The Genius of Donald Glover

Donald Glover (center)

An actor, a director, a screenwriter, a rapper, a musician and a producer. These are all roles in which Donald Glover, also known by his stage name Childish Gambino, has excelled throughout the greater half of the last decade. From staring in the upcoming Han Solo Star Wars movie to writing his own songs, it is difficult to fathom how Glover has the time or energy to accomplish so much. One of the artist’s most recent projects, Atlanta, highlights just show diverse Glover’s skillset is, and is additionally changing the face of American television.

The second season of Atlanta (titled: Robbin’ Season) is almost under wraps, and has explicitly changed its course from the narrative of the first season, which followed Glover’s character Earn through his trials and tribulations within the low-income suburbs of Atlanta.

This season falls into a pattern of focusing on one character per episode, from Earn’s off-and-on girlfriend Van to his cousin Al, a rapper gaining acclaim regionally. The portrayal of the hustle of everyday life paints the city as a truly dark, twisted place. There are many times when watching Robbin’ Season that viewers will feel as if they are watching an offshoot of a David Lynch project — eerie, unsettling and at times, disturbingly thought-provoking. Even the very first scene of the season is explosive and surreal — featuring a situation in which audiences are led to believe they will be shown a low-volume drug deal for weed, only to witness a horrifying armed robbery attempt with bystanders taking the brunt of the ensuing firefight.

Surely, the city of Atlanta has its nice parts, as with nearly every other major city. But after half enduring, and half loving the second season of Glover’s hit show, it is clear that my understanding of life in other parts of the country is miniscule. While still an entertaining and often hilarious TV show, the realness of Atlanta will strike you to the very core and leave you exhausted in the best of ways.