Dennis Rodman + Kim Jong Un = The 'Vice' Episode You've Been Waiting For [Video]
In "The Hermit Kingdom: Basketball Diplomacy," the "Vice" crew, along with Rodman and the Harlem Globetrotters, experience life and hoops in North Korea.
Dennis Rodman's infamously awkward interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week" last March, the one where he seemed to be defending his new BFF, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, all sprang from the season finale of HBO's "Vice," which airs Friday on the cable network.
"The Hermit Kingdom: Basketball Diplomacy" is the installment viewers of the controversial show have been anticipating since the documentary series premiered in April, and, as the clips below preview, the episode does not disappoint.
"Vice" correspondent Ryan Duffy and three members of the Harlem Globetrotters head off to North Korea, where they've planned an exhibition game against North Korean athletes. Even more surreal than that unlikely matchup and the trip itself: the sight of Kim Jong Un sitting beside wacky NBA Hall of Fame player Rodman.
Later, the Americans head off to a lunch meeting with the North Korean hoopsters, where, after Duffy and one of the Globetrotters marvel at the snake-filled glass jar of hooch outside the lunch space, Duffy interacts with some of his basketball opponents, who, unsurprisingly, have nothing but praise for "the Marshall," Kim Jong Un.
Under tight North Korean security, Duffy and company are also given tours of various locales in the country, including a mall, an aquarium, and a computer lab where rows of people are sitting silently in front of monitors, with no typing or interaction of any kind happening.
The series, which Rolling Stone says is "meant to 'punch you in the face' with harsh international realities" but "feels a little like your buddy from the bar just happened to be wandering through eastern Afghanistan with a camera crew," has been renewed for a second season on HBO.
The "Vice" season finale airs on HBO Friday at 11 PM.
