Need a refresher on Atlanta just in time for its Season 3 premiere? We’ve got you covered!
Season 3 of Atlanta has been a long time coming, and fans could not be more ready. Let’s recap what was covered in season 2 to prepare for the new premiere!
Season 2 begins with Earnest or “Earn” (Donald Glover) waking up by being kicked out of the storage facility unit that he had temporarily been using as a home. A homeless Earn attempts to stay with his cousin Alfred ‘Paper Boi’ Miles (Brian Tyree Henry), and roommate Darius (LaKeith Stanfield). Earn ends up losing the ability to room with Alfred and Darius when Alfred’s friend Tracy (Khris Davis) beats him to it, asking to stay at their place for a little while.
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As Earn continues to manage Al’s music career, the two are finding it difficult to navigate the music industry together. Even when they meet with a start-up company that is interested in Al’s music as Paper Boi, Earn and Alfred agree that the all-white, modernized company is not the perfect match to help their careers grow.
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Earn and Alfred prove that they made the right decision to not partner with the start-up music company when Paper Boi’s newest single goes gold due to social media helping to popularize the song. Alfred and Earn celebrate their new money, but Earn quickly loses a lot of the money that very night by trying to impress Van (Zazie Beetz) on a date.
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Atlanta conveys systemic racism throughout the series, such as when Earn is accused of using a counterfeit $100 bill, but a white man who uses a $100 bill to pay shortly after him does not get the same accusation. Other examples of this appear in the episode “Helen” when Van takes Earn to a Fastnacht celebration to enjoy participating in traditions of Van’s German roots. Earn is uncomfortable that he and Van are a few of the only black people at the festival, and much to his concern he gets mistaken for being a white man wearing blackface.
The episode “Teddy Perkins” is another well-done symbolic episode of the importance of race, and the way it affects how far one will go to reach the expectations they desire in the music industry. In this innovative episode, Darius visits a mansion to pick up a piano being given away for free, but instead he leaves empty-handed after a disastrous experience with the pair of idiosyncratic brothers he encounters.
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Earn and Van’s relationship develops throughout the second season, but not necessarily positively. The two argue about the status of their relationship, and sharing a daughter doesn’t make things easier for them to agree on their opposing views about the commitment each of them wants.
Furthermore, in the season finale Van prompts the idea about her and daughter Lottie moving in with Van’s mother. Although this could be a smart step in order for Lottie to have a better childhood, it concerns Earn that this will cause him to be less involved in Lottie’s life.
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Alfred tends to his own issues throughout the season, such as getting used to encountering fans, people wanting to take photos with him when he doesn’t want to, trouble finding a new marijuana dealer, and getting mugged or taken advantage of. Essentially, Alfred goes on a hero’s journey and learns that if he wants to continue pursuing a music career he will have to stay humble, remain strong, and get used to pivotal changes in his personal life. In the episodes “Woods” and “North of the Border” Alfred experiences both ends of the celebrity spectrum: being mistreated and hated, and being idolized.
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The season ends with Earn, Alfred, and Darius on a plane headed to a European tour where Alfred will be opening for Clark County (RJ Walker). Earn is concerned that Alfred doesn’t want him to be his music manager anymore, but Alfred assures Earn that the two are family and they need each other; they understand and care about each other like no one else does.
After a refresher on season 2, do you have any predictions for season 3? We may have a few, too!! Be sure to catch the new season premiere of Atlanta every Thursday starting March 24th on FX, with new episodes arriving the next day on Hulu.
