This may not be the funniest show of the series but as soon as I saw Earn with the gun my heart was in my throat. And it remained there until the final twist. A twist that was so subtle I had to rewind and point it out to my wife. Can't wait for next season!!
7 Reviews
This show!
jkent-6027127 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Through two seasons I don't think I've ever watched something that's felt so real and relatable but also so odd and weird at the same time. It touches on so many of life's ups and downs but the throws curve balls with episodes like Teddy Perkins and The Woods to help us better understand our main character's. There are so many moments with Earn where you want him to say something but he internalizes everything and we get next to nothing from him. It can drive you crazy but it stays consistent with his character and it is necessary for the show to go on.
Crab's in the Bucket was a great finale for a show that just makes you not able to wait for more and see how Paper Boi's career will start to unfold as they go on tour. As that back pack began to roll through security I was freaking out as to how Earn was going to dodge that bullet. Pun intended. Can't wait for the next season, honestly in the top 3 shows being made right now.
Crab's in the Bucket was a great finale for a show that just makes you not able to wait for more and see how Paper Boi's career will start to unfold as they go on tour. As that back pack began to roll through security I was freaking out as to how Earn was going to dodge that bullet. Pun intended. Can't wait for the next season, honestly in the top 3 shows being made right now.
Great finale
saullodanielle18 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
How can you not appreciate the many layers of this show, this season, these characters, and this finale?
Al and Earn both are noobs, let's face it. When they both finally understand that, that's when the magic finally happens. We see it in the woods, we see what family means to both of them in FUBU, and it comes full circle in the finale. They both appreciate they made mistakes and both decide to handle it in a way that feels right for them. I truly enjoy this show so much. The writing and directing and acting are superb and I cannot wait for S3. Luckily I watched the first two seasons way too high, had to rewatch, and S3 is already locked and loaded. Donald Glover is a wonderful storyteller.
Al and Earn both are noobs, let's face it. When they both finally understand that, that's when the magic finally happens. We see it in the woods, we see what family means to both of them in FUBU, and it comes full circle in the finale. They both appreciate they made mistakes and both decide to handle it in a way that feels right for them. I truly enjoy this show so much. The writing and directing and acting are superb and I cannot wait for S3. Luckily I watched the first two seasons way too high, had to rewatch, and S3 is already locked and loaded. Donald Glover is a wonderful storyteller.
S2: Observant while also having an other-worldly detachment - not even a hint of 'difficult second album'
bob the moo27 August 2018
Everyone seems to be Donald Glover crazy at the moment, with the This is America video, his turn in Solo, and of course the return of this show for a second season. It made me wonder if it could live up to the hype, or if all the critical praise was really just mob rule rather than genuine individual feeling. It took almost no time to understand that Atlanta is even better in its second season than it was in its first.
The season takes a loose structure which continues Earn's management of Alfred's rap career, but within this there are many episodes which stand alone in that overall flow. One would expect that this could mean they feel like filler episodes, or make the season feel episodic. In truth they fit perfectly, stepping away to spend time with individual characters in episodes that are funny, telling, engaging, and well paced. In the broad sweep of the season, characters are moved forward, and in particular Earn's journey is engaging and honest. The individual threads move those characters forward mostly, although some are essentially a black Curb (which is no bad thing, as demonstrated in the great barber episode).
The meditative and other-worldly detached feeling to the show continues, and it has that mix of being in the world but also on the hazy edge of it looking in. As a tone it is very well constructed and consistently delivered, managing to be funny while also being engaging, dramatic, energetic, or creepy, depending on the specifics. The world of music business is within this, and it works even if it is not particularly subtle. We see the hangers-on, the fame-seekers, the impact of social media, and the many other pressures and realities. It helps ground the season in that main thread, allowing it to do more than this thread.
Unsurprisingly the show has already been okayed for a third season, and I hope it can continue to do as much as well as this season did.
The season takes a loose structure which continues Earn's management of Alfred's rap career, but within this there are many episodes which stand alone in that overall flow. One would expect that this could mean they feel like filler episodes, or make the season feel episodic. In truth they fit perfectly, stepping away to spend time with individual characters in episodes that are funny, telling, engaging, and well paced. In the broad sweep of the season, characters are moved forward, and in particular Earn's journey is engaging and honest. The individual threads move those characters forward mostly, although some are essentially a black Curb (which is no bad thing, as demonstrated in the great barber episode).
The meditative and other-worldly detached feeling to the show continues, and it has that mix of being in the world but also on the hazy edge of it looking in. As a tone it is very well constructed and consistently delivered, managing to be funny while also being engaging, dramatic, energetic, or creepy, depending on the specifics. The world of music business is within this, and it works even if it is not particularly subtle. We see the hangers-on, the fame-seekers, the impact of social media, and the many other pressures and realities. It helps ground the season in that main thread, allowing it to do more than this thread.
Unsurprisingly the show has already been okayed for a third season, and I hope it can continue to do as much as well as this season did.
TSA
dannylee-7808222 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
1. Al and Darius move
2. Earn sneaks a gun
3. Tracy get kicked out
What a finale. I loved this episode. It tied up the main themes of the relationship between Van and Earl, and Earl and Al pretty well. Van may move to another area because she is too smart for the school system in the area. The scene with her preschool teacher was brutal and really underscores the lack of funding in U. S. public schools at times. The whole sequence was super emotional but not in a trite manner. Probably captured the feelings of coparenting pretty well.
The latter part of the episode is about how Al is going on a Europe tour. What Al was going to do with Earn was undecided until Earn made a move to slip his gun into Clark's bag, hoping that Clark won't be able to headline the tour. This made Al confirm his mind because he realized that Earn is family and he will do whatever it takes to provide for Lottie. But it turns out that his manager Luke took the fall, allowing Clark to come on the tour. This twist was crazy and we still don't know how their relationship is going to evolve in the coming seasons. It concluded this season well and set up for the next very well.
Very fun season overall with many standouts while not losing sight of the main thread. Characters were deeply explored and I feel attached to these characters already.
What a finale. I loved this episode. It tied up the main themes of the relationship between Van and Earl, and Earl and Al pretty well. Van may move to another area because she is too smart for the school system in the area. The scene with her preschool teacher was brutal and really underscores the lack of funding in U. S. public schools at times. The whole sequence was super emotional but not in a trite manner. Probably captured the feelings of coparenting pretty well.
The latter part of the episode is about how Al is going on a Europe tour. What Al was going to do with Earn was undecided until Earn made a move to slip his gun into Clark's bag, hoping that Clark won't be able to headline the tour. This made Al confirm his mind because he realized that Earn is family and he will do whatever it takes to provide for Lottie. But it turns out that his manager Luke took the fall, allowing Clark to come on the tour. This twist was crazy and we still don't know how their relationship is going to evolve in the coming seasons. It concluded this season well and set up for the next very well.
Very fun season overall with many standouts while not losing sight of the main thread. Characters were deeply explored and I feel attached to these characters already.
Crabs in a Barrel
Prismark107 October 2020
There was something very conventional and low key about the final episode of the second season.
A surprise given how Atlanta plays around with its format and likes to twist conventions.
Earn is nervous as he expects big changes to be made. Paper Boi is going on a tour to Europe and support Clark County. Earn does not expect to be his cousin's manager by the time they set foot in America again.
There are a lot of observations made in this episode. Rappers like to procrastinate as Earn has to get a passport made for Darius at the last minute.
Paper Boi wants an entertainment lawyer but he knows a black lawyer will only get him so far. A Jewish entertainment lawyer has more connections.
The real reason why Paper Boi trusts Earn becomes apparent in this episode. At airport security Earn watches Paper Boi's back as he attempts to turn a misplaced golden gun into a golden opportunity. Earn and Paper Boi appreciate that in a dog eat dog world, they stick together.
A surprise given how Atlanta plays around with its format and likes to twist conventions.
Earn is nervous as he expects big changes to be made. Paper Boi is going on a tour to Europe and support Clark County. Earn does not expect to be his cousin's manager by the time they set foot in America again.
There are a lot of observations made in this episode. Rappers like to procrastinate as Earn has to get a passport made for Darius at the last minute.
Paper Boi wants an entertainment lawyer but he knows a black lawyer will only get him so far. A Jewish entertainment lawyer has more connections.
The real reason why Paper Boi trusts Earn becomes apparent in this episode. At airport security Earn watches Paper Boi's back as he attempts to turn a misplaced golden gun into a golden opportunity. Earn and Paper Boi appreciate that in a dog eat dog world, they stick together.
MIND KCUF
douglasjordane17 June 2022
I GET THE POINT OF SURREALISM TAKING YOU HIGH ABOVE THE MANOSPHERE OF MIND, BUT YOU HAVE TO LAND THAT ASTRAL PLANE JACK! YOU JUST LEFT US PANTS AROUND OUR ANKLES AND DROPPED THE MIC UNTIL SEASON 3 WITH NO EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THIS BRAIN FART IN OUR MOUTHS.
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