by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
When I graduated from undergrad, I moved out to California. I didn’t have any intention of making it in Hollywood or anything like that; I just wanted a change of pace and to be with some of my good friends. It wasn’t exactly the easiest experience. I do miss some things about California. I miss In-N-Out Burger, the weather (most of the time), and our apartment. I don’t miss the traffic, how expensive California is, and the struggle to find a job. While looking for a job, my roommates and I would often find ways to entertain ourselves. We would play Sporcle, a website dedicated to random online quizzes. We would go hiking at Runyon Canyon, which was right behind our apartment. We watched a lot of different TV shows as well. One show in particular that we all loved and watched for the first time together was Community. This was my first exposure to Donald Glover, and since then, I have been a huge fan. His acting, his comedy, his rapping. All of them are great because he puts so much thought into everything he does and shows how passionate he is about all his projects.
Atlanta is another chapter in Glover’s creative hot streak.
Atlanta, created and executive produced by Glover, follows Atlanta rapper Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry) as he navigates newfound fame with his manager Earn (Donald Glover) and friend Darius (LaKeith Stanfield). Earn also has to deal with his own issues with his love life with Van (Zazie Beetz) and their daughter. Season three specifically starts with Paper Boi, Earn, and Darius embarking on a tour through Europe as their adventure reaches outside the streets of Atlanta.
Atlanta is a very unique show. It’s funny and has a lot of things to say. It can be misunderstood pretty frequently because it’s not exactly straightforward. The show oozes with surrealism and metaphors all over the place that it can come off a little dense at times. It’s also ambitious in the sense that it’s not afraid to take risks and tell stories in unconventional ways. Atlanta has made a name for itself by having vignette episodes that might not be directly related to the main story of Paper Boi and his crew, but still have a message they want to convey. This can be jarring, but also poignant and thought-provoking. Atlanta season three is as ambitious as a TV season I’ve seen in a long time for a lot of different reasons.
For the story, the biggest difference is setting the season in Europe for Paper Boi’s tour. The characters have adventures throughout mainstays like Amsterdam and Paris. It’s a whole new culture we’re exploring and to see the struggles they have with how Europe views them (rappers, African American, from the United States) have varying levels of comedy and captivation. To take these characters and remove them from the comforts of Atlanta is an important step in evolution for all of them. Europe is vastly different than the safety of Atlanta, so it’s nice to see some struggle, but also some clarity as well. We see all of them have prolific moments this season that will hopefully help shape them for their futures. Earn is evolving as a manager, but he is still trying to figure out a lot of his life. He is left is a very precarious position at the end of season two, and he either needed to level up or be left behind. Paper Boi grew with his notoriety and fame, but starts to struggle with the weight of what that all means. He has to think about everything differently now — particularly for what it means to be a talented, young, and slightly naive artist who is still trying to figure out his way. There was a moment in this season where Paper Boi loses his phone and talked to someone about music. Watching his reaction to a song that is played was one of those moments that just made my heart sink a little, and just reminds me how Henry is doing some amazing work in this series.
Van’s story is probably the most weird, while also being the most heartfelt. She comes to Europe with everyone to experience what it’s like, while also dealing with some issues at home. Her story is also the most convoluted since we’re not exactly sure what she’s dealing with specifically. We know some of it, but the reasons are vague and without more context. I did like what happens to her this season, and even that extremely strange last episode of the season had some poignant moments where she begins to see what truly matters to her after being seduced by a life in Paris. Beetz continues to crush it with her role, and I just loved every time she was on screen.
Beyond the main story, there were also semi-standalone episodes that explore a lot of different themes regarding family, race, and consequences of actions. This does take up nearly half the season, and they’re going to hit differently for viewers. I wouldn’t say I had a favorite episode of these standalones, but I liked them all for different reasons. They each have a different style and different things to say. It’s hard to rank those episodes when they’re just different. The only real knock on them is that because they exist, almost half the season isn’t dedicated to the main story of Paper Boi’s tour in Europe. Depending on your feelings about that, it can be frustrating. I found these episodes interesting and I would say I was more confused, but appreciative about this decision to spend so much time on the standalones versus the actual story.
I couldn’t believe some of the guest stars they got for this season. They were all great in their own way, but two in particular were so unexpected and good for different reasons that I couldn’t help but smile at them. The music is still a strong part of the show. The performances overall are still strong, but there’s just less of our main cast this season. I wonder if this was a product of COVID, or just a creative choice made by the show runners. Darius is still my favorite character of the show; he’s profoundly weird and I loved every moment he was on screen.
Atlanta season three will definitely not be for everyone. It will be divisive and will have a lot of detractors who won’t be sure what to make of it. I am in the camp of letting creative types swing for the fences and I will appreciate it. I didn’t like everything about the season, but I really love the intention and messaging. It’s so different from all the other shows I’ve seen so far, and with season four being the last, I’ll be looking forward to how Atlanta shapes up with one more season to go.
Grade: 7/10
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