Black Jesus: The Other Shoe Drops

September 22, 2014 5:54 AM - Season 1, Episode 7

Travyon's foray into documentary filmmaking reveals greed, chaos, angry farmers, and a saboteur pouring bleach in the garden.
posted by ob1quixote (2 comments total)

What sucks is that I watched this and it is still pretty mediocre and as a result when happened to see the 'fried chicken' preview for Blackish just now, I was out of facepalms. I'm going to have to adjust my viewing habits by Wednesday.
posted by cashman at 7:45 AM on September 22, 2014

I think with this episode I'm starting to see what McGruder is going for. The cartoonish stereotypes, especially the language used, are offensive because they're meant to be. They're a continuation of his criticism of the kind of black culture that is portrayed in television, movies, and music — especially BET, of course, given McGruder's ongoing feud with the channel.

If you contrast this show with what they've done to The Boondocks in his absence the difference becomes clear. The criticisms implicit in the characterizations in previous seasons have been totally lost in a sea of gratuitous least common denominator "comedy."

Black Jesus is also a critique of capitalism and the expressions of materialism in black culture. The Jordan's and the money for the tomato sauce being the most obvious expressions of this.

I'm still holding out hope that will be more explicit recitation of these criticisms, as was done on the "The Return of the King" episode of The Boondocks. A Sermon on the Mount moment, if you will.
posted by ob1quixote at 12:59 PM on September 22, 2014 [1 favorite]