"Return of the King" is the ninth episode of the first season of the animated television series The Boondocks. The episode was written by series creator Aaron McGruder and directed by Kalvin Lee, and originally aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's late-night programming block Adult Swim on January 15, 2006.
The episode's name is a reference of The Lord of the Rings volume The Return of the King. The episode won a Peabody Award in 2006.
Contents
Plot
The episode begins with two epigraphs:
I want young men and young women who are not alive today to know and see that these new privileges and opportunities did not come without somebody suffering and sacrificing for them.
Whatever, nigga.
Huey Freeman narrates an alternate version of history in which Martin Luther King Jr. survived his assassination attempt on April 4, 1968, but fell into a 32-year coma. Awakening in October 2000, he experiences a resurgence of popularity and signs a deal to write his autobiography. He shows up to vote for the 2000 U.S. presidential election, but is "turned away due to voting irregularity".
A biopic based on King's life is released a week and a half after the September 11 attacks, and becomes a box office flop as a result. During an appearance on Politically Incorrect, King states that the teachings of his Christian faith require him to "turn the other cheek," even with respect to enemies such as al-Qaeda. His commentary draws severe scorn from major news outlets and the White House, and his popularity plummets.
