SXSW Review: ‘Atlanta’ Returns For A Season 3 That Has Masterpiece Written All Over It

deadline.com:

“Sounds like Santa’ slave, but I respect the rebrand,” exclaims Donald Glover’s Earn to his Dutch driver’s explain of the Sinterklaas tradition and the question of “what’s with all the blackface?” in the second episode of the Atlanta’s third and penultimate season.Yes, Atlanta is back, and if the first two episodes are any indication, it was truly well worth the four-year wait.Having just previewed its March 24 season 3 debut at SXSW, the celebrated Donald Glover created FX series has created an idiosyncratic site in the culture that straddles Ralph Ellison’s classic Invisible Man novel, Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, the tone of Sun Ra and the ethos of the Lost Generation.

In short, based on what I’ve seen, it is a true American masterpiece.Also to keep this short I’m not going to recite chapter and verse what goes down in the marvelously Hiro Murai directed “Three Slaps” and “Sinterklaas is Coming to Town” episodes premiering on the Disney-owned cabler next week.

Honestly, I couldn’t do the Stephen Glover and Janine Nabers penned shows anywhere near the justice they deserve, and so any attempt to would be insulting at best.Even more so, you should sit down and watch the episodes to banquet upon the artistry that permeates Atlanta.What I will say is that, as is already out there, most of Atlanta’s third season takes place in Europe as the rap career of Henry’s Paper Boi has exploded and he’s on tour with manager and cousin Earn, with Zazie Beetz’s Van and LaKeith Stanfield’s Darius along for the ride of sorts.

The premise alone changes the fundamental dynamic of the show and still maintains its established ethos, which is a rare result.In that context, drawing you into their world and slicing their perspective across the