For the past few days I have been slowly getting into The Boondocks. This is a show that has managed to find its way to my eyeballs through endless online discussions and references, but I just never bothered to watch it. I'm not really sure why this is, but I am loving it so far. Recently I have been getting into animations a bit more, watching cartoons both new and old and just enjoying their simplicity. Truthfully, when you aren't feeling great, nothing quite hits the comfort spot like a cartoon does! I had no idea what to expect from The Boondocks though, while seeing it everywhere over the years, I never really knew what it was about. I wasn't even sure if it would be something that may appeal to me. In general, I just never looked beyond the references and screenshots I saw to bother giving it a chance.
I'm really glad I finally did though. I love shows that poke fun at ourselves. Ones that aren't afraid to laugh at the flaws of society, that look at the way we life as some broken structure but one that can be laughed at, even teaching us a little more about ourselves in the process. Shows like these are incredibly important, in my opinion. For they may contain political and societal commentary without ever really feeling like they're trying to preach to us. Good writing is the cause of this, and it's something I feel we just don't see enough of these days. Shows like these remind us to not take ourselves so seriously, to not take everything to heart. To be a bit more considerate, and to find ways to enjoy the simple things in life, even during hardships. All of this is felt in The Boondocks, no matter how stupid it may seem sometimes.
Even from here, I already really recommend the show. I'm still on the first season, but I'm having a blast with it. Curious as to where each episode will go, and whether the craziness will continue in intensity. So far, that does seem to be the case. And it's highly addictive!
The Boondocks
The Boondocks features two young children named Huey and Riley Freeman, living with their retired grandfather Robert. Robert lives in a more upper class, whiter neighbourhood in a suburbia. This is a bit of a culture shock for the children which are more used to the gritty, more chaotic streets of Chicago which have taught them a lot of more adult lessons in life. They're relatively mature kids for their ages, but still mischievous children. Each episode is a completely different story, which makes for various events for each of the characters. There's one episode in which the grandfather falls for a "hoe" in the supermarket, to which the children see what's happening and try to warn him, while he's oblivious to the fact that this woman is actually owned by a pimp despite all the red flags. There's an episode where Martin Luther King didn't die, but stayed in a coma for three decades, only to return and see how insufferable society has managed to become.
A lot of the episodes tend to feature some sort of commentary on society in this manner, showing how fragile and stupid, and tense it has managed to become. Though the only real person that seems to have any sense is Huey, seeing right through it all and generally knowing the best way to approach things with order. It's Riley that seems like the total opposite of him, being completely chaotic and void of morals. This dynamic is really enjoyable as the two get caught up in the same shenanigans, Huey trying to fix things properly, while Riley wants things to exacerbate purely for the humour. Going as far as getting Robert's house almost demolished for a house renovation show after claiming their house homes the homeless and that Robert is actually blind. Oh! And there's an episode where Robert literally fights a blind man and accidentally kills him. I think this sums up the chaos of this show in each episode.
And I absolutely love it. The chaos is so ridiculous sometimes, poking fun at everything and everyone. It's animated in a more anime manner, made in 2005 for Adult Swim, of course made for a more adult audience, which is very evident based on the nudity, humour, and language used in the show. I'll admit that this may not be for everyone. There is an excessive use of what I will refer to as "the N word", which may put a lot of people off. But this is a show made by black black creators to critique black culture and the perception they have had of it growing up in it themselves. When you look at it this way, it's incredibly funny. None of the humour of language has any offensive nature to me at all, and I think its the lack of rules and fear the show has that makes me enjoy it so much. It's insanely funny, and it just does not care how you feel as a result of what it has to say.
This isn't to say it is trying to offend, it certainly isn't. Even at the start of some episodes it has a little message to the audience, just saying it's completely stupid humour. Nothing serious, just jokes. This feels like opening a time capsule to a completely different era given it feels like these jokes couldn't be made today, even if by the demographic itself that it is portraying. I can see why this show is loved by so many, it certainly deserves it. And the animation style from the early 2000s definitely adds to he charm of it all, even down to the character designs of bratty children in oversized clothing an exaggerated afro hair. The design of Huey in particular is great. Highly memorable and simple. And certainly a stable of the 2000s.
I'm really excited to see where the show goes from here. It has completely hooked me in and I'll be definitely watching it episode after episode tomorrow. With the fact that each episode is a different story, I can only imagine what sort of insanity awaits. Though whether it can maintain the quality isn't a concern, with such shows you get good episodes, amazing episodes, bad episodes, and just some relatively average ones. I don't mind this, and I much prefer it to a linear story. Watch The Boondocks if you haven't already! The voice acting alone will probably have you laughing, yet another incredibly strength to it all. Every character is perfect.
