Atlanta, directed and written by Donald Glover, is a TV series about a homeless black man living in Atlanta, trying to better his life and make something of himself. Throughout the series, you see the main character, Earn, progress through life, witnessing his day to day struggles. Some basic backstory on Earn is that he has a daughter with Vanessa, his girlfriend, but things aren't too great in the household. Vanessa has a teaching job, and constantly goes out on dates with other men in order to get some extra money, and partially because she is not satisfied with Earn. Earn has a job making below minimum wage trying to get people to sign up for credit cards. Unfortunately for Earn, his lack of backbone and courage prevent him from selling a credit card to anyone, which is the reason that he is broke & homeless. Earn will attempt to make something of his life through his cousin Alfred, AKA "Paperboy". In Atlanta, Paperboy is a rapper on the come up who has just released a song that has been a hit throughout his town, and has been growing on others throughout the country. Paperboy and Earn will attempt to spread this song, and other music from Paperboy around enough in order to further themselves down the path of fame and fortune. Throughout all of this, their efforts to go further down this road lead to many comedic scenes, as well as having some serious scenes where the climax is quickly reached. Paperboy will have to hold back some of his ego, and traditions in order to make it big, however he struggles to do that most of the time. Earn will attempt to manage Paperboy, trying to get him in the spotlight, as well as making money for the both of them so they can survive.
Atlanta pays close attention to the dialogue included, camera cuts, and editing choices making it very hard to take your eyes off the screen. Sometimes I'll find myself going back slightly making sure I understand it to the fullest. The little details you can gain from the camera positioning helps understand scenes, and even predict what will happen next in the scene. For example, in Season 2 there was an episode that created dramatic irony perfectly. Paperboy was coming in for a "trade" and he hops in the guys car as if they are both cool with each other. Little does Paperboy know, he is being set up this whole time and it is very clear to the audience as the camera is positioned on the drivers face the whole time. Paperboy had been setup, and the dealer pulls a gun on him and forces Paperboy to give up everything on him. This editing choice makes it much more interesting, and often makes the audience pay much more attention to see what happens next. Going more in depth into camera positioning, Atlanta does a great job of showing discomfort and other emotions within their characters. When an old friend of Vanessa invites Earn and Vanessa into her home for a gathering, the two characters bicker before going to the event. Despite the bickering, Earn still ends up going for Vanessa. As they are in the home, it is very evident that they are both uncomfortable with the given situation, yet it's not quite the same emotion. Vanessa is uncomfortable, but is able to hide it well because she needs the job offer from her friend, whereas Earn shines bright with discomfort and expresses his feelings as time goes by within the home. Through character dialogues, camera angles, and more dramatic irony, it truly allows the audience to understand how both of these characters are feeling, as well as how much both of these characters care about the event.
Overall, I'd rate Atlanta GOOD, GOOD, the combination of great editing choices, amazing character development, smooth flowing dialogue, and comedic relief make Atlanta an amazing show to watch. The show hits on all of these aspects in a way that is near perfection. Each episode has it's own plot, but all of these small plots contribute to the bigger plot which is Earn & Paperboys route to fame and fortune. Every episode can be connected with one another, and helps you learn more and more about the characters involved in each. To anyone interested comedy, and someone who is looking for a good story, Atlanta is the perfect show for you. Personally, I am on the thrird episode of Season two and as I watch more and more I'm more and more drawn in. If you choose to watch Atlanta, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
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