“It’s Robbin’ Season”
“Atlanta” is back in a big bad way. After debuting in September of 2016 and shaking up the TV landscape with its “Twin Peaks for Rappers” approach to storytelling, the show went on a bit of a hiatus as Donald Glover (the show’s creator, star, executive producer, etc…) went off to play a young Lando Calrissian in the upcoming “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” Well, he’s back, the show’s back, and it hasn’t lost any speed.
The show opens with a couple of characters we’ve never seen attempting to rob a fast food restaurant and barely escaping. The scene begins as something absurd and strange, becomes thrilling and action-packed, and ends with the sounds of a woman’s cries, leaving viewers in a state of concern as the logo appears and we’re treated to a number of beautiful sweeping overhead shots of the city. The cold-open is the perfect tone-setter: we haven’t even seen any of the main characters yet, but we’re right back into the world this show has meticulously created. Yes, it can be funny, but it can also be bleak and devastating at any moment, and it wants you to know that from the jump.
We pick up with Ern (Donald Glover) right where we left off – while last season’s finale ended with the reveal that he’d been living out of a storage container the whole time, his arc for this season opens with him being “evicted.” This sets up Ern’s mission for the episode: he needs a place to stay.
He turns, of course, to Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry) and Darius (Lakeith Stanfield ), who we learn aren’t speaking at the moment for reasons neither wants to get into. Darius gives Ern a lift to the Probations Office, which provides some great opportunities for Glover and Stanfield to play off one and other, which leads to some hilarious moments. Namely, the Florida Man meme come to life: a montage that begins with the murder of a black teenager and ends with the assault of a flamingo. The juggling act Glover and his writing staff are pulling off is impressive and poignant, somehow balancing hyper-relevant cultural criticism and completely absurd levels of humor in the same bit.
The second half of the premiere is almost a self-contained chamber piece – Ern is sent by Al to resolve a situation involving their uncle Willie (Kat Williams) and a “hostage situation.” Unable to say no, Ern and Darius head over for what is a doozy of a set-piece: the cops arrive at Willie’s house, there’s an alligator in one of the rooms of the house, and Ern is left to resolve the situation without leaving with a probation violation. It’s a tense scene that becomes touching as we learn more about Willie and his connection to Ern. The two seemingly make it out of the situation,
The one glaring omission from this long-awaited reunion was Zazie Beetz as Van, who we’ll no doubt see more of in the coming weeks.
It’s good to have Atlanta back. It’s currently FX’s best show as far as many critics and viewers are concerned, and considering we’re talking about the network behind Fargo, Legion, The Americans, and many, many more critical darlings, that’s saying a lot. There’s no telling where this season will take us, but that’s the charm of watching something truly unique unfold before your eyes.
Takeaways:
- Brian Tyree Henry as Al is the unsung hero of this ensemble of great actors. The amount that he conveys with nothing more than a look is astounding.
- Kat Williams is tremendous in this episode. Even when he’s being despicable, you kind of can’t help but root for him.
- How did Willie even get an alligator?
If you haven’t yet checked out this groundbreaking show yet… get on it. Need more convincing? Check out our list of the Top 5 Reasons You Should Be Watching Atlanta.
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