Atlanta — Is there something Donald Glover can’t do?
Who would have thought?
Some years ago back when Community was still starting out everyone expected for Joel McHale to become a huge star, Allison Brie too. Every member of that cast had talent. The show wouldn’t be that good any other way. But if you guessed that the most talented one of them was Donald Glover start your future-telling business right away.
Most of the fans were mad at Donald for leaving the show just after Dan Harmon came back and everyone expected the show to return stronger than ever after a wobbly Season 4. “Why would this guy go rap when he is a star on Community, one of the hottest shows on television?”
But that’s Donald Glover. He won’t do what you want, he’ll do what he wants and you may like it or not. But you will probably like it. Needless to say, the guy is talented. After three successful studio albums (Camp, Because the internet, “Awaken, my love!”) he decided to finally go and do Atlanta, a show he was working with FX for three years.
What is Atlanta?
Atlanta is a show created and starred by Donald Glover. Earn (Donald Glover) is a college dropout who’s trying to provide for his broken up family, girlfriend, and daughter, and at the same time trying to prove to his girlfriend that he is changing and he can be a good father and a husband.
He finds out his cousin Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry) known by his pseudonym ‘Paper Boi’ has put out a rap single that’s getting pretty popular. He decides to be his manager. ‘Paper Boi’ is a local drug dealer and an up-and-coming rapper who spends most of his time with his ‘partner in crime’, Darius (Lakeith Stanfield).
What’s interesting about all three of these characters is that at first glance they all fit a certain character mold from other shows. Earn is a bum who can’t provide for his family, Alfred is a small time drug dealer trying to become famous, Darius is a dumb stoner who smokes weed all day and does nothing.
However, once you get to know them, you realize they are all trying to break the mold. Earn may be a bum but he really loves Van (Zazie Beetz), his girlfriend is actually his best friend. And everything he does is to make their daughter’s life better. Alfred loves that they are earning clean money from his rising music career but doesn’t like the notoriety he’s getting. He doesn’t want to be known as a gangster but rather as an artist. And Darius… Well, Darius is a stoner but he’s definitely not dumb.
The show breaks the clichés like that, not only with the characters but with narrative and storytelling too. It’s reminding a bit of Louie. It’s got those weird moments where you are not sure what’s happening but you like what’s happening and don’t want it to stop.
Glover is creating an alternate universe that’s not really different from ours. Atlanta is still Atlanta, but from time to time there is an interesting, thought-provoking nugget. For example, Justin Bieber being a black kid in Atlanta’s world was a really interesting revelation for viewers.
Donald has a really specific angle on talking about racism and race issues. It’s mostly humorous, but it makes you think. Whether those are little things, like black Justin Bieber, or a whole episode that’s being aired on a fictional B.A.N. or Black American Network, which is definitely one of the best episodes of season 1.
Acting and writing
Now, we all know Donald is blessed with Midas’ Touch, and being the star of the show we expected a great performance, on which he delivered. What was surprising though was great work from the rest of the cast.
Brian Tyree Henry had small roles in Boardwalk Empire, and The Goodwife but never before was he so integral to the plot. After Donald, he had the most screen time and it was a joy to watch this show whether his character is arguing with Earn or just having fun… Scratch that… Getting high with Darius.
Talking about Darius, Lakeith Stanfield seems to be born for this role. If you watched Straight Outta Compton he’s the guy that played young Snoop Dogg. Other than that, he didn’t have any bigger roles if you don’t count some supporting ones in Selma and Short Term 12.
But the biggest revelation definitely is Zazie Beetz. She didn’t have any major roles before this one and this is her breakout part. Donald trusted her and gave her a great amount of screen time on this show and she definitely used it in a great way. Sure, that’s also due to great writing but you still need a solid actor and she unexpectedly did a better job than what was expected from her, judging by her previous roles or lack thereof.
Talking about writing, it’s great. Dialogue is crisp and won’t let you doze off for a second. The show always seems to be doing something new and the storyline is advancing pretty fast for a 20-minute episode show. Donald doesn’t seem to waste a word and proves that sometimes not saying anything is better.
Final note
This show has a fresh take on today’s issues, fresh comedy, fresh actors. It’s something new and different. Donald Glover does his own thing and FX is known for letting talented people control their own shows. That is probably why the show already got renewed for another season.
However, if you’re planning on watching Atlanta expecting plenty of laughs this is not a show for you. Donald Glover’s show is a storytelling drama that will make you laugh, but that’s not what it will be trying to do. It’s Louie with an advancing story. It’s definitely worth taking a look, especially if you love C.K.’s or similar work.
The show may not be getting great ratings because of it being a pretty niched down show and not really being marketed a lot, but it has gotten great critical acclaim and has the potential to grow into something a lot bigger. Let’s just hope Donald doesn’t change his mind like he knows to do, but instead continues cutting this rough diamond.
