4/5
This Is Atlanta.
10 Episodes. Starring: Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield & Zazie Beetz. Created By: Donald Glover.
Reparations, French sticks harder than baseball bats and classic cameos complete with a special set of skills. Season 3 of 'Atlanta' is like nothing you've ever seen before. But what more would you expect from a show that nothing compares to like Prince? And this lamponing European vacation isn't even set in the A. Amsterdam, London and Paris are just a few of the postcard spots that mark the territory of this new series that ends on the high note of pissing excellence with the gold of the Iron Lady herself, the Eiffel Tower watching in all her middle of the night glory glow. Now THAT'S an eye full. Spotted way back in Season 1, Episode 9 on the shelf, Childish Gambino's genre defying and world changing classic, 'Awaken My Love' and its amazing artwork made a cameo appearance that you can call an Easter Egg or product placement. And genius Donald Glover tells us that these ATL seasons are like albums. So following the sophomore one that was anything but a slump comes the trilogy maker, before the concluding season comes to end this year and the show completely, like Netflix dividing two 'Ozark' parts or volumes of 'Stranger Things' next week. And what a way to go in a month of those shows Disney Marvel 'Moon Knight's' and Star Wars 'Obi-Wan's (also next week) and HBO taking it to the Max with 'Tokyo Vice' and the 'Winning Time' Showtime 'Rise Of The Lakers'. It's been a long four years since 2018 (REALLY long), but the fourth season this fall will be the final. You wait years for your favourite show to come along like a bus and then two seasons come at once before that's it.
Hard to Earn like Gang Starr, gangster rapper Paper Boi, Darius and Van, we hardly got to know them. But inside the almost half decade since their absence in FX. Brian Tyree Henry had been making paper as a mobster in 'Widows' whilst showing his marvellous, barrier breaking talent belongs with the 'Eternals', when he's not riding on 'Bullet Trains', or messing with a 'Joker' like 'Child's Play'. Oh, and he also made a podcast about 'Godzilla vs Kong' too. Zazie Beetz has been moving to her own drum was the luck of 'Deadpool 2', and all the spots as Domino. Also tweening between Marvel and DC, also in 'Joker' with Henry. A 'High Flying Bird' for another Netflix hoop dream before becoming as epic as the ensemble on the streaming service's black western, modern classic 'The Harder They Fall'. Also with LaKeith Stanfield who also made his mark in 'Get Out', 'Sorry To Bother You' and the 'Death Note' live-action Japanese anime remake. Not to mention voicing the first black samurai 'Yasuke' on Netflix's Manga adaptation. Oh, and he also scored and Academy Award nomination for his powerful, powerhouse of a performance in 'Judas and the Black Messiah'...as the Judas. As for Glover, getting back into the directors chair with longtime friend Hiro Murai like they did on the Amazon amazing 'Guava Island' with Rihanna, the 'Community' star has a network of shows. Playing Lando Calrissian in the criminally underrated 'Solo' Star Wars story like no one else could (solo movie, PLEASE!). Playing Simba himself in the live action 'The Lion King' with Beyoncé as his queen. And tweening himself between 'Spider-Man Into The Spider Verse' and Peter Parker's own 'Homecoming' as what will be The Prowler (Miles Morales' (who he once voiced) uncle), whilst trying to write an animated 'Deadpool' with Murai. Oh and he also changed the music game again and made the most monumental music video since 'Thriller', telling us 'This Is America', before giving us the best 'Summertime' anthem since DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince in 'Feels Like Summer' that meant more to the world.
Afro-surrealism at its finest all the way down to Alim Smith's seriously powerful (and beautiful) promotional poster artwork. From crying memes to the canvas of what all this means. Or the hilarious, self aware bios of each episode (for example, for episode 9, "Black and white episode. Yawn. Emmy bait. Why do they hate black women so much") from the man who polarisingly interviewed himself for the Andy Warhol art pop founded Interview magazine. Glover and his crew with the gloves off are just incredible. From his gravitas to Stanfield's Douglas's third eye open on a world looking to sell out to the "highest" bidder. Henry's Paper chase on a euro trip and your that even sees him try to best the shows greatest episode and his most personal to date, channeling the love for his lost and dearly departed mother. Or Beetz saving her best for last in a Van led classic conclusion that is just ooh, la, la. Especially when she gets all John Wick with a breadstick (but we've already said waaay too much and you know we like entering spoiler territory as much as we love entering the big boy territory of the gym). But as amazing as the principal cast are and just how magnificent the Murai directed episodes are it's when the fantastic four aren't featured and Glover fits back into the directors chair that things get real interesting and influential with a hunting Jordan Peele like 'Get Out' inspiration for 'Us'. Especially in the unsettling and overwhelming opener. These separate "bottle" episodes that grab us by the neck are really epic and come out of nowhere like that fishing boat moment that will scare the straight s### out of you like 'Hereditary' headbanging. There's reparations more on point than a 'Chappelle Show' satirical sketch that will have a 'Hangover' star feeling like he wished they just left him on the roof. A death at the funeral of cultural awareness in an episode that will have you thinking "they really got this guy to take to piss out of himself, maybe without even knowing it". And something so pointed in black and white like 'The Artist' that really might be an impressionist piece with the jokes on you know who. Consider it a privilege to be able to point your remote and press play on a show like this that makes a point at showing people up who have spent too long prodding their fingers. The push back is real and as raw as Murphy leaving you delirious. Or a famous A-lister dancing to Ashanti like nobody's watching when everyone is. Oh, baby. You've got to hand it to them. This might just be the surrealist and best season yet. The genius of this show is unparalleled. "No horizontals either" like they tweeted back. No one puts it down like the A town. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
Further Filming: 'Fleabag', 'Insecure', 'Guava Island'.
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