"Return of the King" | |
---|---|
The Boondocks episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 9 |
Directed by | Kalvin Lee |
Written by | Aaron McGruder |
Production code | 110 |
Original air date | January 15, 2006 |
Guest appearance | |
Kevin Michael Richardson as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. | |
"Return of the King" is the ninth episode of the first season of the animated television series The Boondocks . The episode was written by series creator Aaron McGruder and directed by Kalvin Lee, and originally aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's late-night programming block Adult Swim on January 15, 2006.
The episode's name is a reference of The Lord of the Rings volume The Return of the King . The episode won a Peabody Award in 2006. [1]
The episode begins with two epigraphs:
I want young men and young women who are not alive today to know and see that these new privileges and opportunities did not come without somebody suffering and sacrificing for them.
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Whatever, nigga.
Huey Freeman narrates an alternate version of history in which Martin Luther King Jr. survived his assassination attempt on April 4, 1968, but fell into a 32-year coma. Awakening in October 2000, he experiences a resurgence of popularity and signs a deal to write his autobiography. He shows up to vote for the 2000 U.S. presidential election, but is "turned away due to voting irregularity".
A biopic based on King's life is released a week and a half after the September 11 attacks, and becomes a box office flop as a result. During an appearance on Politically Incorrect , King states that the teachings of his Christian faith require him to "turn the other cheek," even with respect to enemies such as al-Qaeda. His commentary draws severe scorn from major news outlets and the White House, and his popularity plummets.
During a book signing in Woodcrest attended by no one, Huey and Robert Freeman meet King. Robert had participated in the Montgomery bus boycott, but has harbored a long-standing grudge against Rosa Parks because she received all the attention for refusing to give up her seat when Robert was sitting next to her, too, neither arrested nor acknowledged the same way Parks was. Huey and Robert offer to let King stay with them while he is in town. Following an uneasy family dinner with King, Tom DuBois, and Uncle Ruckus as guests, Huey and King watch television together and King bemoans the state of black popular culture. Huey tells him that the deterioration occurred because the culture was waiting for King or another strong leader to emerge.
The next day, Huey persuades King to try and reach out to the public again, this time by starting a political party. King tries to explain its principles on a talk show, only to be repeatedly cut off by the host until Huey throws a chair at him. Huey and King next decide to spread the word by going door to door, but King hires an event promotions firm to publicize a planning meeting for the party without telling Huey. The meeting becomes a raucous event, filled with dozens of young black attendees and performers behaving as though they are at a nightclub. Shocked and disgusted by the crowd's poor behavior, King launches into a furious tirade that stuns them into silence. He sharply castigates them for falling victim to the worst stereotypes about their race after the Civil Rights Movement did so much to give them the opportunity to better themselves, and ends by announcing his plans to relocate to Canada.
King thanks Huey for trying to help, tells him to do all he can, and leaves. It is the last time that Huey sees him alive. Word of King's speech begins to spread, sparking a national uprising among black citizens that profoundly affects their culture. The front page of a November 2020 newspaper shows that King has died in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the age of 91, and that Oprah Winfrey has just been elected President of the United States.
Huey's final comment is "It's fun to dream," indicating that the entire episode has been his imagining of how history might have unfolded if King had not died in 1968.
"Return of the King" was the most controversial episode of The Boondocks's first season. The episode received criticism from Al Sharpton for depicting Martin Luther King Jr. using the term "nigga." [2] He demanded an apology from Aaron McGruder and Cartoon Network, stating "Cartoon Network must apologize and also commit to pulling episodes that desecrate black historic figures. We are totally offended by the continuous use of the n-word in McGruder's show." [3]
Cartoon Network replied by releasing a statement saying, "We think Aaron McGruder came up with a thought-provoking way of not only showing Dr. King's bravery but also of reminding us of what he stood and fought for, and why even today, it is important for all of us to remember that and to continue to take action." [2] McGruder himself responded to Sharpton's criticism in The Boondocks comic strip, by having the characters ridicule the activist's choice to attack a cartoon over other, more relevant issues. The characters in the strip never specify the cartoon to which they are alluding. [4] [5] [6] [7]
The incident was later referenced in the Boondocks episode "The Block is Hot." While Huey listens to an internet radio station, the broadcaster mentions Sharpton: "Folks, this heat will not let up, it is hot! Speaking about hot, Al Sharpton is hot right now. Havin' a big ole protest. Seems his anger again has something to do with... I think it's a cartoon this time..."
The Boondocks was a daily syndicated comic strip written and originally drawn by Aaron McGruder that ran from 1996 to 2006. Created by McGruder in 1996 for Hitlist.com, an early online music website, it was printed in the monthly hip hop magazine The Source in 1997. As it gained popularity, the comic strip was picked up by the Universal Press Syndicate and made its national debut on April 19, 1999. A popular and controversial strip, The Boondocks satirizes African American culture and American politics as seen through the eyes of young African American radical Huey Freeman. McGruder's syndicate said it was among the biggest launches the company ever had.
Aaron Vincent McGruder is an American writer, cartoonist, and producer best known for creating The Boondocks, a Universal Press Syndicate comic strip and its animated TV series adaptation.
Don "Magic" Juan, is an American preacher, hip hop personality, actor, fashion designer and former pimp, from Chicago. He is also the founder of the Players Ball, an annual celebration of his former "pimp" lifestyle.
John Witherspoon was an American actor and comedian who performed in various television shows and films. He played Willie Jones in the Friday series, and starred in films such as Hollywood Shuffle (1987), Boomerang (1992), The Five Heartbeats (1991), and Vampire in Brooklyn (1995). In addition, Witherspoon made appearances on television shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1994), The Wayans Bros. (1995–1999), The Tracy Morgan Show (2003), Barnaby Jones (1973), The Boondocks (2005–2014), and Black Jesus (2014–2019). He wrote a film, From the Old School, in which he played an elderly working man who tries to prevent a neighborhood convenience store from being developed into a strip club.
The Boondocks is an American anime-influenced adult animated sitcom, created by Aaron McGruder for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. It is based upon his manga-influenced comic strip of the same name. The series premiered on November 6, 2005. The show focuses on a Black American family, the Freemans, settling into the fictional, friendly and predominantly White suburb of Woodcrest. The perspective offered by this mixture of cultures, lifestyles, social classes, stereotypes, viewpoints and racialized identities provides for much of the series' satire, comedy, and conflict.
"A Huey Freeman Christmas" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American animated television series The Boondocks. It originally aired on Adult Swim in the United States on December 18, 2005. In the episode, protagonist Huey Freeman seizes complete creative control of his elementary school's annual Christmas play, but runs into trouble with administration when he wishes to portray Jesus as black. Meanwhile, Riley Freeman rekindles an old grudge he has against Santa Claus.
Riley Freeman is a character from syndicated comic strip The Boondocks written by Aaron McGruder and its TV series adaptation. He often refers to himself as "Riley Escobar", and in season two of the TV series, he also refers to himself as "Young Reezy". He is Huey's younger brother who aspires to be like the rap artists and the gangsters that he admires.
Huey R. Freeman is the main protagonist and narrator of The Boondocks syndicated comic strip written by Aaron McGruder, as well as the animated TV sitcom of the same name. Politically sapient and borderline militant, Huey, being a self-described revolutionary left-wing radical, regularly reflects upon current events as well as the plight of African-Americans as it relates to a greater American society. As presented by his logical and rational personality, Huey's character has often been described as "misanthropic" and "cynical". He's named after Huey P. Newton, one of the co-founders and leaders of the Black Panther Party. He is voiced by Regina King. In the original pilot, he was voiced by singer Alicia Keys.
Uncle Ruckus is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the American animated sitcom The Boondocks. Voiced by Gary Anthony Williams, he first appeared on television in the show's pilot episode on November 6, 2005. Created and designed by cartoonist Aaron McGruder, Ruckus gained substantial popularity after appearing in the 1996 comic strip of the same name.
The members of the DuBois family — Tom (husband), Sarah (wife), and Jazmine (daughter) — are fictional characters and featured players in Aaron McGruder's Boondocks comic strip and animated TV series. They live across the street from the main characters, the Freeman family — Robert and his grandsons, Huey and Riley.
"The Hunger Strike" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Boondocks, and the 29th episode overall. It was written by series creator Aaron McGruder, along with Rodney Barnes, and directed by Dan Fausett. The episode was set to premiere on Adult Swim on January 7, 2008, between '"The Story of Thugnificent"' and '"Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch" but aired United States on May 29, 2020.
"The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show" is the fifteenth and final episode of the second season of the animated television series The Boondocks, and the 30th episode overall. It was written by series creator Aaron McGruder, along with Rodney Barnes, and directed by Seung Eun Kim. The episode aired in the United States on May 29, 2020. Prior to the broadcast, the episode aired in Canada on Teletoon on March 16, 2008, and was released on DVD in the United States on June 10, 2008.
"Pause" is the 7th episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Boondocks, and the 37th episode overall. Written by series creator Aaron McGruder, along with Rodney Barnes, and directed by Sung Hoon Kim, the episode originally aired on Adult Swim on June 20, 2010. The title refers to a practice used to remove any ambiguity after making a double entendre that may be possibly misinterpreted as a claim or implication of homosexual orientation. The phrase "no homo" may also be used instead of, or in addition to "pause".
"The Fried Chicken Flu" is the 13th episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Boondocks, and the 43rd episode overall. It originally aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's programming block Adult Swim on August 1, 2010, and Centric on November 15, 2010. In the episode, the Freemans must survive in a post-apocalyptic world, after a virus originating from fried chicken erupts across the country.
The third season of the animated television series, The Boondocks originally aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. Season three started on May 2, 2010, with "It's a Black President, Huey Freeman" and ended with "It's Goin Down" on August 15, 2010, with a total of fifteen episodes. The season debuted at 2.55 million viewers.
The second season of the animated television series, The Boondocks originally aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. The second season features 15 episode, it originally premiered on October 8, 2007 with "...Or Die Trying" and ended with "The Story of Gangstalicious 2" on February 4, 2008.
The first season of the animated television series, The Boondocks originally aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. Season one started on November 6, 2005, with "The Garden Party" and ended with "The Passion of Reverend Ruckus" on March 19, 2006, with a total of fifteen episodes.
Black Jesus is an American live-action sitcom created by Aaron McGruder and Mike Clattenburg that aired on Adult Swim. The series stars Gerald "Slink" Johnson, Charlie Murphy, Corey Holcomb, Kali Hawk, King Bach, Andra Fuller, and John Witherspoon. The series premiered on August 7, 2014. On December 10, 2014, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on September 18, 2015. Its third and final season premiered on September 21, 2019.