The Garden Party

For other uses, see Garden party (disambiguation).

"The Garden Party"
The Boondocks episode
Ed Wuncler, Sr. and his grandson, Ed Wuncler III
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 1
Directed by	Anthony Bell
Written by	Rodney Barnes Aaron McGruder
Production code	103
Original air date	November 6, 2005
Guest stars
Ed Asner Charles Q. Murphy
Episode chronology
← Previous — Next → "The Trial of R. Kelly"
The Boondocks (season 1) List of The Boondocks episodes

"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.

Plot

At a social party filled with primarily white guests, Huey 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.

Cultural references

• When Huey looks out the window with the airsoft gun, it bears resemblance to the famous picture of Malcolm X peering out of his window with an M1 carbine.

Huey peering out of his bedroom window with an airsoft MP5-K.

• Riley wears a suit similar to the suits worn by Tony Montana in Scarface 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 Guevara, the Argentine revolutionary and major figure of the Cuban Revolution.
• 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.^[1] The film is one of creator Aaron McGruder's favorites.^[2]
• Ed III's quote "I'm rich bitch!" is a reference to the famous line from Chappelle's Show, a show on which Ed III's voice actor, Charlie Murphy, appeared frequently.^[3]

References

1. ^ Chapman, Graham (2002). Life of Brian Screenplay. Methuen Publishing, Ltd.. 
2. ^ McGrath, Ben (2004-04-19). "The Radical". The New Yorker: p. 2. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/04/19/040419fa_fact2?currentPage=2. Retrieved 2008-08-17. 
3. ^ Otto, Jeff (2005-06-08). "Mike Epps on Dave Chappelle". Internet Movie Database Inc.. http://movies.ign.com/articles/623/623679p1.html. Retrieved 2007-12-09.