Once just a comic strip, Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks is now a full-fledged animated series on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. It's also been plastered all over the city like CourtTV, but unlike our feelings toward Ashleigh Banfield, that hasn't made us hate it any more so.
Its premiere last night meant Intern Molly's weekend came to an abrupt halt as we made her put down the Ketel One and pick up the TiVo remote.
I wasn't sure how The Boondocks was going to translate into television. Honestly, I was never really sure who was letting its controversial and radical content run on the same page as the sickeningly saccharine Family Circus and For Better or For Worse in the first place.
Admittedly this was my first experience with Adult Swim, or even the Cartoon Network, so I'm probably not in any position to comment on the artistry or animation. In any event, since I was asked to, I will.
We ask Intern Molly to do a lot of things she doesn't want to — nor does she have experience doing. And after the jump, you'll find out why.
I wasn't sure how The Boondocks was going to translate into television. Honestly, I was never really sure who was letting its controversial and radical content run on the same page as the sickeningly saccharine Family Circus and For Better or For Worse in the first place.
Admittedly this was my first experience with Adult Swim, or even the Cartoon Network, so I'm probably not in any position to comment on the artistry or animation. In any event, since I was asked to, I will.
This episode was a promising beginning to what will never be The Simpsons; it clearly, and rightfully, doesn't want to be. The plot flow was a bit stilted (like a comic strip, surprise!), but this seems like something that could easily be ironed out.
The show centered around the Freemans' move into an affluent white community, the Boondocks, much as the comic started years ago. A neighbor stops by, ostensibly to say hello, but more likely to scope out this newest (and only) minority addition to the area. Thanks to an offer for cheese – white man's greatest vice – the Freemans are invited to a posh garden party.
Our young revolutionary protagonist, Huey, has a premonition dream about inciting havoc at a garden party by saying: "Jesus was black. Ronald Reagan was the devil. And the government is lying about 9/11." In reality, the partygoers are unfazed by Huey's proclamations, instead raving about how articulate he is.
The truth is that the rich white people aren't listening. They don't have to, because none of it matters to them. They have been, and will continue to be, the privileged class. They own and run the whole country. A young, intelligent African-American kid is entertainment and nothing more. No matter what Huey, or anyone, does, the white people will just keep clapping at what's put in front of them.
It's slightly annoying that both Huey and Riley are voiced by Regina King. Thankfully, King has found a way to separate himself from the Miss Congeniality stranglehold. The voices that she uses for both of the boys are fairly screechy, but they became tolerable pretty quickly. Otherwise it is aesthetically pleasing, though not as detailed and interesting as the print version has been.
It will be interesting to see where Aaron McGruder, creator of both the print and television versions, takes the show. People everywhere are hoping that he doesn't lose his edge. Some feel, however, that over the years the strip already has. In real life, McGruder makes it clear that he is not done making his point, and in many ways he hasn't even gotten started.
At one point the character of Uncle Rufus (who apparently will appear as every other black character on the show) serenades the garden party with his song "Don't trust them n—— over there." At the end, one of the women attending the party turns to her friend and says "I think that the N word is okay as long as they say it."
That's the beauty of The Boondocks: It's spot-on, often laugh-out-loud funny, and always has the ability to leave you feeling a bit more awkward and self-conscious than you were before you started. McGruder's revolution will be televised and, if he is able to escape repetition, it looks like it might just turn out how he wanted.
The Boondocks [Adult Swim]
The Boondocks: Sundays at 11pm EST on Cartoon Network.
