![]() ![]() ![]() Although he claims to be unbothered by being a potential target of the killer, Al immediately asks Earn to get the video scrubbed from the internet. Al is initially unaware of the conspiracy (because he still relies on cable TV for his news), but when Earn and Darius rejoice in never having made a video of themselves doing the dance, Al’s mind goes to his own YouTube upload, which he made with one of his old friends at the height of the trend. In the Atlanta universe, a Lipstick Alley conspiracy theory attributes most of the recent murders of Black men to the Crank Dat Killer, a murderer who seems to be targeting those who made videos doing the “Crank Dat (Soulja Boy)” dance. There was no way for him to anticipate that a YouTube video from the prehistoric year 2007, a time before social media became the soul sucker it is today, would come back to bite him in the ass. Now that he’s a public figure, the decisions he made years ago have an even higher chance of affecting his future. Al understands the privilege and rarity of his situation, which has catapulted him to a new life, albeit one that comes with a new set of problems and that is still dogged by his past. His rise to fame is aspirational for many - like the young man who’s barely able to provide for his family while waiting patiently for his big break, convinced that all it takes is one moment to go from mall food-court employee to rap superstar. We’ve seen Al transform from a local rapper to a bona fide celebrity who books stadium tours. I feel that way about Zazie Beetz’s, LaKeith Stanfield’s, and Donald Glover’s characters, too, but this episode is a showcase for Henry’s talent. Over the years, his portrayal of Al has created a fascinating, beautifully developed character arc that adds to the show’s success. The critiques of modern-day culture are sharper, the comedy is increasingly on point, and Brian Tyree Henry’s acting is such a pleasure to watch. ![]() Now that we’re past the midseason mark, I can confidently say this final season of Atlanta is outpacing the previous one by a mile. ![]()
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