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[The Boondocks] is over, the finale was awful. Sigh.
Dracomicron
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
This is my first attempt at starting a thread for this forum, and I looked; there didn't seem to be any threads specifically about my current favorite cartoon series, The Boondocks.
When it was a cartoon strip, I thought it was quaint... a left wing commentary to contrast the right-leaning nation of the early 2000's. When it stopped being made because the author, one Aaron McGruder, was going into television, I was originally worried that we'd lost a unique voice to the halls of television sell-outedness.
Luckily, my fears were unfounded.
Flash-heavy site:
http://www.boondockstv.com/
This is one of the finest American cartoons in production, miles more consistant than "Family Guy" or, god forbid, "American Dad." The level of social commentary pulled off is, while not necessarally better than "The Simpsons," it's sharper and, perhaps, bolder.
A lot of the show's commedy is about race, but, unlike Carlos Mencia, it's not one-note, and doesn't go for the lowest common denomonator. The "N" word is used very consistantly throughout most episodes, but its use is generally by comical black people to denote their own ignorance (as opposed to informed black people like Huey), or by Huey in a scholarly tone to define certain behaviors ("a n***** moment").
The Main Cast:
Huey Freeman
Riley Freeman
Granddad
(couldn't find a good picture of just him... help me out here)
Robert Jebediah Freeman, or "Granddad" is Huey and Riley's legal guardian (I'm not sure what happened to their parents), and, while his grandchildren care about him, neither respects him much. To Huey, he represents the failings of all black people in a white world, while Riley just thinks he's a kinda gross old man who smacks him with a belt for being bad. He is the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of civil rights, having been at the fringes of all the major events in modern black history, but never getting credit for them.
The Freemans live in an upscale white neighborhood in Chicago, and must brave the perils of an odd cast of supporting players:
Uncle Ruckus:
The old Uncle Tom that seems to take the place of the voice-cracking pimpled teenager in "The Simpsons." The guy works everywhere, from the movie theatre to the neighborhood watch, always preaching the evils of black people and the inherent goodness of white folk (In "The Passion of the Ruckus" he has a near-death experience and meets Ronald Reagan in heaven, much to his bliss).
Jazmine:
The mixed-race girl thet lives across the street from the Freemans. She's sweet and innocent, and Huey disabuses her of her childish notions about the world. All the same, they're close friends. A contextually chilling episode takes place when she opens a lemonade stand which is bought out and run into the ground by a white businessman because she wants a pony.
A Pimp Named Slickback:
Like a "Pup Named Scooby Doo," or "A Tribe Called Quest," you don't just call him "Slickback." A Pimp Named Slickback only features in two episodes heavily, but he can be seen around town in several more. What can I say? He's A Pimp Named Slickback. Voiced by Katt Williams. 'Nuff said.
Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy:
Ed is the idiot who goes around town robbing his father's shops... and his father owns the entire town, seemingly. When caught, nobody arrests him... since it's all his dad's stuff anyway. Gin Rummy is his (white) Iraq war buddy who is voiced by Samuel L. Jackson and comes up with all the criminal schemes. Wikipedia tells me that they're supposed to represent George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld, and... well, I can see it. They're idiots, yo, and proof that Ruckus isn't right about white people being superior.
Tom Dubois:
Jazimine's dad and the show's common victim. He works with the District Attorney to put away criminals, and lives in fear of anal prison rape. He's often portrayed as representing the wrong way for a black man to integrate into white society. He's kinda a wimp.
Colonel Stinkmeaner:
The blind, foulmouthed old black man that hates everyone and everything. If he died, the world would probably be better for it. Unless he came back from hell to possess black folk and spread suffering and prejudice. May or may not be the Black Samurai.
Dorothy:
Granddad's ride. Recently pimped.
There are other great characters, but I don't have time to list them all.
So, now that I've introduced this series, which airs at 11 PM Eastern on Cartoon Network, I'd like to hear what you fine folks think. Is a TV-MA cartoon bursting with the "N word" an appropriate vehicle to discuss racial issues? Or did Chris Rock and Richard Prior use up all the good meditiations on race already?
Dracomicron on
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I'll grant you that they strayed further into absurdist territory than ever before with "Stinkmeaner Strikes Back," but I happen to love the Afro-Samurai-style fight squences in this show, and that one was full of them.
They've had good luck with alternate-reality sorta stuff before. "Return of the King" really brought a tear to my eye... I'm hoping they have an episode that good this season.
That would be Cindy. I've heard rumors that she's going to show up in this season, but she hasn't shown up yet.
I agree that she would be a good character, but I think they wanted to establish Jazmine, a more important girl character, first.
They also haven't introduced Ceasar yet, either, and he was in the comics for a long time... again, I bet they want to establish the boy characters strongly before adding in male friends.
I was not impressed. Not only did it cheapen the impact of the original Stinkmeaner episode, It really didn't have any good social commentary, nor did I really find it too amusing.
A shame because I thought the first episode ended in a very poignant way. I am hoping I'll like the rest of this season better.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
I suppose I get that. Hard to bring back a popular character who
I agree that the first episode with him did have an excellent message, and the second was a little more "fluff," but they don't all have to be serious. I really enjoyed the bit at the end with Stinkmeaner and Ruckus.
Sophmore slump perhaps?
Steam ID: Good Life
I think McGruder's work is far more important when it appears in the comics. Eh, I'm an old, cranky bastard, and I don't stay up to watch cartoons. I love anything animated, but I just have too much shit to do to watch animated stuff late at night.
That being said, yeah, I'm older, but I also love the fact that The Boondocks appeared in my local paper (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) next to disposable bullshit like Garfield and, more importantly, The Family Circus. Now, indulge me for a moment: yeah, we're talking the comic section here, but just recently--like, within the last 6 months--I specifically remember a Family Circus where one of the kids came home talking about prayer in sphool and "One Nation Under God" and it was obvious the political/religious message Keane was making. :x
Taking that into consideration, I prefer seeing McGruder's work on a two-pager newspaper fold-out going up against material like Bill Keane. Boondocks on late night on a cable chanel with an anime style is fine and cool, but McGruder is being far more subversive when his message appears alongside cartoonists like Kean and regular newspaper readers have a chance of viewing his message. Well, except for Get Fuzzy--that shit rules, too, and has some great, subtle, subversive subtext.
My fantasy: Riley and Bucky Katt blasting a few 9mm rounds into Billy as he is doing one of his Family Circus dotted line map runs... and then stealing his tennis shoes.
Ng Security Industries, Inc.
PRERELEASE VERSION-NOT FOR FIELD USE - DO NOT TEST IN A POPULATED AREA
-ULTIMA RATIO REGUM-
As for subversive, I do catch your meaning about it being next to the Family Circus. Ages ago, I saw one during November on an election year with the fucking kid saying, "Are we Democraps or 'Publicans?" Very subtle Keane. Jackass. Follow the trail to my middle finger.:roll:
On the other hand, the comic strip can't get into the depth on some things that the cartoon can. "Return of the King" won a Peabody award for its meditation on what Martin Luther King, Jr. would think about black culture today. And it got Al Sharpton all tied up in knots over it, which was amusing. Sorry, Al. You're not MLK Jr. and will never be. Not even close.
It would be nice if McGruder got to a place where he could do both consistantly, but I'm happy with just the cartoon series for now (this must be what the Japanese feel like with all of their anime/manga series).
It's not funny anymore, if it ever even was.
A thousand :^:s
The first time I saw that, I was in tears.
The cartoon is more like the comic strip in its first couple years. Except with kung-fu.
Can't really be mad at kung-fu.
I GOT THREE-STICK NUUUUUUNCHUCKS!
It's from the bible. The stone the builder refused has become the cornerstone of the temple.
Why does it have to choose? Do you know how many political references end up in anime?
Why you need to be hatin', bro?
Anyway, they both come from the same place... McGruder seems to have a lot of creative control. If nothing else, gotta give the guy credit for making good.
Did you see thugnificent? Hilarious.
Essentially I feel like the show is operating consistently at about sixty percent of its true potential; it's enough to entertain me, but I'd like more.
All that said, it's also a smart, principled show that's one of the few programs on TV (besides like The Wire) that gives an honest look at modern race relations. I wish the strip was still going, though, because I loved the idea that a certain segment of the population that would never watch Comedy Central or Cartoon Network was getting exposed to this stuff every morning along with their muffin tops and Dilbert.
But the first season was brilliant, so I keep watching.
People loved Stinkmeaner. They loved Uncle Ruckus. They loved the martial arts battles. They loved A Pimp Named Slickback. So McGruder brought it all back for a second go-round. While I'm not as disappointed as some of you are, I'm also somewhat reserving judgement... there's still plenty of time in the season for something as inspired as "A Huey Freeman Christmas" or "Return of the King."
If nothing else, if the show goes a third season, I'd be willing to bet that it will start taking chances again.
I never found him that amusing in the first place, honestly.
Also, A Pimp Named Slickback is pretty awesome and I was so glad he came back.
I shamefully missed this season's A Pimp Named Slickback episode.
It's okay, I'll get it on DVD.
That revolution scene gives me shivers.
Adult Swim's website does. They at least show the premiere episodes.
Shogun Streams Vidya
I turned my cable off so I'm with you. Thank god for the AS website.
Shogun Streams Vidya