I think I first started to actually watch The Boondocks was two years ago. I can't remember getting particularly far into the show, mostly watching through the first season. I found it utterly hilarious. Though I was also watching other things at the time, and eventually ended up going to Turkey, which then took me to Armenia. Then to Georgia and now back to Armenia. The show was put aside as I continued to watch other things here and there, though generally less as my free time became significantly more occupied elsewhere. It's hot here in Yerevan, and going outside into the sun is a bit dangerous for both the UV and the heat itself. It's best to find ways to stay inside, whether it's going to cafes or just staying home where things are cooler. This has given me a lot more free time over the past week, and I remembered that I never really continued watching The Boondocks despite loving it. I decided to jump back into it, right from the very beginning again, giving it the attention I didn't quite get to before.
I think jumping into it from the start again has made me appreciate it more. This is a rare type of show. One that came out in a very strong pop culture environment, with the slow rise of the Internet and before the chaos of the iPhone's release and following developments. With references to people and of events that most people today probably wouldn't understand. Though that doesn't make this something that is stuck within its time, more a gem that shows the sort of environment the west was in back in 2005. Just shortly after the fears of 9/11, the rise of the War on Terror, and the upcoming 2008 market collapse. That is to say the show was sandwiched between some very big events within the decade. A lot of the shows of then still managed to find humour in the modern world, laughing at the situations the people found themselves in, making light of the idiocy that only seemed to grow in its intensity.
For the most part the show follows the character of Huey, a child that is incredibly self-aware of the difficult economic and political environment he lives within. A smart kid that sees the way forward, but is surrounded by people that seem caught up in their self-destructive ways and refusing to adapt and improve. Huey isn't a perfect kid, but he serves as the balance within the story, with each other character ultimately being a stereotype: the grandfather which is ignorant, old, and doesn't want to see anything change. The younger brother Riley which is just a menace and finds the fun in creating havoc. There's even a self-hating black man which constantly displays his hatred for his fellow race while sucking up to every white person he sees, to the point in which it is clearly ridiculous. There's even the upper-class government worker that is black and acts more white than the rest. These are all exaggerated forms of people within society. Put them all together, and you get stories and messages on culture and society, sprinkled in with extra additions of humour to lighten it all up.
John Witherspoon, unfortunately passed, is perhaps the highlight of the show as the grandfather. His voice is incredible, and his soul really punches through into the performance. His character the reason him and the two children live in a more luxury white neighbourhood which has them standing out. Episodes speak on the cultural differences between whites and blacks, though never shying away from the differences that could be considered more touchy. From how Martin Luther King would find today's society depressing. How white people see no problem in snitching because their outcomes rarely result in anything negative. There's also the concept of how stupid the rap world can be and how the drama can actually just be from the fact that the rappers are gay and in love. This is where the show is from the 2005, where no subject feels taboo and it pokes fun in any way it can. Even featuring a Bob Ross character which teaches Riley to create more 'appealing' street art that is really just still life fruit that white people end up loving and approving of, instead of the usual graffiti.
The Boondocks has no limits to its silliness. And it makes it clear that while sometimes there are some aspects of social commentary, it's all coming from a good place and just highlighting the fact that sometimes people are different in how they think, how they act, and that there's something funny about how fragile we can all be when it comes to these differences. This is one of those shows that never stops pushing forward. Each episode being a different story, each one showcasing that early 2000s climate. As if It's Always Sunny met The Fresh Prince and this show was birthed from the two, in a unique anime style.
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