S01.E01: The Big Bang / S01.E02: Streets On Lock

[Tara Ariano]

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In the series premiere, two cousins try to work their way up through the Atlanta rap scene. Later: they learn thug life isn't all its cracked up to be.

[Primetimer]

Are you ready to get down with Donald Glover's homage to A-Town?

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[OceanicFlight818]

Fellow early 40s white Atlanta resident here (sort of....been in the suburbs most of my life). Really looking forward to this, both as a big fan of Donald Glover and interested to see how my hometown is portrayed.

[aunt jen]

My state. My town. I'm gonna love this, I know. (full disclosure - I am from Albany in Southwest GA, which is majority black and where the racial divisions informed my entire childhood; its frustrations do feel bleak to me. I have lived in the northern burbs since I was 13 years old, but still have a ton of family down home. I am a late-thirties white lady)

[Court]

I'm excited to see this. I'm north of Atlanta. Parts of this were filmed in my town. I'll add also white and in my 30's. I love Donald Glover.

[ridethemaverick]

I'm AA, grew up in Dekalb county. I loved it! I know authentic is a buzz word but this was authentic in ever sense of the word. It started slow for me but once it got going it was a lot funnier than I was expecting. And the social commentary was top-notch. I'm in for the season.

[LJonEarth]

I was worried that it wouldn't live up to the hype, but I loved it too! It's definitely a slow burn, but there were so many jokes and funny moment that just snuck up on me.

The autograph scene was hilarious.

[Amethyst]

I really enjoyed both episodes and I'll keep watching.  The jail scenes were funny, but depressing at the same time.  

Glover is great as the straight lead, but Henry (Alfred) and Stanfield (Darius) more than make up for the supporting.  Darius' "Can I measure your tree?" just had me cackling, especially since he was saying it to Earnest's father (Isaiah Whitlock!)  I like that the supporting characters are fleshed out as well.  You can tell Alfred wasn't ready for the insta-fame from the "shootout."  

[scrb]

I liked it for the most part.

I'm curious to see if they explain why he dropped out of Princeton.

He doesn't like the job he has and he's struggling with money.

But he does have ambition, tells his cousin that both their kids could live well if they manage his potential stardom right.

Surely he has to know that he would more likely live well by staying and finishing college, especially an elite school.

So what happened that made him walk away?

Or did they just use the reference to indicate that he's smart?

[Empress1]

I loved it. I have no connection to Atlanta, other than visiting friends who live there or grew up there. I loved the scene in the jail where the guy is explaining, in Atlanta patois, why he's there. Also the scene in the jail where the guy is talking to his ex, finds out his ex is a man (really, though, why else did he think she was there with men? Not to mention that it was obvious) and yelled at Earn to stop being weird. And the social commentary is poignant but subtle.

[Dee]

Another fantastic premiere.

The show understood its voice from the word 'Go.'

Donald, the cast and crew acquitted themselves very well.

[tennisgurl]

Loved it, totally worth the hype. It manages to be familiar, but also have a unique and interesting voice. I am really excited to see more. 

I have no real connection to Atlanta (been there a few times, have a few friends there, but thats about it) but I love seeing places and cities that do not get much air play on TV, and this has such a great sense of place to it. 

[Deanie87]

I liked it too!  From the reviews it seemed like it would be kind of slow with no real plot to it, which is not really my thing, but I thought this had enough movement to really introduce its world and its characters without giving it all away.  Glover's voice is specific, but I think that the mood and emotion behind it was pretty universal.   I don't have any connections to Atlanta either and I"m probably just as close to the parents' age as I am to the guys, but I understood their motivations and sensibilities for the most part.  Except maybe Darius LOL!

Right now, Earn seems to be a bit of a cypher and we view the world through his eyes without necessarily getting a real sense of who he is, but I think that will change over time.  I am really interested in finding out what happened with his parents and what happened with Princeton.  The jailhouse scenes were both hilarious and a bit horrifying.  "Sexuality is a spectrum" or whatever he said had me cracking up, as did the guy's speech about having a beer with his friend he hadn't seen in 11 years.

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And the social commentary is poignant but subtle.

I agree, I thought that one of the more interesting points was when Dave the white guy used one language with Earn and a totally different one with the janitor and with Paper Boi and Darius.  And what that says not only about Dave, but also Earn.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Deanie87

[meep.meep]

I liked it, but parts are very strange.  What did he do with the baby on the bus?  And who was the weird guy making the sandwich?  Was that the same sandwich he had in the jail?  What about the dog?

I'm white enough to admit that I couldn't understand what some of the characters were saying - like the big guy in the jail.

[Deanie87]

39 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

I liked it, but parts are very strange.  What did he do with the baby on the bus?  And who was the weird guy making the sandwich?  Was that the same sandwich he had in the jail?  What about the dog?

I'm white enough to admit that I couldn't understand what some of the characters were saying - like the big guy in the jail.

I forgot about the guy on the bus.  At first I thought he was some kind of Malcolm X hallucination, but the nutella was still on the seat so apparently was real and just got off the bus really quickly.  Interesting about the strange dog and then walking into the woods.  I wonder if he will be a recurring character? 

As for the big guy in jail, he reminded me of my late brother in law, who was white, a redneck from TN, and no stranger to jail cells himself!   I can imagine a very similar explanation coming from him about why he needed to be balied out yet again!

ETA - I just heard on a podcast that Donald Glover referred to this show as "Twin Peaks with rappers" and that brought to mind the guy on the bus.  He may show up every episode and we may never learn a thing about him.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Deanie87

[coleycole6]

Really enjoyed this. I am really impressed with Donald Glover. Paperboy and Darius are hilarious. Looking forward to watching for the rest of the season.

[Al Lowe]

2 hours ago, Deanie87 said:

2 hours ago, meep.meep said:

I liked it, but parts are very strange.  What did he do with the baby on the bus?  And who was the weird guy making the sandwich?  Was that the same sandwich he had in the jail?  What about the dog?

I'm white enough to admit that I couldn't understand what some of the characters were saying - like the big guy in the jail.

I forgot about the guy on the bus.  At first I thought he was some kind of Malcolm X hallucination, but the nutella was still on the seat so apparently was real and just got off the bus really quickly.  Interesting about the strange dog and then walking into the woods.  I wonder if he will be a recurring character? 

As for the big guy in jail, he reminded me of my late brother in law, who was white, a redneck from TN, and no stranger to jail cells himself!   I can imagine a very similar explanation coming from him about why he needed to be balied out yet again!

ETA - I just heard on a podcast that Donald Glover referred to this show as "Twin Peaks with rappers" and that brought to mind the guy on the bus.  He may show up every episode and we may never learn a thing about him.

Hilarious. The guy in the jail talking about "ain't seen him in 11 years" reminded me of my brother, a white West Alabama redneck. I know many, many such people, black and white, and really, I could not stop laughing because it was the realest moment of all. This interview DG did with Rembert Browne (who I love and who is also from ATL) mentions that scene and it made me love it even more: http://www.vulture.com/2016/08/donald-glover-atlanta.html

Edited September 7, 2016 by Al Lowe

[Dee]

When Grady turned around and was like "Damn man, I said I was sorry! I just aint seen you in, like, 12 years" I howled.

[Irlandesa]

I liked this too.  I was kind of worried I wouldn't given how little I thought I'd be interested in the world of rappers and because the hype was so huge which can lead to disappointment. 

Yet I never felt the hour dragging.  In fact, there's no small aprt of me that would like to binge this instead of watch weekly. 

Based on the reviews, I also expected to laugh a lot less than I actually did.  I like comedy but it's pretty rare for me to laugh out loud during joke-a-minute shows so shows, like Louie, that don't have that set up, rarely make laugh out loud.  So the fact that I laughed out loud and chuckled a few times was a pleasant surprise.

[AimingforYoko]

Darius' insistence that Malcolm X is still alive because, "We haven't seen the body since the funeral." followed by Earn's casual, "That's how funerals work." killed me dead.

And you won't see my body after the funeral.

[Empress1]

Darius is gold. "Can I measure your tree?"

[ridethemaverick]

12 hours ago, meep.meep said:

I liked it, but parts are very strange.  What did he do with the baby on the bus?  And who was the weird guy making the sandwich?  Was that the same sandwich he had in the jail?  What about the dog?

I'm white enough to admit that I couldn't understand what some of the characters were saying - like the big guy in the jail.

 

As someone who's ridden MARTA, that bus scene was only *slightly* strange LOL. 

I read an article where Glover said the studio told him he needed to redo a scene where a character had a really thick accent because they couldn't understand it but he convinced them that the it needed to stay exactly as it was because his accent is Atlanta. I bet it was this guy because it's true, I heard that accent throughout my childhood. It felt like home to me. I wonder if closed captioning got it all right LOL.

[withanaich]

Holy hell, this was awesome. I have zero interest in hip-hop culture or living in the South, but so many parts of this still ring true. And damn, was it FUNNY. We immediately rewatched at least two scenes (the altercation over Lisa in jail and the scene at the chicken place) because we were laughing too hard to catch everything. That guy playing Darius is everything, but nobody in this is a slouch. 

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As someone who's ridden MARTA, that bus scene was only *slightly* strange LOL. 

I'd say that holds true for someone who's ridden a city bus anywhere, at least in the United States. Sometimes life is just that surreal, which I think this show really gets.

[Court]

I didn't have any trouble understanding anyone. It was true. I found the bus scene hysterical. 

[stanleyk]

This show is amazing. It's both funnier and much darker than I was expecting.

I did, though, find some of the scenes almost too painful to watch, and not because I was laughing too hard: the scene where the deputies beat up the crazy toilet-water guy and the scene with Lisa. I'm not sure this show would do anything as traditional as a "character arc," but I did wonder if we'll see Earn become less passive. His discomfort at witnessing the beat-down of this helpless, screaming person and at the homophobia were a call-back to me to the scene with the white guy in the first episode, where his reaction to the white guy using the n-word was a downward glance and faintly ironic "....cool." Like he wants to say something but can't quite bring himself to do it. (Not that he could say much when a bunch of cops are beating up another inmate, but in terms of another instance of his sense of his helplessness and passivity.)

In a Twin Peaks-ish touch, I like how there are "broken" or "out of order" signs all over the place in the background.

[LJonEarth]

Funny, on the second watch I had more trouble understanding people, but it was only the characters I think we were supposed to have trouble understanding, a la Boomhauer from King of the Hill.

I'm really interest in his relationship with his child's mother. I wonder if it's as loose as it seems. Props to both if they can make that work.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

I was so afraid I'd be disappointed because I was so excited about the show and it exceeded expectations ... I didn't expect to laugh as much as I did ...

For anyone who has not seen Keith Stanfield before this (Darius), I'm thrilled that others will finally be turned on to him! He played Marcus in the film Short Term 12 (criminally overlooked for the 2013 Oscars) and was a revelation in that ... a really tragic character and without question the scene-stealer in a film packed with great actors (Rami Malek and Brie Larson among them) ... so seeing his ease with offbeat comedy is a treat!

Ditto Brian Tyree Henry (Paperboi) who had a small but crucial role in S4 of Boardwalk Empire as Winston, Oscar Bonneau's slow nephew.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, PamelaMaeSnap said:

I was so afraid I'd be disappointed because I was so excited about the show and it exceeded expectations ... I didn't expect to laugh as much as I did ...

For anyone who has not seen Keith Stanfield before this (Darius), I'm thrilled that others will finally be turned on to him! He played Marcus in the film Short Term 12 (criminally overlooked for the 2013 Oscars) and was a revelation in that ... a really tragic character and without question the scene-stealer in a film packed with great actors (Rami Malek and Brie Larson among them) ... so seeing his ease with offbeat comedy is a treat!

Ditto Brian Tyree Henry (Paperboi) who had a small but crucial role in S4 of Boardwalk Empire as Winston, Oscar Bonneau's slow nephew.

Oh wow! I didn't recognize him. Short Term 12 is excellent. 

[anadyr21]

On 9/8/2016 at 5:09 PM, stanleyk said:

This show is amazing. It's both funnier and much darker than I was expecting.

I did, though, find some of the scenes almost too painful to watch, and not because I was laughing too hard: the scene where the deputies beat up the crazy toilet-water guy and the scene with Lisa. I'm not sure this show would do anything as traditional as a "character arc," but I did wonder if we'll see Earn become less passive. His discomfort at witnessing the beat-down of this helpless, screaming person and at the homophobia were a call-back to me to the scene with the white guy in the first episode, where his reaction to the white guy using the n-word was a downward glance and faintly ironic "....cool." Like he wants to say something but can't quite bring himself to do it. (Not that he could say much when a bunch of cops are beating up another inmate, but in terms of another instance of his sense of his helplessness and passivity.)

In a Twin Peaks-ish touch, I like how there are "broken" or "out of order" signs all over the place in the background.

I agree with this whole post. Everything dealing with that prison was painful, but brilliantly played. Especially if you've ever been arrested. I'm surprised they didn't touch on the drama with making bond.

I loved the beginning scene with Ern and his girl. The most important thing she got out of his whole dream retelling was, "What did she look like?" I'm pretty sure I saw some Jergens on the nightstand. And yay to her headwrap. I was like YEESSSSS that whole scene.

I think Ern being a passive character works for this narrative. He's like the audience surrogate who recognizes the WTF of the circumstances, but has little to no power to change it. All you can do is watch in disbelief at what's going on. Yet, as his father said, when he wants to/says he will do something, he will. Maybe we will see him become more active as he finds his place in this world.

It also seems that Ern is much more articulate than everyone else, as to be expected, given the character. It actually took me a few minutes to get readjusted to heavy regional slang and accents. The 11 years story at the jail was gold. And I had never heard of lemon pepper wet. 

Truth be told, this was all a little too real, and while it was certainly funny, I sometimes found it very hard to laugh. 

[Syndicate]

I really like this show but why did they bill this as a comedy? While I certainly recognized the moments of humor here and there, there were no "laughing out loud" moments for me at all. I thought it was almost heavy-handed in rawness and realness. The jail officers beating the psychiatric inmate and another inmate being severely taunted by other inmates regarding the trans woman. It was just so real because I've worked in a jail environment before, and I've seen black men behave EXACTLY this way in and out of jail regarding gay/bi/or other sexually-related issues. Pretty authentic stuff, actually! But was I laughing? NO WAY!

Edited September 11, 2016 by Syndicate

[LJonEarth]

I wonder if how funny you found this depends on how dark your sense of humor is. I have a very dark sense of humor so I actually laughed out loud at much of this. I had no idea it was being promoted as a comedy, but I see now that it is. I never pay attention to that for shows on outlets like Netflix and FX because I know they give their creators a longer leash on what they can do with a show.

The reactions above do make me realize that none of the people I suggested this to mentioned laughing. Ha!

Edited September 13, 2016 by LJonEarth

[DearEvette]

I loved this!  My hubs and I watched this back to back with Queen Sugar and we were both so tickled with the quality, storytelling, pacing, tone etc. of both shows.  My husband liked this one more than QS whereas I liked QS a bit more than this.  But we are in for the season for both of these!

I am glad I saw the "Twin Peaks' reference because it makes sense now given the glimpses of the dog, the man on the bus etc.  But I especially love the thoughtful aspect of the comedy.  It isn't broad but it is clever and it takes a minute sometimes to sink in and that makes i worth it.  There is also a bit of cynicism underneath that hits right fore me (but not enough to make the show depressing).

Can I also say how much I love Darius?  My god he's awesome.  He kinda reminds me of Dave Chapelle.

Very much looking forward to the next episode.

[Dee]

Myra Taylor and Isiah Whitlock were perfectly cast as Earn's parents.

[justjen]

I. Love. This. Show. And (surprisingly) The Boyfriend likes it, too! He does not like when I say "That's my office!" every time they show my office building (I live ITP and work downtown and I commute via Marta every single day). We've only watched the first episode so far, and I love it because I recognize all of the locations as "home" and I just like the weirdness (the dog, bus guy, tree measuring).

[ethalfrida]

I watched everything 3 times. First because I enjoyed it so much and secondly because there was mention of not understanding what some characters said. I didn't have a problem with clarity. But it's understandable if some did.

The only thing I have a problem with is the N word. It was/is not a word I grew up using and not one I use now. Makes me cringe to hear it. But.... anyways the nuances, references, under stories in this show are awesome. I love how wonderful everyone is at line delivery. I love Earn's girlfriend... written to be so at ease with her lifestyle; not a dingbat, not ignorant but a complete woman. She is written to do what she wants and is comfortable with it.

No one is flashy! Just everyday people. Some parts remind me so much of Spike Lee's style who I think is a brilliant writer.

I am regretting the end of the season.

Edited September 15, 2016 by ethalfrida

[Ohwell]

I missed some parts of the first episode, so what does Van do?  I thought I heard Earn say something about her wanting to start a fashion line or something?

[arc]

36 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I missed some parts of the first episode, so what does Van do?  I thought I heard Earn say something about her wanting to start a fashion line or something?

That first scene about arranging Lottie's care in the afternoon/evening, I think Earn made some crack that sounded PTA-ish, so maybe Van's a teacher?

On 9/11/2016 at 1:03 PM, Syndicate said:

I really like this show but why did they bill this as a comedy? While I certainly recognized the moments of humor here and there, there were no "laughing out loud" moments for me at all. 

Nothing? Not even in the MLK Jr/Malcolm X conversation? Or using rats as phones? Or Al telling Earn that getting arrested for half a blunt wasn't as good as not getting arrested? I mean, I guess, but I thought it was a funny show.

[ethalfrida]

Those moments Arc mentioned had me laughing out loud! But I guess you would have to know why that was funny. IDK. Like in Eddie Murphy's Coming to America. Someone made mention of walking down the street and Dr. King walked up to him and hit him in the chest. That is something that happens between two guys, especially African Americans, as a form of greeting. My son and I cracked up when we heard him say that.

But the rat phone was not cultural and was funny as I don't know what.

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, arc said:

That first scene about arranging Lottie's care in the afternoon/evening, I think Earn made some crack that sounded PTA-ish, so maybe Van's a teacher?

Oh, ok thanks.

[solea]

Wow, this show is great! I'll have to watch again to get more of the dialogue as the characters often speak low and mumble. Also my crap tv. 

My favorite LOL moment was when they opened the box to look at the lemon pepper wet. As he lifts the lid a glow emanates from the box and lights his face, then dims when he closes the lid. Damn! I want some of that.  

[sjankis630]

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He kinda reminds me of Dave Chapelle

The scene when Darius came to bail out Paper Boi in that head wrap, for a second I thought it was Dave Chapelle. He doesn't look that much like him but the way he stood there in the jail made me think of a Chapelle skit.

[SlackerInc]

I'm a cordcutter, so I usually have to wait a while to watch FX shows.  But after this one soared to the top of so many critics' year end lists, I just bit the bullet and coughed up the dough to buy the season on Amazon.  Now after one episode, I definitely see that it's a good show.  Reserving judgement as to whether it's as good as they are all saying.

But here's what I'm a little puzzled by.  I see so many references to people describing the location shooting as being a kind of love letter to Atlanta.  Really?  I've only driven through the city once, at night (main takeaway: I thought the interstates there were horrible, and the drivers as aggressively unwilling to let you merge into their lane as any I've encountered anywhere).  So my impression is based almost entirely on this show...and it was not good.  Everything looked sort of crappy and rundown, not to mention overgrown with a lot of nasty weeds.  Looked like it would be really hot and sticky, muggy and buggy, but without the compensation (as you'd get in Florida, which I've visited several times) of sandy beaches and ocean breezes.  Looked like the infrastructure was not only not up to date, but also not all that well maintained.  The businesses looked behind the times as well, but not in a charming, quaint, or even "retro" way.  Just old, tired, and (again) rundown.

Maybe it's an acquired taste?

(Sorry if I've insulted any native Atlantans, but I just didn't think this advertised your city very well.)

[Ohwell]

I had assumed that this show was filmed primarily in the 'hood, which all big cities have.  I've only been to Atlanta's airport (a nightmare!) on the way to another city, so I've never actually seen much of Atlanta.  However, going by what I've seen on House Hunters and some movies/TV shows filmed in Atlanta, I'd say there are some very nice neighborhoods.  I have heard of Buckhead but I'm sure there are other nice places to live.  I wouldn't want to live there, I like living where I am.  Plus, I could never go back there anyway because I stupidly ordered a Pepsi. 

Edited January 10, 2017 by Ohwell

[SlackerInc]

I lived in the 'hood in Minneapolis (Franklin and Chicago, the Phillips neighborhood).  I've also spent significant time in the South Side of Chicago, and inner city St. Louis and Jersey City (like, in bars where everyone was black except me, or me and the friend that came with me).  What I saw on this show was kind of like those places, it's true...but a lot crappier, looked like.  But I'll keep watching and see.

[Court]

Not a native but have lived here for 13 years fulltime and prior to that, 9 years part time. (Parent's divorce.) 

The weather is just as you described. Hot, muggy,and buggy. We like it. :)

I do think it is Glover's love letter to Atlanta, his Atlanta, where he grew up. His neighborhoods and streets.  It wouldn't be authentic if it showcased the nice touristy places downtown. Atlanta is a complex city. I know the club scenes were Marietta but I'm not positive about everything else. I could guess but I'm not confident enough. 

Edited January 11, 2017 by Court

[SlackerInc]

After seeing the second episode I am now very much on the bandwagon.  Great show.

[Guest]

On 1/10/2017 at 4:29 AM, SlackerInc said:

I'm a cordcutter, so I usually have to wait a while to watch FX shows.  But after this one soared to the top of so many critics' year end lists, I just bit the bullet and coughed up the dough to buy the season on Amazon.  

Me too!  My teen daughter is a Glover fan.  She even coughed up $100 of her own money to go see his Childish Gambino concert event in Joshua Tree last year.

I really liked the first three episodes.