The Real (The Boondocks)

Infobox Boondocks Episode
Title = The Real


Caption = "The White Shadow"
Airdate = January 8, 2006
Season no. = 1
Episode no. = 8
Production no. = 105
Writer = Aaron McGruder
Director = Anthony Bell
Guests = John C. McGinley
Xzibit
Episode list = Infobox Boondocks Season 1

"The Real" is the eighth episode of the Adult Swim animated television series "The Boondocks". It originally aired on January 8, 2006.

Plot

The episode opens with the Freeman family in reality show-type talking head interviews, during which Huey claims to have founded 23 radical leftist organizations, including the "Africans Fighting Racism and Oppression" (AFRO), the "Black Revolutionary Organization" (BRO), etc. During his face time, Granddad talks about how his sunglasses make him look like his hero Bill Cosby. Riley talks about how he is "gangsta" and has several aliases such as "H.R. Paperstacks", "Pillsbury Doughboy", "Louis Rich", etc.

During his interview, Riley goes on to explain exactly how he came up with his plan to get Xzibit to come and pimp his grandfather's car. Basically, he taped his grandfather wearing his sunglasses and tried to garner sympathy by saying that he was a blind and lonely old man with a desire for love. Riley also videotaped Granddad's crummy car (named "Dorothy") and said that it was the only thing he had left in the world and "everyone knows that bitches don't really check for niggas in beat-up cars". He ends his tape with a two-faced, teary-eyed plea, saying, "Please Xzibit! Pimp my ride! For my grandfather! For 9/11! For America!"

Even Riley is surprised when Xzibit and his film crew show up some time later. Granddad, not in on the ruse, is initially skeptical when Riley tells him that he must act blind so they can get a new car. Riley ultimately successfully convinces him to play along, saying that once Xzibit and his crew are done upgrading the car, Granddad will not only have a nicer ride, but also a whole lot of "bitches" (read: women).

Huey, meanwhile, not at all pleased by his family's dishonesty, sends Jazmine running away crying after revealing to her that the tooth fairy is fake and that everyone she knows will one day die. No sooner is she gone than a man steps from the shadows and approaches Huey in a mysteriously mild manner, dropping hints that he has been spying on Huey and the Freemans. He says "You, enjoy abusing people's illusions. I respect that." "You don't know me," Huey says defiantly, to which the agent replies, "I know you better than you think, Huey Freeman." Surprised that the man knows his name, Huey turns only to discover that the man has disappeared. He tries to talk to his family about this "secret agent", but they deny and ignore him.

Soon after, shows up intending to build another wing onto their house. Riley, behind this as well, had to claim than not only was his grandfather blind, but also that despite this disability, he was running a homeless shelter out of the house. Granddad continues to play along, hoping that he'll get a grotto like Hugh Hefner has at the Playboy Mansion.

In the midst of the construction, Huey is again visited by the agent, who is dressed as a worker. After a brief discourse, the man again disappears. Huey tries to see if anyone else noticed him talking to a man dressed as a construction worker, but no one did. He begins to question his sanity.

While the house is in a virtually destroyed state, Xzibit returns with Dorothy. Granddad, unable to contain himself, blows the gimmick by running up and hugging Xzibit and commenting on how the car is his "color". By this point, he had caught the attention of both the "Pimp My Ride" crew and the "Extreme Makeover" workers, all of whom are staring at him disapprovingly. The men leave — house still demolished — and Xzibit drives off in Granddad's car.It's autumn, and Granddad and Riley are sitting in the living room, huddled in coats and blankets as the wind blows through a gaping hole in the wall. Xzibit returns, telling them that he couldn't legally keep the car and would instead bill them for all the work done on it. The invoice is $35,423.08, and as he is handing them the bill he says, "Take your time with that. Looks like money gonna be tight around here for a minute," and chuckles as he walks away.

Huey is confronted for a third time by the agent whom he has now nicknamed "The White Shadow." Huey tells him that he believes him to be a figment of his own overactive imagination. "Now who's hiding from reality?" the agent asks. The agent never definitively reveals whether or not he is real, but does say "If you ever want to talk, remember: I'm always listening."

The Freemans, their house destroyed, settle down to sleep in their newly revamped car.

Cultural References

* Granddad's line 'Cosbiness is next to Godliness', is a parody of the statement, 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness'.
* When the agent following Huey says "Just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean we aren't out to get you" may be referencing Nirvana lyrics
* The agent who follows Huey around is believed to be an example of how we live in a world where people can watch our every move.