Atlanta: An Injection of Creativity
For several years now, we have been in what has been called The Golden Age of television, or Peak TV. Over this time we’ve seen a cultural shift towards the small screen. This includes some of our greatest creators migrating to what was once deemed as Hollywood’s little brother. The result has been some of the best and most influential art of this century. A contributing cause of this television boom is the rise of streaming. An extreme need for content and a more cost effective proposition, allows for more stories to be told and more opportunities for creators. One of the most successful and interesting products of this time is Atlanta. The FX series created by Donald and Stephen Glover, quickly became one of the most notable series of this era.
In 2016, Atlanta took the entertainment world by storm. With its unique structure and delivery, it was a fresh injection of creativity into television. For that it became hugely successful. Spawning countless think pieces on its loose structure and how that ties into its weighty themes. Audiences were wowed by the creativity of episodes like, “B.A.N.” and “Nobody Beats the Biebs”. Moments such as the invisible car, were immediately considered among the greatest of television. By the time the second season ended and the continuation of the series was in question, Atlanta had become a legitimate phenomenon. Then episodes such as “Barber Shop”, “Teddy Perkins” and “Woods” only aided to strengthen the growing legacy and legend around the series.
After a four year hiatus, news of Atlanta’s return was pretty exciting. The fanbase of the series only grew in its absence and its impending return had the entertainment world buzzing. What would Atlanta have in store for audiences in its third season? What crazy things will Darius say and do? How are Earn and Van? What ridiculous situation will Paper Boi find himself in? Most importantly, what will the show have to say? Atlanta’s ability to balance heavy themes with great character development is incredible. It’s a separator from great to historically great, and places Atlanta near the top of the list as one of the most important shows on television. With all of this anticipation and excitement, Atlanta did what only Atlanta can, which is something absolutely no one expected.
The first episode of Season 3, “Three Slaps”, opens not on Paper Boi and Earn. No explanation of what has happened since Season 2. It doesn’t even open with the characters we know from the series. Instead it opens with two unfamiliar characters fishing at night and talking. This ominous scene is as close to horror as Atlanta has gotten up to this point. While quite tremendous and audacious, it’s also completely jarring.
The following 25 minutes or so continues with different but still unfamiliar characters. Telling a whole story, that seemingly has nothing to do with the characters we know. The episode ends with Earn waking up, which has been theorized to mean many different things, and the first familiar face. As a jarring opening episode, “Three Slaps” is ultimately the perfect opening for Season 3. A season of television that is wholly unlike anything on TV and functions more like a collection of short stories as opposed to a traditional season of television.
Atlanta has always played by its own rules. This is especially true in terms of structure and delivery. It tends to follow a character over plot style of storytelling. By using a very thin connective plot, Atlanta has always been able to go where most stories can’t. The absurd, the surreal, anything the creators write, Atlanta can. Season 3 is the expansion of this idea. Thinning the plot even more and giving half of the season over to characters that have never appeared in the show and most of which will not again (at least in this season). Unconventional, is one way to describe this structure, but even that feels reductive. Attempting to classify any of this feels past the point. It certainly disarms the viewer and knocks us off balance, however that is exactly where we are supposed to be to get the most out of the experience.
Playing with the longform structure would certainly be enough to distinguish Atlanta from anything else. But even in the micro Atlanta is pushing boundaries and challenging the traditional view of television. Each of the 10 episodes this season feels unlike any other, not carrying on tone, style or even characters. Each one is a different experience, with different goals, elements and tones. It’s a brilliant display of variety and creativity. Which is what truly makes it a piece of art because it is a true creative expression. Everything is to serve its story and in Season 3 each individual story ditches the traditional structure and allows for anything to be possible. Those limitless possibilities are stretched to incredible lengths, resulting in a season of television that is truly one-of-a-kind and amongst the best ever.
Being something that is wholly unique, requires more than just a blowing up of the traditional structure. That alone would merely make for something noteworthy to talk about but not brilliant. The brilliance of Season 3 of Atlanta also comes in its unique presentation of its themes. Atlanta is known for its thematic elements and its one of the stronger aspects of the series. Much like everything else, Season 3 takes that to a new level. With as broad a coverage of themes as one could possibly imagine, Atlanta dives into the deep end with a fearless confidence. It’s an additional element to the diversity of the season because you don’t know what the show is going to talk about from episode to episode. Which again creates an uneven ground for the viewer and in terms of theme, that uneven ground is necessary for the show to be its most brilliant.
Atlanta is art at its highest and purest form. Interpretation is the desired outcome. What each individual person will take from any given moment or episode can be different. It will take a conventional idea and show each complex layer and perspective. Even when tackling more complicated themes, perspective is king and interpretation is the goal. Much of modern entertainment provides the viewer with the message they are trying to get across. While that isn’t bad, it leaves less room for thought. That is one of the many things that makes this season so compelling. You have to think to get the most out of each story, and there is to contemplate. You are forced to question what you believe and view everything from multiple sides, which is what the best art makes you do.
Merely saying that something is unique, different, or unlike anything else can become easy. There is a lot of television, and some of that is actively trying to be different. Atlanta isn’t trying to be different for different sake. It is something that organically comes from its creative expression. As is true with the most creative art, not everyone will buy in. Season 3 has its detractors, who don’t appreciate its structure and unique presentation. However, in an era in which content is king, it’s the art that is daring to do something so creative and earnest that will stand the test of time. Something genuine, true and beautiful that will separate itself from everything else. Season 3 of Atlanta is all of those things, and so much more. It is what television can be in this era and that makes it the most important season of television in the past 10 years.
