People rating this a 1 are super triggered by a satirical situation that will never happen in a million years lol. It's supposed to be a diss on both white and black culture, however it could've been handled with a bit more care on both side as it was leaning heavily into stereotypes with both groups to a point that made the satire less poignant. Also I thought it was funny how Asian immigrants that were thrown into camps during World War weren't even a talking point (parodying the fact that both white people and black people ignore these groups)! Its a diss on America's incompetence as a nation in understanding what it's people really want or need and taking whatever easy out it can to appease a group that is yelling the loudest. I didn't hate the episode I just think the subject could've been better handled if the writing was a little tighter. Also come on... We want to see the main cast in action not some weird black mirror episode.
57 Reviews
Black Black Mirror
Criticalstaff12 May 2022
I hated watching this episode. I hated every minute of it. Each scene was more upsetting than the previous one. I loathed every character; I could not wait for this to be over.
That is precisely why this episode is so outstanding. Because it allowed me to let me feel something we are seldom allowed to feel anymore. Not on purpose anyway.
That feeling is a mix of guilt, of shame and of overall unpleasantness. It is a feeling of cringe and of dread. It is the feeling you get when a stranger starts yelling at their child in public without any reason. It is second hand shame. It is guilt by association.
The episode starts out by showing us a protagonist. He is our average middle class white guy. It might be a genius covert message the show smuggles in; for some reason your movie-goer brain immediately identifies with him. The episode's protagonist is a white guy, you're the white guy. Just a regular dude having normal day: going to work, picking his daughter at school. But very slowly, almost surreptitiously the episode presents a rather upsetting scenario. Basically what if Reparations where not only possible and real but also they were done in the most ludicrous and traumatizing manner. In other words it goes full Black Mirror.
In Black Mirror, each episode focused on some clever new tech or innovation. The inciting incident would always twist it cynically beyond recognition by its own internal logic and the show would end up in something truely dystopian. Equally funny and disgusting.
Here, the upsetting part comes from two elements; the character of Sheniqua Johnson (of the St. Louis Johnsons) who so obnoxious and just perfectly over the top, yet strangely familiar/recognizable. I know in my brain Sheniqua is played by an actress and she is not real. Yet I feel that I have met this kind of person, and the mere idea that she should be rewarded is upsetting. The second part is the fact that our protagonist guy is instantly trapped; there is no recourse, he has no lever of action, no way of getting out of this. He is declared guilty from the start, and it plays on our understanding that cancel culture in a way is neither impartial nor just. It is purely emotional response. When he encounters the mustached man (horror boat man from the first episode) at the hotel, their dialogue is strangely calming and soothing but also very dark and bleak. To the point where when he goes, you earnestly go "hey that is actually a good solution".
I admire the artistic commitment of this episode. The commitment to dragging the protagonist through the thick of it. But also the how it frames an inversion of the black experience. Yes the situation is ridiculous, but how ridiculous is the contemporary situation/status quo for black people.
It goes out to make you feel very negative emotions and it holds nothing back. The Ancient Greeks in their Drama were concerned with the concept of catharsis, which mean literally purging. The idea was to make you feel bad in fiction so you could live your life, for real, peacefully. This is this episode.
That is precisely why this episode is so outstanding. Because it allowed me to let me feel something we are seldom allowed to feel anymore. Not on purpose anyway.
That feeling is a mix of guilt, of shame and of overall unpleasantness. It is a feeling of cringe and of dread. It is the feeling you get when a stranger starts yelling at their child in public without any reason. It is second hand shame. It is guilt by association.
The episode starts out by showing us a protagonist. He is our average middle class white guy. It might be a genius covert message the show smuggles in; for some reason your movie-goer brain immediately identifies with him. The episode's protagonist is a white guy, you're the white guy. Just a regular dude having normal day: going to work, picking his daughter at school. But very slowly, almost surreptitiously the episode presents a rather upsetting scenario. Basically what if Reparations where not only possible and real but also they were done in the most ludicrous and traumatizing manner. In other words it goes full Black Mirror.
In Black Mirror, each episode focused on some clever new tech or innovation. The inciting incident would always twist it cynically beyond recognition by its own internal logic and the show would end up in something truely dystopian. Equally funny and disgusting.
Here, the upsetting part comes from two elements; the character of Sheniqua Johnson (of the St. Louis Johnsons) who so obnoxious and just perfectly over the top, yet strangely familiar/recognizable. I know in my brain Sheniqua is played by an actress and she is not real. Yet I feel that I have met this kind of person, and the mere idea that she should be rewarded is upsetting. The second part is the fact that our protagonist guy is instantly trapped; there is no recourse, he has no lever of action, no way of getting out of this. He is declared guilty from the start, and it plays on our understanding that cancel culture in a way is neither impartial nor just. It is purely emotional response. When he encounters the mustached man (horror boat man from the first episode) at the hotel, their dialogue is strangely calming and soothing but also very dark and bleak. To the point where when he goes, you earnestly go "hey that is actually a good solution".
I admire the artistic commitment of this episode. The commitment to dragging the protagonist through the thick of it. But also the how it frames an inversion of the black experience. Yes the situation is ridiculous, but how ridiculous is the contemporary situation/status quo for black people.
It goes out to make you feel very negative emotions and it holds nothing back. The Ancient Greeks in their Drama were concerned with the concept of catharsis, which mean literally purging. The idea was to make you feel bad in fiction so you could live your life, for real, peacefully. This is this episode.
"You were white yesterday!"
sollyharv21 April 2022
Hilarious, multi-faceted and weird as hell. This season is definitely very odd and scatterbrained but after being gone for so long, I'm sure the show runners had so many ideas bouncing around that they wanted to tackle. These sort of Twilight-Zone style episodes are a great outlet for them.
A poignant not-quite satire.
maxcoh3n8 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
As much as others might be saying, this episode is not a satire. Satire exaggerates something that is true in order to poke fun at the absurdity of it. This is true in some scenes, such as the "you were white yesterday" line. However, the goal of this episode is not to make you laugh at the absurdity of a white man losing everything, in order to say either "look how ridiculous reparations are getting" or "look how ridiculous white people's ideas of reparations are". The episode is shot and acted much too well for it to be a comedy: it wants you to empathize with Marshall. But why? The key is with White Earnest's speech, who in my opinion is simply a mouthpiece for Donald Glover/Black Earnest but put through a white man's mouth in order for white people to listen. If you can empathize with Marshall for losing everything due to what his ancestors did, then you must be able to empathize with black people who lost countless opportunities due to what was done to their ancestors.
Thought provoking
rfadam9 April 2022
Whether you liked this episode or not, the creators succeeded in creating a very thought provoking piece of television. It's telling that many people got so caught up in their own reactions to what the show was presenting that many seemed to miss the humor. Sure, I missed seeing the four characters I've come to love as an Atlanta fan, but appreciate the creators of show always pushing the boundaries and creating some of the most creative and thoughtful content out there today. So feel the feelings whether they be anger, guilt, frustration or whatever else... knowing that the show's creators succeeded in creating something powerful.
Missing the point
swixswax11 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
People seem to be fundamentally missing the bottom line of this episode and focusing on the more over the top, satirical aspects of it. The final scene sums it up well with a beautiful one-shot through a restaurant staffed by a diverse team of people working in unison with one another -- we're all in this together and we're all going to be alright. No, the black community isn't going to suddenly start coming after everyday white people demanding millions of dollars in reparations, and no it's not an "everyone for themselves" scenario where we all have to either get ours or run for the hills and start praying.
What the writers have presented is a sort of Twilight Zone-esque story that takes all our hopes, tensions and fears about reparations and magnifies them into a tightly written episode focusing on your average, unassuming white man (played by Justin Bartha) as he struggles to reassess his life in the wake of sweeping social change. The writers take the time to establish that Bartha's character is apolitical. He listens to NPR but has no strong opinions on the subject matter they're covering, he's nowhere near as incensed or tribalistic as his fellow white co-workers and he ultimately just wants to live and let live.
His character is clearly meant to be sympathetic, then, when his livelihood is upended by the appearance of an uncompromising and somewhat obnoxious black woman named Shaniqua who demands reparations. We see Bartha's everyman go through a few stages of development over the course of the episode, shifting from apathy to defensiveness to self-pity before finally settling into acceptance and ultimately appearing to be much better off for it. He goes from ignoring and detaching himself from the perspectives of his co-workers (white and black) to genuinely interacting with them, and therein lies the very point of this episode. Bartha's character is only able to find some peace amidst the admittedly dizzying aftershocks of slavery when he learns to stop resisting and hiding from them like his cohorts. Because, ultimately, slavery does still impact us all and denying that impact only serves to further divide us and prevent us from understanding one another. This is further driven home by both the spectacularly acted monologue by Earnest and Bartha's character taking the time to watch a video of Shaniqua playing with her children.
By taking this episode to be black vs white you're ironically missing its entire point, and I think that's underscored by the fact that we're only introduced to characters who are neither black or white in the final scene, discarding the myopic and divisive racial narrative that dominated the rest of the (satirical) episode and showing us that there are shades of grey, in a manner of speaking.
The bottom line is this -- the episode is not meant to be taken at face value. Look a little deeper and you'll see it for what it really is, which is a refreshing standalone that deconstructs a hot social issue that affects us all on some level. I really enjoyed it.
What the writers have presented is a sort of Twilight Zone-esque story that takes all our hopes, tensions and fears about reparations and magnifies them into a tightly written episode focusing on your average, unassuming white man (played by Justin Bartha) as he struggles to reassess his life in the wake of sweeping social change. The writers take the time to establish that Bartha's character is apolitical. He listens to NPR but has no strong opinions on the subject matter they're covering, he's nowhere near as incensed or tribalistic as his fellow white co-workers and he ultimately just wants to live and let live.
His character is clearly meant to be sympathetic, then, when his livelihood is upended by the appearance of an uncompromising and somewhat obnoxious black woman named Shaniqua who demands reparations. We see Bartha's everyman go through a few stages of development over the course of the episode, shifting from apathy to defensiveness to self-pity before finally settling into acceptance and ultimately appearing to be much better off for it. He goes from ignoring and detaching himself from the perspectives of his co-workers (white and black) to genuinely interacting with them, and therein lies the very point of this episode. Bartha's character is only able to find some peace amidst the admittedly dizzying aftershocks of slavery when he learns to stop resisting and hiding from them like his cohorts. Because, ultimately, slavery does still impact us all and denying that impact only serves to further divide us and prevent us from understanding one another. This is further driven home by both the spectacularly acted monologue by Earnest and Bartha's character taking the time to watch a video of Shaniqua playing with her children.
By taking this episode to be black vs white you're ironically missing its entire point, and I think that's underscored by the fact that we're only introduced to characters who are neither black or white in the final scene, discarding the myopic and divisive racial narrative that dominated the rest of the (satirical) episode and showing us that there are shades of grey, in a manner of speaking.
The bottom line is this -- the episode is not meant to be taken at face value. Look a little deeper and you'll see it for what it really is, which is a refreshing standalone that deconstructs a hot social issue that affects us all on some level. I really enjoyed it.
it's fine but I don't like all these filler episodes
mantisandexsidea8 April 2022
I want to see what's going on with the real characters, this episode isn't that bad as a stand alone. But, I don't like the trend of this season so far having 2 out of the 4 released episodes be pure filler. I hope we get to see the plot move forwards for the actual characters. I mean we really haven't had any major plot points or progress so far this season, it seems very disjointed.
My review has literally nothing to do with the politics of it, I just want to see the plot move forward. It's hard to care about characters you only have 40 minutes of.
My review has literally nothing to do with the politics of it, I just want to see the plot move forward. It's hard to care about characters you only have 40 minutes of.
I Don't Know What You All Think You've Been Watching
reynoldswraptpe10 April 2022
I can tell you right now - this season is gonna separate the people watching this show for what it has always been from those who watch because they wanna feel good about their role in racism. It's not a problem that's gonna go away by "acknowledging" it. Best thing to do is create your own fantasy of a best-case-scenario with just enough realism to be make it feel like a "what if?" Atlanta style.
This is an All-Timer. B. A. N. With teeth. I've never laughed so damn much while being so uncomfortable in my own skin thinking how I would react if the tables truly turned.
If you can't see the value in this episode, maybe you should be watching a different show.
This is an All-Timer. B. A. N. With teeth. I've never laughed so damn much while being so uncomfortable in my own skin thinking how I would react if the tables truly turned.
If you can't see the value in this episode, maybe you should be watching a different show.
I can't tell if this episode is satire or not...
not_you_guillermo28 April 2022
We're they trying to be thought provoking or were they just making fun the idea of normal people having to pay reparations? Or both? The idea of individual people having to pay anyone who sues them over this is obviously ridiculous, but the idea that slavery is still having lasting impacts is obviously not ridiculous. This is a systemic issue and not something ordinary people should be held responsible for. If someone was trying to ruin my life over this, I would probably snap honestly.
Either way, the way it triggered people was funny. If you're whining about wokeness, you're an idiot haha.
Either way, the way it triggered people was funny. If you're whining about wokeness, you're an idiot haha.
Okay, but quite frankly I want to see the REAL Atlanta.
jhorvath-7403312 April 2022
Most people do not get that this isn't a joke about white people, its a joke about white liberalism and its ideas towards society, and how to fix the issues that plague the black community. So, for a person who understands this I still found the episode off putting just due to the fact that I feel no flow this season. The first 2 out of 4 episodes literally had none of the main characters with more than 30 seconds of screen time. I would actually just like a season that followed the characters every episode instead of waiting 2 weeks to get into the story again.
My issue is also with people that assume because you might not like this episode that you "Don't get it" or are "Triggered". Neither of those things occurred as I watched this. I was more annoyed at once again an episode that literally had nothing to do with the season in question So, in essence we are getting less than 8 episodes of full character presentation. No Thanks.
My issue is also with people that assume because you might not like this episode that you "Don't get it" or are "Triggered". Neither of those things occurred as I watched this. I was more annoyed at once again an episode that literally had nothing to do with the season in question So, in essence we are getting less than 8 episodes of full character presentation. No Thanks.
Atlanta or Black Mirror?
dumluk200217 April 2022
Retains the essence of Atlanta although I miss the main characters.
lslhlalnl9 April 2022
I was initially disappointed when I saw the title card. Personally, I am enjoying the anthology type episodes on their own. I appreciate the humor and the absurdity of the premise of this episode. The episode as a whole is executed well. The dark moments of the episode blend well with the humor and the suspense of it all. I love the score and will never get tired of Hiro Murai's direction. My only gripe with this episode and the possibility of more anthological episodes throughout the rest of the season is that the characters that we have waited for years to return are being somewhat phased out with the addition of the anthology. These episodes seem like they're going to take up a substantial chunk of the season'(s, if they choose to continue this through season 4.) I would have preferred for these stories to be told in a project separate from the mainline Atlanta story, but I am interested to see how these episodes tie in with the rest of the season. Great episode. Can't wait for next week.
Please choose a plot.
bdjchz8 April 2022
I loved episode 4. It's like a black mirror episode steeped in the Atlanta universe. Great writing, excellent execution. But dammit I don't watch Atlanta for spin-off episodes unless a main character is involved. 'Teddy Perkins' on S2 was genuinely one of the best episodes of any tv show just because it threw a monty python'esq curve ball that invoked main characters. Engaging and familiar, yet foreign, frightening, and funny.
Make a new show with spin offs and keep main characters in the OG Atalanta plot. It's really annoying to wait a week, and another week, just to see main character arks disappear throughout both.... May as wall call the show "something else" with how s3 is going...
It'd be great if the fantastic and weird arks existed as a spin-off. Like a 'WHAT? Atlanta?' Kinda thing. Or just a "what?"
Make a new show with spin offs and keep main characters in the OG Atalanta plot. It's really annoying to wait a week, and another week, just to see main character arks disappear throughout both.... May as wall call the show "something else" with how s3 is going...
It'd be great if the fantastic and weird arks existed as a spin-off. Like a 'WHAT? Atlanta?' Kinda thing. Or just a "what?"
Favorite episode since Teddy Perkins
plattasa8 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This episode was pure perfection. Throughout the episode it was heart breaking to see this man slowly lose everything and the climax of this was of course "E" killing himself after the two talked. The ending was extremely powerful as you see him move on and seem even happy to the naked eye working as a waiter in a fancy restaurant. The most intriguing part of this was the demographic of the patrons; almost every person inside was black with one white couple, which juxtaposes the general diversity in patronage seen at restaurants like that. I could not have asked for a better episode of Atlanta and I'm even more excited to see what comes next.
The absolutely hilarious irony that this is the lowest rated episode by far...
itsahoverboard10 May 2022
This whole seasons's critique of white liberalism is the phoniness, the emotional support only in so far as it doesn't actually affect their lives. There's a whole segment in the previous episode that makes fun of this, where some British whites hysterically gang up on an Asian woman for saying something mildly offensive to Darius.
Cue the one episode where white people finally put their money where their mouth is in some fantasy restitution world, and like clockwork white people swoop in with shock and disgust and downvotes. Super embarrassing, or maybe it's just a random onslaught of right wingers who knows. Either way I'm giving the episode a 10 to balance out all the pearl clutchers.
Cue the one episode where white people finally put their money where their mouth is in some fantasy restitution world, and like clockwork white people swoop in with shock and disgust and downvotes. Super embarrassing, or maybe it's just a random onslaught of right wingers who knows. Either way I'm giving the episode a 10 to balance out all the pearl clutchers.
Shook Ones
s_murtaugh8 April 2022
Odd episode but thoughtful
gilesadhamilton18 July 2022
I knew the hate was coming the moment the credits rolled.
jbeene-188068 April 2022
If you genuinely hate this episode, it's because it either speaks to you in a negative way, or it's because you chose to look a little too deep into it and got utterly disappointed in the end.
Afro-surrealism is the key theme of this season I'm pretty sure, this episode is obviously surreal and ridiculous, but it throws a little truth your way here and there.
Take the message seriously, history cannot and will not be forgotten.
Don't take the satire and surrealism seriously though, you'll only end up hurting yourself.
10/10 episode, loved every second of it.
Afro-surrealism is the key theme of this season I'm pretty sure, this episode is obviously surreal and ridiculous, but it throws a little truth your way here and there.
Take the message seriously, history cannot and will not be forgotten.
Don't take the satire and surrealism seriously though, you'll only end up hurting yourself.
10/10 episode, loved every second of it.
Felt like a Black Mirror episode
jwatters726 June 2022
Okay...
tcain-0216414 April 2022
A pretty good start to the 3rd season so far but this episode kinda sucked. I'd rather be stuck on the rooftop of a hotel with the sun beaming down on me than watch this episode again. 5/10 because it was well acted and some interesting parts but overall boring and not as thought provoking as some of the better episodes.
This season is different but great
xtidusxyunax8 April 2022
Basically there seems to be a throughline with this season so far that basically pokes at the current social climate in a comedic way.
I generally hater when people try to shove a political agenda to something, however it's done in a subtle and thematic way that it's actually good.
Really fresh, Atlanta always cuts though the BS of the "We was kangz" narrative. Which like the episode before it was on about having someone else being offended for you.
I generally hater when people try to shove a political agenda to something, however it's done in a subtle and thematic way that it's actually good.
Really fresh, Atlanta always cuts though the BS of the "We was kangz" narrative. Which like the episode before it was on about having someone else being offended for you.
Im not from America
jonasgcpettersson12 April 2022
A non-event
nixolympica-100558 September 2022
This episode is someone's (presumably Earn's) crazy dream. As it is a dream, nothing matters. Dreams may inspire interesting fiction but a dream itself is not interesting. Many are comparing this episode to The Twilight Zone. However, in that show and in other sci-fi, the strange events that are happening are real to the characters. Within the story, William Shatner really is seeing a monster on the wing of the plane. In this episode I was just waiting for the dreamer to wake up. The POV of the writers does seem to be pro-reparations. Which is strange because it's a ludicrous stance to take. It's like saying that if someone defrauded my grandfather, I can now sue that person's grandchild to pay me. It makes no sense.
Amazing
coreydaivs8 April 2022
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