Atlanta: Season 2 Review Before the Season 3 Premiere Donald Glover’s Show

Last time “Atlanta” was on the air — on May 10, 2018 — Donald Trump was still president, no one had heard of COVID and the show’s creator, Donald Glover, debuted as Lando Calrissian in “Solo: A Star Wars Story,”It was released later in the month. If you can’t remember such a time, don’t worry: Neither can anyone else.

Season 3 “Atlanta” — delayed at length by both Glover’s schedule and by the pandemic — is scheduled to premiere on FX on Thursday with two episodes (they’ll stream the next day on Hulu). The show, which was nominated for Emmys in acting and direction for its first season and Glover, shot Seasons 3 & 4 back-toback. Unfortunate, Glover announced last month that the show’s fourth season — premiering in the fall — will be “Atlanta’s” last.

These facts will not help you to remember the location of the second season. “Atlanta” left off, so let’s get down to business now.

The second season of the series, “Atlanta Robbin’ Season” — so coined by Darius (LaKeith Stanfield) in Episode 1 as he surveys the aftermath of a deadly crime and says, “Robbin’ season: Christmas approaches, and everybody gotta eat” — veered inventively from the structure of the show’s first season. Although there were definitely episodes in which there was a misunderstanding, “Atlanta”Ensemble of Earn (Glover), Alfred aka Paper Boi, Brian Tyree Henry, Van (Zazie Beetz), Darius were together in different combinations. The 11-episode Season featured wildly creative episodes that broke every format “Atlanta” — or any show on television — ever had. In the fifth episode “Barbershop,” for instance, Alfred just wants a haircut from his favorite barber, Bibby (Robert Powell III) — but instead gets taken all around the city on a wild adventure; it’s the tonal opposite of the also Alfred-focused “Woods”Episode 8: When he escapes being mugged and becomes lost and alone in the forest, unable get out. Stefani Robinson wrote both episodes. In “Champagne Papi,” Van just wants to take a selfie with Drake after she’s broken up with Earn, but finds herself at an absurd New Year’s Eve party (no, Drake isn’t there — but there are two cardboard cut-outs of him for photos). And then there’s the indescribable “Teddy Perkins” — directed by “Atlanta” auteur Hiro Murai — in which Glover (wearing whiteface, and terrifying) plays the title character, who’s lured Darius to his mansion with the promise of a free piano in order to… well, it’s not quite clear, but not for anything good. “Teddy Perkins”This is a reflection on childhood abuse as well as race and how it is presented (think Michael Jackson). It’s a 34-minute horror movie.

However, the main theme of “Atlanta Robbin’ Season” is whether Earn can hack it as Alfred’s manager, and take his cousin’s rap career — which grows as the season goes on, almost despite Earn’s management — to where it needs to be. In “North of the Border,” the season’s ninth episode, Alfred all but tells Earn he’s about to fire him — a conversation brought about by yet another screw-up on Earn’s part.

This brings us to “Crabs in a Barrel,”The Season 2 Finale of “Atlanta,” directed by Murai and written by Stephen Glover, Donald’s brother. For the third season of FX’s show, here are six important things to keep in mind. Although it is notable, and perhaps most often of, “Atlanta”At this point, it premieres its season NotYou can continue where the second season ended. But we’ll get there.

Things are VeryAlfred and Earn get tense

Earn, who is not the most affable person, appears annoyed by Alfred’s body language and spoken words. The two of them are searching for an entertainment lawyer for Alfred, and Earn not only arrives late to their meeting with a prospective one, but he’s brought Lottie (Mia Atehortua), his toddler. But Alfred doesn’t like this lawyer anyway — it turns him off that the guy represents just one other rapper, and has cast members from “Love and Hip-Hop: Atlanta”Clients “Just find me, like, a big-level firm — Jewish dude,”Alfred orders Earn. They’re about to leave for a European tour, which Alfred credits to Luke (Matthew Barney), who manages rapper Clark County (RJ Wilson). Earn said it awkwardly. “Yeah, but you should be headlining that tour.”Alfred responds with sharpness: “I should be. But I ain’t.”

They’re leaving for Europe that night, and Earn is supervising Alfred and Darius’ move out of their house

The movers, who have been drinking while on the job, don’t help matters. As Earn looks around, Alfred points at a box with a golden gun in it — the gun Uncle Willie (Katt Williams) had handed over to Earn in the season premiere. Is it Chekov’s gun? Whatever it is, it’s going to go off. “You’re gonna jam me up,” Alfred says to Earn, who promises he’ll get rid of it.

Darius then tells Earn, who is stressed out, that his passport has expired but that he knows where he can get one the next day.

But first, Earn meets Van at Lottie’s pre-school

Earn and Van have no idea why they’ve been summoned there, and they’re nervous — but Lottie’s teacher (Greta Glenn) tells them that she’s an advanced little kid, to their relief. She says that Lottie should go to a private school for pre-K, one she’s spoken to a friend about, and has a “reasonable tuition,”She says. Earn and Van try to put it off, panicking at the idea of paying tuition, and ask whether Lottie can stay at the school she’s in now. “Stay here?”The teacher looks horrified. “No. This school is awful.” Earn asks if there’s anything they can do that would be cheaper. “Keep her in a happy, two-parent household,”The teacher responds. Oof.

They leave together, and Van confirms that Earn is leaving on tour for two months — adding that if Lottie does go to the private school, she’s going to need Earn to be more present. Van says she knew Lottie would prove to be gifted. “You’re smart,”She said. “I figured some of it would get passed along, hopefully.”Earn: “You’re smart too.”Lottie is gone, and he comes back to his family with tears in his eyes.

Earn and Darius sit in the rush-passport department, discussing how to pee while being surrounded by Orthodox Jewish men

They’re called up to a window, and the clerk (Daniel Annone) confirms that, yes, they can renew Darius’ passport in a few hours, much to Earn’s surprise. He asks whether they’re going on tour as part of a “rap entourage,” which also surprises Earn, who asks how he’s guessed. “We kind of have a specific clientele here, and rappers are procrastinators — no offense,”The clerk agrees. He’s heard of Paper Boi and Clark, and asks whether Al needs a lawyer: “My cousin is primo.”Earn questions him whether he believes there are Black lawyers that are as competent as his cousin. “There definitely is,”The clerk will explain carefully. “But part of being good at your job are your connections. And Black people just don’t have the connections that my cousin has — for systemic reasons.”

As they start to wait, Earn gets a text from Van saying she’s thinking of moving back to her mother’s house — with Lottie. It’s clear she has no faith in Earn at this point, and he sinks into a chair, absorbing the text. Earn asks Darius if Alfred will fire him. “I don’t know,” Darius says. “Maybe.”Earn seems to be a little sad and says: “I know you’re always at peace with everything, but my whole world’s falling apart.” Darius tries to assure him by saying that if Alfred does fire him, he’ll do it in Europe so Earn can see the world.

Alfred is found on the couch at the field, back at home.

Earn asks Earn to talk. “Let’s talk when we land, man,” Alfred replies, possibly confirming Darius’ theory. They head off to the airport, and we see them barely making it to security — where they run into Clark and Luke. Alfred embraces Luke, who replies, “Did you check out that lawyer I sent you?” It’s a question that makes Earn wince — but he doesn’t know yet that he’s about to get his revenge, if inadvertently.

As they go through their bags at the TSA checkpoint, Earn opens his backpack only to see that he’s forgotten to get rid of the gun. Earn contemplates his options while Murai mutes airport noises. He turns to Clark and Luke, and asks for a bin — and then we see that he’s gotten through security. “Whose bag is this?” yells a security guard behind them, but Earn doesn’t break stride.

Earn looks up at Earn from the window as Alfred and Earn take their seats. “I saw what you did,”Al speaks to him in a quiet voice. “At TSA. You ain’t gotta say shit.”Earn looks ahead, half asleep but full of dread. Al continues: “You my family, Earn. You’re the only one that knows what I’m about. You give a fuck. I need that. Aight?”Earn nods.

Clark passes them all as he gets to his seat: Without Luke. “Luke got in some shit. Cops took him,”He said. Clark describes the golden pistol, and Darius seems confused. Earn turns to Alfred and says something meaningful. “The piece was in Clark’s bag.” Earn was trying to get Paper Boi that headlining spot after all — but instead, they both now know for a fact just how ambitious Clark is. As if there was any doubt.

This gun “Atlanta”Fans, most definitely NotHave gone home for the last time.

Tracy is the last of our scenes

The sun has set on the couch, and we hear Tracy (Khris Davis) banging on the door — Tracy who’d beaten up Earn at Earn’s self-destructive behest in “North of the Border.”

Alfred didn’t even tell Tracy he was leaving. Or moving. Earn thought Alfred had betrayed him for Tracy, but Alfred chose to remain loyal to his manager and cousin: Earn.