Line #68 Headscratchers/TheBoondocks


1	!! InUniverse
2	!!!Where's the money from?
3	* What pays the bill for the family? That's a darn fine house they live in.
4	** It's heavily hinted at the boy's parents died and left them either enough inheritance, life insurance money, or both to make them well-cared for.
5	*** Robert was a Naval Officer his entire life, and their house is nothing compared to the Wunclers or Thugnificents house.
6	*** Wasn't Robert a Tuskegee airman? That's Air Force (well, Army Air Corps), not Navy.
7	** In the first episode, Robert says that he spent their inheritance on the house. But then that leaves the question of where do they get money to buy food - but then again they tend to buy really cheap junk food.
8	** In Season 4's "Good Times", Robert claimed his house was entirely funded by loans which were approved by Ed Wuncler II who so happens to be a mortgage and personal loan shark.
9	*** Given his age and him being a veteran, he probably has some form of government income like social security, veteran benefits, and or some sort of pension.
10	!!!"Someone who's not with us anymore....."
11	* Two things. At the end of "Riley Wuz Here," who did Riley spray-paint on the house? Was it Granddad and his late wife or was it Huey's and Riley's dead parents? Secondly, if Huey is retired from political activism and Caesar is scheduled to appear this season, then whats the point of bringing Caesar in the cartoon unless Caesar snaps Huey out of it? Caesar was made to be that optimistic moderate-liberal foil to Huey's cynicism and radical beliefs. If Huey isn't being...Huey, then what would we expect Caesar to be?
12	** It was probably Granddad's wife, since he was the other person in the painting. As for Caesar, someone on the Creator/AdultSwim MessageBoard claimed to have conformation from Caesar's potential actress on him being in Season 3, but since it's the final Season, and he hasn't shown up yet, he probably won't show up at all.
13	*** The whole point of the painting was "someone who's not with us anymore". Robert's still alive, so it wouldn't make sense to put him in the painting. It was probably Robert's son and daughter-in-law.
14	*** If Robert had a son and not a daughter? Matter of fact, we don't know much about the characters' personal background aside from that episode.
15	*** I think that wedding dress was a bit too slutty for grandpa Robert's time, so it was probably his son and daughter-in-law.
16	*** Seeing as how the guy in the painting looked ''exactly'' like Robert, especially considering we've seen flashbacks of him, I'm pretty sure that it was his late wife. Late. As in "someone who is not with us anymore"
17	*** Well before season 3, Granddad was always shown with glasses so the guy in mural did not look exactly like Robert. Huey already stated in an earlier episode that he used to think Robert was gay at the age of three since he was never with another woman. Plus, how would Riley know to paint that mural if he, himself, never met his Grandma if Huey thought Robert was gay at an early age when Huey is two years older than Riley?
18	*** Riley calls ''everyone'' gay. And is it that impossible to imagine that someone might not wear glasses on their wedding?s And is it not impossible that he used their wedding photo for reference? I sort of thought that those three things were blatantly obvious to everyone.
19	*** Point of Fact, in "Wingmen" Robert is shown flying a plane in WWII without glasses. He couldn't have been a pilot with poor eyesight.
20	*** Huey thought Granddad was gay at the age of three. He said it in "Guess Hoes Coming For Dinner" when Granddad was out on a date. Huey said this. Not Riley. Its extremely prevalent when Huey,of all people, thought Granddad was gay at the age of three. Its definitely ambiguous on just who that was in the mural when even Huey(a kid who represses almost all emotion) was shocked to see it. And saying that he looked just liked Robert isn't helping when A.) Robert could have had a son that looked just like him and B.) Robert's past view on himself seem to change with every Flashback. To say that it couldn't be the boys' parents at all is ignoring the fact that the viewer never seen those characters at all and we have no idea what they look like besides the possibility of the mural being them. Is it just so odd that Robert has a picture of his son/daughter getting married in his house?
21	** The question was what would the point of Caesar if Huey was retired from political activism, not whether or not he would even appear. Its irrelevant since [=McGruder=] flat out said in season 2 DVD commentary that the only reason Caesar didn't appear in the earlier seasons was because he didn't have a voice actress that could make a proper pitch. They already had an episode made for Caesar in season 2, but since there wasn't a voice actress available, it wasn't ever set to air that season. Plus, season 3 isn't even half way through yet.
22	** It doesn't especially matter who it was on the mural; Robert would feel astonishment at the mural if it was either he and his wife on their wedding day, or his child and spouse (presumably his son, since he and the boys share a last name and there's no reason to believe that they had a bad marriage or anything) on their wedding day. I personally believe that it was Huey's and Riley's parents because of Huey's own level of surprise, but again, who it was is not important; it was about the manifestation of Riley's artistic gift in a way that Robert could not possibly deny that it was Riley who painted it that made the moment so significant.
23	!!!What happened their parents?
24	* What happened to Huey and Riley's parents? I don't think the show really has ever mentioned them in any episodes.
25	** Fanon usually says that they're dead. Others might be under the interpretation that Huey and Riley's mom might have been a single teenage runaway (explaining Grandad's less than kind attitude toward his grandkids). However, the world may never know.
26	** Well somebody had to die since the boys inherited something to get that house. Who died is another question entirely.
27	*** Actually, its stated that they're dead, as according to the original comic strip, they died in an accident and Granddad used the ensuing inheritance to buy the house.
28	*** But wait, I thought they never mentioned any cause of death for Huey's and Riley's parents? The subject is never really brought up in the comics nor show.
29	*** To my knowledge, it was implied through bits and pieces of dialogue.
30	** It's most likely their parents are dead and the only one who'd know exactly what happened is [=McGruder=] but he's been kind of mum on it. More that lends to the idea that the boys are orphaned is that the series implies that they've been living in Robert's custody since they were little and, in the funeral episode, when they do see some of their relatives, those relatives don't mention their parents.
31	!!!Of all the hostages.....
32	* Jack Flowers has an opportunity to take one hostage during his escape from the Wuncler mansion, so he takes Ed III? Why take him and not Ed Sr.? It's obvious Ed Sr.'s the brains and Ed III is just dumb muscle.
33	** Who's gonna die first? Who actually CARRIED THE PLAN OUT? What show is this parodying?
34	** He can't take Wuncler senior because the President directly told him not to. At that point, he was basically just taking Ed III as a general "fuck you" to Wuncler, rather than for any practical purpose. Not that he needed to take especial care with prisoner taking at the point either, as Wuncler basically gave him leave anyway. Also, RuleOfFunny.
35	----
36	* If Flowers was going to cause a scene that lands him in prison for life at absolute best, why not just shoot Ed III? I mean he'd already gone rogue and everyone was pissed over the chicken flu thing three episodes ago. I mean he has the gun pointed at Ed right then and there and has nothing to lose at this point.
37	** Because live hostages help you get away. Then again, he could've shot Ed Sr. and then used Ed III as a hostage to help him get away.
38	*** I wouldn't want to be the man who shot Ed Wuncler. Considering how many enemies the man has, and the joy he takes in maximum-prejudice strategies, I'd be abducted by anonymous men while I was awaiting trial, and my corpse wouldn't surface for decades.
39	*** And remember when Huey proposed killing Ed Wuncler II, only for that plan to be shot down by Granddad ("You know for a smart nigga, you've sure got some dumbass plans.")? While Robert didn't elaborate, he did imply a good point; murdering an extremely rich and powerful man who has friends in the government ''just wouldn't end well''.
40	!!!Colonel?
41	* So his name is Colonel H. Stinkmeaner. So... was he actually an Officer in the Army / Air Force / Marines, or is his first name actually Colonel?
42	** KFC Colonel Sanders wasn't a colonel in any branch of the US Military and never served at all. He bought the title nominally.
43	** It must be a nickname or nominal title (he's been blind since he was 15, how was he going to get into the military?). His crew features similar ThemeNaming, so it's presumably either just a nickname or a 'gang rank' of some kind.
44	** The title 'Colonel' is basically Kentucky knighthood. It's bestowed on any Kentucky citizen who the state feels to be exemplary. Dave Thomas, Carol Channing, and Johnny Depp are all colonels.
45	** Exemplary and Stinkmeaner aren't really words that go together. Since he drives despite being blind, fighting in combat despite being blind wouldn't be totally out of question, although it seems rather too honorable for him to be involved in. Stinkmeaner is indicated to [[BoomerangBigot hate blacks slightly more than he hates people in general]], so maybe he chose the title Colonel because of its association with white Southerners.
46	** There ''are'' people (sadly way too many) who simply want to join the military as an excuse to kill/torment other people (especially people of another race/nationality) and get away with it. [[SociopathicSoldier We even have a trope for it]], as I recall. Stinkmeaner sounds just nasty and hateful enough to want to join the army purely for the sadistic pleasure.
47	*** In fact, that would be his ringtone.
48	** "Colonel" H. Stinkmeaner is probably a nickname of some kind. "Lord" Rufus Crabmiser and "Lady" Esmeralda Gripenasty probably aren't aristocrats.
49	!!!The Fried Chicken Debacle
50	* Why did everyone go crazy in the "Fried Chicken Flu", chicken isn't the only food in the world?
51	** Satire. The episode's plot comes from a news story about a drive-thru running out of chicken and the patrons acting like the world was about to end.
52	** It was a joke on both the mass hysteria over swine flu, and the huge backlash KFC received a few years ago after Oprah endorsed people to try their new baked chicken and KFC ran out almost instantly.
53	** Because everyone thought that Kernel's Fried Chicken was ''the'' best-tasting food in the world and that every other food in the world was as boring as oatmeal compared to the chicken being sold there.
54	!!!Riley vs Reality Shows
55	* In "The Real" how did Riley trick the reality show people?
56	** Riley sent videos to both ''Series/PimpMyRide'' and ''Series/ExtremeMakeoverHomeEdition'' that made the producers think Granddad was blind. (In reality, he was only wearing sunglasses to emulate Creator/BillCosby.) The ''EM'' crew also believed that Granddad was running a homeless shelter out of the house, and Riley brought in Tom, Jazmine, and Ruckus to pose as homeless people. Granddad played along with the deception, but was so excited to see the finished car that he forgot to act blind, leading the ''EM'' crew to stop work on the house.
57	** Don't reality shows usually check records to make sure that people stories about illness, disabilities, or whatever are actually true and not complete B.S.?
58	*** They do in the real world (no pun intended). Not in this show, which works purely and unashamedly on RuleOfCool and RuleOfFunny.
59	** Who would give a blind person a car, anyway? You need to see in order to drive.
60	*** Note that Ruckus is seen in the video posing as Granddad's driver. He actually says "Give him something better", implying that he would be the one driving "Bitches" around so he could get women.
61	*** Also, nobody has stopped Stinkmeaner from driving while blind for some reason.
62	*** RuleOfFunny. Also, do you really think that traffic laws will stop Stinkmeaner from doing his thing?
63	!!!Getting owned
64	* Why everyone, even fans and Huey, say that Tom got owned by Riley in "The Trial of R. Kelly" is beyond me. All Riley did was continue interrupting Tom and make really shallow (but I'll admit, funny) arguments against him. Almost feels like we're praising Fox News, here.
65	** He presented a logical fallacy that - while overly simple and easily refuted - managed to trip Tom up in the heat of the moment. ("R. Kelly is on trial to be imprisoned for peeing on a girl, therefore everyone must go to prison for peeing on someone"). Tom is on the ropes the whole episode, since the black jury want R. Kelly to be freed, and his failure to refute even that simple statement was probably what lead Huey to say that.
66	!!!Ceasar's absence
67	* Where's Caesar in the cartoon?
68	** WordOfGod stated that there were never plans to have Caesar in Season 1 of the show in the first place, in order to develop the already existing cast and introduce new characters gradually over the course of future seasons. It's also worth noting that this matches the comic, Caesar didn't appear instantly there either. For Season 2 there were plans to have him added to the cast (like what happened with Cindy) but that was held off on due to Aaron and the crew "not finding the right actress yet", although they noted they had an episode ready for his introduction. For his lack of appearance in Season 3, that could be explained as having been due to it originally being the final season of the series. It's anyone's guess if he'll appear in Season 4, though with Creator/CreeSummer joining the cast for the first time this Troper has his fingers crossed.
69	*** Caesar still hasn't appeared in Season 4. And it's unlikely he'd appear in a Season 5, as there are no plans (at least for now) for the show to continue.
70	*** Now that the series is getting a ContinuityReboot, it's possible that he may appear in it. It's still probably unlikely, though.
71	** Actually, if memory serves, they didn't add Caesar because they couldn't find quite the right voice actress for him.
72	!!!How Riley fights
73	* In the show, why does Riley always seem to throw punches with his pinkie fingers extended? That's a good way to break them and not hurt your opponent at all. Are there people who punch like that in real life? If so, then who? He ''had'' to have gotten it from somewhere, but where?
74	** It's supposed to look gangsta. Kinda the punching equivalent of shooting sideways which unless your goal is to scare people with the loud noise maker you have is a good way to miss and not hurt your opponent of all. Also the Boondocks like all cartoons has a certain amount of breaks from reality. Clearly he's not breaking his fingers. In addition his style clearly isn't entirely ineffective if we draw some parallels between how his fight against Huey went and then look at the quality of opponent Huey has run up against. Bushido Brown, revived Stinkmeaner, the Hatetocracy, a woman who survived (and presumably won) a ''Franchise/MortalKombat''-style fighting tournament.
75	** The simpler explanation is because Riley's an idiot who doesn't really know anything about fighting.
76	!!!The Wuncler's schemes
77	* Ed Wuncler Jr. is a predatory lender. How exactly did he help the convenience store owner build that store without winding up owning the place?
78	** He probably had a bigger scam in mind that required an independently owned convenience store in that location. Bear in mind he's in this ForTheLulz and will pass up any opportunity for evil that isn't sufficiently amusing.
79	** But who ever said that Ed II ''didn't'' own that convenience store?
80	!!!Ruckus vs Tom
81	* Has Uncle Ruckus ever said anything against Tom?
82	** At times, yes. But he never goes in full ham on Tom. Likely because he is an Oreo.
83	** He admires Tom for somehow managing to marry above his station... as Ruckus sees it.
84	** Tom is sorta obviously supposed to be a joking representation of a black man acting like a white man. Because of this behaviour, Uncle Ruckus respects him even more.
85	!!!Granddad's choice in women
86	* Why does Robert always date women that are young enough to be his daughter or granddaughter? I mean, that might be part of the reason why his relationships end badly. He could have found a [[SilverFox Helen Mirren or Meryl Streep]] to date. Heck, that would probably have made for a good episode.
87	** Because Granddad is shallow, and because productive solutions are not as hilarious as FailureIsTheOnlyOption.
88	** [[DirtyOldMan It's also]] TruthInTelevision.
89	*** Besides him being shallow, it's possible that, given how old he is, he's looking for someone to look after his grandsons (10 and 8) in case something happens, in which case, he'd probably want someone younger.
90	!!!Season 4, "Freedomland", and it's many plotholes
91	* How exactly is the Season 4 story arc resolved? I've read somewhere that going by production order, "Early Bird Special" is the true series finale, and somewhere was claimed that Vanessa paid off Robert's debts. Although it still seems rather inconclusive; the only thing we know for sure is that Ed Wuncler II's evil schemes have been thwarted in "Freedomland". But that doesn't solve Robert's bankruptcy itself, does it?
92	** The last contract must have voided the debt for indentured servitude, while he backed down from slavery you can't go to court to have your money back because the debtor's grandson refuse to get his foot chopped.
93	----
94	* A bit of FridgeLogic here. In "Freedomland", it's no surprise that Ruckus is enthusiastic about holding black people like the Freeman family as slaves. But, why doesn't the white-loving Ruckus ever question how Ed II is also holding white people as slaves? You'd think he would object to that.
95	** You don't object to a Wuncler, and most of them were black anyway.
96	*** Slavery and racism aren't mutually inclusive at all. Slavery was a part of most of the world until the Enlightenent, so yeah.
97	*** True, slavery by itself isn't racist, though its history in America was definitely racist. Also, Ruckus generally treats white people with ''a lot'' of respect (unless they're gay), and you'd think he would be personally offended by reducing white folk to slavery right next to black folk.
98	*** A case of EveryoneHasStandards?
99	** Perhaps Uncle Ruckus is a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}? He is not a very logical man, after all.
100	!!!Undue punishments?
101	* Where was Uncle Ruckus when Granddad threatened to spank the kids for squirting water guns at clown-face Huey? Ruckus would definitely not allow Granddad to unchain Huey and carry him away.
102	** One could assume Ruckus was busy laughing his head off so much that he couldn't open his eyes at the thought of Huey painted to look like a clown and get hosed by kids with water guns.
103	** Or maybe Ruckus would? He might have allowed Granddad to threaten those kids because it adds onto the stereotype of black men being violent and fond of physical assault.
104	** Probably getting a sandwich just like in "Home Alone".
105	!!!Kardashian blood types
106	* In "Granddad Dates a Kardashian", why did the doctor say that Kardashia needed AB blood? People with AB blood are considered “universal recipients”, so saying what her blood type was at the moment was unnecessary. It wouldn’t even ruin the reveal, as the doctor could have just mentioned that she’s lucky to be a universal recipient, thus leading the people present to realize that she isn’t a Kardashian (also, how do the Kardashians manage to have all O-blood children? That seems highly unlikely, unless they are bred for O-blood).
107	** ArtisticLicenseMedicine.
108	*** The odds could be more likely with designer babies or there's a [[{{Squick}} a possibility that y'all wouldn't want to think about]].
109	!!!Tom getting possessed
110	* In "Stinkmeaner Strikes Back", the Freemans tie the Stinkmeaner-possessed Tom to Riley's bed. As seen in "Tom, Sarah, and Usher", the Freemans have a spare bedroom that they let Tom stay in after he got kicked out by Sarah. Why did they put him in the boys' room instead of the spare room?
111	** The spare room is for guests only. Stinkmeaner is clearly uninvited.
112	*** And that somehow explains it? Why the fuck does it even matter if he's uninvited?
113	*** Why does it matter if he's in the boys room?
114	** [[RuleOfFunny So Riley can make make whiny complaints about it for a laugh.]]
115
116	!! Meta
117	* I heard that Aaron [=McGruder=]'s net worth is about $10 million. Why did he need to start a {{Website/Kickstarter}} campaign to fund $200,000 for ''The Uncle Ruckus Movie''? That's about 2% of his net worth, he didn't want to spend even 2% for Uncle Ruckus? Creator/GeorgeLucas paid for many components of the first ''Franchise/StarWars'' movie out of his own pockets.
118	** Besides income, he probably used some of that other money for ''Series/BlackJesus''.
119	** $200,000 on the low side for animating a 30-second commercial, let alone a movie. If that's all the Kickstarter was looking for, he was probably using a different primary funding source and using Kickstarter to make up a shortfall.
120	** "Net worth" isn't the same as "money you have to spend". That may be how much [=McGruder=] is technically ''worth'', but that doesn't mean he ''has'' $10 million on hand to just throw around on pet projects.

Context Headscratchers / TheBoondocks