The Red Ball

"The Red Ball" is the third episode of the third season of the Adult Swim original series The Boondocks. It is set to be aired on May 16, 2010.

Plot

Warning: This article contain spoilers.

Ed Wuncler bets everything he owns in a bet with a Chinese business mogul, Mr. Long-dou, over the outcome of a kickball game between his kickball team and Mr. Dou's Granddaughter's team. He then persuades Granddad into talking Huey, said to be the Tiger Woods of kickball, into playing for his team. Huey refuses to leave his self-imposed exile, which he placed on himself after slipping up and giving a girl a permanent and severe limp. Granddad forces Huey to go to the kickball field anyways where Wuncler explains the history of kickball. Wuncler also reveals to Huey that the girl he injured was actually perfectly fine, and explains he did it because Huey was absolutely slaughtering the league, but Wuncler wanted to win no matter the cost, even if it meant scarring Huey for life and making him quit. He then shows Huey his team which he claims to be the best in history, which includes mercenaries, and the best junior squad the Dominican Republic has to offer. Huey refuses yet again, which prompts Wuncler to attempt to black mail him by showing him a photograph of himself wearing Kanye West glasses, nut hugger jeans, and Louis Vuitton driving shoes; the blackmail doesn't phase Huey. He then mentions what's at stake: his banks and the Freeman's Home. Huey is still unwavering.

On his way home Huey in confronted by Ming, Mr. Long-dou's Granddaughter, captain of the Chinese Team. She explains that it was decided she was to be a champion kickball player before she was even born, and at age three she was shipped off to the National Kickball Training Center outside of Beijing where she trained day and night to be the best. She also says that she and the ball alone are not kickball, and without a worthy opponent she is nothing and demands that Huey engages with her in an ultimate contest to decide who truly is the best of all. Huey refuses and walks away, Ming kicks the ball hard towards Huey, and Huey in an impressive display of skill, gently returns the ball to her. Huey agrees to play but doesn't want to take part in the ultimate contest, and claims it's just a simple game of kickball. He returns to the field where Wuncler tells him that INS has taken away the Dominican Junior squad, and while telling the rest of the team, he is disrupted by a helicopter landing behind him into which the mercenaries climb saying that there's a mission to rescue P.O.W.s in Afghanistan. Wuncler leaves it up to Huey as team captain to gather a new team in two days time.

Huey gathers a team that consists of Tom Dubois, Granddad, Ed Wuncler III, Riley, Cindy McPhearson, a Tibetan who wishes to humiliate the Chinese, Butch Magnus, and Mrs. Von Heusen. Wuncler Sr. is furious over Huey's choices but Huey states that they are the best that Woodcrest has to offer. At the top of the second inning the score is 4-0 in the Chinese favor after Huey's team is brutally beaten both score-wise and physically on both offense and defense. Huey wants to call it quits but his team refuses to 'go out like a bunch of l'il bitches.' Huey decides to stay and Wuncler convinces him to 'get serious' which causes him to push the score to 4-3. Seconds later Gin Rummy shows up and takes out the referee who was bribed by the Chinese. In the short break in which there is no referee, Huey confronts Ming at the water fountain, where she tells him about the Glorious Sports Rehabilitation Center that is actually a prison camp for athletes who have shamed their country, which she says her Grandfather will send her if she loses. She cries saying she envies Huey for being able to walk away from the sport of his own free will. Wuncler shows up at the field claiming he has found a completely fair impartial replacement, Uncle Ruckus who, within seconds, makes a racist remark against the Chinese.

Huey, affected by Ming's words, begins throwing the game. The two players behind him on base begin mocking him in Chinese for being fooled by Ming's words while Ming tries to control her laughing on the bench. Huey remarks in Chinese that he doesn't like being laughed at, revealing he understood everything they said. He kicks the ball backwards and completely annihilates the two on base, and purposefully hits the next kicker in the stomach rendering him unconscious. The game becomes even more brutally violent than before ending up 8-8 in the final inning with only one player on each team still standing, Huey and Ming. Huey throws his most powerful pitch, which Ming kicks back at him shattering her leg in the process. Huey attempts to stop it using both hands which causes both of his arms to snap and the ball to pop. Ming tries to crawl her way to first base when Huey stands up and and tags her with the smoldering remains of the ball winning the game.

Cultural References

• The episode is a spoof of the 2001 Hong Kong comedy film Shaolin Soccer. The superhuman strength and agility exhibited in many of the throws and kicks are a reference to the superhuman abilities shown by Team Shaolin and Team Evil in the film.

• Huey catching Ming's kick on his foot is a reference to the Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon. Lee performs the same action while instructing his next opponent to wait "outside".

Continuity

• Riley's kickball skills closely mirror is basketball skills, that is, he is all talk and has very little offensive skill, completely missing the ball on a throw.

• As is his trademark, Ed Wuncler III wears a bullet-proof vest over his team jersey.