I Watched: Atlanta

I feel like Atlanta has been on my watch list since it's debut in 2016, as I've been a Childish Gambino fan since Freaks and Geeks and really enjoyed Community. While I knew the general premise, and I now regret putting it off as it was so much more than what I was expecting.

When I say that, I knew it was generally about the journey of a rapper from undiscovered to making it big. And yet, it is and isn't. While the rise of Paper Boi is the underlying story holding it all together, I really found the series to be a series of stories told along that journey, rather than the story of that journey.

And then on top of that, every season has it's own theme:

Season 1 - Leans heavily into into the lengths you might go to in order to seize your opportunity, including both the chances taken and sacrifices made, while doing plenty of table-setting for the series as well.

Season 2 - "Robbin' Season" starts with the assertion that robberies happen more frequently in lower income areas during the Christmas and New Years seasons, and juxtaposes that with the growing incomes of Paper Boi and the crew.

Season 3 - As the crew goes global, my take is that we get stories of white privilege through black eyes, some involving the cast in Europe and some one-off stories as well.

Season 4 - Just goes full-on surreal in it's final season.

What I loved about the series is that when you sat down, you never really knew what you were in for, and it could range from comedy to drama to almost horror.

And each step of the way, the cast killed it. Donald Glover, while creating and running the show, really embraces the manager/maker role in the crew as "Earn", while Brian Tyree Henry handles the reluctant star as "Paper Boi", who wants the fame and wealth, but not the hassle. Zazie Beetz, as "Van", Earn's baby mama and on-again/off-again love interest, steals so many scenes as her character develops both with and alongside the rest of the crew. Then LaKeith Stanfield's "Darius", who starts out as Paper Boi's too-high kinda manager and friend, and evolves into the worldly zen-ish "spiritual advisor" to the group. Each has their moments they carry, including entire episodes, as the various stories are told.

If you're looking for a serialized or single-story driven show, Atlanta might not be for you, but if you're looking for fantastic storytelling and an absolute experience, and can't recommend it highly enough.