The Hunger Strike
| "The Hunger Strike" | |
|---|---|
| The Boondocks episode | |
.jpg)
Leevil (right) and Rudlin (center) during a BET morning board meeting
|
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| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 14 |
| Directed by | Dan Fausett |
| Written by |
Aaron McGruder Rodney Barnes |
| Production code | 210 |
| Original air date | March 16, 2008 (Teletoon) |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
|
Cee-Lo Green as Rollo Goodlove |
|
Cee-Lo Green as Rollo Goodlove
Donald Faison as Wedgie Rudlin
Debra Wilson Skelton as Debra Leevil
Tavis Smiley as himself
"The Hunger Strike" is a second season episode of the Adult Swim animated television series The Boondocks. It was set to premiere on January 7, 2008, between "The Story of Thugnificent" and "Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch", but has not aired in the United States. In Canada, the episode was aired on March 16, 2008, on the network Teletoon, with a disclaimer stating that "the views in this program do not reflect that of Teletoon Canada or its parent companies". The episode also aired globally elsewhere, and has appeared on Netflix streaming in Canada. According to Aaron McGruder on an introduction video for the episode found on the DVD set, this episode was originally set to be titled "BET Sucks".
At the headquarters of BET, fictional president Debra Leevil (a parody of BET Holdings CEO Debra L. Lee with a personality resembling Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers films) presides over a board meeting to discuss the network's strategy for destroying black people. The issue of Huey Freeman is brought up, as he is shown on CNN giving a press conference stating that he is on a hunger strike and that he will not eat until there is a public apology for creating BET, the network is shut down, and all the executive board members commit seppuku.
Huey joins forces with the charismatic Rev. Rollo Goodlove (voiced by rapper/singer Cee-Lo), who adds a flashy image to the fight against BET by lobbying for a boycott of the network. Huey initially believes this to be a good idea, as a concert organized by Goodlove (and featuring his band) draws widespread attention and sparks a widespread boycott. However, Huey gradually discovers that Goodlove is primarily interested in drawing media attention to himself through shameless merchandising, self-promotion, and outrageous behavior. Goodlove justifies his tactics by explaining that in order to reach the black community, he has to present its members with something they can relate to.
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