‘Want some hot sauce with that?’ (Laughs)

I viewed Atlanta’s first two seasons on Netflix. Since then, there’s been the pandemic, lockdowns, and delayed productions. I finally beheld the last two seasons on the SBS app. It did not disappoint. The twenty eps proves creator Donald Glover’s writing genius. He has already won Emmy’s and a Golden Globe for his efforts in this series. Having witnessed his prowess, there is no doubt that he would collect more trophies. Who knows? Perhaps even the EGOT. Atlanta is a homage to black culture and creative expression. The show is noted for featuring an all-black writing team. Moreover, the four protagonists are African Americans. However, it also explores myriads of other themes and approaches. Among them are mockumentaries, dry humour, stand-alone, and bottle episodes. In this sense, American Vandal is a close study.

The third season was filmed across Europe, including Paris and Amsterdam. It was quite picturesque and a breath of fresh air from the couch surfing and hoods that we were accustomed to. There is a four year gap between seasons two and three, owing to the aforementioned COVID. Season four was released about this time last year. The final series returned to Atlanta while exploring pervasive issues in typical dark humour. That season is quite bleak and gives Black Mirror a run for its money.

The show’s finale was one of the best TV eps I’ve ever seen, if not the finest. While streaming it, I was already amused. Yet the more you uncover the onion’s layers, the happier you’ll be. A black sushi restaurant owner gives a spirited lecture…for the blowfish main course? Why would anyone want to eat a potentially lethal gourmet dish? On closer inspection, the delicacy does make sense. Fugu or pufferfish really is a Japanese delicacy. Of course, Darius would barge in and bring Popeyes for the gang. Or, to channel Inception, is it all just a dream?

Season Three (2022)

The third series of ATL has ten episodes. They are about thirty minutes. Regardless, the season provides the same dose of quirkiness that encapsulates the show. For instance, the third ep sees them being led into a dump…until they emerge in an avant-garde landscape. The latter looks like a million bucks. They even steal moments with the owner, a billionaire who only cares for more riches…and a large ancient tree. Oh, by the way, have I mentioned the Nando’s stand in the corner?

Bottle ep

A bottle episode, titled The Big Payback’ follows suit. A white impostor deals with the fallout of slavery. The #blacklivesmatter movement has caught on. White people are held accountable for generations of discrimination against their black counterparts. It turns out that, ages ago, the protagonists’s ancestors acquired slaves. The white guy’s career and life unravels as the black woman demands justice. While in his office, he sees a workmate sporting a tee with the words ‘I owned slaves’.

‘Oh, that’s Tim from Accounting’, another colleague explained.

Looking back, that penance was relatively tame compared to what his enemy put him through.

Free tuition

Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga is just as woke as the former. In the ep, a hombre of mixed race has grand college aspirations…but not enough $$ to cover the tuition damage. His girlfriend thinks that he’s applied, but our guy’s just pretending. His school announces that they will provide free tuition…if you’re black. There’s a grand song and dance routine where three older Afro guys reject him, deeming him not ebony enough. His African American dad would not cover his college education. He then loses not only his hopes for college but also his lass. Sometime later, we see him acting really Afro, complete with the frizzy hairdo and talking like a homie. The ep is shot in black and white, which supports the biracial lead’s identity crisis.

The French Correction

The season finale is titled Tarrare, where we are acquainted with three black women. One of them is into kinky sex and boasts about how this pays for her jet setting and lavish lifestyle. We get to see Van, played by the gorgeous Zazie Beetz. Earn’s ex partner now sports a French accent and runs around with a long baguette in her pack. She works as a chef and seems too Francophile. In this realm, she’s with Alexander Saarsgard, who she bosses around. Their relations are built on sadism. Only in the end does Zazie snap out of it. In my web based research, I learned that the actor lived in Paris for a year.

Rating: 5/5

Season Four (2022)

Season four opens with a buggy bound stalker terrorising Darius. The ep’s start is surreal. Countless faces are looting a department store when the former sashays in. He tries to return an air fryer, oblivious to the panic ‘buying’. When he finally corners an employee, the latter takes the cash and dashes. Meanwhile, Earn and Van get blasts from the past on the subway, where their exes come back to confront them. Earn’s entire dating history appears in the station.

Other eps

The next ep centres on Earn’s revenge ploy. Titled The Homeliest Little Horse, a middle aged writer gets the call of a lifetime. A literary agent wants a meeting with the author. When she describes her output, the agent gives her a meeting with a kiddie audience. They unanimously reject her ‘boring’ eponymous work and everyone scampers. The scrivener is crestfallen. Earn’s friends are unimpressed.

In ep 5, ‘Work Ethic’, Lottie (Earn’s daughter) impresses a director. He casts her in a sitcom. Van is initially against it, but would not stand in the way of her daughter’s happiness. That is, until she is in the dark on her child’s whereabouts. It turns out that a malevolent Big Brother is working the shadows. Van races against time to liberate Lottie.

Snipe Hunt (ep 7) looks into the dynamics of family as Earn’s trio go on a camping trip. They build a tent, play games, and go fishing. Van reveals that she was a Girl Scout. She has Lottie go snipe hunting. Earn takes this opportunity to convince Van to go with him to LA. At first reluctant, Earn’s persuasive powers overpower Van.

Black CEO

Easily the season’s most ingenious ep was titled ‘The Goof Who Sat by the Door’. This conceit could only be found in Atlanta. Unfolding in mockumentary style, the plot follows Tom Washington, who becomes the first black CEO. Apparently, Disney’s board had a case of mistaken identity. After the Rodney King riots, this victory vindicated the black community. Washington oversaw the ‘blackest movie ever’…Goofy. They even interviewed his widow and son. The humour was very much tongue in cheek. Indeed, I ALMOST bought it. It’s interesting how they were able to air this episode, which essentially pokes fun at the company. Disney owns their broadcaster, FX. Of course, this wouldn’t be commissioned without their parent company’s go-ahead. There’s also a Liam Neeson cameo on this one. He converses with Al at the bar. Glover’s wits is one of a kind. Need I say more?

‘Andrew Wyeth. Alfred’s World.’

The last two episodes are a fitting end to the show’s run. In the penultimate instalment, Paper Boi camps out in the boondocks. For the most part, he is by himself. Being a musician, the peace and quiet unnerves him. He has his rifle and shops a storm at the hardware. He is looking after his weed crops. When an intruder ruins his farm, he asks an expert about possible remedies. He admits that his ‘corn’ plantation is being targeted. The salesperson tells him that it’s probably a wild boar that’s causing the damage. This amuses Al…until he sees it with his own eyes. The carnivorous brute then attacks him and almost chews off his injured right foot. This was after a tractor almost squashed him. He finally overpowers the rogue hog, but not after suffering a broken foot. This is a cautionary tale about underestimating danger.

Finale

As mentioned, the finale was surreal and one of a kind. Darius goes to these sessions to unwind and forget the world. The ep constantly questions your bearings and problematises your viewpoint. At one point, we see Darius being booted out of the spa. Then, he is rescued by the same employee. We realise that the eviction was but a dream. He also gets into an incident while in a car. His companion, who’s drunk and high as hell, manages to avoid catastrophe. He admits that Judge Judy is his cue if it’s real or fake. Finally, there’s the aforementioned run in at the sushi restaurant.

The Japan-trained owner goes on a long winded monologue.

‘Going to Popeyes are we?’

Each time Al tries to interject, the black owner would say, ‘Would you know….’

He felt disrespected since the trio of Al, Earn, and Van keep on gawking at the Popeye’s across the street. They hardly touch their sushi and Al is especially disgusted. In his monologue, the guy says that, in Tokyo, the queue for sushi was out the door. They patronise Popeyes when Italians own the recipe. This makes them like ‘Aunt Jemima’. The dude talks in a refined manner, more like Earn than Paper Boi. As they are about to be skewered, Darius saves the day and brings them some Popeyes. He even drives a stolen sports car. The conclusion is open-ended. At this point, we know that Van and Lottie are headed to LA with Earn. The other three go out for a smoke while Darius watches Judge Judy. We are not privy to the TV set, but Darius sports a knowing smile. It then fades to black.

The episode is of note as Darius gets the star billing. The other three have already gotten their turns. The former is more eccentric than his homies, though he’s sometimes relegated to the background. In an earlier season, Van had simply asked why were they here. He then provides an existentialist response. I couldn’t see why Darius would not be a successful philosopher.

Artistic license

The show overuses the term ‘nigga’. It seems like they want to reappropriate the racial slur. A lot has passed since Coach Carter, where Sam L. Jackson preached that the slight is derogatory. In between, Quentin Tarantino’s pictures have also exhausted the expression, as Spike Lee had observed.

Yes, there’s a lot to learn from this show. It’s a microcosm of the American dream and wizard technology. It handles race relations with aplomb. It crafted new angles of storytelling. The critics have spoken and every Atlanta season holds a Certified Fresh rating. The production put its stars on the map. Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover has had some success in the past but he definitely thrived in centre stage. Since Atlanta, LaKieth Stanfield (Darius) has been a respected thespian. Zazie Beets had supporting roles in Oscar darling, Joker, and Nine Days. Perhaps a few years from now, someone would ask me what’s the past decade’s most original TV series.

’Have you heard of this thing, Atlanta?

Rating: 5/5