Just saw the first episode last night. Personally I was very impressed. I never was a big Donald Glover fan, never got why had any fame, but damn this show highlights just how witty, satirical, serious, dramatic and BLACK he really is. Not saying Donald Glover isn't Black, but in the brief roles I've seen of him before, his race was incidental and a non-factor. I just totally missed this cat, but his aesthetic IMO never really had a chance to shine before. On the surface the show is about a Princeton dropout living in Atlanta trying to get his over-aged rapper cousin to let him represent him, however the show is much richer, funnier and deeper than that. Glover's character is trying to be a father to his infant daughter and deal with his baby mama who's charging him rent to live with her. THere's a great scene were Glover deals with a former White radio station colleague who doesn't know he's racist, which resonated with me because it's time we mothballed 'ni--er'. Atlanta is described as a comedy but IMO Glover plays it straight and is more dramatic than a random sitcom. There's just some great storytelling elements and references in the premiere episode. It reminded me of watching a mashup of Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing, Tarantino's Pulp Fiction and Craig Brewer's Hustle & Flow. I don't think there's a show like it really on TV, or that I remember. [youtube]1yVQNCP9jWI[/youtube] Check this show out, please!!lol FX bought the first 10 episodes, but we all know how that goes. Poor ratings and this show is toast before the run is over.
He has always been good at these types of movies. Where he is part of a group that has an objective. Mystery team was excellent. It is the shows where he isn't the star that he doesn't shine in my opinion. I'll give it a go though.
Yeah, Mystery Team was the first time I'd heard of Donald Glover. I liked it. I'll have to check this show out.
Good show. I wonder what the circumstances were at Princeton to make Earn quit? The reveal should be interesting.
My first impression ... Glover shined However some of the language is not to my liking as in I'm old and am missing context. I will say this that Glover's vernacular sticks vividly out of the background. It does help to make him more pronounce but makes me question how authentic it is in that environment.
I think that's by design. His character did go to Princeton after all. I don't believe he's supposed to sound like everyone else. SPOILER ALERT! I think that's part of why the white guy from the radio station felt comfortable using the n-word around him but not around other blacks. END SPOILERS
The first episode was a full hour, this vid cuts about halfway through. But it does give you a feel for what the show is about. They don't show where Glover and his cousin end up arrested for that shooting in the beginning and deal with all those characters in lockup.
Yes, it's by design. Donald Glover has been labeled as not being "Black" by both white and black people and so this series is basically a way of showing and playing up some of his and other black folks' experiences, when you don't fit into the common stereotype of how some view black people.
Stanfield is the true talent and star of the show. Been keeping an eye out on him since Short Term 12. Btw....enough of these black shows that have something to do with music, rap music in particular. Mutherfucks complain about the amount of slavery films (even though there are not many) but don't complain about the upteenth black show dealing with the music industry.