Atlanta (Donald Glover, FX) TV Show • Page 27

You're crazy if you don't think the writing team thought through why Teddy specifically looked how he did and what his relationship to the other members of his family were. This episode was so thematically layered (Benny Hope/Stevie Wonder) that the motivations of the title character and the parallels to the public stories of other prominent black stars are all I've been thinking about.

 

They're brothers, and he's a pastiche of Sammy Sosa/Michael Jackson/maybe a few others. I'm just saying you can tell a story like they told, with the dense layers and a very strong message, without having to have answers for everything. Some things we just don't need to know about to understand what happened here.

 

Well, I suppose it's more fun for me to think about it in context of the theme than presume it's random ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I haven't rewatched it yet, but one of the more subtly brilliant things about the first viewing was how they used the "google Sammy Sosa" scene to do a ton of things at once:

(1) Created a everyone-do-this-together-in-real-time scenario between the viewers/Twitter (!) and the on-screen characters

(2) Broke the episode's mounting tension while providing surrounding context to viewers who are less familiar with Teddy's condition

(3) Dissolved viewer empathy for Teddy by turning the psychological horror of what he's been through into a one-dimensional visual punchline... basically, making the viewers into the same kind of disregarding mob that drove Teddy's real world analogs to similar fates (before pulling back the curtain in the "father shrine" to unveil how truly damaged Teddy is and in some ways shaming us for so easily falling for the earlier joke)

This show can be masterful and I'm pretty sure this is my favorite episode of it by a country mile.

 

Even with the creepiness there were some great jokes this episode too. I loved when Paper Boi told the dude to take the extra fries out and the drivethru worker was like "Just don't eat them, damn"

And Teddy listing all of history's great fathers like Joe Jackson, Marvin Gaye Sr and Tiger Woods' dad

 

And the dad from the breakfast club

 

I wanted Van to find Drake as badly as I wanted Darius to escape Teddy's house with the piano

lol at Darius just talking to strangers at NYE parties about life being a simulation

 

So much great stuff in this one. The crying girl getting denied entry, Darius philosophy (especially his "I don't even like apples" line), cardboard Drake, Candice bailing for another party (I think we all know someone like that), and "Drake is Mexican".

I really love how this show can just do these small character focused episodes.

 

I honestly wasn't big on this episode. I may have missed something but I feel like there wasn't as strong of a message in this one as most of the rest of the season.

I think it was maybe just one too many episodes focused only on one character instead of the group imo

 

Just caught up on the last two, holy fuck the piano one blew me away. Show is tops

 

I love how Donald’s character has barely been in the last few episodes and I don’t even mind. The show is so good.

 

That’s a very good choice to expand the perspective. The show doesn’t need him on screen to function, really let’s other characters develop and connect for the audience.

I do love Darius showing up.

 

Me: Why is Van's friend hallucinating Darius?
Me: ...
Me: Oh.

 

Cool to get a Van episode. I kept getting sidetracked by how cool her hair was done.

 

Need to rewatch this episode. Last week kinda ruined me and I just kept waiting for something horrific to happen. when vans friend kept saying she couldn't breathe I legit thought she might die

 

Me too!

 

Now that's a show!

 

I am obviously ecstatic

I wonder if we're gonna get new Gambino music then, Awaken My Love is almost two years old

 

I have no idea what new Gambino music will sound like

And I love it

 

Shit I might actually watch SNL

 

I've kind of been imagining a BTI-AML fusion in my head

I definitely think he'll rap again

 

Does that mean he's the special guest for the episode and the musical guest?

Teddy episode so dark I almost forgot he was once Troy. Dude would have no trouble fitting in on SNL.

 

I was waiting for this!!!

 

It would be really cool if he had a new song to debut on SNL. Didn’t he say back when AML! came out that he thought he had maybe one more album in him? Or am I making that up? Anyway, fingers crossed.

EDIT: This would never happen but imagine if he brought out BTH and they performed “Paper Boi” together. I would die.

 

I hope Lakeith is there just to watch and hang out but ends up crashing a sketch because he's insane