"Atlanta Season 1" What Do You Want To Be?

 


    Atlanta by Donald Glover is a good show, let me get that out of the way, but frankly after watching season 1, I'm more conflicted on it than ever, and that is for one reason, and one reason only. I don't know what this show is about. Like, I enjoy it, but I originally was hooked because of Glover and his other work. As someone who has only watched the first season of this show, I really can't find a way to describe it other than a passion project of Glover's. And while that's ok, that's fine, as long as the show is good, which it is, I have no idea how to pitch it to anyone because frankly, I'm unsure if even the show knows what it wants to do with its characters.

    Whether it episode 1 season 7, where the only regular who shows up is Paper Boi who is in some odd parody leaving viewers with more questions than answers, to the episode that is almost entirely just Vanessa, the lover of Earnest, hanging out with her friend and struggling with her life and where it is compared to the peers, this show is odd. Like, you can tell it's worldbuilding, but even by the end of season 1, you wonder what it's building to. There's no climax, nothing landing pad that's been built by the finale of season 1 for season 2, it just kind of ends?

    Like, the entire time in the show everyone always makes fun of Earn for being broke, which he very much is, and then he just gets a bunch of money from Al at the very end. It's a slow grind, and it's not exactly what I'd call satisfying, but what I'd say it lacks much of is hope. I don't know, I just wanted more direction from this show, there's nothing wrong with experimenting with what you want in the first season, but I feel like there's been very little progress on what I thought the goal was, progressing Al's career. 

    Luckily, if you do stick it out for the long ride of this show like I am, what you will be treated to are some pretty loveable characters. I personally feel like even if Darius is a little off his rocker we'd be good friends. He's someone people laugh at, and he just doesn't care which makes him so admirable to me. Moreoever, while I do think the random tableaux meant to be social commentary can be confusing and feel out of place at times, they are usually pretty interesting nonetheless so it's fine.

Final Score: 60/100

   Look, this is not a show I was eager to binge, I'm starting to wonder if I should watch The Bear instead of this. I typically watch this show before I go to sleep, or while I'm doing something else. I'm hopeful, I really am, because I did like what I saw from this show, but at the same time I can't ignore the fact that as an actual TV show, Atlanta is not one I'd recommend to other people. They'd just watch it and ask "what's going on"? the entire time, and then at the very end of it just say "that's it?". I'm sorry Atlanta, but I have to see what all that works going to.


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