Atlanta Nobody Beats the Biebs (2016– ) Online

Overview

Atlanta has its own unique quality of weird. Be it what Darius brings with his stoner persona, Earn who is the one with so much potential who hit rock bottom and is trying to climb his way back up, or even Al who is the man who, most of the time, is all bark and no bite, the main cast are an interesting bunch. But once their characters, especially Earn and Al, meet people who are weird or eccentric, that is when you see Atlanta's unique brand flourish. Well, most of the time.

Trigger Warning(s): Sound of Gunshots

Main Plot (with Commentary)

Topic 1: Darius at the Gun Range (Darius)

Because dogs are vicious in Darius' neighborhood, he decides to bring to a gun range a dog target to shoot. Something which upsets those who shoot at ones which look like Mexicans with knives. Leading to a small confrontation in which gentlemen, who are shooting at what look like 1950s white men, try to defend Darius. But, for Darius, he doesn't understand why would one shoot at a human-like target at all?

Either way, with a gun to his back, the owner of the shop escorts Darius out. Making it seem Darius has been previously warned over his choice of targets.

{Commentary}

There is this certain range of randomness and weirdness Darius lives in, yet it is never taken too far. In a way, his segment reminds me of how comedians in the past, maybe to a point in the present, would always place a message in their jokes. For Darius' segment, it deals with, to me, how strange it is gun owners practice shooting at people, even customizing their target to be a specific race or look, but shooting at a dog is uncalled for. The man's child could have seen him shooting at an animal for god sakes! However, be it a person who looks non-white, it is all fine and dandy?

Though I would argue there is something to be said. Like how the shop owner escorts Darius out with a shotgun to his back. For one, you know he wouldn't do that to the white gun owner who started the commotion. But then comes the question of why Darius was taken out? It seems he was forewarned about his targets, but that doesn't justify a shotgun to Darius' back at all. Much less, he wasn't going at it with the white dude like the would-be revolutionary types, so why such a potentially violent threat? Did he think Darius would shoot him or the white guy?

Topic 2: I Know It Was You Alonzo (Earn)

A case of mistaken identity allows Earn to meet some big shots who, in the pursuit of officially becoming Paper Boi's manager, may become some good connections. However, the same person who granted him access to the upstairs VIP area (Played by Jane Adams) is the one who vows to ruin him. All because she thinks he is this man named Alonzo who ruined her professional career.

{Commentary}

One thing that has become a pattern on this show is very weird people popping in each episode. For this one, it is Jane Adams' character and the Black Justin Bieber talked about in topic 3. These are the types of guest stars you can only hope come back around in the future. I mean, considering the role she may play in Earn and Al's success, and this vow to ruin him, things can't end here!

Though, I got to admit, with Earn, multiple times, saying he isn't Alonzo, you got to wonder if she is low-key racist or just crazy? Much less, will we ever meet Alonzo? Never mind if the people who Earn meets may actually help his and Al's career.

Topic 3: Paper Boi Meets Justin Bieber (Alfred)

A Black Justin Bieber. Remember pee in a bucket era Justin Bieber? Make him Black and there you go. Oh, also add a lot of dabbing and using the N word for good measure. That is who Paper Boi meets and because Al is petty and doesn't like the kid, who he decides to try to humble at a charity basketball game. Which, because, again, Al is all bark and no bite, he gets embarrassed by. Yet, in the various situations you'd think Black Justin Bieber would have been embarrassed too. After all, he was acting a fool and yelling the N word across the court. But no. With a meek apology and singing a song, he is forgiven. Leading to Al being told how pop stars people always want to see redeemed while rappers they just want to see play the bad guy.

{Commentary}

Was this story about how pop stars are allowed redemption, even if meekly made, while rap stars will always be damned for their past, no matter how long ago their indiscretions and how they tried to atone? Could it have been simply a jab at Justin Bieber for kicks and giggles? Might it even be just another episode in which Al gets humbled and revealed to not be the man he talks himself up to be? I just can't put my finger on one specific button but that is kind of the beauty of this story-line.

Highlights

As always, it was Darius.

On The Fence

Admittedly, something about the Justin Bieber and Jane Adams' character felt off. They don't feel rooted in some sort of realism like Darius and the past, likely, one episode characters. They are so extra it is like they belong in a comedy and weren't adapted to fit the tone of this show. Yet, considering both were members of the entertainment industry, maybe what seems foreign to us is reality based on what Donald Glover experienced.

Up until this episode, Atlanta was a fun, quirky kind of comedy with sociological significance. Enter Justin Bieber and the series slides into an alternate universe - down the rabbit hole. It rises to brilliance and continues that through the rest of the season.

I always love when shows do something that alters reality just a little bit. That is why I have such a fun time with "Entourage," because it is a fake take on the real world. I didn't expect "Atlanta" to also do that, but in this episode it surprised me with one of the most unexpected twists ever. So far, this show has gotten me on its incredible writing and the great characters that we get to see more and more of each episode. I appreciate that they always have something new to do and that the writers always find new ways to pair the characters up. Only the best shows can make you feel for multiple characters after only one episode where nothing happens to them. "Atlanta" is a show with great writing and great overall humor that has really managed to entertain me, and this episode was nothing short of that. This is another great episode to add to bunch, and while it might not reach the heights of some of the best episodes of the show, it definitely has a lot of humor that makes it something great.

The writing is something that I have complimented in every single episode, but in this episode I especially loved the writing. Stephen Glover did some impressive things with this episode and took some real risks with some of the characters and the social commentary. However, those risks were the product of a great writer who has full control over everything and know what he is doing, so all the risks ended up paying off. There are also some great comedic moments in this episode, which were all subtle, yet still really out there and ridiculous. I loved everything that came from the writing in this episode and I can't wait to see more from these guys.

One of the things I really appreciated with this episode was how they handled Paper Boi. The episode focused on how he is seen by other people and I loved that his legacy has really been clouded by the murder that he committed in the first episode. It's something that he can't get away from and he has to stop trying, because it will always come back to him. I also loved the idea that he has a role to play as a rapper. He has to be the bad boy in order for the people to love him. I think that was such an interesting and clever touch on real social issues concerning rappers and their nature off-stage.

Now ... the big twist in this episode is that there is a version of Justin Bieber who is depicted as an African-American man. This was the most unexpected thing to happen, and I am so glad that it happened. It shows that this show is not afraid of taking some risks and see them pan out great. The character is very much the same, but with a few alterations. This just showed me that there are nothing that the writers are afraid of doing, and while I really enjoyed Bieber's role in this episode, I loved the statement from the writers even more.

There is a great subplot with Earn, who is mistaken for someone else. Those scenes were actually scenes that I thought were very sweet because they finally acknowledged Earn as a real manager in some ways, even though we all know that it was by mistake. The funniest part was how it ended and how it totally backfired on Earn, even though he never even meant for it go that way. I loved that scene and I hope that the aftermath of that scene will still be explored in later episodes or seasons.

There is also a subplot with Darius, and while I thought it was a clever subplot with some great writing, I thought it was a little bit too derivative from the main plot. It didn't connect to what Earn and Paper Boi were doing, and I thought that would have been a little bit better had it done that.

I actually know one of the actors: David Marshall Silverman, he has a minor role in the shooting range. Earn has been mistaken for another black talent manager at a Youth charity basketball game in Atlanta. Alfred gets in a fight with Justin Bieber who is depicted as black. Alfred tries to convince a white magazine journalist that he is not a thug and tries to get her to go on a date with him.

The episode brings light to some of the things Bieber might get away with if he was African American, the show also brings light to the stereotype that all minorities look alike as shown by a white manager confusing Earn with another black manager. Over all the episode tries to do what the entire series tries to do: show the struggle of African American youth in Atlanta.

I always love when shows do something that alters reality just a little bit. That is why I have such a fun time with "Entourage," because it is a fake take on the real world. I didn't expect "Atlanta" to also do that, but in this episode it surprised me with one of the most unexpected twists ever. So far, this show has gotten me on its incredible writing and the great characters that we get to see more and more of each episode. I appreciate that they always have something new to do and that the writers always find new ways to pair the characters up. Only the best shows can make you feel for multiple characters after only one episode where nothing happens to them. "Atlanta" is a show with great writing and great overall humor that has really managed to entertain me, and this episode was nothing short of that. This is another great episode to add to bunch, and while it might not reach the heights of some of the best episodes of the show, it definitely has a lot of humor that makes it something great.

The writing is something that I have complimented in every single episode, but in this episode I especially loved the writing. Stephen Glover did some impressive things with this episode and took some real risks with some of the characters and the social commentary. However, those risks were the product of a great writer who has full control over everything and know what he is doing, so all the risks ended up paying off. There are also some great comedic moments in this episode, which were all subtle, yet still really out there and ridiculous. I loved everything that came from the writing in this episode and I can't wait to see more from these guys.

One of the things I really appreciated with this episode was how they handled Paper Boi. The episode focused on how he is seen by other people and I loved that his legacy has really been clouded by the murder that he committed in the first episode. It's something that he can't get away from and he has to stop trying, because it will always come back to him. I also loved the idea that he has a role to play as a rapper. He has to be the bad boy in order for the people to love him. I think that was such an interesting and clever touch on real social issues concerning rappers and their nature off-stage.

Now ... the big twist in this episode is that there is a version of Justin Bieber who is depicted as an African-American man. This was the most unexpected thing to happen, and I am so glad that it happened. It shows that this show is not afraid of taking some risks and see them pan out great. The character is very much the same, but with a few alterations. This just showed me that there are nothing that the writers are afraid of doing, and while I really enjoyed Bieber's role in this episode, I loved the statement from the writers even more.

There is a great subplot with Earn, who is mistaken for someone else. Those scenes were actually scenes that I thought were very sweet because they finally acknowledged Earn as a real manager in some ways, even though we all know that it was by mistake. The funniest part was how it ended and how it totally backfired on Earn, even though he never even meant for it go that way. I loved that scene and I hope that the aftermath of that scene will still be explored in later episodes or seasons.

There is also a subplot with Darius, and while I thought it was a clever subplot with some great writing, I thought it was a little bit too derivative from the main plot. It didn't connect to what Earn and Paper Boi were doing, and I thought that would have been a little bit better had it done that.

Atlanta works when it carries on a more bizarre path. I thought for a moment there were two Justin Bieber's about but I only know the white Canadian guy. Paper Boi attends a celebrity basketball event and gets into a scap with Bieber (played by a black actor.) Paper Boi learns a lesson, he needs to play his role, which according to the media is that of a jerk.

Earn meanwhile learns that the life of an agent is a shallow one as he is mistaken for a successful one.

Darius finds out that if you want to upset the pro gun lobby, bring a paper target of a dog.

This episode centers around the red-carpet / press dealings, and it has some insight...

They reflect the face of media as if they "give chase" to the so-called "stars" of everything, and they care for nothing else between "the stairs to winning". Not fellowship, not friendship, nor, ever, ethics!..

So, Paper Boi meets the press and experiences the madness our world faces everyday!.. And it is not badly put!

In addition to this, to see Mr. Justin Bieber as black gives some opinions.

Firstly, it saves a whole lots of money for the producers.

Secondly, it drives the story from the "no one loves the black ones" zone / course and brings it into focus that this shows does not want itself to approach the matters solely from a racial standpoint.

This is brilliant, too. Therefore, we can forget about what Paper Boi told of the black rappers being gangsters. Yep.

Another thing is, during the range practice, Mr. Darius shoots at a dog poster while the other men shoot at either "sweet-looking-dads" or "Mexican-knife-holders"; and they seem to be troubled with the dog shooting...

That was very clever to show the cultural blindness towards different doings in life, and not to see the sameness of those doings in respect to the universal ethics. Way to go, Atlanta!.. (or Darius. Whatever. This looks bad!..)

For these, I give this episode a "8,4." Yes. (Keep the work better, ladies and gentlemen!..)

"Whosoever interveneth in a good cause will have the reward thereof, and whoso interveneth in an evil cause will bear the consequence thereof. Allah is Ever All-Able to do (and also an All-Witness to) everything."

The Gracious Koran speaks in the 85th Verse of the 4th Chapter called "The Women." Amen.