One white man's review.
I was originally put off watching 'The Boondocks' when it was denounced as racist and condescending by a couple of mutual friends who were greater TV addicts than I was at the time. You know the kind: always wanting to be in on the next great thing before everyone else so they can have the smug pleasure of recommending it to you. Upon closer inspection, however, not only is their assessment incorrect, they missed out a whole lot of good points the show has.
No, the show is not racist at all. Creator and writer Aaron McGruder treats all races with an even hand, showing up their flaws while contrasting their humanities and take on life. He shows us there are white men who hate black men, there are black men that love white men, there are white men that love black culture so much they assimilate it, there are black men who fit gangland stereotypes (Riley) and there are black men trying to find a balance between the cultures (Huey, the voice of the creator). The word 'nigga' turns up a lot in the show but that doesn't mean there's an insult or slur implied - it's just conversational, like calling someone mate or blood or bro - although it is exactly the kind of weapon that overly-conservative types have used without having taken the time to watch properly. Shame on them.
What's good about the show? Quite a lot, actually. Production values are very, very high. Animation, while not overly technical, uses vibrant colours, scenic settings and is very smooth, having a likable Manga inflection for the two kid hero leads and the action sequences. Voice talent is in abundance. A couple of voice actors from my favourite show, Futurama, appear here - John DiMaggio and Billy West - as well as the legendary Samuel L, who I personally never tire of. All the performances are excellent and add depth to even the most basic of lines.
The plots don't quite match the glossy production but they are within striking distance, and often leave the viewer dumbstruck. Very powerful stuff, all told. And did I mention the music? Not only does 'The Boondocks' have one of the best theme songs I've heard (Asheru's line "I am the stone that the builder refused / I am the visual, the inspiration that makes ladies sing the blues" is one hell of a way to open a television program), McGruder tends to pepper the episodes with choice bits of hip-hop and incidental score which seamlessly mix in. I'd recommend picking up 'Hip-Hop Docktrine' parts I and II if you like what you hear.
What's bad about the show? Mostly, that it does what a lot of great art should do - pushes boundaries and forces viewers to reconsider their core values. Through the ages this kind of behaviour makes people uncomfortable. I think that's a good thing so why would I list it as a bad thing? Simply put, shows of this type tend to ruffle so many feathers that funding dries up way before the show peaks. I see 'The Boondocks' as getting ever-closer to combining all the intentions and styles into a cohesive unit, but with Cartoon Network failing to broadcast the last two episodes of the second season it doesn't look so good. It may not get picked up for another season and to lose it now would be a damn shame. I feel although the show is damn good, it has started hinting it could be so much more. The potential is there.
If you want something that entertains and challenges in equal measure and don't mind seeing every race under the sun satirised for comic relief, you might just love this. All thirty episodes are worthy of any viewer who has an open mind willing for more than the trite, non-challenging tripe we're wading through right now. As something of a liberal, that works for me.
I was originally put off watching 'The Boondocks' when it was denounced as racist and condescending by a couple of mutual friends who were greater TV addicts than I was at the time. You know the kind: always wanting to be in on the next great thing before everyone else so they can have the smug pleasure of recommending it to you. Upon closer inspection, however, not only is their assessment incorrect, they missed out a whole lot of good points the show has.
No, the show is not racist at all. Creator and writer Aaron McGruder treats all races with an even hand, showing up their flaws while contrasting their humanities and take on life. He shows us there are white men who hate black men, there are black men that love white men, there are white men that love black culture so much they assimilate it, there are black men who fit gangland stereotypes (Riley) and there are black men trying to find a balance between the cultures (Huey, the voice of the creator). The word 'nigga' turns up a lot in the show but that doesn't mean there's an insult or slur implied - it's just conversational, like calling someone mate or blood or bro - although it is exactly the kind of weapon that overly-conservative types have used without having taken the time to watch properly. Shame on them.
What's good about the show? Quite a lot, actually. Production values are very, very high. Animation, while not overly technical, uses vibrant colours, scenic settings and is very smooth, having a likable Manga inflection for the two kid hero leads and the action sequences. Voice talent is in abundance. A couple of voice actors from my favourite show, Futurama, appear here - John DiMaggio and Billy West - as well as the legendary Samuel L, who I personally never tire of. All the performances are excellent and add depth to even the most basic of lines.
The plots don't quite match the glossy production but they are within striking distance, and often leave the viewer dumbstruck. Very powerful stuff, all told. And did I mention the music? Not only does 'The Boondocks' have one of the best theme songs I've heard (Asheru's line "I am the stone that the builder refused / I am the visual, the inspiration that makes ladies sing the blues" is one hell of a way to open a television program), McGruder tends to pepper the episodes with choice bits of hip-hop and incidental score which seamlessly mix in. I'd recommend picking up 'Hip-Hop Docktrine' parts I and II if you like what you hear.
What's bad about the show? Mostly, that it does what a lot of great art should do - pushes boundaries and forces viewers to reconsider their core values. Through the ages this kind of behaviour makes people uncomfortable. I think that's a good thing so why would I list it as a bad thing? Simply put, shows of this type tend to ruffle so many feathers that funding dries up way before the show peaks. I see 'The Boondocks' as getting ever-closer to combining all the intentions and styles into a cohesive unit, but with Cartoon Network failing to broadcast the last two episodes of the second season it doesn't look so good. It may not get picked up for another season and to lose it now would be a damn shame. I feel although the show is damn good, it has started hinting it could be so much more. The potential is there.
If you want something that entertains and challenges in equal measure and don't mind seeing every race under the sun satirised for comic relief, you might just love this. All thirty episodes are worthy of any viewer who has an open mind willing for more than the trite, non-challenging tripe we're wading through right now. As something of a liberal, that works for me.