Picking Up Where Season 1 Left Off.

Overview:

This second installment of the Boondocks seasons hangs on to the shock value and humor that started with season 1. I find many aspects of the second season to be superior to the first and I purchased the 3 disc set despite the $40 price tag (I am not a fan of buying DVD's for more than $25 as the price will usually fall within a year, so this was a stretch for me). The characters that became familiar by the end of Season 1 are all there including Riley, Huey, and Grandad (the Freeman Family), Jazmine, Uncle Ruckus, Tom, and Col. Stinkmeaner. You can read more about the main characters and background of the show in my review on Season 1. Season 2 takes you farther in depth into the satirical and absurd lifestyles of the citizens of the Woodcrest suburb while keeping the laughs coming.

What you get:

The physical package that is The Boondocks The Complete Second Season is a three disc box set with each disc enclosed a plastic case inside the box. The main characters are depicted on the front of each plastic casing and the box.

More importantly each disc contains 5 episodes from the second season, aired on Adult Swim, for a total of 15 episodes. For fans of the show this may not add up as only 13 episodes actually aired. Adding value to the total package, two episodes that were banned from TV are included in the set. "The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show" and "The Hunger Strike" episodes were both pulled from airing in circumstances that Aaron McGruder (the creator) calls "no longer important". Each episode has an introduction clip with some of the key producers of the series explaining a little about each episode and that it was pulled from airing. "The Hunger Strike" was pulled for an especially critical portrayal of the BET network in which the network's board of directors goal is to destroy black people. I speculate that the other episode was pulled for its sheer level of satirical racist comments as Uncle Ruckus is the main character (he also makes the most negative comments about African Americans throughout both seasons).

You also get some special features, mostly unscripted clips of the people doing voice overs for the show along with some promotions for websites and upcoming films. You get a glimpse of the atmosphere of the studio while production is going on so the special features are a neat thing to have.

The Episodes:

Here I will give you the title and short summary provided on the back of each disc casing followed by my brief thoughts on each episode, be warned that some plot details of the episodes are revealed.

Disc 1

1. ...Or Die Trying - To be cheap Grandad sneaks Huey, Riley and Jazmine into a movie.
One of my favorite episodes where Ruckus hunts down the Freemans for sneaking into Soul Plane 2.

2. Tom, Sarah and Usher - Tom gets super jealous when Sarah meets R&B megastar Usher.
Great episode that explores what happens when jealousy starts to overcome a good relationship, we are introduced to Mr. Apimpnamedslickback in this episode and yes you have to say the whole thing, every time, no need for the Mr. to properly pronounce his name.

3. Thank You For Not Snitching - Riley and Grandad refuse to discuss a string of home robberies with police.
Riley upsets the whole suburb of Woodcrest with his refusal to cooperate with the neighborhood watch, his Grandad, or the police. Comedically points out some of the problems between police and residents of inner city neighborhoods while addressing the taboo of snitching to the cops and all the reprisals that can come from that.

4.Stinkmeaner Strikes Back - The ghost of Stinkmeaner inhabits Tom's body and goes hunting for Grandad.
In an episode of season 1, Grandad gets into a fight with Col. Stinkmeaner and kills him. In this episode Stinkmeaner is given the opportunity for revenge by the devil and uses the normally calm and law abiding prosecutor (Tom) to seek out his vengeance. This is my favorite episode of the series and really helped to motivate my purchase because the irony and clash of personalities between Tom and Stinkmeaner (who inhabits his body and motivates his actions) is utterly hilarious.

5. The Story of Thugnificent - Grandad has words with Thugnificent after the rapper moves into the hood.
A great story that looks at the culture clash between some of todays youth with older generations through analyzing the glamour and appeal of being a wealthy rapper vs the values and realities of suburban life.

Disc 2

6.The Hunger Strike - Huey takes a stand against cable network B.E.T and goes on a hunger strike to advance his opinion that B.E.T promotes the destruction of black people. This is one of the episodes that got pulled from airing for its portrayal of the B.E.T. network, it has a fun (despite lack of originality), evil network premise that criticizes the shows offered as catering to only the most ignorant viewers while making others more ignorant.

7. Attack Of The Killer Kung-Fu Wolf-B**ch - A hot woman Grandad meets online turns out to be a psycho.
After discovering the internet that was not present for 90% of his dating life, Grandad uses Myspace to try to solicit dates from cutie pies (attractive young women). After several failed attempts he finally gets a date with a gorgeous woman...who has pet wolves and knows deadly Kung Fu techniques.

8. Shinin - Riley becomes a member of Thugnificent's notorious lethal interjection crew.
This episode examines the life of rapper Thugnificent in a MTV cribs sort of way. Riley learns the true purpose of belonging to a crew in this episode after joining lethal interjection.

9. Ballin - Riley joins a B-Ball team and gets a good lesson in sportsmanship
Convince that he is an expert basketball player, despite his unwillingness to practice, Riley attempts to take over the local youth basketball team coached by Tom. His overconfidence soon gets the best of him as other skilled players show him up in front of the whole community. At the end of this episode is one of the few times when Tom cannot keep his calm and professional demeanor as dreams of a Mighty Ducks like end of season outcome become unlikely...hilarious.

10. Invasion Of The Katrinians - The Freemans take in some of Grandad's relatives following Hurricane Katrina.
When generosity and a willingness to reach out to others meets greed and temptation Grandad and Riley learn a lesson in hospitality, or do they.

Disc 3

11. The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show - B.E.T. introduces a new reality series that follows the daily life of Uncle Ruckus, who is devastated when a DNA test proves that he is, in fact, black. This episode gives us an insight into the life of Uncle Ruckus who is sort of an uneasy ally to the Freemans. Uncle Ruckus is black but he believes that he is in fact white with a disease the opposite of what Michael Jackson has. The episode examines many of the stereotypes placed on black people by having Uncle Ruckus go from stereotypical white behavior to stereotypical black behavior once a DNA test finds he is in fact 100% African American. This is the second episode that was banned from television.

12. Home Alone - Grandad takes a vacation, leaving the boys in charge of the house.
Can Riley and Huey survive alone in the home without destroying it and or killing each other? Find out what happens after the boys kick their babysitter (Uncle Ruckus) out of the house and Huey has to run the place like a military prison to keep Riley in line.

13. The S-Word - Grandad wants to sue after a teacher calls Riley the "N" Word.
This episode examines the use of the "n" word in popular culture, who can use it, and its meaning historically. As always the episode has a deeper meaning but it presents perspective on the subject in a comedic manner that keeps you entertained.

14. The Story Of Catcher Freeman - The boys hear very different stories about their ancestor Catcher Freeman.
This episode may be trying to address the difficulty in obtaining accurate historical records from the slave era as Uncle Ruckus and Grandad tell two completely incompatible stories about the Freeman's ancestor, and the internet tells yet another one. Not one of my favorite episodes as I believe that the subject matter is going too far and it is ripe with absurd inaccuracies but I see the relevance of the episode.

15. The Story of Gangstalicious, Part 2 - Grandad worries rapper Gangstalicious is having a bad influence on Riley.
This episode does what so many of the episodes in this season are successful in doing; it takes a well established character (in this case Riley) and puts them in a situation that is completely counter to what they normally choose to associate with, in order to examine the clash between two opposing groups (in this case the clash between homophobic rappers and the gay community). The episode gives one view into what might happen if it is discovered that a popular rapper is actually gay and answers questions left with viewers from the first season episode "The Story of Gangstalicious".

Final Thoughts:

While writing in my thoughts on the episodes above I kept finding myself wanting to put "one of my favorite episodes" in each synopsis, then it struck me that I really like all the episodes in season 2, this is the reason I keep watching and buying. Every episode is engaging and entertaining from start to finish. You always have to look for little cues throughout the story line that add to the plot; whether it be something written on a billboard or a T-shirt or some seemingly out of the blue comment by a character, there are constantly little side jokes that fit right in with the main idea of the episode. For instance in the episode Stinkmeaner Strikes Back Robert "Grandad" calls the catholic church hotline (whether it really exists I don't know) and the operator answers "welcome to the hotline...if you are calling to report abuse press 1. This is an illustration of the series ability to keep current events integrated into the episodes, which, adds to the entertainment value.

To give you a better understanding of what the Boondocks has to offer (and to warn those that might not like the series) I will include this small excerpt from the episode mentioned above. During an exorcism to get the ghost of Stinkmeaner out of Tom, Uncle Ruckus uses "These tools that the great God has provided us, a whip, a noose, a night stick, a branding iron, a job application" Then goes on to insist that "in the name of white Jesus and all great white men that have come after, I command thy black n###a soul back to the depths of hell". After that he holds open a book and says "read n###a read" which, causes the bed Stinkmeaner is strapped into to rise off the floor in a parody of the exorcist. As you can tell and as I have mentioned in my review of the first season, the satirical nature of this series is not for everyone.

My only complaint is that the selection buttons on the main menus blend into the background so it is hard to tell what episode you are selecting. You may also be interested to know that Snoop Dogg, Cedric Yarbrough, Busta Rhymes, and Gary Anthony Williams, are among those who voice the characters in this series.