Atlanta sure has propelled Donald Glover and its entire cast to further fame, but this week’s finale is just a reminder that all good things must come to an end, and judging from the show’s cryptic marketing tactics, it could do so by borrowing a page from the She-Hulk playbook.
After first premiering in 2016, Atlanta quickly became a favorite of fans and critics thanks to its unique blend of hip-hop culture, existentialism, race relations, artistry, surrealism and, of course, brilliant comedy. The show’s success has in turn helped Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, and Zazie Beetz all land roles in Marvel movies, and though Lakeith Stanfield may be the only one without a superhero gig, Atlanta is teasing a connection of sorts between Darius and She-Hulk's unexpected finale.
That’s because, in the last 24 hours, Atlanta's official Twitter handle (@AtlantaFX) has been hijacked by the D.A.R.I.U.S., the self-proclaimed "Da Artificial Realness Inside Us" AI program much in the vein of Marvel Studios' K.E.V.I.N., the mastermind behind Disney's interconnected universe. For the sake of clarification, Atlanta's Twitter account has always communicated by using fairly down-to-earth language, much like Earn, Al, or Darius, so such a drastic spin can’t be ignored on the week the series is meant to wrap up its final season. As for the tweets, well, they speak for themselves.
It also bears reminding that Atlanta's home network, FX, is also a Disney subsidiary. This connection came in handy a couple of weeks ago when the show parodied A Goofy Movie and its origins with an Atlanta Disney mockumentary episode, and that may also make it fair game to rip on She-Hulk this way. That combined with Atlanta's final episode being titled “It Was All a Dream” certainly opens up the door for a She-Hulk type of ending for Al and Earn.
Despite forsaking strict linearity over its past two seasons even more so than in the past, Atlanta has given its main cast a well-developed character arc, whether it’s through Earn and Al finding financial success or the former deciding to rekindle his relationship with Van. Still, this is a show that’s never been afraid to do the unexpected, so Atlanta unveiling that none of its events have actually happened would be an on-brand but heartbreaking move from Glover and the rest of the writers.
This Thursday’s episode will be directed by Hiro Murai with the script being penned by Glover, the very partnership that turned Atlanta into one of the best TV series out there. If it turns out it was really all a dream, at least fans will be pleased to know Darius is the man behind it all.
The Atlanta series finale episode will premiere on November 10, 2022, on FX.
Source: AtlantaFX | Twitter