The Boondocks has always been about combining satirical humor with real world issues. Although this is still the case through most episodes, there's a noticeable lack of direction. Much of the dissonance stems from the show's own identity crisis. It's really hard to figure out just what is "real" and not in the world. One week, the boys watch a hyper-violent, John Woo-meets-Robert Rodriguez style gang war ending with a blood-gushing beheading on their front lawn. The next, Riley shows both surprise and fear when a friend hands him a handgun.
Episodes typically edge back towards cartoon hyper-violence in the end, but it gets in the way. It's like the show is trying to be subtle and present issues, but with the amount of cartoon violence going on, the commentary isn't as sharp.
Still, despite its issues, there are a few episodes that manage to stand out. The big one this season is, "It's a Black President, Huey Freeman," a pseudo-documentary following the phenomenon that was the Obama election. Some people are elated, others are not as happy. Then there's Huey, who stands our as sort of the middle-ground voice of reason surrounding the cult of personality that has everyone else is either enraptured or repulsed. It's slightly sedated compared to other episodes, yet pretty powerful and probably my favorite of the bunch.
Another standout episode is "The Red Ball," which takes a look at foreign policy under the guise of a kick ball tournament. Another is "The Story of Jimmy Rebel," where Uncle Ruckus (no relation) launches a racially-charged musical career. It's a Ruckus episode, so you're guaranteed a few belly laughs but, again, manages to communicate a bigger point in the end.
It's a great companion to "The Color Ruckus," where we get to meet the Ruckus family and get sense of where the character comes from. I'm typically not for episodes offering back-story where it really isn't needed, but this one really works and makes Ruckus less of a caricature and more of a real character.
Season Three trips up when introducing "sequel" episodes. Chief among the set is "Stinkmeaner III: The Hateocracy," where the Stinkmeaner's old gang comes to Woodcrest for revenge against Granddad. After last season's Stinkmeaner episode, I'm ready for the character to finally rest in peace. There's also a follow-up on Thugnificent and the continuation of Granddad's less-than-lucky attempts at dating.
Compared to past seasons, Season Three offers a nice bit of bonus swag. Every episode comes with beginning and ending commentary from Cedric Yarbrough and Gary Anthony Williams. The duo also shows up alongside John Witherspoon to offer audio commentary in a few episodes. The commentary is great, though it would be interesting to get something from Aaron McGruder.
Extras are rounded out by an Animatic to Screen comparison feature for a few sequences. Obviously, this was my favorite feature. Finally, there's a feature on Boondocks cosplayers, which, were it not for having to write about it, I would have avoided entirely.
Compared to other shows, there are few duds in The Boondocks: Season Three. Even pointless episodes are good for a laugh. At the same time, I didn't find myself wanting to barrel through the season as quickly as others. It's clear there is an attempt to add some sort of subtlety to episodes, which is likely the reason behind the show's inconsistency. Hopefully, it's just a transitional growing pain and nothing more.
