Pause (The Boondocks)
"Pause" | |
---|---|
The Boondocks episode | |
Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 7 |
Directed by | Sung Hoon Kim |
Written by | Aaron McGruder Rodney Barnes |
Production code | 301 |
Original air date | June 20, 2010 |
Guest appearances | |
Affion Crockett as Winston Jerome Kadeem Hardison as himself | |
"Pause" is the 7th episode of the
Plot
Robert eventually passes the audition and meets Winston himself, who is revealed to be a devout,
Forced to abandon his family, Robert suffers through grueling rehearsals and evades frequent advances by Winston, who later reveals that Robert has to kiss him in the play's final act. Despite this, Robert remains hopeful that the play will pay off with fame, riches, and "white women". Huey and Riley eventually attempt to rescue Robert from Winston's cult, but are unable to persuade Robert to leave even though it means kissing Winston on stage; Robert uses a metaphor of contestants on the reality TV show Fear Factor "eating monkey testicles" for a large prize to make his point.
Two weeks later, the play premieres to a packed house, with Huey and Riley attending. Following the performance, Robert expects to be showered with adulation from attractive women, but to his chagrin finds that Winston Jerome's female fans are obese middle-aged housewives. Winston later offers Robert the lead in the film version of Ma Dukes Finds Herself a Man, but flatly demands sexual favors in return. Finally fed up, Robert flips Winston off, leaves his dressing room, and returns home with Huey and Riley (though not without enduring more "pause" taunts from Riley, who videotaped the play).
Cultural references
The character Winston Jerome is a parody of playwright and filmmaker
Winston introduces himself to Robert as Ma Dukes in a dance sequence similar to that of "Time Warp" in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Production
The script for "Pause" was written over a year before it finally aired. In the original script, McGruder made little effort to disguise Perry's identity, using a name very similar to Perry's legal name for the character before, under network instruction, changing it to "Winston Jerome". McGruder had wanted "Pause" to be the season opener but it was moved.[3]
Reception
Greg Braxton of the Los Angeles Times cited "Pause" as one of the sharpest public criticisms of [Tyler] Perry" and situated it alongside other critiques of Perry's work from African American filmmakers like Spike Lee.[2]
Leonard Pierce of The A.V. Club graded the episode a B+, writing that although the episode felt at times "directionless" it nonetheless featured "a bunch of good laugh lines, a dynamite ending, and an increased role for some characters that have been neglected of late".[4]
Tyler Perry was infuriated by "Pause", contacting
References
- ^ Weiner, Jonah (2009-08-06). "Does This Purple Mink Make Me Look Gay? The rise of no homo and the changing face of hip-hop homophobia". Slate. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
- ^ The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
- ^ a b Flint, Joe (2010-06-30). "Turner Broadcasting tries to make peace with Tyler Perry". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
- ^ Pierce, Leonard (2010-06-20). "Pause". Onion, Inc. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
- ^ "TV Schedule for Cartoon Network - Adult Swim". TV Passport. Retrieved 2020-05-23.