Every Episode Of Atlanta Season Two Ranked Worst To Best
Everyone's getting robbed of something this season.
The second season of Donald Glover's groundbreaking comedy-drama Atlanta was met with high anticipation and for good reason. After the seminal first season that established the rules, characters and motivations in the alternate reality world in Donald Glover's head, it was time for the second season to take things to a new level.
With new opportunities for Earn (Glover) and his cohorts to venture down, the second season focused on the eventual rift between Alfred/Paper Boi and Earn in the music industry. Along the way, relationships are tested, dismantled and then rebuilt as the hubris of Glover's character becomes his success and his undoing.
While Paper Boi might be on the rise, it's the personal relationships that get thwarted at every turn. The arrival of new (sort of) antagonists, including rival (and more momentous) rapper Clark County is sure to become a constant thorn in Paper Boi's side, and the dominant and unpredictable parole Tracy becomes part of Earn's slight downfall.
The second season also gave us a more opportunity to get to know Van, whose nuances were laid out on the table much more clearly than the last season. And we even got our own Darius-focused episode. Whatever happens in future seasons of Atlanta, the second is sure to stay a favorite for many fans.
In preparation for the third and fourth season set to debut in 2021, let's count down and rank the eleven episodes of season two.
11. Episode 05 - Barbershop
It's very easy to empathize with Alfred - around him, he's found himself in frustrating circumstances with the man on the street. In this case, it's the latter as all throughout, all he wants is a haircut.
His barber, Bibby, obnoxiously does everything in his power to prolong the process and every time, we empathize and get just as frustrated as Alfred does. The sitcom-style events Bibby takes Alfred on would be laugh-out loud funny if Brian Tyree Henry weren't that good of an actor. Because Brian (as Alfred) plays the eye-rolling, sighing and outright anger of a person we can emulate so the episode feels much longer than it actually is.
Maybe that is the point? As at the end, Alfred gets his haircut, but returns to the barbers later on but refuses to go to Bibby's chair. He opts for a different barber, who is unfamiliar with Alfred and therefore doesn't know what his particular style is.
A whole new process has begun, one with frustrated explaining and directing for both parties. Alfred may have dropped one conveniences, but he's picked up a whole new one. Something that could happen later on down the line for him.