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network enjoy the programs these networks offer. I think some of the best 90’s cartoons come form these two networks alone and my viewer ship will never end unless the networks end. When I discovered Adult Swim, it was when I was still in junior high and I stayed up late to watch the anime cartoons that I never saw before and I was fascinated. In the day, I would watch my other shows on either network but Adult Swim was my new addiction but I digress.
Cedric Yaarborough
I think the least challenging thing McGruder did for the show was convey a message to his audience he wanted them to understand about black American culture. Many of the episodes focus on issues of social change within the black community that I thing McGruder made purposely to elicit change in his own people. The episode that opened my eyes to that idea was The Return of the King where Dr. King comes out of a coma to tell the people that they are a danger to themselves if they do not change their attitudes and ways of the black culture and risk losing it by not respecting it and themselves by becoming educated and striving to make change like their ancestors. I think it was not a hard for McGruder to portray this element of satire in his series because it is a problem that the black community has always been struggling with and are still trying to change.
Jill Talley
There were some reviews of the series that said that it was ignorant, that it was racist and that it was violent and I agree. These are aspects that McGruder depicts in his series only to elicit response from his audience and critics. I mean if reviewers and critics said nothing of the series then they would have not thought of it as significant enough to write about. There were other reviews of the series that I related to because instead of criticizing McGruder for his body of work they began to set forth their own campaign of getting their message across on a certain issue in the series. I appreciate that people are not trying to censor McGruder for telling it how it really is in our society.
Gabby Soleil
I think McGruder’s choice to do the episodes depicting rappers in the hip-hop community being gay was brave. I assumed that this would affect the willingness of other rappers to do voice parts for the series however; the hip-hop community seemed to embrace McGruder’s artistic view of their community. All the black community issues have influenced this series while the show has influenced the black community to make changes in the behavior like eating soul food and being ignorant to political and societal issues. I defiantly think that McGruder and his staff of writer want The Boondocks audience to be aware of the issues and try to make a change in our generation.
Carl Jones
During the first season the different episodes directed by Anthony Bell, Joe Horne, Seung Eun Kim, Kalvin Lee and Sean Song. Aaron McGruder the creator, Rodney Barnes, and Yamara Taylor, wrote episodes. The second season there was a change in directors where Seung Eun Kim and Dan Fausett directed this season. The writers were the same with the addition of two new writers Andre Brooks and Jason Van Veen. I was not interested in the creative team but thought I give them a paragraph since they help create the series along with McGruder and are an important element to the success of the show. I definitely think the show is a success mainly because of the popularity of the characters and the fact that Adult Swim has already aired the third season of the series.
Ed Asner
Throughout season one and two, I have come to understand Granddad, Huey and Riley’s characteristics. The oldest Huey is a self-proclaimed revolutionary whose duty it is to inform everyone around him of the government’s lies. He also is most rational one in the Freeman family who tries to do well but ends up letting Granddad and Riley fall on their butts when their schemes or plans backfire. Riley is the youngest and proclaims to a gangster who likes the idea of committing crimes and surrounding himself with people who share the same views. He is an excellent artist and with some guidance would be successful but he is money hungry and committed to the gangster lifestyle so who knows if he will use his graffiti skills to do something positive. Granddad is the guardian of two young boys, he has served his nation as a fighter pilot, he has served his community by participating in the civil rights movement and he is honoring his family by taking care of Huey and Riley. Granddad is an elderly man looking for love but in all the wrong places. A man of his age should be living off his retirement and planning his death not taking care of children. This makes Granddad seem very noble and I think he is grateful that they are there so he is not all alone.
Charlie Murphy
I noticed the first season when Ed III and Gin Rummy were introduced that McGruder seemed to slip in elements of Pulp Fiction being that the voice of Rummy was Samuel L. Jackson the co-star of the movie. This quote from the movie is said by Rummy in Let’s Nab Oprah episode when Riley seems to be confused by what Rummy says about the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. Now Riley and Rummy begin the quote:
Samuel L. Jackson
Riley: What?
Rummy: What country are you from?
Riley: What? What? Wh – ?
Rummy: “What” ain’t no country I’ve ever heard of. They speak English in What?
Riley: What?
Rummy: English, motherfucker, do you speak it?
Riley: Yeah!
Rummy: Then you know what I’m sayin’!
Riley: Yeah!
Rummy: The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence!
Riley: What?
Rummy: Say ‘what’ again. Say ‘what’ again, I dare you, I double dare you motherfucker, say what one more Goddamn time!
Jim Meskimen
The ending of the second season made me want to see what else could McGruder come up with but it did not tie up enough loose ends for me. I still would like to know what happen to Huey and Riley’s parents, will Granddad find love, will McGruder develop friends for Huey and Riley like the one they had in the comic strip? There are many questions that season two left me but thank you to Adult Swim for picking the series up for another season so that I can find out if McGruder answers any of my inquires. I try to think about which episode is my favorite and to be honest I watched the first season nearly a hundred times because that was the only cartoon DVD that my boyfriend had that I would watch without going insane and really enjoyed. I love The Boondocks and I think it is my favorite cartoon series so I cannot pick just one episode.
Kym Whitely
The theme song is etched in my brain and I caught myself singing when I woke up for school one day. The song is called “Judo Flip” by rapper Asheru who one a Peabody Award for Journalism in reference to The Return of the King episode where Dr. King voiced by actor Kevin Michael Richardson recites lyrics from his song “Nigga.”
Kevin Michael Richaedson
Affion Crockett
I also like the songs that were made throughout the seasons like “Booty Butt Cheeks”, “Homie’s Ova Hoes” and “Thugin’ Luv” because they highlight the most memorable part of a song, the chorus, and they make me laugh when I think about the episode behind the song. I did not have to convince any of my family or friends to watch this show. My mom and older sister watched it all the time and wanted to see the DVD before I returned it to Netflix. I watched it with my best friend who is a film major at Brooklyn College and she would come to my house or ask me to come over so she could watch The Boondocks and she does not like comedies or satire. I think by doing the assignment I have found new viewers who appreciate the series as much as I do
03 Dec 2010
by alyceswonderblog
in The Boondocks
The follow-up to the last episode The Hunger Strike, this episode is about what the title says Uncle Ruckus’s show about the life of Ruckus. The head of BET Company suggested to Debra Leevil the president of the network that Ruckus should have his owns how. Leevil not only wants the shows on BET to be terrible and be evil. I think that McGruder had made the episode The Hunger Strike and The Uncle Reality Show all together and decided to make this portion the ending episode of the season.
Uncle Ruckus has a known hatred for black people and thinks that the color of his skin is a disease that turned his white skin darker. The show follows Ruckus throughout his neighborhood, around his home, and conveys his thoughts and anecdotes he seems to say within the series two seasons.
Tom encourages Ruckus to take a genealogy test but finds out that he is 100% African descent. He truly believed that he was not black but now he begins to come to terms with his identity. Instead being in denial, he does try imposing change on his fellow black man by telling some people who instead of complaining they should do something. He does however keep his tone of being racist toward his own kind but I guess he is used to being that way.
Saddened by his realization Ruckus does not want to live and even with the cameras following him the producers on site do not try to stop him until Wedgie Rudlin voiced by Donald Faison the main producer of the show stops him from doing so. He relates to Ruckus by not having much in common with the black community that he Debra Leevil, and Ruckus despise.
I think that the doctor who did Ruckus’s genealogy test was persuaded by the executives at BET to tell Ruckus his results were false because Ruckus seemed to embody their idea of destroying black people and doing and saying whatever to make that happen. At some point, they could use Ruckus to help them succeed but until McGruder makes that episode, we will never know. I think that I have more percent of white in my genes than Ruckus I doubt he is 50% Caucasian. I rate this episode a 4 out of 5.
03 Dec 2010
by alyceswonderblog
in The Boondocks
The sequel episode to season one’s episode The Story of Ganstalicious, I at least knew who the episode was going to be about. Riley still friends with Ganstalicious after the trouble they got into before showed that he was his true fan.
This episode picks up where the last one does of Riley telling Huey about Ganstalicious kissing his lover Lincoln. Riley is oblivious to the fact that Ganstalicious is gay. He cannot see that his favorite rapper likes men. I think this is why he still keeps in contact with Ganstalicious. Huey tries to convince Riley that Gangstalicious is gay and even that Riley thinks that other people are gay.
Granddad believes that Ganstalicious has influenced him to be gay. Ganstalicious releases a song call “ Homies Ova Hoes” which Riley and other rappers like Thugnificent and his Lethal Injection Crew believe that it means putting your male friends over everyone else. I think that McGruder began to address the bro-mance a loving relationship between two male friends that many men have nowadays.
The success of his single “Homies Ova Hoes” led Gangstalicious to creating his own line of clothing. It is evident from his clothing line that Gangstalicious is not designing for gangsters. Riley gets some samples of the clothes and because of his membership to Thugnificent’s Lethal Injection Crew he wants Gangstalicious to allow Thugnificent to do the remix to his song “Homies Ova Hoes.” Riley, Thugnificent, his crew and other young Gangstalicious fans wear his fashions. I do not know how any of them did not realize they are wearing girl clothes. I mean tank tops that expose your stomach, shorts with the flap over the front, and pearls are definitely the things that I have sometime in my life as a female.
Everything seems great until a video model releases her tell all book about her life sleeping with rappers. She writes that Gangstalicious is gay which make Riley think that people might think he is gay and Thugnificent is left to wonder whether he should do the remix. Riley comes to the realization that Gangstalicious is gay but Granddad comforts him because he is only a child who is trying to understand his sexuality once his favorite rapper/idol is proven to be gay. I rate this episode a 4 out of 5.
03 Dec 2010
by alyceswonderblog
in The Boondocks
The story of Catcher Freeman is still not clear to me after Uncle Ruckus’s, Granddad’s, and Huey’s account of who he was besides the fact that he was Granddad’s great-great-great-grandfather. It saddens me that I might never find out the part of Africa my ancestors belonged. Black Americans mainly have the history of their southern ancestors that were shipped to the United States for the slave trade.
Many people believed that the Holocaust did not happen much like Riley did not believe that slavery happened. I think he denied it because he does not want to face the ugly history of America. I honestly wished it had not happened because it spawned a life of a word discussed in the episode The S-Word.
Catcher Freeman voiced by actor Donald Faison was a black slave yet the son of his white master. Lighter skinned children of slaves came from the rapes that slave masters did because slaves were considered the property of the slave owner. He would be known as a house nigger because he was lighter than the other slaves in those times. He was more educated than the other slaves because he had access to the literature in the house and maybe because his father was the slave master. However when one slave who seem to be like their Harriet Tubman a woman named Thelma Freeman voice by actress Crystal Scales was willing to rise up and convince the other slaves to do so as well in order to seek freedom.
Ruckus’s account of Catcher Freeman’s life was far-fetched and only relays his hatred for black people. Granddad’s story seemed to make Cather seem more courageous and heroic, because of Ruckus’s story, I think Granddad inflated his story a bit. Huey’s story seemed more factual because it was from an internet source. I think I believe Huey’s story most because he is the most rational character in the cartoon series. I rate this episode a 4 out of 5.
03 Dec 2010
by alyceswonderblog
in The Boondocks
I honestly thought the S-word the title meant was sh*t but after watching this episode McGruder clearly was taking about the N-word. This episode introduces the media enthusiastic activist Rev. Rollo Goodlove voiced by rapper Cee-Lo. The similarities to Rev. Al Sharpton is noticed but may have been embellished by McGruder.
We give words meaning in our society and the culture in which the word is used will be deemed negative or positive. The N-word is one word that was meant to hurt, demean, and oppress a group of people during slavery and well after the civil rights movement. Now I think people still let history allow them to hold onto a word whose meaning was negative but use it as a term of endearment with other black Americans although they get upset when another race uses the word.
Riley took advantage of this in this episode and accused his teacher Mr. Petto of calling him the N-word in class. The teacher did call him the N-word but only because he thought that black people use the word so it was all right for him to use it. Riley and Granddad alert activist Rev. Rollo Goodlove in order to get money from the board of education for I am guessing is emotional distress. Neither Riley , Granddad nor anyone need to exploit the school system that way because its bad enough there is not much money to fund publics schools in the first place.
It seemed after watching this episode not only did Riley and Granddad want to cash in on this incident so did Rev. Goodlove and other media personalities like Ann Culter voiced by Jill Talley. Although once the board of education declined to give them any money Rev. Goodlove was off to setting off his next claim to fame with a book and a possible TV show. I rate this episode 4 out of 5.
03 Dec 2010
by alyceswonderblog
in The Boondocks
The title to me gave me the idea of the holiday classic Home Alone starring Macaulay Culkin. After watching I realized that McGruder only used the same title and the fact that the boys were home alone but not the plot of the movie. Granddad leaves the boys home alone to go on vacation, which I think he was wanting sometime away from Huey and Riley who can be a handful.
The boys were basically blacklisted from all babysitting websites and Granddad found a flaw in the babysitter that he thought was perfect for the position. Uncle Ruckus was asked to watch Huey and Riley while Granddad was away. I think that even though Uncle Ruckus hates black people and himself for being black, he finds friendship in Granddad. This is probably the only reason why he agreed to watch Huey and Riley because in the first episode Ruckus was opposed to the idea of the Freeman’s especially the boys moving into Woodcrest.
Of course, Huey and Riley are not happy they have a babysitter nor that Granddad has gone on vacation without them. I think that Huey blames Riley for driving Granddad away and thinks that he is not coming back home. It was notable that they work best together evident when they succeeded in getting rid of Ruckus. However, their coordination seemed no more once Huey realized that he had to take charge of the house because he is the oldest. Riley on the other hand wanted to be wild and out of control and not thinking about the consequences of him being so.
It was very funny to me that in order to keep Riley from acting out Huey ties him up and even goes so far as to putting him in the closet. The constant surveillance on Riley has left Huey tired and unfocused which leads to Riley escaping. I think if they had worked together once they got rid of Ruckus then they would be lest worried about whether or not Granddad would com home. They could have cleaned up, spent the money on food, and rationed it until they heard from Granddad in my opinion. In real life however, a good neighbor like Tom who is a district attorney would have called child services and the boys would be put in a foster home because of Granddad’s actions. I rate this episode a 4 out of 5.
03 Dec 2010
by alyceswonderblog
in The Boondocks
In wake of hurricane Katrina, McGruder made this episode to show his take on the aftermath of Katrina on the people who were affected by it and the people who take in their displaced families. In August of 2005 was when Katrina had wreaked havoc on levees in New Orleans and caused thousands of dollars in damage to homes and towns. Not to mention the many deaths and displaced families living in New Orleans. This episode aired December of 2007 two years after Katrina where there had been not much government reconstruction and much fleeing of native Louisianans.
The Freeman’s unfortunately had family in New Orleans that were pushed out of their home and decided to stay with Granddad and the boys. I think that helping family is important especially in tragic time of Katrina. The only problem I have with family staying with family is that the guests who are family have a dynamic that they are used to and are not aware sometimes of the hardship they may put on their family that is helping them. The other Freeman’s cousin Jericho voiced by comedian Cedric the Entertainer and his family Peter and Skate Boy and Eddie Chan all voiced by actor Greg Ellis, Teena Marie voiced by child actress Jamai Fisher.
Granddad did the honorable thing by helping cousin Jericho and his family. I think he truly felt sympathy for his family. However, he had enough of them and wanted them out of his house. I think the dilemma is what do you do when your family is disrupting the way you live at home and how do you tell them to leave when they might not have a place to go? I would not want to be in Granddad’s position because I would not know what to do. I rated this episode 4 out of 5.
03 Dec 2010
by alyceswonderblog
in The Boondocks
The fate of Tom’s unsuccessful child basketball team depends on Riley’s talent. Tom never really saw Riley’s basketball skills only the tricks he was showing off when Granddad tried to help him practice in front of the garage. The basketball skills would give more depth to Riley’s character like with Huey who is gifted in forms of martial arts and a revolutionary as he proclaims. This would definitely be Riley’s trait of competitiveness but would not take away from his artistic side depicted in the episode Riley Wuz Here and compared to Huey’s artistic side of being a profound speaker. I think this is why McGruder chooses to have Huey narrate most of the episodes.
Riley’s showing off and tricks are something seen done by street ball players and popularized by Refer Alston drafted by the NBA in 1998.He was videotaped doing these tricks while playing basketball and the tape was sent to And1 by his high school coach which lead to an endorsement deal for Alston. Now the And1 shoe company has a street ball team that travels around the world challenging other street ball teams. They have created mix tapes of the street ball players playing, sneakers, and video games to promote the And1 brand and it has been successful.
The interest of Riley in the And1 culture would make someone like me assume that Riley would have the street ball skills of these players. His imitation of the tricks is the only thing I think he practiced. Once Tom recruits, Riley for his team is when the arrogance begins in Riley. I think that instead of trying to be part of a team and practicing like everyone else Riley thought too highly of himself. He knew that Tom was desperate for his team to win since they always lost and took advantage of it by acting as if he deserved to be treated as if he was the best. I mean I would not have offered Riley a thing nor would I have changed the uniforms just to have him on my team.
While watching this episode I was sure Riley was going to be a monster on the court but to my surprise he was not even very good. Matter of fact he sucked because he never practiced actually shooting the ball into the basket. His opponent Cindy McPhearson voiced by voice actress Tara Strong was just as cocky as Riley but she had the talent, tricks, and mind games to back it up. I know that Tom wished that Cindy was apart of his team when he watched her play. Just as I thought that McGruder was going to be predictable and let Tom’s team win for the first time he surprised me by making them lose. I guess this story was to teach Riley that practice makes perfect and there is no “I” in team. I rate this episode a 4 out of 5.
03 Dec 2010
by alyceswonderblog
in The Boondocks
The recent addition to the neighborhood, Thugnificent has made his presence known in Woodcrest with lavish mansion and parties. It is no secret that Riley takes a liking to the lifestyle Thugnificent and his posse Flonominal voiced by rapper Busta Rhymes and Macktastic voiced by rapper Snoop Dogg portray. It is also no secret that Granddad is not in favor of Thugnificent and his crew made evident in the episode The Story of Thugnificent.
Riley is warned by Granddad to stay away from the rapper’s home but Riley was intrigued and wanted to be part of their crew. While watching this on the computer it seemed predictable that Riley would do what he wanted. As a I child I was curious and did the same but now when I watch TV I cannot help but get upset when the characters do something that I know is not going work in their favor. Sometimes I think that they should have the sense to listen to their parents, guardians, and friends when they are trying to help them make the right choices.
Riley had to prove to Thugnificent he was worthy of being apart of The Lethal Injection Crew. With acceptance came a chain with the crew’s insignia in pendant form. I think that this was why Riley really wanted to be in The Lethal Injection Crew since he knew Granddad was not going to buy him a chain and he sure did not have the money for one. Also the benefits of being apart of a rapper’s crew was seen as glamorous to Riley.
Although Riley became apart of The Lethal Injection Crew he also became a target for his chain to be stolen. The school bully Butch Magnus Milosevic voiced by Daryl Sabara was prone to taking the things he wanted and not afraid of the consequences and honestly as big of kid that he is none of his classmates seem to be a true opponent in standing up to him. I was not surprised though by Riley when he did fight for his chain. Bullying has been going on for years and I think this was McGruder’s way of illustrating the sad reality that the negative way we treat our children can persuade them to become bullies or worst criminals.
Riley did not care that the chain was worthless but the status of him being a member of The Lethal Injection Crew. McGruder depicts the life of rappers and their entourage and the things people will do and say to be apart of the group. Riley chose to ignore his granddad and ultimately got a beat down for the reward of a chain for his initiation into Thugnificent’s crew. I rate this episode 4 out of 5.
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