Atlanta in a sense is like Seinfeld in that it’s a show about nothing but with a black-twist. Atanta speaks on the day-to-day realities of being black. The show thrives because every episode isn’t a cataclysmic social injustice. Some episodes focus on microaggressions, other episodes on how black people interact with one another, and others you get shit like a barber who is doing everything other than cutting Paper Boi’s hair. There is an episode making fun of Tyler Perry, one in which there’s a murderous Michael Jackson-like character, and another that’s a pseudo-documentary about a man at Disney aiming to make the “blackest movie ever made”. Also sprinkled in are real life stories such as the Hart Family Murders, the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis, and Rachel Dolezal.

The show juggles back and forth between comedy, drama, and black social-commentary. Many of the episodes are layered with themes of the mundane realities of being black with larger points about Blackness in America. Season 3 is the most pronounced on these issues. Six of the ten episodes in season 3 center the main cast, with the remaining four being standalone episodes. The six of the main cast are some of the finest of the series. I personally think that only season 4 can rival the episodes of 3 featuring the main quartet. There should have been two less standalone episodes and two more featuring the main cast. The standalone episodes brought season 3 down, which is a letdown because it could have been the best of the entire series.

Arguably the best episode of the entire series is in season 3. New Jazz is exceptional television. We get all of what makes Atlanta amazing into one episode. This is a trippy episode that plays on reality, crossing between a real-life experience and an imagined cannabis-induced one. The episode focuses on Al during a bad trip in which he comes into contact with a histrionic woman named Lorraine (Ava Grey) who confronts Al on an assortment of topics. Al is simultaneously drawn to and turned off by Lorraine. Al’s deceased mother’s name was Lorraine so this Lorraine is likely Al’s subconscious on how he views his mother.

The actress who plays Lorraine is transgender and it’s heavily implied that her character is a transgender woman as well. This isn’t central to her storyline but it’s cool to see that representation in a critically acclaimed show. Ava Grey gives a sublime performance as Lorraine. She was phenomenal in the role and I wish that we could have seen more of her in the series but I’m excited on where this role can take her. She’s a talented woman and I hope to see more of her in the future.

The episode ends with a twist as we see the recently disgraced Liam Neeson playing himself in the hallucinatory Cancel Club. He gives an absolute gem, leaving us with “the best and worst part about being white is you don’t have to learn anything if you don’t want to”. This perfectly encapsulates being a white man in America.

Season 4 is the best of the series. I’m rewatching to ensure that this isn’t just recency bias talking but I stand on that decision as I write this. The series starts with The Most Atlanta which could reference the city or the show. In reference to the show, we got a classic Atlanta episode. We get a callback to real life events with the George Floyd riots in Minneapolis. Glover shows that he pays attention to Twitter as a viral video of a woman in a motorized wheelchair threatening looters with a knife following the Minneapolis riots is depicted supernaturally following Darrius. I’m not sure if Glover has seen the film It Follows but this is very similar premise. Lastly, we see the other-worldly element of the show as Earn and Van are stuck in a mall that supernaturally never seems to end while both of them serendipitously run into each of their collective exes.

Season 4 shifts the focus back onto the main cast. Gone are the multiple standalone episodes which in my opinion pale in comparison to those focusing on our quartet. If season 3 was a macro-look at blackness in America then 4 takes us all in on a microlevel as it concludes the storylines of our main cast.

Everyone’s storyline is wrapped up as much as you will get in Atlanta. Paper Boi achieves an indetermined level of rap success. It’s only hinted at what level of a rap star that he is. We only see the peripheral of Paper Boi’s career and even that is only a hazy glimpse. The specifics of his rap career are never concretely spoken on, so we can only guess at how big of a star Paper Boi is. There are clues at how big of a star Paper Boi is but in Atlanta fashion his stardom is never explicitly stated. Paper Boi becomes in his words an “OG” and we see in “Born 2 Die” that he signs his coveted white protégé to be his cash cow. This is profitable for Al and as we later see, allows him to fade in the sunset into the seclusion that he’s always wanted.

Earn and Van have had a tumultuous relationship with multiple moments in which I personally thought they needed to hang it up. They ignore me and hang on to one another and wind up getting the potential for a happy ending in episode 7’s Snipe Hunt. Earn has accepted a job in LA and wants Van and Lottie to leave Atlanta and join him. The two reconfirm their love for one another and Van affirms that she’ll go to Los Angeles with him. Earn’s character has proven himself as a manager, addressed his trauma and abuse, and commits to maintaining a family with the woman he loves. Van’s storyline concludes as well as she desires to be seen as more than Lottie’s mom and Earn’s girlfriend. Earn reiterates that he “sees” her and that she’s more than these roles. Both characters get their chance at a happy ending.

Lastly, we get Darrius who is the focus of the excellent series finale. Prior to the finale we don’t see any of Darrius’s background. The series finale is key to the show because it potentially serves as a linchpin to explaining the entire series. Darrius suffers from anxiety and as part of his treatment he visits a sensory deprivation tank. Darrius vividly hallucinates while in the tank. Each episode of Atlanta is theorized as being one of Darrius’s hallucinations. This would explain the otherworldly aspects of the show. Darrius goes every week for 30 minutes, roughly the same amount of time as each episode. Of course this is never conclusively stated but it is an interesting fan-theory.

In one of Darrius’s hallucinations we see him enter the apartment of a man who Darrius has an awkward yet affectionate exchange with. It’s hinted at that this is a person that Darrius hasn’t seen in a while. We don’t see any of Darrius’s love life, so I initially thought there were romantic vibes between the two but it’s revealed that this man is Darrius’s brother. We learn soon after that both Darrius’s brother and their parents are dead and this exchange is a hallucination. Darrius’s brother tells him that he “wants him out there and not in here”, imploring Darrius to let go of the his past and his grief and to live in the present with the living. We finally get an insight into who Darrius is. Darrius has anxiety following the loss of his family and feels lonely and alone. He longs for family, longing, and community. The episode ends with Darrius finally finding this with Earn, Al, and Van. The series concludes with Earn telling Darrius that his friends are real and waiting for him outside in response to Darrius telling him that he’s still in the deprivation tank. It’s never confirmed whether this exchange is real or not but for Darrius it doesn’t matter as he’s found peace, a new community of people that love him, and closure to his past.

Atlanta is one of my favorite shows of all-time. It’s always bittersweet when a show ends but I’ve become especially attached to Atlanta. The show speaks so astutely on Blackness in America during a racially cataclysmic time that it felt cathartic to watch. Less can be more but Atlanta is only 41 episodes and only about 37 of those are with the main cast. I wish we could have saw more of Earn, Al, Darrius, and Van, but again less can be more. Atlanta ended with me hungry for more which is perfect because it’s sometimes better to leave a little too early than stay a little too late. Atlanta is truly unlike anything else that I’ve seen. I haven’t seen a show that blends profound Black messaging with the mundane and the surreal blended with the reality of life’s hardships. Duality is a reoccurring theme in Atlanta and it is its finest quality. Atlanta is a multilayered classic that simultaneously possesses contradicting traits without being convoluted or silly. Atlanta is a gem that will stand the test of time and that will inspire the next generation of black creatives.

-----9.5/10