The Garden Party
Encyclopedia
"The Garden Party" is the pilot episode of the Adult Swim
animated series The Boondocks
, although the production number, 103, suggests it was the third episode produced. It premiered on November 6, 2005.
walks up to the stage and makes an announcement, saying "Jesus Christ was black, Ronald Reagan
was the devil, and the government is lying about 9/11". Chaos ensues as the party goers panic and assault each other. Huey wakes up from this dream to be reprimanded by his grandfather for "having that dream where [he] made the white people riot".
The main characters, Huey
and Riley Freeman
, are adjusting to life in the predominately white suburb of Woodcrest. While scoping out their new neighbors from the rooftop, Huey spots a dark vehicle approaching their house. The driver, millionaire Ed Wuncler, drops by to meet the family. Wuncler, whose bank owns all the houses in Woodcrest, has a friendly interview with the boys' grandfather, Robert, asking him questions regarding his sexuality
and political views. Ed eventually invites Robert and his family to a garden party to celebrate his grandson Ed Wuncler III's return from the Iraq War.
The boys, upon hearing this, are at once reluctant to attend the party, especially Huey, who doesn't want to "sip tea with the enemy." Stymied by their grandfather's wishes, however, they begrudgingly accompany him.
After a brief setback at the front gate of the Wuncler estate, during which they meet Uncle Ruckus
, the Freemans arrive at the party. They meet Ed Wuncler III, an ex-soldier who talks about his life in Iraq
and delivers his trademark line, "What the fuck y'all looking at?"
Huey tries to educate the other partygoers about the "truth" that "Jesus
was black
, Ronald Reagan
was the devil, and the government is lying about 9/11." His attempts, much to his dismay, are met with little more than applause and jovial disinterest. Huey comes to the conclusion that rich people don't care much about anything.
Meanwhile, Ed III shows Riley his room, where he reveals his large collection of firearms. Ed III, while wearing a bulletproof vest
, dares Riley to shoot him with a loaded SPAS-12 shotgun. Back at the party, Uncle Ruckus
, a self-hating black man
and white supremacist
, starts singing a song he wrote called "Don't Trust Them New Niggas Over There" to the Freeman family. Since the Freeman's arrival to the party, Ruckus repeatably drank from a flask and is holding it while singing and possibly being intoxicated. Back upstairs, Riley fires the gun whose force sends him flying backwards and Ed out of his second-story window. Ed, apparently unhurt, again delivers his catchphrase — "What the fuck y'all lookin at?" — upon recovering.
A somewhat nervous Robert Freeman goes to apologize to Ed Wuncler Sr. for the incident. Much to his surprise, Ed is understanding, saying that, "In thirty years, [his grandson] will be President of the United States...and he'll still be a fucking idiot." He and Robert then have a drink, toasting to the old school.
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
animated series The Boondocks
The Boondocks (TV series)
The Boondocks is an American animated series created by Aaron McGruder on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, based on McGruder's comic strip of the same name...
, although the production number, 103, suggests it was the third episode produced. It premiered on November 6, 2005.
Plot
At a social party filled with primarily white guests, HueyHuey Freeman
Huey Freeman is a fictional character of The Boondocks syndicated comic strip written by Aaron McGruder, as well as the main character and recurrent principal narrator of the animated TV series of the same name...
walks up to the stage and makes an announcement, saying "Jesus Christ was black, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
was the devil, and the government is lying about 9/11". Chaos ensues as the party goers panic and assault each other. Huey wakes up from this dream to be reprimanded by his grandfather for "having that dream where [he] made the white people riot".
The main characters, Huey
Huey Freeman
Huey Freeman is a fictional character of The Boondocks syndicated comic strip written by Aaron McGruder, as well as the main character and recurrent principal narrator of the animated TV series of the same name...
and Riley Freeman
Riley Freeman
Riley Freeman is a fictional character from the syndicated comic strip The Boondocks written by Aaron McGruder and its TV series adaptation...
, are adjusting to life in the predominately white suburb of Woodcrest. While scoping out their new neighbors from the rooftop, Huey spots a dark vehicle approaching their house. The driver, millionaire Ed Wuncler, drops by to meet the family. Wuncler, whose bank owns all the houses in Woodcrest, has a friendly interview with the boys' grandfather, Robert, asking him questions regarding his sexuality
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
and political views. Ed eventually invites Robert and his family to a garden party to celebrate his grandson Ed Wuncler III's return from the Iraq War.
The boys, upon hearing this, are at once reluctant to attend the party, especially Huey, who doesn't want to "sip tea with the enemy." Stymied by their grandfather's wishes, however, they begrudgingly accompany him.
After a brief setback at the front gate of the Wuncler estate, during which they meet Uncle Ruckus
Uncle Ruckus
Uncle Ruckus, also known as Rev. Uncle Ruckus and Rev. Fr. Uncle Ruckus, as well as Uncle Rukus while serving at Robert Freeman's Soul Food restaurant "The Itis" , is a fictional character from the Boondocks comic strip and animated television series The Boondocks...
, the Freemans arrive at the party. They meet Ed Wuncler III, an ex-soldier who talks about his life in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and delivers his trademark line, "What the fuck y'all looking at?"
Huey tries to educate the other partygoers about the "truth" that "Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
was black
Race of Jesus
The race and appearance of Jesus have been discussed on a number of grounds since early Christianity, although the New Testament includes no description of the physical appearance of Jesus before his death and its narrative is generally indifferent to racial appearances.Despite the lack of direct...
, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
was the devil, and the government is lying about 9/11." His attempts, much to his dismay, are met with little more than applause and jovial disinterest. Huey comes to the conclusion that rich people don't care much about anything.
Meanwhile, Ed III shows Riley his room, where he reveals his large collection of firearms. Ed III, while wearing a bulletproof vest
Bulletproof vest
A ballistic vest, bulletproof vest or bullet-resistant vest is an item of personal armor that helps absorb the impact from firearm-fired projectiles and shrapnel from explosions, and is worn on the torso...
, dares Riley to shoot him with a loaded SPAS-12 shotgun. Back at the party, Uncle Ruckus
Uncle Ruckus
Uncle Ruckus, also known as Rev. Uncle Ruckus and Rev. Fr. Uncle Ruckus, as well as Uncle Rukus while serving at Robert Freeman's Soul Food restaurant "The Itis" , is a fictional character from the Boondocks comic strip and animated television series The Boondocks...
, a self-hating black man
Black shame
Black shame is a term used to describe how some people of African descent view themselves among societies in which they are a minority and feel oppressed...
and white supremacist
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
, starts singing a song he wrote called "Don't Trust Them New Niggas Over There" to the Freeman family. Since the Freeman's arrival to the party, Ruckus repeatably drank from a flask and is holding it while singing and possibly being intoxicated. Back upstairs, Riley fires the gun whose force sends him flying backwards and Ed out of his second-story window. Ed, apparently unhurt, again delivers his catchphrase — "What the fuck y'all lookin at?" — upon recovering.
A somewhat nervous Robert Freeman goes to apologize to Ed Wuncler Sr. for the incident. Much to his surprise, Ed is understanding, saying that, "In thirty years, [his grandson] will be President of the United States...and he'll still be a fucking idiot." He and Robert then have a drink, toasting to the old school.
Cultural references
- When Huey looks out the window with the airsoft gun, it bears resemblance to the famous picture of Malcolm XMalcolm XMalcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
peering out of his window with an M1 carbineM1 CarbineThe M1 carbine is a lightweight, easy to use semi-automatic carbine that became a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was produced in several variants. It was widely used by U.S...
.
- Riley wears a suit similar to the suits worn by Tony MontanaTony MontanaAntonio Raimundo "Tony" Montana is a fictional character from the 1983 film Scarface. He is portrayed by Al Pacino in the movie, and is voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the 2006 video game Scarface: The World Is Yours. Tony Montana has become a cultural icon and is one of the most famous movie...
in ScarfaceScarface (1983 film)Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...
in one part of the intro. He also makes an allusion to the film when he says "You wanna play rough? OK!" and "Say hello to my little friend!" before shooting Ed in the chest with a shotgun. - Huey's red picture in one part of the intro is an allusion to Che GuevaraChe GuevaraErnesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
, the Argentine revolutionary and major figure of the Cuban RevolutionCuban RevolutionThe Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
. - Uncle Ruckus says to Robert, "They must think the sun shines out your ass." This could be a reference to the movie Monty Python's The Life of Brian, in which the same line is spoken by a prisoner. The film is one of creator Aaron McGruder's favorites.
- Ed III's quote "I'm rich bitch!" is a reference to the famous line from Chappelle's ShowChappelle's ShowChappelle's Show is an American sketch comedy television series created by comedian Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan, with Chappelle hosting the show as well as starring in various skits. Chappelle, Brennan and Michele Armour were the show's executive producers. The series premiered on January 22,...
, a show on which Ed III's voice actor, Charlie Murphy, appeared frequently.