THE PLOT THUS FAR
Based on the comic strip, Huey and Riley move away from the city and out to the suburbs with their irascible grandfather. Biting socio-political commentary ensues.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“The Boondocks” returned with a fourth season that felt limp. Limp being the nicest term that I can use for the show, as this season wasn’t funny. Sure, the second and third seasons had way too many Linus on a soapbox moments. But, this was hitting the point that it felt like the new showrunners had never even seen an episode before or read McGruder’s work. Ed Asner shows up as the bad guy far too often in a plot point that goes nowhere.
John Witherspoon and Regina King are the heart of the show, but even their performances feel like choppy copies of the past three seasons. Uncle Ruckus loses all focus, as he just turns into a racial stereotype that screams many epithets about many people without focus. A foaming mad dog isn’t entertaining, as we’re left to wonder what in the hell happened to what was once seen as a relevant show. But, that’s the case with firebrand creators who try to adapt their furor into a new venue where they are so over their heads that the Network execs already have plans upon plans for them. While I’m not one to bemoan the case of the poor artist in the Modern Age, I can say this without fault. Aaron McGruder got screwed on this one.
The DVD comes with featurettes as the special features. The A/V Quality is sharp for a basic cable animated series. The Dolby 5.1 track makes the musical cues really pop in surround. I never realized before how insane and detailed the score for the show was until I sat down with this release. The standard definition transfers is found lacking when compared to the Adult Swim HD broadcast. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase only to completist fans.
RELEASE DATE: 06/24/2014