Monsters of Television

“Well well well, we came a long way to kill ya’ll little niglets. Now it’s time for the big bonanza!”

Serialization is wonderful. It rewards viewers for continuing to watch a show and really gives the feeling that there is actual story, that the characters we’re watching are real people with real memories. It does wonders in animation. Every time Sideshow Bob reappeared on The Simpsons it was sure to be a great episode. The Boondocks has continued to do this with its very own Colonel H. Stinkmeaner.

Stinkmeaner, an angry old man whose purpose in life is to spread ignorance and chaos, first appeared in season 1 (“Granddad’s Fight”) where he ends up getting killed in a confrontation with Robert Freeman. He returns in season 2 (“Stinkmeaner Strikes Back”) as a demon possessing Tom DuBois to continue his reign of terror. In this episode Stinkmeaner’s old crew, The Hateocracy, returns for revenge on the Freeman Family.

If “The Red Ball” was McGruder’s Shaolin Soccer, “Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy” is his  Kill Bill. McGruder draws once again from the Asian cinema he references so much to bring us a story of revenge and violence. Even the episode preview is cut like an old Kung Fu trailer. The Hateocracy (comprised of members Lord Rufus Crabmiser, Lady Esmeralda Gripenasty and George Pissedofferson, who are modeled after classic black television characters Fred Sanford, Aunt Esther, and JJ Evans respectively) divide and conquer the Freeman’s in their initial confrontations. Gripenasty and Pissedofferson beat the crap out of the boys on their school playground while Robert gets cornered while fishing by Crabmiser, who wields a weapon very similar to that of Gogo Yubari. They’re all defeated. There’s the first act of this latest Kung Fu installment.

So what are Huey and co. to do? More serialization? They make a call to Bushido Brown (Oprah’s bodyguard in “Let’s Nab Oprah” who also reappears in “Attack of the Killer Kung Fu Wolf Bitch”) who agrees to be their bodyguard. In what could very well be the greatest fight sequence in the show’s history Bushido Brown (whose fight style is very reminiscent of Spike Speigel’s from Cowboy Bebop) takes on all 3 members of the Hateocracy and is eventually decapitated.

The resolution of the episode is where McGruder’s socio-political message comes into play. Robert apologizes for killing Stinkmeaner and asks The Hateocracy to spare them. Crabmiser says this isn’t about Stinkmeaner, his death was just an excuse to spread ignorance and violence to ruin some lives. They live for the “nigga moment” as it’s referred to as. It’s when black people do things out of ignorance and hate. The most heinous of these acts is black on black crime. That’s what this entire episode was: black people beating the shit out of other black people for no good reason. Crabmiser even compares black people to crabs in a bucket. “The only thing a crab is good for is holding back other crabs. A crab don’t wanna see another crab make it…Crab is like ‘If I’m gonna die, we all gonna die.'” Powerful observation, you old angry black man.

McGruder wins with this episode from all angles. Epic fight scenes: check. Social commentary: check. You can read into the episode however you want to and you can’t be disappointed. I take a lot of pride in writing positive reviews of this season so far because there were a lot of skeptics who thought the third season would be a let down. It’s episodes that like that prove Aaron McGruder is on nothing but his A-game.

FINAL THOUGHTS

• The opening nightmare sequence is a great nod to zombie films.
• Stinkmeaner story has permeated every season of the show thus far. After this latest installment I can’t wait to see where it goes in season 4 should the show continue.
• Huey and Robert both have great fighting styles. Riley just gets his ass kicked. He needs to step up his game.