Not for the Faint of Heart

Overview:

The boondocks is an animated series that debuted on Adult Swim. It is a politically charged satire about two young boys who move in with their grandfather in an upper-class suburb after leaving inner-city Chicago. The Freeman boys now have to adapt to a new lifestyle full of all kinds of crazy characters...hilarity ensues.

The boondocks animated series is based off of a newspaper cartoon series by Aaron McGruder. Many of his earlier cartoons were pulled from printing or censored for unflattering portrayals of public figures, left wing ideas, and risque subject matter. As I warn in the title, this series is not for people without a slightly twisted sense of humor, but for the rest of us the new comedic perspective is refreshing.

Much like South Park and other late night offerings from Comedy Central or Cartoon Network, the controversy and raw comedy of the Boondocks series is often offensive to some and misinterpreted by others. The Boondocks will leave you saying "wait... did he just say what I think he did?" or "you can't say that!" during nearly every episode and that is the series appeal for me.

The Characters:

Huey is a politically aware revolutionary who recognizes the ignorance present in modern day society and tries to provide a rational voice of reason on the show. He is disgusted by false portrayals of the black community in the media and distrusts all people in positions of authority.

Riley Freeman is the opposite of his brother. He wants to "do it big" and achieve the wealth and popularity of the rappers and other celebrities that he idolizes. He is very spontaneous in his decision making and often gets into trouble for not putting any forethought into a plan. Money, prestige, and 20" rims on the car would pretty well sum up his character.

Robert "Granddad" Freeman is the head of the household. He is usually responsible but often lets women preoccupy him from his responsibilities as guardian. He lives a very sheltered life where discipline and control of the kids are to achieve for him his ultimate goal...his own peace and comfort.

These characters and many more including Uncle Ruckus, Tom Dubois, and Michael Ceasar can be found throughout the first season representing various stereotypical viewpoints and offering many laughs.

What you get:

The fist season of the Boondocks is a three disc set containing all 15 episodes aired during Adult Swim in 2006. The episode lists are as follows:

Disc 1
1. The Garden Party
2. The Trial of Robert Kelly
3. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
4. Granddads Fight
5. A date with the Health Inspector

Disc 2
6. The Story of Gangstalicious
7. A Huey Freeman Christmas
8. The Real
9. Return of the King
10. The Itis

Disc 3
11. Lets Nab Oprah
12. Riley Wuz Here
13. Wingmen
14. The Block is Hot
15. The Passion of Reverend Ruckus

Each episode has a relatively easy to follow storyline that keeps viewers interested by throwing in a new twist here and there. I have watched several of these episodes more than once and I almost always notice something that I missed while viewing the first time. The plot of each episode stays consistent and the main theme is revisited from several different angles throughout. All these factors together keep the viewer engaged and interested in what will happen next while a dash of wry comedy keeps the laughs coming.

These are the first episodes of a new series and they are not replayed as religiously as the Simpsons on Fox. If you didn't see any of the episodes during their airing in 2006, but think you might be interested then a quick search for Booondocks on Youtube will yield several results. The official website www.boondockstv.com is a good place for everything Boondocks and a good place to start when familiarizing yourself with the series.

I am a big fan of the Simpsons, South Park, Futurama, and similar shows but the Boondocks First Season is the first box set of a show that I have ever purchased. Usually I consider these collections too expensive and unnecessary but the Boondocks sets itself apart from the rest and leaves me with a sore stomach from all the laughter inducing moments in each episode.

The satirical racism in this series offers a somewhat jaded viewpoint into African American suburban life but to those who can appreciate the context of the cartoon, and not just dismiss it as low-brow comedy, hours of entertainment can be had.