Atlanta isn’t one of those shows where you can watch the pilot episode and then get on social media and tell all of your internet friends that this show is great, and that you should really watch it. Like Cobra Kai. No, Atlanta is the kind of show where you watch it at your own leisure, and you think about every episode for a little bit, and then come to a pretty definitive opinion after pondering about the layers upon layers of each episode.
I just finished season two of Atlanta, and much like finishing up the first season, I had to think about it for a little bit, but my general consensus is that it’s a really good show. I think the best ways to describe it is that Atlanta is most certainly not the kind of show that’s going to immediately be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those of whom it is, it’s a really good show in that it provokes thought, thinking from alternative perspectives, provides a wealth of situational humor and is pretty well shot from a visual standpoint. The writing is stellar and gets most of its points across without having to lean on the crutch that most everyone in the show is black and doesn’t really require blacking it up in order to convey the story, except when it’s deliberately trying to so.
I think Atlanta is the kind of show that anyone who liked Netflix’s Master of None would be able to appreciate, except Atlanta is a little more socially acceptable right now since Donald Glover or anyone else in the cast of Atlanta hasn’t yet been accused of sexual harassment. But both shows come from the modus operandi of having strong, creative writing, serious societal observation and discussion, and plenty of situational humor to keep the mood from getting too preachy. Both are kind of on a similar level, and in spite of the misconducts of Aziz Ansari, I still really like both shows unapologetically.
Naturally, season two of Atlanta can’t be discussed without bringing up the infamous episode six, Teddy Perkins, which served as the pinnacle of the show’s fearless willingness to do absolutely anything. I won’t spoil anything out of respect for the zero people who will read this that might want to watch the show themselves, but aside from it being the most bizzare yet compelling of the kind of stand-alone episodes in the series, I really appreciate the fact that it was basically an entire Darius episode, whom I am on the boat of believing is the most interesting character in the series, as well as kind of being the heart of the show.
I think I’m comfortable in saying that Lakeith Stanfield is definitely one of my more recent favorite actors these days, primarily on the role of Darius. Sure, he’s easily recognizable in Get Out as the guy in the opening who is abducted, and I’ll play a little bit of defense for his role as L in the horrible Netflix whitewashing of Death Note, because as shitty of a turd it was, Stanfield was still believable as L, because of his natural idiosyncrasies and charisma in playing the general weirdo that L basically is.
But it’s undoubtedly in Atlanta where Stanfield shines the brightest, as the eccentric Darius. From the moment he’s introduced in the series, hiding with a knife and mask on around the corner until Alfred gives the okay to which he immediately drops his guard and offers cookies, to where he travels by himself into the sticks to try and score a free piano with rainbow colored keys, embarking on his adventure meeting Teddy Perkins, regardless of how outlandish or out of the ordinary things seem, the one constant is that Darius seems to be right at home amidst it all.
I’d say my favorite Darius moment in the show is the fourth episode of season one, where an attempt to help Earn make some money, he and Earn basically go off on a one red paperclip adventure, trading up, before clarifying that Earn needed money right then and there, to which there’s actually a surprisingly good moment of humanity exhibited. But then the fact that the show takes the time and care to actually pay this season one plot into an actual plot in season two is like a cherry on top and just another reason why the show is great.
Again, I’ll state that Atlanta is not a show that just anyone is going to enjoy. It’s a show that’s primarily focused on strong writing, storytelling and camera work, and isn’t the type of show with a continuously linear plot and goes off the rails several times before returning to a general story. But as far as I’m concerned, I really, really like the show, and I hope that there’s more and look forward to it if there is. Hopefully, Donald Glover doesn’t go all flaky (or sexual harass-ey) as Aziz Ansari has been about the potential for more Master of None, and that there’s definitely more Atlanta on the horizon.
