I dropped this video on a whim over a year ago. Couldnt even properly finish it because it kept crashing my laptop. I released it anyway and watched it sit at about 1k views for over a year. Now, in just about 2 weeks, it shot up to almost 10K views and helped get me to 1k subs. The YT algorithm is crazy 😂 but to everyone who's been watching and commenting and showing love, I cant thank you enough. More Boondocks content to come!!
I'm happy that it came across my screen, I felt like the boondocks was something that would be a great analysis video at greater lengths expressing more concerns and topics about what the show described the lives of Huey, Granddad, and Riley
This was well done man. Your video popped up on my homepage and I’m a huge fan of the bondocks… being a nigga in all😂 but anyways this video was perfect. Hope you do more of these in the future cause ill gladly support and follow along
I got a theory. See the boondocks has blown up on UA-cam. 3 hour marathon videos playlists of the whole show. Me and I'd wager a lot of us have been rewatching the show. So yeah low-key nows the time for a boondocks fan video. I suspect there's been so many mergers there just stopped being anyone enforcing the IP.
“Let’s paint a picture of someone you love, maybe, someone who isn’t with us anymore.” Never fails to make me cry. RIP Bob Ross, you were a light for countless people in this dark world.
As a white kid in a Boston suburb, Uncle Ruckus drew me in, but the show actually taught me a lot politically. It directly led to me reading the autobiographies of Malcolm X and Angela Davis, and the writings of Thomas Sankara, WEB Du Bois, Huey P Newton (duh), etc, which put me on track for a life of radical politics.
I related so much to the Boondocks in my youth as a Filipino. It really hurts watching your entire community believe in the things and the people that go against their best interests. I haven’t seen the show in a while and this reminded me why it’s so amazing.
The Boondocks writting is the closest to South Park. Extremely critical of pretty much everything. Except, The Boondocks takes a more left leaning approach, Season 4 lost all that and was just breaking bad is cool.
100% agree. Both shows did Satire better than anyone especially in their primes. As for season 4, you could probably tell from the video that I don't even like talking about it, but you hit the nail on the head. It's a soulless shell of the original show's greatness and it deserves to be hated forever. On a lighter note... thanks for watching
Also, south park is satire at it's weakest, more often than not leading to braindead conclusions on fallacious grounds. Southpark's entire schtick is to simply make fun of their chosen target of the week, specifically the way they talk, the way they look, or some silly thing they did in the past. It's playground levels of satire, backed up by political ignorance on the part of it's showrunners. Don't get me wrong, the show (used to be) funny as fuck, but it wasn't exactly the type of satire that made people question things or actually came to any meaningful or intelligent conclusions, other than maybe a few more understated episodes dealing with, for instance, Stan's depression. And while the show does have it's moments, for the most part it's a plainly vulgar type of comedic show that whenever it tries to give a glimpse into the creators' actual opinions, just becomes cringeworthy. (The whole "smoking is actually good and anti-smokers are evil" episode is pure, unadulterated, concentrated cringe. The episode dealing with whalers and their opponents as well, the showrunners missing the point of everything they make a feeble attempt towards to satirize.) Let's also not forget that one time the showrunners decided to respond to an obvious teen bully victim who gave admittedly flawed criticisms of their show in the most heinous, backhanded, ad hominem way possible, effectively and highly likely making said victim of bullying's mental state more horrible. Southpark is satire without class or intelligence to it. More often than not just supporting reactionary opinions, only occasionally managing to not be completely idiotic in it's conclusions. At best, the showrunners are too naïve to know better but ultimately mean no harm, at worst, the showrunners are arrogant pricks with harmful opinions that use ad hominem fallacies as a rhetorical device against people that can't fight back, most notably an actual child that one time. The boondocks' first three seasons is nothing like that. It's satire done right. And while Huey can also be cringe (black jesus isn't a thing, was never a thing, and will never be a thing except in the minds of people with no education except the bible thumping of some black preacher using a fictional religious character to promote their own racism.), he is more often than not simply trying to do the right thing in a society that is fundamentally rotten to the core. (Just maybe not always for the reasons Huey thinks, though he comes close.) It's also one of the only pieces of media that are capable of actually openly criticizing the glorification of black "ghetto" culture and all it's violent, cynical, hedonistic, self-centered consequences and get away with it because the creator is black himself while also not being an uncle tom like black people of the right wing. Had a crew of white people come up with the same exact episodes, the same exact characters and the same exact criticisms, it would have been canceled even before cancel culture was a thing. All this makes for a perfect cocktail of good humor, good writing, great intelligent remarks and a sensible attitude to comedy (Aaron himself says that without good comedy, the show wouldn't have worked. You can be right about things and make intelligent art, but without the admittedly great humor of the show, nobody would watch it. That's the way it is.) It's satire without becoming lowbrow ad hominem political fallacy after fallacy like South Park. The boondocks can actually manage to show the evil of society and it's people without resulting to "lol look at this guy I disagree with, he's fat" or "lol look at this woman I disagree with, she is ugly" like South Park does systematically.
Fun fact: Huey only smiles twice in the whole series and they're both in the same episode, "Home Alone." Once in the beginning when Huey and Riley are fighting and Huey's holding his katana to Riley's neck, he cracks a small playful smile like a smirk and when Granddad comes home from his vacation and the boys run up to hug him. It's a very tiny smile that's hard to see on a first glance or two but from what I remember, those are the only two instances in the entire series where Huey ever smiles.
He smiles one other time in the episode Ballin in Season 2 when Riley starts turning the tables against Cindy in his basketball game. Funnily how the only time Huey ever smiles is when Riley is involved
20:05 I always thought that that wasn't meant to be a mural of Riley and Huey's parents but moreso a mural of Grandad with Dorothy, his late wife (i.e. why he chose to name his car after her). Just my 2 cents tho I don't entirely remember if they directly say whether it is or not, but regardless it's still definitely beautiful moment in the series
Out of the hundreds of hours of retrospectives and deep dives on shows and cartoons, this has to be some of the best 30 minutes of content I’ve seen. Really hope this blows up man
The Boondocks was brilliantly written. The first three seasons were absolute gold and I can still happily watch any of those episodes today. You can tell Aaron McGruder wasn't involved with season 4 as the characters aren't the same.
To me, the Boondocks always felt more like a show about black characters and the black experience rather than simply a "black show". Maybe that's just because I am a (very) white guy, but the Boondocks has remained one of my favorite series ever since it first aired and I can quote pretty much every word of season 1. Witty, bitingly satirical, at times poignant, with random bouts of beautifully animated action thrown in for good measure... Honestly, what's NOT to love?
the best episode is Riley Wuz Here. funny, poignant and one of the best uses of soundtrack I’ve ever had the pleasure to witness. it’s a real full circle moment for everything, very evocative.
The Real was 100% my favorite episode of the show for a while until i saw Or Die Trying... Huey's interactions with Jasmine in The Real felt more genuine than any of their other scenes together. Let's Nap Oprah was also great because it sorta introduced me to DOOM.
This was one of the best video essays I’ve watched of the Boondocks. I love this show to death and your video highlighted the many reasons why the show will always be timeless. Fantastic work!
This is, without hyperbole, one of the most underrated channels on this site. Hope more people find this gem. The writing in Boondocks is phenomenal. A perfect blend of sharp hilarious dialog, and somber social commentary.
Boondocks is one of the greatest series, greatest animations ever. Everything about it. The music, the story, the voice actors, animatuon itself...the comedy..
Yeah I've seen that, but considering I've heard the writers say that Huey is never supposed to smile on the DVD commentary I'm chalking that up to animation mistake. Good catch though
@@chillreview636that was also thee first episode I didn't care for.. I remember watching it premier night and turned from it half way through.. probably thee first time I turned from any boondocks episode I'm sure.
i’ve been using the boondocks as my fall-asleep show for the last 5 years, seen each episode countless times, and there’s literally only a handful of eps i’ve grown tired of. And even then, those eps have moments that make me laugh out loud to this day 😂 genuinely one of the best shows ive ever seen
The passion of uncle Ruckus! I live in NC I know a few uncle ruckuses...YEESSSSS it's top tier comedy and a brain teaser, crime documentary, attack on mega churches. just amazing writing!!!! And not to mention HILARIUS
the boondocks has some of the most down to earth just relatable moments and episodes that are just etched into my brain when Huey went on the hunger strike and he asked granddad "granddad what do you do when you can't do nothing but there's nothing you can do" and grandad replies "you do what you can" stuff like this brings out such a human emotion we all understand how do you battle hopelessness you do what you can. From this to the Bob ross episode and the episode Shabazz K execution episode the range of human emotion. I haven't felt in touch with a show in a long time how could I be reminded about everyday life so much while always seeing something.
"Riley wuz here" was such a beautiful episode. Knowing who they were parodying, when ED3 says he’ll turn the whole block to hot grass it hits different lol
Riley was here was hands down the best character development we saw in boondocks. Riley is and forever will be my favorite boondocks character. That sequence at the end of that episode still brings me to tears to this day 😭😭
this video was amazing. you're one of the most intelligent guys i've ever listened to on here and i've only seen this one video from you. you deserve way more subscribers and way more views. everything about this video was perfect. you covered everything worth talking about and then some, leaving no stone unturned. it's like you were in the room when aaron mcgruder was writing this show. the music choice was genius, the way you delivered your commentary fit the tone well, you spent an adequate amount of time discussing every topic, everything was on point about this video
Just last year I finally watched the whole series of the Boondocks and it was one of the greatest choices I've ever made and shows I've ever watched. It was amazing seeing such great storytelling and social commentary about things I've noticed and dealt with before as well
An absolutely fantastic video showcasing not only why this show is so good and compelling but why Season 1 in particular still endures after all these years.
This show is absolutely one of my all time favorites. Your description of the final episode had me tearing up. Thank you so much for reminding me how powerful and insightful this show as. brought me back to being a kid and writing the lyrics down listening to the intro to try to learn them with my friend. Definitely top 10 anime intro. WE NEED A SEASON 2 REVIEW!!!
Grandad is my favorite character in the show. His personality is incredible, and John Witherspoon voicing him turned him into comedy gold. I get "New Shoes" stuck in my head from time to time. My favorite use of that melody was in an episode where granddad had a dream and sang to Huey, "I lived, you di-i-i-ied." 🤣
Holy crap this was an amazing video, genuinely, everything from the editing to the writing is on point. Honestly this is an underrated video, ONLY 2K? To everyone who see's this gem of a video: fuck season 4
I remember reading the comics on the newspaper as an 8 yr old kid. Ten on adult swim for season 1. My favorite episode is “Return of the King” the speech Dr. King gave is drastically what the black community needs.
My Dad used to let me read those comic strips when he was done with the newspaper back in the day. Makes me feel old now lol And Return of the King is an amazing episode. You got good taste homie
I always thought the mural at the end of the episode was grandad and his wife, very interesting interpretation that it was his child and their spouse (I don’t think they ever specify which of the boys parents was grandad’s kid). Excellent analysis sir.
I always figured that it was Hiey and Riley's parents, but I never considered that it might just be Granddad and the boy's grandmom. Thanks for the perspective my guy
I don't know if it's anyone else - but I've been on a huge Boondocks tip these last couple days?? re-watching episodes, watching McGruder interviews, re-listening to all the old music.. what a time it was
This was just recommended to me. Your retrospective, much like The Boondocks itself, has proven to be timeless. You deserve way more attention and you definitely have a new sub from me. I have these memories of Boondocks and Samurai Champloo being back-to-back on Adult Swim. With the music of Boondocks, and the beats from Nujabes leading the way for the tapestry of music in Champloo, it was this...perfect marriage of cultures. It was like peanut butter and chocolate. It was a VIBE. It will always sort of define that place and time in history for me. Anyway, I hope you keep at it. Yes, you're entertaining, but you actually have something to SAY, and that's appreciated. Thank you for that. Cheers, and good luck!
Damn I love comments like these. That feeling of nostalgia is the main thing I want people to feel from these videos. Happy you enjoy my art (also happy you enjoy the art that I enjoy lol) Thanks!!
i ve only discovered boondocks 2 months ago and it is a masterpiece, it is the kind of thing that if it was made nowadays it would never be as good, im very glade it came at the time it came.
I recently watch the boondocks for the first time, because I had no idea what to do to celebrate Juneteenth And wow, it’s really blew me away exceeded my expectations entirely . I was kind of just expecting a dumb comedy show, but the emotional maturity and stunning visuals really blew me away. Great review keep up the good work
As a mixed kid who looks almost completely white, I grew up as a kid like Riley acting out and shit, but as an adult I became Huey completely done with everything and self reflective of everything. I loved boondocks as I grew up, and coming back to it now in my 30s I'm surprised how well it holds up, truly a timeless classic.
Watching this review reminded me of how much I loved the 1st season. This season made me laugh, be upset, uncomfortable, righteous, attacked, freed, cried, and a whole heap of other emotions. The one that get's me is the episode with Not Bob Ross. That painting of the end reminds of my parents love, marriage and ultimately divorce. I think that's the beauty of season 1 is that it does bring up a lot emotions, expresses thoughts good and bad that we're not allowed to say publicly because very few people understand them, and just has fantastic art.
Watch this right after finishing the series and gotta say i love this ! Sadly it didn't blow up, considering how well it was made. Amazing retrospection, kudos to you!
Loved the video! I'm just shocked that after mentioning the fantastic music, that you didn't mention the late great MF DOOM. His music was heavy in Episode 11. 🔥
I like the part where Riley writes Santa a Christmas letter. So sweet, he is such a precious child. I watch it every year with my family along with other heartwarming moments like Die Hard.
Thank you for the excellent review! Despite being 1. White 2. Living in Russia, I truly enjoyed both your review and the anime itself. I believe art like this should promote equality, unlike the forced "woke" nonsense we often see nowadays.
Yo your narration of that last episode sorta gave me chills, would like to revisit that episode soon, as a UA-cam essay junkie much love and respect, binging your catalog
Despite how it might seem from a cursory glance, the boondocks, while often making fun of white people and in particular those white people in power, never becomes irreverably ignorant enough to be racist against white people. Aaron Mcrgruder (the showrunner) knows that crap is just villainous and counterproductive. All this is to say: being white shouldn't stop you or anybody for that matter (I myself am so pale I'm see-through, you can thank genetics and gray Belgian wheather for that) from watching the boondocks. The show is hilarious (except for season 4), thoughtful (except for season 4) and emotionally moving at times (except for season 4) As you might have guessed, we don't like season 4 around these parts. The reason being that Aaron McGruder wasn't involved with the creation of it due to falling out with the studio execs. Because shills at the top can't recognize genius when they see it and just HAVE to squeeze out every piece of artistic integrity in it's greatest assets (all, of course while blaming the artist for their own predatory ways. Hmmm, is the anti-woke right wing crowd still convinced Hollywood's writers and their unions ruin their stories, and not the actual executives making all the decisions years before they hire the overworked, underpaid, underappreciated writing staff? How very convenient for the conservative right wing suits at the top profiting off of union-busting and the entire PR stunt that is """""Woke""""" to begin with.)
such care went into this review. I was i tears more than half the time. Thank you for capturing the magic that is /was that time. The times that slipped away from us before we knew they we're some of the greatest in our lives
I LOVE “The Boondocks!” The animation is amazing. The characters are brilliant. The boys are very precious. This show is a historical gem. There is so much meaning in each episode.
Loved the essay. So insightful and closely observed. I never saw the Boondocks till I was 50-some years old and loved it, despite being part of the so called white ruling class according to my children. (Wish I’d known that during decades as an hourly worker.) Still, I much appreciated your explication of the depth and complexity of each of the characters. I had no idea of what to make of Uncle Ruckus beyond that he was a hilarious send up of white racists’ ideal Black. I also didn’t comprehend Huey’s sincerity as revolutionary beyond say the naive yearnings of, say, Lisa Simpson. Bravo to you. Now I know why I liked the show so much.
Thank you! And I appreciate hearing your perspective. It's nice to be reminded that people with completely different backgrounds can enjoy the same art
The boondocks will always be my favorite show of all time. Riley and Huey are the best characters of any show or movie, and everyone on the show traits closely behibd them
This show is truly pure gold. Surprised you didn't mention DOOM or the banned MTV episode. Re-watched this as an adult and it really hits a lot harder.
Great video man! The Boondocks was definitely a classic and I consider it a peak in both black comedy and adult animation as well. It was laugh out loud hilarious, but it also made you think. Like you said, Season 1 in particular was a bit more character focused and could get pretty emotional and slightly haunting at times. 2-3 were wackier but they didn't let go of the message either. You basically summed up everything smoothly tbh.
Still got all the principle seasons on DVD; watch them back as much as possible. Love this show. 🔥 Even if season 4 was the off-season (literally), gonna try and still hunt down a physical copy for fan purposes haha. Seasons 1, 2, and 3 continue to become continuously classic as time passes by.
Hahahaha "principle seasons" got me crying. But definitely get season 4 if you can. It's nice to say that you have it (even if you never actually watch it 😂)
I like your take of the Boondocks being the black Simpsons. I loved the three seasons of Boondocks I knew existed, so thanks for the heads up on skipping the fourth season. I’m distressed to hear it isn’t universally recognized for its brilliance. Glad to the show get recognition.
Damn this channel so Underrated… 1.6k subs and you giving more details and in dept takes than channels thats are known fir these types of videos.. keep grinding bro. Got my sub
I love The Boondocks and I really enjoyed listening to your description of the season 1 finale episode. Your perspective was poetic. The way mcgruder juxtaposed the hopelessness of Huey with the rise of Ruckus... stretching it to the limit before snapping it back with a bang: all of the negative karma that Ruckus had generated with all of the positive willpower from Huey's prayer, suddenly collapsing into a kamehamehic bolt of self-correction. It will be a dull chest ache to ride along, watching how well this show will age as we move forward into the next few decades. The most hopeful thing for me is what game theory has to say about life and cooperation here in the case of what things could look like by the next century. If the 'idiocracy' problem hasn't taken full hold yet. ('Hopeful' if you're a human who just wants freedom and joy for as many people as possible. It turns out that on average reality will actually reward kind actions and cooperative behaviors between well-meaning people and punish malicious intentions.)
Boondocks is one of those things that I realized I was enjoying for like the completely wrong reasons and like stopped watching it until I could appreciate it for its proper reasons. In fact I think at one point I was with a very heavily criticised types of people that are portrayed in The boondocks. I guess that's not very specific other than to say that I'm a white guy likes The boondocks
I've always been interested to hear from white people who enjoy the Boondocks. Mostly because it feels like art made specifically for black people. I think there's always a fear of laughing at people and not with them, but you recognizing you might have been too close to the former is really dope.
Kinda had a similar experience as well, though I watched The Boondocks as a kid but I look back on the show differently in a better way. The messages it told felt more real, while being funny. Side note I especially loved Ed Wuncler III and his friend.
I had always seen the show and grown up around it although I never paid any attention and never watched it myself. but I got into it abt a couple months ago and holy shit this show is literally one of the best shows when it comes to the comedy and stories , especially with them being inspired by real life shit
3 completely separate and unrelated comments: 1.Huey does smile ONCE in “Ballin”. When Riley finally has a good game. But your point about him is still valid. 2. I think the reason that the boondocks has such good replay value is because as an adult I have a completely different appreciation for the show. As a kid I watched it as a straight black comedy. As an adult I realized how it’s a really layered/ hyper critical show about black people and I realized how much of it has really hit home. Every single character on the show is someone I know in real life. That makes rewatching it way better. 3. I agree overall that season 4 is pretty weak. But I think the show still had some elements that are enjoyable. The show definitely became more of a straight up black comedy then but episodes like the pretty boy flizzy one and the episode where grandad tells the story about him in segregation are standout episodes in the series still. The only problem is those 2 episodes would be mid tier episodes in every other season.
Sorry, just saw that you had more points in your original comment. Your second point is why I wanted to make this video. I feel like a lot of people missed the layered social commentary and character growth in the Boondocks so I wanted to highlight it. And when it comes to season 4 i agree that its not all terrible and overall it equals out to the low points of the better seasons. Freedom ride or die is probably my favorite standout episode from season 4 too
As a kid who grew up with grandparents I like the relationship with their grandad and the sad reality that they are black kids who don't have a nuclear family. More black children around this time period were growing up without mom's and dads but the show paints in a more wholesome way by not including parents.
I dropped this video on a whim over a year ago. Couldnt even properly finish it because it kept crashing my laptop. I released it anyway and watched it sit at about 1k views for over a year. Now, in just about 2 weeks, it shot up to almost 10K views and helped get me to 1k subs. The YT algorithm is crazy 😂 but to everyone who's been watching and commenting and showing love, I cant thank you enough. More Boondocks content to come!!
I'm happy that it came across my screen, I felt like the boondocks was something that would be a great analysis video at greater lengths expressing more concerns and topics about what the show described the lives of Huey, Granddad, and Riley
This was well done man. Your video popped up on my homepage and I’m a huge fan of the bondocks… being a nigga in all😂 but anyways this video was perfect. Hope you do more of these in the future cause ill gladly support and follow along
@@sTheghost718 hahahah appreciate it bro! More Boondocks videos are definitely coming soon
I got a theory. See the boondocks has blown up on UA-cam. 3 hour marathon videos playlists of the whole show. Me and I'd wager a lot of us have been rewatching the show. So yeah low-key nows the time for a boondocks fan video. I suspect there's been so many mergers there just stopped being anyone enforcing the IP.
It's a great video, fam. +1 suub here
“Let’s paint a picture of someone you love, maybe, someone who isn’t with us anymore.” Never fails to make me cry. RIP Bob Ross, you were a light for countless people in this dark world.
Bob Ross was the GOAT
This is by far the best episode in the entire season in my opinion.
@@DamnYouMadeThisJ one of the best of the series
@@gavinc.morrison1147 honestly, yea.
Its what we all remember from when we were younger visiting our grandparents. Great episode that really hits well
The scene where Huey broke down so much that even he resorted to prayer did draw tears
As a 14 year old ... I was like why is he praying to a god he claimed he doesn't believe in ?
But it all makes sense now.
@@UrbanMediaReview ...man do i feel that
Season one finale was so good
As a white kid in a Boston suburb, Uncle Ruckus drew me in, but the show actually taught me a lot politically. It directly led to me reading the autobiographies of Malcolm X and Angela Davis, and the writings of Thomas Sankara, WEB Du Bois, Huey P Newton (duh), etc, which put me on track for a life of radical politics.
Damn that's a dope origin story. I hope you make a difference brotha!!
bro finna create change in boston
Thats extremely fucking gay.
Like a moth to a flame
@@lyric2576underrated comment ☠️☠️☠️
I related so much to the Boondocks in my youth as a Filipino. It really hurts watching your entire community believe in the things and the people that go against their best interests. I haven’t seen the show in a while and this reminded me why it’s so amazing.
I loved The Boondocks as a teenager in 2005 and I still watch it from time to time today as a adult
Love to see people still watch this show. One of my all time favorites
@@chillreview636 same here
I still watch it!!
@@Leotv1948 cool
It's that old! I wasn't old enough to be watching that😂
The Boondocks writting is the closest to South Park. Extremely critical of pretty much everything. Except, The Boondocks takes a more left leaning approach, Season 4 lost all that and was just breaking bad is cool.
100% agree. Both shows did Satire better than anyone especially in their primes.
As for season 4, you could probably tell from the video that I don't even like talking about it, but you hit the nail on the head. It's a soulless shell of the original show's greatness and it deserves to be hated forever.
On a lighter note... thanks for watching
Also, south park is satire at it's weakest, more often than not leading to braindead conclusions on fallacious grounds. Southpark's entire schtick is to simply make fun of their chosen target of the week, specifically the way they talk, the way they look, or some silly thing they did in the past. It's playground levels of satire, backed up by political ignorance on the part of it's showrunners.
Don't get me wrong, the show (used to be) funny as fuck, but it wasn't exactly the type of satire that made people question things or actually came to any meaningful or intelligent conclusions, other than maybe a few more understated episodes dealing with, for instance, Stan's depression. And while the show does have it's moments, for the most part it's a plainly vulgar type of comedic show that whenever it tries to give a glimpse into the creators' actual opinions, just becomes cringeworthy. (The whole "smoking is actually good and anti-smokers are evil" episode is pure, unadulterated, concentrated cringe. The episode dealing with whalers and their opponents as well, the showrunners missing the point of everything they make a feeble attempt towards to satirize.)
Let's also not forget that one time the showrunners decided to respond to an obvious teen bully victim who gave admittedly flawed criticisms of their show in the most heinous, backhanded, ad hominem way possible, effectively and highly likely making said victim of bullying's mental state more horrible.
Southpark is satire without class or intelligence to it. More often than not just supporting reactionary opinions, only occasionally managing to not be completely idiotic in it's conclusions. At best, the showrunners are too naïve to know better but ultimately mean no harm, at worst, the showrunners are arrogant pricks with harmful opinions that use ad hominem fallacies as a rhetorical device against people that can't fight back, most notably an actual child that one time.
The boondocks' first three seasons is nothing like that. It's satire done right. And while Huey can also be cringe (black jesus isn't a thing, was never a thing, and will never be a thing except in the minds of people with no education except the bible thumping of some black preacher using a fictional religious character to promote their own racism.), he is more often than not simply trying to do the right thing in a society that is fundamentally rotten to the core. (Just maybe not always for the reasons Huey thinks, though he comes close.)
It's also one of the only pieces of media that are capable of actually openly criticizing the glorification of black "ghetto" culture and all it's violent, cynical, hedonistic, self-centered consequences and get away with it because the creator is black himself while also not being an uncle tom like black people of the right wing. Had a crew of white people come up with the same exact episodes, the same exact characters and the same exact criticisms, it would have been canceled even before cancel culture was a thing.
All this makes for a perfect cocktail of good humor, good writing, great intelligent remarks and a sensible attitude to comedy (Aaron himself says that without good comedy, the show wouldn't have worked. You can be right about things and make intelligent art, but without the admittedly great humor of the show, nobody would watch it. That's the way it is.) It's satire without becoming lowbrow ad hominem political fallacy after fallacy like South Park. The boondocks can actually manage to show the evil of society and it's people without resulting to "lol look at this guy I disagree with, he's fat" or "lol look at this woman I disagree with, she is ugly" like South Park does systematically.
not reading allat@@RedFloyd469
@@RedFloyd469I wouldn’t dumb South Park down that much, but it’s worst episodes can be really fucking pretentious, and/or dumb fart and dick jokes.
@@RedFloyd469 Loved reading your thoughts. Quick question. Are you black?
Fun fact: Huey only smiles twice in the whole series and they're both in the same episode, "Home Alone." Once in the beginning when Huey and Riley are fighting and Huey's holding his katana to Riley's neck, he cracks a small playful smile like a smirk and when Granddad comes home from his vacation and the boys run up to hug him. It's a very tiny smile that's hard to see on a first glance or two but from what I remember, those are the only two instances in the entire series where Huey ever smiles.
He smiles one other time in the episode Ballin in Season 2 when Riley starts turning the tables against Cindy in his basketball game. Funnily how the only time Huey ever smiles is when Riley is involved
huey actually did smile when granddad came home after his vacation, and during riley’s basketball game
And I remember he chuckled when gin rummy and ed wuncler 3rd were saying to Riley in the car "Inglish mfer do you speak it"
20:05 I always thought that that wasn't meant to be a mural of Riley and Huey's parents but moreso a mural of Grandad with Dorothy, his late wife (i.e. why he chose to name his car after her). Just my 2 cents tho I don't entirely remember if they directly say whether it is or not, but regardless it's still definitely beautiful moment in the series
Yeah you might be right about that. But like you said, either way it's a beautiful moment.
Thanks for watching!
Out of the hundreds of hours of retrospectives and deep dives on shows and cartoons, this has to be some of the best 30 minutes of content I’ve seen. Really hope this blows up man
Thank you bro! Happy you enjoyed it
preach! xD
The Boondocks was brilliantly written. The first three seasons were absolute gold and I can still happily watch any of those episodes today.
You can tell Aaron McGruder wasn't involved with season 4 as the characters aren't the same.
To me, the Boondocks always felt more like a show about black characters and the black experience rather than simply a "black show". Maybe that's just because I am a (very) white guy, but the Boondocks has remained one of my favorite series ever since it first aired and I can quote pretty much every word of season 1.
Witty, bitingly satirical, at times poignant, with random bouts of beautifully animated action thrown in for good measure... Honestly, what's NOT to love?
the best episode is Riley Wuz Here. funny, poignant and one of the best uses of soundtrack I’ve ever had the pleasure to witness. it’s a real full circle moment for everything, very evocative.
All facts. I love that episode. Definitely one of my favorites
The Real was 100% my favorite episode of the show for a while until i saw Or Die Trying...
Huey's interactions with Jasmine in The Real felt more genuine than any of their other scenes together.
Let's Nap Oprah was also great because it sorta introduced me to DOOM.
Yeah the real is such an underrated episode. And this show introduced to me to DOOM too! Forever grateful for that.
Thanks for watching!
This was one of the best video essays I’ve watched of the Boondocks. I love this show to death and your video highlighted the many reasons why the show will always be timeless. Fantastic work!
Thank you! Seeing people who share my love for the boondocks is dope as hell
This is, without hyperbole, one of the most underrated channels on this site.
Hope more people find this gem.
The writing in Boondocks is phenomenal. A perfect blend of sharp hilarious dialog, and somber social commentary.
Couldn't agree more. Love to see other people love this show like I do.
Thanks for watching 🤙🏾
Boondocks is one of the greatest series, greatest animations ever. Everything about it. The music, the story, the voice actors, animatuon itself...the comedy..
Huey actual smiles very slightly when he sees Riley start to succeed with his team in the basketball episode. He really loved his bro 🥲
Seeing john Witherspoon with that ✌🏾 sign fucked me up bro was really a part of our child hood long live our granddad 😢
Huey actually smiles a couple of times in the Basketball episode
Yeah I've seen that, but considering I've heard the writers say that Huey is never supposed to smile on the DVD commentary I'm chalking that up to animation mistake. Good catch though
@@chillreview636that was also thee first episode I didn't care for.. I remember watching it premier night and turned from it half way through.. probably thee first time I turned from any boondocks episode I'm sure.
thank you for the samurai champloo reference, spot on
Phenomenal video. The Samurai Champloo ode at @14:08 was top tier as well. Subscription well earned
i’ve been using the boondocks as my fall-asleep show for the last 5 years, seen each episode countless times, and there’s literally only a handful of eps i’ve grown tired of. And even then, those eps have moments that make me laugh out loud to this day 😂 genuinely one of the best shows ive ever seen
Never stop making videos man this is one of the best retrospective videos I’ve ever watched no exaggeration.
Thank you! More videos are definitely coming
The passion of uncle Ruckus! I live in NC I know a few uncle ruckuses...YEESSSSS it's top tier comedy and a brain teaser, crime documentary, attack on mega churches. just amazing writing!!!! And not to mention HILARIUS
the boondocks has some of the most down to earth just relatable moments and episodes that are just etched into my brain when Huey went on the hunger strike and he asked granddad "granddad what do you do when you can't do nothing but there's nothing you can do" and grandad replies "you do what you can" stuff like this brings out such a human emotion we all understand how do you battle hopelessness you do what you can. From this to the Bob ross episode and the episode Shabazz K execution episode the range of human emotion. I haven't felt in touch with a show in a long time how could I be reminded about everyday life so much while always seeing something.
Boondocks is the greatest adult cartoon of all time. I've loved this show since I was 12 years old
"Riley wuz here" was such a beautiful episode. Knowing who they were parodying, when ED3 says he’ll turn the whole block to hot grass it hits different lol
Riley was here was hands down the best character development we saw in boondocks. Riley is and forever will be my favorite boondocks character. That sequence at the end of that episode still brings me to tears to this day 😭😭
Straight facts!
this video was amazing. you're one of the most intelligent guys i've ever listened to on here and i've only seen this one video from you. you deserve way more subscribers and way more views. everything about this video was perfect. you covered everything worth talking about and then some, leaving no stone unturned. it's like you were in the room when aaron mcgruder was writing this show. the music choice was genius, the way you delivered your commentary fit the tone well, you spent an adequate amount of time discussing every topic, everything was on point about this video
I appreciate the high praise bro 🙏
Can't believe you still have less than 1k subs. Hoping to see this video take off in the near future - your content is awesome man
Thanks my man.
Good luck with your art 🤙🏾
Just last year I finally watched the whole series of the Boondocks and it was one of the greatest choices I've ever made and shows I've ever watched. It was amazing seeing such great storytelling and social commentary about things I've noticed and dealt with before as well
Ayyy!! Happy to hear you gave it a chance and enjoyed the show
truly one of the greatest series of all time, animated or not
This is true
Damn this was such a great and beautiful review
Especially the emotional climax at the end
Great work
Thank you kindly
Oh PJs I remember that show, best clamation sitcom I've ever seen.
An absolutely fantastic video showcasing not only why this show is so good and compelling but why Season 1 in particular still endures after all these years.
This show is absolutely one of my all time favorites. Your description of the final episode had me tearing up. Thank you so much for reminding me how powerful and insightful this show as. brought me back to being a kid and writing the lyrics down listening to the intro to try to learn them with my friend. Definitely top 10 anime intro.
WE NEED A SEASON 2 REVIEW!!!
Do I have good news for you!
ua-cam.com/video/FGySIo_9vBE/v-deo.html
Grandad is my favorite character in the show. His personality is incredible, and John Witherspoon voicing him turned him into comedy gold. I get "New Shoes" stuck in my head from time to time. My favorite use of that melody was in an episode where granddad had a dream and sang to Huey, "I lived, you di-i-i-ied." 🤣
Hahaha just rewatched season 3 and him singing that "I lived and you diiiiii3d" part had me rolling 😂😂
You killed it, really well done. It shows you’ve put a lot of time & thought into this. Looking forward to rewatching this show now.
Holy crap this was an amazing video, genuinely, everything from the editing to the writing is on point. Honestly this is an underrated video, ONLY 2K? To everyone who see's this gem of a video: fuck season 4
I agree with everything you just said. ESPECIALLY THE FUCK SEASON 4 PART! 😤
I remember reading the comics on the newspaper as an 8 yr old kid. Ten on adult swim for season 1. My favorite episode is “Return of the King” the speech Dr. King gave is drastically what the black community needs.
My Dad used to let me read those comic strips when he was done with the newspaper back in the day. Makes me feel old now lol
And Return of the King is an amazing episode. You got good taste homie
This is my first video I seen of yours. When you referred to fight club as a black comedy I knew I was in the right place. Instant sub
I always thought the mural at the end of the episode was grandad and his wife, very interesting interpretation that it was his child and their spouse (I don’t think they ever specify which of the boys parents was grandad’s kid). Excellent analysis sir.
I always figured that it was Hiey and Riley's parents, but I never considered that it might just be Granddad and the boy's grandmom. Thanks for the perspective my guy
Thank You Adult Swim for providing such a great budget for a show that taught us all so much!!
Amen 🙏
I don't know if it's anyone else - but I've been on a huge Boondocks tip these last couple days?? re-watching episodes, watching McGruder interviews, re-listening to all the old music.. what a time it was
the tribe called quest instrumental drop at the end of the gangstalicious chapter gave me goosebumps
my god this is S++ quality content man great shit there's no way you don't get a million subs if you keep this up
"you might've known him from other things" shows a clip from trapped in the closet 😭😭
4:21 Huey smiles in that episode where Riley is playing basketball
This was just recommended to me. Your retrospective, much like The Boondocks itself, has proven to be timeless. You deserve way more attention and you definitely have a new sub from me.
I have these memories of Boondocks and Samurai Champloo being back-to-back on Adult Swim. With the music of Boondocks, and the beats from Nujabes leading the way for the tapestry of music in Champloo, it was this...perfect marriage of cultures. It was like peanut butter and chocolate. It was a VIBE. It will always sort of define that place and time in history for me.
Anyway, I hope you keep at it. Yes, you're entertaining, but you actually have something to SAY, and that's appreciated. Thank you for that. Cheers, and good luck!
Damn I love comments like these. That feeling of nostalgia is the main thing I want people to feel from these videos. Happy you enjoy my art (also happy you enjoy the art that I enjoy lol) Thanks!!
i ve only discovered boondocks 2 months ago and it is a masterpiece, it is the kind of thing that if it was made nowadays it would never be as good, im very glade it came at the time it came.
Happy you found the show (and my video lol)
The Boondocks is my favorite show ever and this video is a masterpiece that perfectly captures the feeling of it
Beautifully made Chill.
I watched the whole thing recently, and I'm glad I did.
Thanks my man.
Happy you enjoyed it 🤙🏾
This piece of art made me feel whole. For a moment. Thank you.
Happy you enjoyed it. Love to hear my videos make a difference
I recently watch the boondocks for the first time, because I had no idea what to do to celebrate Juneteenth
And wow, it’s really blew me away exceeded my expectations entirely .
I was kind of just expecting a dumb comedy show, but the emotional maturity and stunning visuals really blew me away.
Great review keep up the good work
Happy to hear you gave it chance. It's definitely a masterpiece of a show. Thanks for watching!
As a mixed kid who looks almost completely white, I grew up as a kid like Riley acting out and shit, but as an adult I became Huey completely done with everything and self reflective of everything.
I loved boondocks as I grew up, and coming back to it now in my 30s I'm surprised how well it holds up, truly a timeless classic.
Watching this review reminded me of how much I loved the 1st season. This season made me laugh, be upset, uncomfortable, righteous, attacked, freed, cried, and a whole heap of other emotions. The one that get's me is the episode with Not Bob Ross. That painting of the end reminds of my parents love, marriage and ultimately divorce. I think that's the beauty of season 1 is that it does bring up a lot emotions, expresses thoughts good and bad that we're not allowed to say publicly because very few people understand them, and just has fantastic art.
Beautifully said my brotha! The boondocks definitely evokes a lot of different emotions and memories from me too
Watch this right after finishing the series and gotta say i love this ! Sadly it didn't blow up, considering how well it was made. Amazing retrospection, kudos to you!
Thanks for letting me revisit my favorite season of my favorite show.
Loved the video! I'm just shocked that after mentioning the fantastic music, that you didn't mention the late great MF DOOM. His music was heavy in Episode 11. 🔥
Yeah I should have mentioned Doom at least once. This was the show that put me onto him
I like the part where Riley writes Santa a Christmas letter. So sweet, he is such a precious child. I watch it every year with my family along with other heartwarming moments like Die Hard.
Yup Riley is such a pure and innocent angel 😇
@chillreview636 No he ain't 😂
Thank you for the excellent review! Despite being
1. White
2. Living in Russia,
I truly enjoyed both your review and the anime itself. I believe art like this should promote equality, unlike the forced "woke" nonsense we often see nowadays.
@31:25 "Like it says in the book. We are both blessed and cursed. The same things make us laugh, makes us cry"
Yo your narration of that last episode sorta gave me chills, would like to revisit that episode soon, as a UA-cam essay junkie much love and respect, binging your catalog
Happy you found my channel brotha. More essays are coming soon
You have a real talent for video making. Im about as pale as the year's first snowfall, and had never heard of this hidden gem until now. Thank you 😊
"Pale as the year's first snowfall" is one I've never heard before 😂😂. Thanks for watching!
Despite how it might seem from a cursory glance, the boondocks, while often making fun of white people and in particular those white people in power, never becomes irreverably ignorant enough to be racist against white people. Aaron Mcrgruder (the showrunner) knows that crap is just villainous and counterproductive.
All this is to say: being white shouldn't stop you or anybody for that matter (I myself am so pale I'm see-through, you can thank genetics and gray Belgian wheather for that) from watching the boondocks. The show is hilarious (except for season 4), thoughtful (except for season 4) and emotionally moving at times (except for season 4)
As you might have guessed, we don't like season 4 around these parts. The reason being that Aaron McGruder wasn't involved with the creation of it due to falling out with the studio execs. Because shills at the top can't recognize genius when they see it and just HAVE to squeeze out every piece of artistic integrity in it's greatest assets (all, of course while blaming the artist for their own predatory ways. Hmmm, is the anti-woke right wing crowd still convinced Hollywood's writers and their unions ruin their stories, and not the actual executives making all the decisions years before they hire the overworked, underpaid, underappreciated writing staff? How very convenient for the conservative right wing suits at the top profiting off of union-busting and the entire PR stunt that is """""Woke""""" to begin with.)
such care went into this review. I was i tears more than half the time. Thank you for capturing the magic that is /was that time.
The times that slipped away from us before we knew they we're some of the greatest in our lives
Happy you liked it that much. Love seeing other people who love the boondocks as much as I do
This was, hands down, one of the best videos I have seen on youtube. Great work, great script, great voice. I hope you are doing well.
Yo, this show was far ahead of its time. That's why it's still so relevant yet classic. A beautiful piece of art. Black Art. 🖤
All facts!
This was an amazing review 👏 Definitely one of the best shows of this generation. A hood classic
I LOVE “The Boondocks!” The animation is amazing. The characters are brilliant. The boys are very precious. This show is a historical gem. There is so much meaning in each episode.
I love your breakdown of Stinkmeaner, you really hit it on the head
this show can never die
This was an awesome review. Love your epilogue by the way! 🤘🏽
Loved the essay. So insightful and closely observed. I never saw the Boondocks till I was 50-some years old and loved it, despite being part of the so called white ruling class according to my children. (Wish I’d known that during decades as an hourly worker.)
Still, I much appreciated your explication of the depth and complexity of each of the characters. I had no idea of what to make of Uncle Ruckus beyond that he was a hilarious send up of white racists’ ideal Black. I also didn’t comprehend Huey’s sincerity as revolutionary beyond say the naive yearnings of, say, Lisa Simpson.
Bravo to you. Now I know why I liked the show so much.
Thank you! And I appreciate hearing your perspective. It's nice to be reminded that people with completely different backgrounds can enjoy the same art
The boondocks will always be my favorite show of all time. Riley and Huey are the best characters of any show or movie, and everyone on the show traits closely behibd them
Wow, what an awesome channel. Please don’t stop the content 🔥
I fw this video the boondocks in my opinion is the best show so ahead of its time fr
none episode broke me as much as passion of unckle ruckus that i still having a knot in my throat remembering it
@@esetipoahi Definitely my favorite episode
@@chillreview636 Huey praying hits fuckin hard
Yoo with the Samurai Champloo reference too! Bout to sub
Appreciate it brotha! Plently of Boondocks and Champloo content on the channel already and more to come
This is great (also I didn’t expect the samurai champloo comparison, fucking love that show)
Thanks! I got some other videos on Champloo too. Definitely a great show, and you clearly have great taste
This show is truly pure gold.
Surprised you didn't mention DOOM or the banned MTV episode.
Re-watched this as an adult and it really hits a lot harder.
Yeah I kinda dropped the ball by not mentioning DOOM, but I mentioned the banned episodes in the sequel to this video that I just dropped this week.
@@chillreview636 LMAO. I came back to say, my bad- I didn't see part two. Watching it rn, thanks bro. -New sub
White Man from Milwaukee, WI, here, 44 + work in a factory- every summer shut-down (4th of July week) I rewatch all 3 seasons on DVD
Great video man! The Boondocks was definitely a classic and I consider it a peak in both black comedy and adult animation as well.
It was laugh out loud hilarious, but it also made you think. Like you said, Season 1 in particular was a bit more character focused and could get pretty emotional and slightly haunting at times. 2-3 were wackier but they didn't let go of the message either. You basically summed up everything smoothly tbh.
Yeah I've learned to love the differences between the seasons. Happy to find si many other people who love the show too
I used to always look for the comic strip in the newspaper. Once the show came out I was entranced.
Same here!
Still got all the principle seasons on DVD; watch them back as much as possible. Love this show. 🔥
Even if season 4 was the off-season (literally), gonna try and still hunt down a physical copy for fan purposes haha. Seasons 1, 2, and 3 continue to become continuously classic as time passes by.
Hahahaha "principle seasons" got me crying. But definitely get season 4 if you can. It's nice to say that you have it (even if you never actually watch it 😂)
I like your take of the Boondocks being the black Simpsons. I loved the three seasons of Boondocks I knew existed, so thanks for the heads up on skipping the fourth season. I’m distressed to hear it isn’t universally recognized for its brilliance. Glad to the show get recognition.
Thats milion subscribes worthy work.
Your content is awesome man
Thank you brotha
The boondocks is my childhood it’s home. I love this video!❤
Ive gotta say, i just stumbled on your page and this was AWESOMELY well thought out and to the point. this was fckin amazing!!!!
Happy you found me! Thanks for watching
Damn this channel so Underrated… 1.6k subs and you giving more details and in dept takes than channels thats are known fir these types of videos.. keep grinding bro. Got my sub
Thanks bro! I appreciate the love
Another masterpiece of a video
Thanks homie 🙏
That death note vid you asked about might be next
Yes!
This episode is such a chill breakdown. It made me want to rewatch it and enjoy. You should do black dynomite next. Ill like to hear your take on it.
Thanks! Happy you liked the video.
I've only seen a few episode of Black Dynamite, but its definitely a funny show
I love The Boondocks and I really enjoyed listening to your description of the season 1 finale episode. Your perspective was poetic. The way mcgruder juxtaposed the hopelessness of Huey with the rise of Ruckus... stretching it to the limit before snapping it back with a bang: all of the negative karma that Ruckus had generated with all of the positive willpower from Huey's prayer, suddenly collapsing into a kamehamehic bolt of self-correction. It will be a dull chest ache to ride along, watching how well this show will age as we move forward into the next few decades.
The most hopeful thing for me is what game theory has to say about life and cooperation here in the case of what things could look like by the next century. If the 'idiocracy' problem hasn't taken full hold yet. ('Hopeful' if you're a human who just wants freedom and joy for as many people as possible. It turns out that on average reality will actually reward kind actions and cooperative behaviors between well-meaning people and punish malicious intentions.)
30 mins, what a great way to start my sunday night
My videos are made for that late night vibe 😎
Boondocks is one of those things that I realized I was enjoying for like the completely wrong reasons and like stopped watching it until I could appreciate it for its proper reasons. In fact I think at one point I was with a very heavily criticised types of people that are portrayed in The boondocks. I guess that's not very specific other than to say that I'm a white guy likes The boondocks
I've always been interested to hear from white people who enjoy the Boondocks. Mostly because it feels like art made specifically for black people. I think there's always a fear of laughing at people and not with them, but you recognizing you might have been too close to the former is really dope.
Kinda had a similar experience as well, though I watched The Boondocks as a kid but I look back on the show differently in a better way. The messages it told felt more real, while being funny. Side note I especially loved Ed Wuncler III and his friend.
Holy shit I remember the PJs! It always aired before Celebrity Deathmatch!
Hahaha crazy memory
I had always seen the show and grown up around it although I never paid any attention and never watched it myself. but I got into it abt a couple months ago and holy shit this show is literally one of the best shows when it comes to the comedy and stories , especially with them being inspired by real life shit
Happy you gave it a chance and ended up fucking with it. It really is a masterpiece
@@chillreview636 yessirr , this is one of the most well made videos essays/retrospectives on the show. keep up the work dawg 🙏🏼
3 completely separate and unrelated comments:
1.Huey does smile ONCE in “Ballin”. When Riley finally has a good game. But your point about him is still valid.
2. I think the reason that the boondocks has such good replay value is because as an adult I have a completely different appreciation for the show. As a kid I watched it as a straight black comedy. As an adult I realized how it’s a really layered/ hyper critical show about black people and I realized how much of it has really hit home. Every single character on the show is someone I know in real life. That makes rewatching it way better.
3. I agree overall that season 4 is pretty weak. But I think the show still had some elements that are enjoyable. The show definitely became more of a straight up black comedy then but episodes like the pretty boy flizzy one and the episode where grandad tells the story about him in segregation are standout episodes in the series still. The only problem is those 2 episodes would be mid tier episodes in every other season.
Sorry, just saw that you had more points in your original comment.
Your second point is why I wanted to make this video. I feel like a lot of people missed the layered social commentary and character growth in the Boondocks so I wanted to highlight it.
And when it comes to season 4 i agree that its not all terrible and overall it equals out to the low points of the better seasons. Freedom ride or die is probably my favorite standout episode from season 4 too
As a kid who grew up with grandparents I like the relationship with their grandad and the sad reality that they are black kids who don't have a nuclear family. More black children around this time period were growing up without mom's and dads but the show paints in a more wholesome way by not including parents.
Very true. Another great and very important aspect of the show