Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy (voiced by Charles Q. Murphy and Samuel L. Jackson, respectively) are two characters from the television program, The Boondocks. They are two soldiers returning from the Iraq War. Ed and Rummy are based on a young George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfield respectively. They often hang out with Riley Freeman. Their sheer stupidity and the effects of their stupidity designates them as the comic relief.
Personality
Ed and Rummy are two sociopathic soldiers. They constantly drink, curse, and rob stores in order to prove their superiority. However, although the robberies are poorly-planned, they manage to get away with them. Riley Freeman points out that they get away with everything because Ed's grandfather is extremely rich and has the police on his payroll or because they rob people of "terrorist descent" (when he's talking about Arabs or those who appear Arab). Rummy ignores him and says they get away with crimes because he is a criminal mastermind.
Ed is the less intelligent and the more violent of the duo. In his first appearance on the show, he states, without any discomfiture, that he was discharged from the military because he had a habit of soiling himself under stress and other troops refused to be near him because of the smell. The lack of intelligence can be an allusion to Garry Trudeau's comic strip on George W. Bush after he fell for a false Lovenstein Institute IQ Report stating that Bush had an IQ of 91. He likes to text messages, but Rummy doesn't approve because it can't be plugged into a printer. Ed is the de facto leader, but Rummy, being the somewhat more intelligent, plans the robbery (albeit poorly). Ed is a rough, foul-mouthed alcoholic. Sexually frustrated and foul-mouthed, he constantly drinks and likes to use physical force even when it's not needed. He also uses stereotypes and other vulgar insults (such as referring to a Middle Eastern shop owner as "of terrorist descent") in order to mock the people he is robbing.
Gin Rummy is a foil to Ed Wuncler III. Like Ed, he is another stereotype of a "wigger" with sociopathic undertones. As stated before, Rummy is the more intelligent one; however his stupidity sometimes surpasses Ed's (Let's Nab Oprah). Unlike Ed, he is shown to be self-sufficient while Ed still lives with his grandfather. Also, unlike Ed, he is more megalomaniacal while Ed is just plain idiotic. This is proven when he calls himself a criminal mastermind and when he covers up his failures. To cover them, he says, "the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence," and "it was a unknown unknown" which are allusions to Bush's and Rumsfield belief of WMDs in Iraq.
Both of them seem to have a brotherly friendship. They both like weapons, alcohol, and robbing people. They both share the credit for the robberies, no matter how poorly-planned they happen to be. In addition, they are completely ignorant to the consequences of their actions and feel no remorse for them. However, they disagree about texting and Rummy makes fun of Ed's lack of swimming aptitude. Also, when they have a brotherly hug, Riley calls them gay (he also does this when Huey gives him one). Even with their access to dangerous firearms, ability to escape the consequences of their actions, and sociopathic tendencies, their stupidity often proves that they are bigger threats to themselves and to the people who are affliated with them than anyone else.
Crimes
Robbing and Assaulting Civilians
In "A Date With The Health Inspector", while trying to find the Xbox Killer, Ed and Rummy round up and interrogate several civilians. During the process, Ed and Rummy break down doors, assault people on the street, and Ed is seen robbing one man at gunpoint, who he later shoots once.
Robbing a Convenience Store
Also in "A Date With The Health Inspector", they robbed a convenience store owned by an Iraqi man who looks exactly like Saddam Hussein. They trick a police officer into siding with them by saying that the owner was holding a weapon that, at the time, did not exist. However, Ed and Rummy are praised because people thought they were fighting terrorism, and with the exception of that, this robbery mirrors the lead up to and execution of the United States' invasion of Iraq.
Robbing a Bank
In "Let's Nab Oprah", they robbed a bank in the beginning and Ed left his wallet. However, they get away with it and the police gives Ed his wallet back.
Kidnapping Oprah
Also in "Let's Nab Oprah", they try to kidnap Oprah and extort the women of the world at a book signing in order to rule the world. However, they accidentally gag and kidnap Maya Angelou. They kick her out of the getaway van and leave her gagged.
Kidnapping Bill Cosby
Later on, in the same episode, Ed and Rummy attempt to kidnap Oprah again in. However, they accidentally end up in Bill Cosby's dressing room. Riley quits the plan and Ed and Rummy think of the praise they are going to receive by kidnapping Bill Cosby. However, they don't follow through with it because Bill Cosby was too annoying.
Various Death Threats
Throughout the show, Ed and Rummy have made many death threats. First, Ed threatened to kill the police officer who seemed to have sided with Huey and the clerk (A Date With the Health Inspector). Also in the same episode, Rummy threatened to kill the clerk if he didn't hand over the imaginary weapon. Third, Rummy threatened to kill the bank manager if he didn't give honest feedback on a recent robbery and he threatened to kill the oldest woman in a bookstore if nobody told him where Oprah was (Let's Nab Oprah).
External links
- "The Boondocks" on TV.com