For six years nowAtlantahas taken fans through a long journey of seeing its protagonists evolve, and while Earn, Al, Van and Darius are very different from they were when the show premiered, season 4 kicks off by reminding off there’s still a lot of growing up to do.
On a different note,Atlanta’suniquecomedyflair remains intact, that is for the few jokes and gags that are thrown here and there in this two-episode premiere of its final season. That’s because “The Most Atlanta” and “The Homeliest Little Horse” could not be more different, with the firstechoing the surrealism ofAtlanta’sthird season, whereas the latter delivers some key moments to understand how much Earn has changed.
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Make no mistake,Atlantais just as creative as it’s always beenwith the first episode taking a look back at the riots that spawned from some of the protests that took place in the United States’ recent history. Naturally, there’s no one better for the show to flex its humor than Darius, who finds himself caught in between some department store looting as he tries to return an air fryer he doesn’t care for — of course, with Darius being the upstanding citizen that he is, the man has no interest in any of that.
Nevertheless, since racial profiling is a thing, the very honest Darius gets tostar in his own slasher movieafter a woman confined to a mobility scooter pulls out a knife on the looters and goes out to chase him. The bit is one of three parallel stories that unfold, as Al embarks on a scavenger hunt set up by one of his rap idols, the now-deceased Blueblood; while on a different part of town Earn and Van run into practically everyone they’ve ever dated.
Surrealism is the name of the game, yet the episode still lays out some key character points: Al can’t stand being anywhere but in Atlanta; Earn and Van relationship has finally stabilized; and, Dariuswill always beAtlanta’sfunniest cast member. Earn and Van’s trip to midtown’s Atlantic Stationborrows a lot fromSeinfeld’small parking lotepisode with an extra dash of fantasy just for kicks, however, seeing the two interact and comment on the sad reality of not being able to buy a smaller phone these days it’s pure gold.
In the end, “The Most Atlanta” develops smoothly to get the gang back together towards the end, making it incrediblysimilar to some ofAtlanta’sseason 3 episodes, only now rooted in the group’s hometown without the surreal aspects cranked up like they were back in Europe. On the other hand, episode two sees some real character development, or at least Earn’s, since it revolves around his therapy sessions to confront how far he’s come since being nothing more than Paper Boi’s cousin that dropped out from Princeton.
“The Homeliest Little Horse” plays out more likean episode out ofAtlanta’sfirst two seasons, but regardless of that, it’s put in here to cement the idea that the cast, especially Earn, are shadows of their former selves. Viewers finally get the lowdown on Earn’s Princeton story, they learn some dark aspects of his past, and they truly get to see the protagonist being broken down from a psychological standpoint like never before.
Usually, it’s up toAtlanta’sjokes, quests, camera shots, or key moments to nail down what’s going on with its characters, but here Earn’s therapists unpacks everything for the audience with clinical precision. It’s easy to feel bad for Earn, who’s now mocked by Al over his newfound wealth that allows him to enjoy the benefits of therapy, something he sees as an unnecessary expense, something for rich people.
Funnily enough, Earn is immersed in the type of problems he and Al would mock before, he’s simply stressed and overwhelmed by the weight of responsibility, which is taking a toll on his health and family life. Except that Earn’s plight is not really that worthy of sympathy, because like he says, he’s become the type of person that’s fueled by spite.
This episode’s other protagonist is a white woman named Lisa Mahn, whose life doesn’t seem all that great until she gets a big writing break. Lisa is the juxtaposition of what Earn used to be at one point, except by the time the credits roll, he’s become the type of social predator that inflicts misery upon people, just because he can.
As a Black man, Earn still feels used by Princeton, he still faces discrimination at the airport, but now he can do something about it, like destroy poor and sad Lisa. Despite the payoff to his grandmaster plans to screw over the woman that ruined his family trip, that’s not the main event to see here, it’s watching Earn become a dark villain himself.
His decision to leave therapy and Darius' final words sum up the chapter, Earn should really go back to therapy, and it’s possible thenewAtlantaseason will one big psychoanalytic sessionfor the entire cast before they say their goodbyes, so strap on for one intriguing final season.
