The Most Atlanta
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Episode 1
- "Bitch Where?" by Chief Keef
- "Runnin' Away" by Sly and the Family Stone
| "The Most Atlanta" | |
|---|---|
| Atlanta episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Hiro Murai |
| Written by | Stephen Glover |
| Featured music |
|
| Editing by | Kyle Reiter |
| Production code | XAA04001 |
| Original air date | September 15, 2022 |
| Running time | 26 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Most Atlanta" is the first episode of the fourth season of the American comedy-drama television series Atlanta. It is the 32nd overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Stephen Glover, and directed by executive producer Hiro Murai. It was first broadcast on FX in the United States on September 15, 2022, airing back-to-back with the follow-up episode, "The Homeliest Little Horse".
The series is set in Atlanta and follows Earnest "Earn" Marks, as he tries to redeem himself in the eyes of his ex-girlfriend Van, who is also the mother of his daughter Lottie; as well as his parents and his cousin Alfred, who raps under the stage name "Paper Boi"; and Darius, Alfred's eccentric right-hand man. After staying in Europe for a tour during the previous season, the season sees the characters back in Atlanta. In the episode, the characters find themselves in different situations with Darius fleeing from a woman in a mobility scooter (a plot line inspired by It Follows), Alfred engaging in a scavenger hunt, and Earn and Van finding their exes at a mall, becoming trapped in the apparently infinite carpark beneath.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.216 million household viewers and gained a 0.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received critical acclaim, with critics deeming the episode as a return to form following the previous season, praising the writing, directing, performances, humor and tone.
Darius (Lakeith Stanfield) calmly walks through a Target store, which is being looted by the customers. He approaches a frightened employee to return an air fryer. The employee is astounded at his ignorance of the events and when he opens the register to give him the money, the employee decides to run away with the cash. As he makes his way out, he is pursued by a woman (Deadra Moore) in a mobility scooter who wanted to prevent people from leaving the store.
Darius then returns to meet with Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry), who has been stuck in traffic. While Alfred laments the recently announced death of a rapper named Blueblood, Darius realizes that the woman in the scooter has followed him all the way to their car. He decides to leave the car with the woman chasing him with a knife while a confused Alfred stares at him. Meanwhile, Earn (Donald Glover) and Van (Zazie Beetz) go out in Atlantic Station, where they run into some of Earn's previous girlfriends. While shopping, Van also runs into an ex-boyfriend, confusing both of them to see so many familiar faces.
Fed up with the traffic, Alfred decides to leave for a gas station. Inspired by the lyrics of a song by Blueblood, he visits a barbecue spot and after ordering a specific order, receives instructions to head to another place, signaling that he is part of a scavenger hunt. After finding more clues at many locations, he reaches the final location: a saloon, where he is welcomed by Keisha (Chimere Love), Blueblood's widow. She reveals that the hunt was part of Blueblood's quest, as he knew he was dying and decided to record the album and make the scavenger hunt, with his PR team not announcing his death until three months later. The final clue turns out to out to be Blueblood's funeral, with four other fans having already discovered it. After being granted a gift plant, he approaches Blueblood's casket, only to be told by Keisha that his body had to be cremated one month ago and was replaced with a fake skeleton, leaving him further uncertain as to whether or not Blueblood is actually dead.
Back at Atlantic Station, Earn and Van keep running into their exes and struggle to find their car in the parking garage. As night falls, they decide to leave through an emergency exit. As they make their way through the dark room, they finally reach the end and emerge in the saloon, meeting Alfred and Keisha, while one of Earn's exes, Kenya (Sh'Kia Augustin), also appears after following them. As they leave the saloon, they find Darius outside. When Kenya states she doesn't have a birthday gift for his father, Darius decides to give her the air fryer and leaves with Alfred, Earn and Van. As Kenya waits outside for an Uber, the mobility scooter is heard approaching her.
Production
Development
"Woooh chile, Atl is the GHETTO these days. I'm thinking about moving to Miami where it's safe. Leave all my exes on read."
In August 2022, FX announced that the first episode of the season would be titled "The Most Atlanta" and that it would be written by executive producer Stephen Glover and directed by executive producer Hiro Murai. This was Glover's tenth writing credit, and Murai's 21st directing credit.[1]
Writing
Darius' storyline was inspired by a real-life event, where during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis, a video spread showing a woman in a wheelchair confronting looters with a knife,[2] as well as the 2014 American horror-thriller film It Follows, scenes with the woman being shot in a similar manner to the slow-approaching creature in that film.[3]
Alfred's storyline drew parallelisms to rapper MF Doom, who served as an inspiration for the fictional artist Blueblood. Consequence noted that MF Doom, "similar to Atlanta's fictional rapper, had a reputation in hip hop for being larger than life never being seen without a mask, sometimes sending impersonators to perform as him at shows, and only having his death publicly reported by his family months after the fact."[4]
Casting
During the episode, music by the fictional artist Blueblood is heard as part of the scavenger hunt. Earl Sweatshirt provided the vocals for Blueblood.[5]