Advance Notice: "The Passion of Ruckus" (Jesus, preach)

[MidnightBlue]

If you haven't been watching "The Boondocks," a cartoon series on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, check it out.

Show premise: Robert Freeman becomes the legal guardian of his grandsons, Huey and Riley, and moves them from the South Side of Chicago to the suburbs. Huey is a young radical; Riley has a gangsta outlook.

I really like it for the comments of the young radical, Huey Freeman, but the other characters are interesting, too.

One the premiere episode, Huey fantasized about making white people riot at a garden party by declaring, "Jesus was black, Ronald Reagan was the devil, and the government is lying about 9/11." He finds, to his disappointment, that they all smile and praise him for being "articulate."

"These people aren't worried about us," says a dejected Huey. "They're not worried about anything. They're rich. No matter what happens, these people just keep applauding."

In Episode 7, "A Huey Freeman Christmas" -- a "Boondocks" takeoff on "A Charlie Brown Christmas" -- Jazmine confuses Santa and Jesus, Huey writes and directs the school Christmas play ("The Adventures of Black Jesus"), and Riley stalks a mall Santa. ("Where was Santa when when we was in the hood? He wasn't givin' a nigga no love then. Now he gonna pay what he owe.")

Best line from "A Huey Freeman Christmas" is Huey's response when his teacher, Mr. Uberwitz, tells him, "I would really love to see your vision."

Says Huey: "Vision? What do you know about my vision? My vision would turn your world upside-down, tear asunder your illusions and bring the sanctuary of your own ignorance crashing down around you. Ask yourself: are you really ready to see that vision?"

In Episode 9, "The Return of the King," Huey imagines that Martin Luther King, Jr., didn't die in 1968 but went into a coma, waking up in 2000. Dr. King has a little trouble adjusting -- "I don't know if I need the 20 gig iPod or the 40 gig. I tried to download some Mahalia Jackson, but I lost my iTunes password." -- and causes a stir when he preaches a nonviolent response to 9/11 and condemns Black Entertainment Television.

The upcoming episode, "The Passion of Ruckus" promises to be interesting.

Uncle Ruckus is a black man who likes white people better than black people and believes white people are superior to black people. Occasionally, he claims to be white: "I got revitiligo. That's the opposite of what Michael Jackson got."

The summary for the upcoming "Passion of Ruckus" says, "While Ruckus spreads the word of White Jesus to get into White Heaven, Huey tries desperately to save his friend from death row."

Sunday, 12 March 2006, 11:00 pm (EST) on Cartoon Network. I'm hoping some of you will watch and want to discuss.