Wingmen (The Boondocks)

"Wingmen (The Boondocks)"

"Wingmen" is the thirteenth episode of the Adult Swim animated series, The Boondocks. It originally aired on March 5, 2006.

Plot

The episode begins with Riley relaying a telephone call to Granddad:

Riley: Oh, um, Granddad? There was something I was supposed to tell you. Uh, yeah... I think that uh... Aunt Cookie called and I think it was important.

Granddad: What? Did you write it down?

Riley: Naw, but uh, it was something about this dude named... Moe.

Granddad: Moe? You mean Moe Jackson?

Riley: Yeah, yeah, that's him! Uh, I think it was, uh, something about... Oh oh wait, I remember now. Yeah, something about him... dyin', or something.

Granddad calls Aunt Cookie (Niecy Nash) and discovers that Moe perished from failing to seek medical attention for priapism after taking erectile dysfunction pills. Rather than showing any sign of grief over the passing of his friend, Granddad bursts into laughter and even starts dancing with joy. He decided to attend the funeral, however, when he learns that Moe left him something in his will.

Before leaving for Chicago (where Huey and Riley lived before being moved to Woodcrest), Huey reveals to Jazmine that he will be visiting his best friend, Cairo. This distresses Jazmine, who probably thought that she was Huey's best friend.

On the plane ride, Granddad tells the boys a story about Moe, and initiates a flashback to World War II. Granddad was "the best negro pilot of the war." Moe Jackson was his wingman. The flashback reveals that Moe is cocky, boisterous, and reckless. At one point during the flashback, Moe attempts to shoot down an enemy plane with his eyes closed. Unfortunately, this results in Granddad's plane being shot several times.

When Huey and Riley find Cairo, they are shocked to find that he has a new best friend, Dewey Abbado/Mamma-see,mamma-say,mamma-ma-cu-sah Jenkins. Dewey is a black revolutionary who mocks Huey for not being "down with the struggle" and for moving to "Whitecrest." Much to Huey's dismay, Cairo seems to have moved on.

Granddad finds out Moe left something for him, but in order to get it, Granddad must deliver the eulogy at Moe's repast. Granddad is outraged at first, but is eventually talked into the idea by Aunt Cookie.

Moe's service is held on a party boat. At the service, Granddad is approached by an extremely ugly woman named Maybelline, but he screams and runs away after she talks to him. Huey becomes mad at Cairo for not being loyal, until Aunt Cookie tells Huey how upset Cairo was when Huey moved away. Granddad becomes more and more agitated as he learns that Moe has been taking credit for his accomplishments in the war, and also that Moe had called him "a motherfucker" only a few days before his passing (contradicting his apologetic tone in the video). Granddad has trouble thinking of something to say, so he reads something written by Moe: "Everything I have in life, I owe to Moe Jackson. I'm not gay, but Moe was a very sexy man?! We used to call him 'Moe Bitches?!.' I once saw Moe in his underwear?!, and it changed my life?! I wish I had a father like Moe Jackson, Moe Jackson paid my rent over fifty times?! OK this is bullshit!" Realizing Moe wanted to get his last laugh (as noted in the inflected disgust in Granddad's voice as he reads), he vents his true feelings about Moe to the entire audience, and storms off afterwards.

Later, Granddad finally reveals what caused the rift between him and Moe. Over 40 years ago, Moe had stolen his girlfriend, and Granddad had never forgiven him. Aunt Cookie scolds Granddad and reminds him that Granddad had never actually dated that girl. He asked for her number once and never called. However, Granddad retorts, saying that he was going to call her and she could have been "the one" and that Moe took that from him. Ironically, she also reveals that the same girl that caused the rift between them was Maybelline: the extremely ugly woman on the boat. She also tells him that even though Moe wasn't the best of friends, he wasn't the one who threw their friendship away, Granddad did. Granddad cannot believe how foolish he was, and how he had thrown away a friendship with Moe over something so stupid.

Meanwhile, Huey confronts Cairo about Dewey. Cairo takes Dewey's side, and openly mocks and insults Huey and Granddad. This causes a fight between the boys. Riley takes advantage of this opportunity, and takes off to fight Dewey. The fight ends abruptly when Granddad comes back in to make amends. He delivers a good speech, and forces Huey to "say something deep" at the end: "your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding, it is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick-self therefore trust the physician and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility, Khalil Gibran".

After the funeral, when Granddad goes to pick his mystery item, he finds out that it was a jar of peanuts (Moe's final wish is for Granddad to "hold deez nuts!"). Moe had set everything up before his passing so that he could have the last laugh on Granddad.

Before returning to Woodcrest, Huey goes to Cairo's house to apologize. It originally appears that Cairo has accepted his apology. However, Cairo reacts by headbutting Huey off of his front porch, leaving their relationship in tatters and thus, making Huey permanetly cutting ties with Cairo. When Huey returns to Woodcrest, he treats Jazmine somewhat nicer after realizing how important friendship is, revealing that he may be warming to her as his new best friend. Jazmine is seen poking fun at Huey's nose injury from the incident with Cairo. She jokingly says "I see your best friend likes to headbutt you in the face!"

The episode ends by revealing that Granddad actually kept the jar of peanuts. It is proudly displayed in his den alongside other memorabilia from his past exploits.

See also

• 332d Fighter Group - historical unit of black combat pilots in World War II
• Tuskegee Airmen - Collective name for black pilots and ground crews trained at Tuskegee, Alabama
• Red Tails - film co-written by Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder