Sparking debate
The genre-bending season 2 of Atlanta explores life as a black man in the US and the difficulties of navigating fame in humorous and bizarre ways.
Atlanta
Season 2 Fridays (from 22 October) SABC3 (*193) 21:00
Categorising Atlanta as a comedy series is limiting. On the surface, the show follows Earnest Marks aka Earn (Donald Glover) – an impulsive, cynical yet bright varsity dropout who’s battling an existential crisis. When he isn’t contemplating his uncertain future or going through a series of unfortunate and hilarious events, Earn manages his cousin Alfred aka Paper Boi’s (Brian
Tyree Henry) promising music career. And somewhere in the mix, there’s Paper Boi’s roommate Darius (Lakeith Stanfield), who’s tagging along for the rollercoaster ride to stardom.
But this isn’t just a sitcom about three lads on the verge of achieving their goals and leaving the southern US city. That’s only half of it. Atlanta also effortlessly explores the African
American experience by exploring issues the trio face, such as systemic racism, police brutality and parenthood through Earn’s lens while he struggles to co-parent with his on-off girlfriend Vanessa (Zazie Beetz).
“We pick up a few weeks following season 1, and we watch the characters evolve over a few months, which ultimately gives viewers perspective about where the cast is heading with the rest of their lives,” explains Donald, who also serves as the creator, writer and co-director of the show. “Earn is still working for Paper Boi, but that job is getting harder to maintain and it’s interfering with their once close-knit bond. Will Paper Boi keep Earn on his payroll or fire him? We’ll watch it play out in season 2,” teases Donald.
OUT-OF-THE-BOX STORYTELLING
Atlanta takes an unconfined approach to storytelling. It’s experimental in that the mood constantly changes in each episode and random characters are introduced throughout.
Season 2 begins with a bang, literally. A group of teens attempt to rob a fast-food restaurant, which takes a turn for the worse when a shootout occurs between the gang and one of the eatery’s employees. The young men attempt to flee the scene before the police arrive, and before they take off, they force a woman out of a car and she begins to cry hysterically in the parking lot. Soon after, the drive-thru worker returns to the restaurant and continues as if nothing’s happened.
The disturbing scene signifies the violence in the city of Atlanta. It’s so common that it’s become normalised. “There are several surprises this season,” says Donald, adding that the writing team takes more risks and pushes the envelope with the storylines. “We treat the show like the way life handles time. Sure, something horrible or good happens – you face it and then you move on. I still want to keep the audience understanding that I’m not sitting here making a TV show – I’m creating an experience.”
STEALING THE SHOW
Season 2 of Atlanta is called Robbin’ Season, which refers to a period in the city, during the Christmas holidays, where burglaries and theft surge. The writing team uses this as a metaphor to examine how the main characters are robbed not only of their possessions but also their identities and dignities – in particular Paper Boi.
As the season progresses, the musician slowly gains popularity. He is held at gunpoint twice as people now assume he’s wealthy because he’s selling out concerts and making TV appearances. Later in the show, Paper Boi is struggling to maintain his authenticity as a musician while also chasing fame. Brian explains that Robbin’ Season is centred around recognising and walking away from exploitation. “For Paper Boi, the season is also about the hard truths that come with notoriety. It isn’t easy for him to navigate fame, and we’ll see him make sacrifices and difficult decisions to uphold his rising star power.”