We've Got Hollywood Covered
|

Everybody Lost it Over ‘Atlanta’ Trans-Racial Episode

The latest episode of the acclaimed FX series was so complex and meta, it got the Twitterverse right in its feelings

| October 12, 2016 @ 1:05 AM
paper boi atlanta

IMDB

Donald Glover has done it again. Tuesday night’s episode of “Atlanta” was complex on so many levels and although many viewers were praising Glover for being a “genius,” the running theme of the evening was “that’s weird.”

So what was so special about this specific episode?

This week’s “Atlanta” was an episode within an episode. It aired as a 30-minute segment of a talk show titled “Montague” — which was reminiscent of “The Tavis Smiley Show” — on a faux network, Black America Network (BAN), complete with fake commercials and all.

While many others echoed the same sentiments, some couldn’t help but note the strange structure.

“Atlanta was extra weird and amazing tonight. I love this show,” commented one fan.

Most importantly, it seemed that most people were just happy that “Atlanta” was unapologetically black.

“A black entertainer & writer who creates material that doesn’t compromise nor exploit his community?! C’MON NOW!” tweeted another.

Also Read: FX Renews 'Atlanta,' 'Better Things' for Second Seasons

 

Also Read: 'Atlanta' Scores Biggest Basic Cable Premiere Since 2013

Rapper Paper Boi joined Franklin Montague on “Montague” along with Dr. Debra Holt, the head of the Center of Trans-American Issues, for an episode dedicated to discussing “growing outlook of accepted sexuality and its affects on black youth and culture.” The rapper appeared on the show to do some damage control after he had gotten into some trouble for tweeting controversial messages about Caitlyn Jenner.

When “Montague” returns from its commercial break (some of which are part of “Atlanta” and some actually real commercials), the host checks in with his correspondent, Nathan Wielder, who is interviewing a black teenager named Antoine Smalls who believes he’s really a white man. All of which is very familiar to the trans-racial discussion sparked by Rachel Dolezal, a white woman who pretended to be black.

“I’m a 35-year-old white man,” are the first words Smalls tells Wielder. The correspondent explains that Smalls has “trans-racial identity,” and now identifies as Harrison Booth from Colorado.

Also Read: 11 Topics 'Atlanta' Tackled in Just the First 2 Episodes (Photos)

At this point, we see scenes of Smalls, er, uh, Booth carrying golf clubs, walking through a farmer’s market and at one point we even see Booth attempting to get a black man who was in the middle of speaking with police officers arrested by telling the cops: “He doesn’t even live in the area, I’ve never seen him before.”

The punchline: “I called them,” the man said.

See some of the best tweets below.

https://twitter.com/UcheDaPharaoh/status/786087577812135936

https://twitter.com/big_business_/status/786028780183703552

https://twitter.com/GreyMatterrs/status/786081313526800384

https://twitter.com/Aaronreq/status/786084019779821568

https://twitter.com/Scrface87/status/786092798852341761

https://twitter.com/MrGobert/status/786091686875332608

https://twitter.com/NameisRomane/status/786095961114312704

The Evolution of Donald Glover, From YouTube Star to Lando Calrissian (Videos)

1 of 12

Now that Glover’s set to join ”Star Wars,“ we look back at the actor and musician’s career that began with making sketch comedies made with his friends from NYU

Over the past decade, Donald Glover has proven that he is an artist that won't be tied down by expectations. Whether it's the zany humor of "Community" or the personal raps he has written as Childish Gambino, Glover has experimented with a variety of moods. Now all that experience comes together in his new FX show, "Atlanta," which combines dark, dry humor with an earnest look at modern black culture in the South.
View In Gallery