FX’s Atlanta. The show was labeled as ‘Twin Peaks with rappers’, by none other than the creator, Donald Glover. That is as an apt description as I have ever seen. No other show has gripped me with its slow decent into the surreal, while still accurately portraying the struggles of being black in America, and having the whole system being slanted against you.
The show kicks off following Earn, a brilliant but lazy man who is down on his luck. he is struggling to make ends meet when he finds out that his cousin is exploding in popularity in the ATL rap scene, one of the most influential in the genre. Seeing his chance, he goes to his cousin, asking if he can manage him. His cousin, under the rap name ‘Paperboi’, grew up with Earn, and saw through his ruse.
In an attempt to prove his worth as a manager, Earn goes and visits an old friend from college who works at a local radio station. His friend Dave, greets him and is friendly, and starts to reminisce about their college days. Dave then tells a story about how he used the N word in a way to tell off a DJ, and Earn is clearly uncomfortable by this. Dave then rebukes Earns proposal to play Paperboi’s newest single. Dave sees Earn as a token of diversity, rather than a man.
Earn wasn’t planning on failing, so he enlists the help of a nearby janitor to help him into the building, so he can give the tape to Dave’s superior. Earn asks the janitor, who is also black, if Dave ever uses the N word around him. The janitor responds “not if he doesn’t want his ass beat.” Earn realizes that Dave only likes him because he is a nonthreatening black, one who blends in with white culture. Dave doesn’t respect him enough to refrain from using that word, instead feeling comfortable when Earn obviously does not.
Earn eventually succeeds in leapfrogging Dave, paying his superior to play the new single. Overnight Paperboi’s fanbase skyrockets, and they play his song all night long. Paperboi realises than Earn can actually help him overcome the roadblocks that come with being black in America.
Dave does get his comeuppance near the end of the episode. He comes up to the car that Earn and Paperboi are in, proclaiming his love for the new single. Earn wasn’t about to let him off the hook, and asks him to tell the DJ story again, this time infront of Paperboi. Dave nervously leaves out the N Word this time, seeing his missteps at last.
Atlanta only continues to build on this incredible pilot, tackling nuanced issues involving race that many shows just can’t. Donald Glover truly is a master of his craft, and having also dabbled in the music industry, scenes like these truly feel like they are coming from a place of experience, rather than imagination.
Earn enjoying Dave stumble through his retelling of the DJ story, this time in front of Paperboi.