Crawling back into the dungeon of one's day job is a seriously horrendous task following a long weekend away, but FX made the return to normalcy a bit easier with the premiere of Donald Glover's long-awaited original series Atlanta. The first pair of episodes were unveiled via standard-ass television Tuesday, which may be a cause of concern for prospective viewers. Thankfully, FX has quickly made the very excellent first episode available to watch for free via YouTube and Facebook.
"The Big Bang," directed by Hiro Murai (Bloc Party, a grip of Childish Gambino videos), manages to squeeze in a "Worldstar!" interjection within the first minute. Impressive. From there, the episode introduces viewers to the life of Earnest "Earn" Marks (Glover). Earn, a Princeton dropout on a quest to find meaning somewhere in the cruelness of existence, eventually links up with his cousin Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles (Brian Tyree Henry). With Paper Boi's career on an upswing, Earn sees one last chance to find that meaning he's been so desperately searching for.
Henry, speaking with Julian Kimble for Complex Wednesday, says fans should expect the show to take a "detour" in future episodes. "I don't think even the first few episodes encapsulate everything the show is about," Henry said. "This show is really going to cover all things, and nothing at all. Yes, Alfred is a rapper, but it's not about rap. Yes, Earn is my manager, but it's not about music. Yes, I'm a drug-dealer, but it ain't about the streets. There are things on this show that will surprise everyone because when you think you're going left, we're gonna take a detour on your ass."
The show is already garnering Glover some of the best reviews of his career, meaning his forthcoming TV directorial debut with the episode "Value" should seal the deal: Dude's a true multihyphenate.
Atlanta returns for more next Tuesday on FX.
