Atlanta
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Hes in pursuit of a free piano he found on the internet.
Teddy Perkins, the owner of the home, welcomes Darius in.
His manner is deliberate.
His speech is measured.
His dress is immediately reminiscent of Michael Jacksons.
But instead of rushing the transaction or just getting up and ghosting Darius indulges Teddys stilted conversation.
As it so happens,Teddy says he didnt post the piano online.But he is into music.
Also, his brother Benny was a noted jazz musician.
(The keys are paint-washed; they really do look pretty cool.)
Benny is still with us, Teddy says.
He lives in the house.
Hes just not around.
It was around this time that I realized Teddy was beingplayed by Donald Glover.
The shots feel extraneous until you realize whats going on.
Or at least I couldnt.
Although, in a lot of ways, I wish that I hadnt noticed it just yet.
Both Teddy and Glover have, in their own ways, come into contact with realms of splendor.
Both men have, in their own ways, been played on or picked around for acting white.
Both men have, in their own ways, responded to their criticisms.
Theyve grown with, and around, those struggles, molding them into the men they are today.
That makes Teddy pitiable, if not understandable, just for a moment.
But when was the last time Teddy had any company?
So he stalls with Darius around the mansion.
He shows him the museum he designed, and explains his plans for a historic center.
But theres a gun in the attic, he adds.
Darius reluctantly agrees to salvage the rifle for Teddy, but onlyafterhe packs the keyboard.
Which is to say that Darius has no intention of doing that at all.
(And can you blame him?)
Hes armed himself with a fireplace poker.
Only today, hes going to be Teddys sacrifice.
Teddy has Darius dead to rights.
He apologizes to Teddy for his fathers transgressions.
He also apologizes for the transgressions of hisownfather.
But, he adds, it is actually incorrect.
He draws on Darius, ready to fire.
And thats when long-lost Benny finally surfaces from the basement.
Kills him dead where he stands.
Right in the living room.
Hes lost another of his two allotted regrets.
Thinking hed walked into a free transaction, he finds himself as the witness to a murder-suicide.
And also the witness of a miraculous life.
And also the witness to what success can do to the people surrounding it.
But Teddy wasnt the actual artist, right?
Now, listen: This episode was a lot.
The bits about pain and suffering go on and on.
For them, this very old thing in fact seems very new.
And, in that way,Atlantareally is nebulous, as good new things are hard to come by.
So, it could be that Teddy is a stand-in for Glover.
Or it could be that Teddy is actually Benny, whos locked his father in the basement.
His encounter with Teddy is something hell be thinking about that well be thinking about for a long time.
What higher bar is there for an episode than that?
