It's impossible to place Atlanta in a particular box. What it essentially offers is a brutal, blunt (pun-intended, of course) slice of life every episode. And that's the genius of the show. It does so much without compromising on character development. If it has to comment on society, it'll do that and then also make that a comment about its characters.
It's difficult to find an episode you can't watch again, or an episode that hits. Be it the ridiculously hilarious B.A.N, or the soul-crushing Helen, or the soul-searching Juneteenth, or the absolutely horrifying Teddy Perkins. And if you're a hip-hop fan like me, there are some moments you won't stop laughing at (Norf Norf mom y'all, and "THIS IS DEFINITELY GOING ON WORLDSTAR"). If you're not a hip-hop fan, doesn't matter, you'll find those moments funny, too. The show has some extremely smart jokes nonetheless, and above all, poignant observations about race and gender that will stay with you no matter what part of the world you're from.
What kind of reviewer am I if I'm not talking about the performances? Incredible cast. Donald Glover has proved himself to be everything at this point. He's creatively unstoppable. Lakeith Stanfield as Darius is sheer brilliance, flipping the cliche stoner dude trope in great ways ("Why would I shoot a human?"). Brian Tyree Henry is a star, flipping the cliche rapper image to reveal layers of needs, wants, and insecurities that Alfred/Paper Boi has. Zazie Beetz is, just, well, insane, and a strong character like Van suits her really well.
Soundtrack: oof. Where do I begin? AutoTune croons (Skrt by Kodak Black still hits), soul music at all the right times, cold, hard trap at the more violent moments (I mean, they play Tay-K), psychedelic music, pop music, the soundtrack of this show is complete and the best right now. Just is. No question.
Atlanta is easily the most unique show this decade, and definitely one of the best shows this century so far. The awards don't reflect an inch of the true brilliance of this show. It's just beyond surreal. I will happily wait for Donald Glover to cook up season 3 if he needs time to make a masterpiece like the first two seasons were.
It's difficult to find an episode you can't watch again, or an episode that hits. Be it the ridiculously hilarious B.A.N, or the soul-crushing Helen, or the soul-searching Juneteenth, or the absolutely horrifying Teddy Perkins. And if you're a hip-hop fan like me, there are some moments you won't stop laughing at (Norf Norf mom y'all, and "THIS IS DEFINITELY GOING ON WORLDSTAR"). If you're not a hip-hop fan, doesn't matter, you'll find those moments funny, too. The show has some extremely smart jokes nonetheless, and above all, poignant observations about race and gender that will stay with you no matter what part of the world you're from.
What kind of reviewer am I if I'm not talking about the performances? Incredible cast. Donald Glover has proved himself to be everything at this point. He's creatively unstoppable. Lakeith Stanfield as Darius is sheer brilliance, flipping the cliche stoner dude trope in great ways ("Why would I shoot a human?"). Brian Tyree Henry is a star, flipping the cliche rapper image to reveal layers of needs, wants, and insecurities that Alfred/Paper Boi has. Zazie Beetz is, just, well, insane, and a strong character like Van suits her really well.
Soundtrack: oof. Where do I begin? AutoTune croons (Skrt by Kodak Black still hits), soul music at all the right times, cold, hard trap at the more violent moments (I mean, they play Tay-K), psychedelic music, pop music, the soundtrack of this show is complete and the best right now. Just is. No question.
Atlanta is easily the most unique show this decade, and definitely one of the best shows this century so far. The awards don't reflect an inch of the true brilliance of this show. It's just beyond surreal. I will happily wait for Donald Glover to cook up season 3 if he needs time to make a masterpiece like the first two seasons were.