Atlanta Season 4 EP 1 | BlueBlood and The Land of DOOM

[@AlwaysAmTired]

I loved seeing Al go on a fun adventure instead of a depressing one. Usually when he goes off on his own some terrible thing happens to him. But this time he followed the scavenger hunt and it came to a somewhat satisfying conclusion. It was just nice to see him have a good time.

[@NineNerdYards]

Lol even got a little plant to take care of and grow with.

[@DLA.]

Oh my goodness me too! I was so damn paranoid that entire time, I thought shit was gonna go so fucking south. But I found this adventure refreshing.

[@ogs72v]

Very nice to see and notice. Was relaxing

[@neiceone8819]

It was definitely forshadowing

[@ogs72v]

@@neiceone8819 foreshadowing what exactly

[@alexkross6476]

I like to think earn and van's plot was a metaphor for getting lost and comfortable in your city, job, hobby, etc. While earn and van were living away from home and breaking out of their shell they come back to realize all of their ex's are stuck doing the same thing; lost in the shadow of their own city and perpetuating redundant tasks. Atlanta is about focussing on yourself and eventually being able to escape what's comfortable, the rest of the journey comes with it.

[@PlatinumHustle]

Damn..

[@fernandoquintana2476]

That's what I picked up also. Going through the emergency exit was an uncomfortable moment to escape the monotony of average life. Perhaps popping out of that closet was a metaphor for never knowing where you'll end up but your friends always being there for you

[@ryanwarunek8385]

Yo. I actually never thought about this. That's awesome

[@AntonL1994]

Not everyone can become rich and successful, though

[@yt-sh]

beautiful, thank you!

[@cullencochran2023]

“He worked so hard, I just wish he had more fun because that’s all it is in the end.” Just perfectly sums up the lives of countless talented and creative artists

[@jordanbrown3887]

Nobody around me watches the show anymore, so thank you for making these videos!! It feels like I have a friend to watch with!

[@yohonnwestbrooks9968]

You right they lost alot of viewers in season 3 ... they went over a lot of people heads with that season , even tho it touched on things from oscarville (the town under lake lanier) to reparations for descendants of slaves... not too many people i know liked season 3

[@edgariva12]

That 4 year wait some people probably forgot. But although last season wasn’t full on crazy Atlanta it did provide some good moments and a lot of deep ones that people don’t want to sit down and dissect

[@saginevital-herne3750]

Now that’s definitely true! I didn’t even know that season 4 had dropped!

[@swishofficialyoutube]

@@yohonnwestbrooks9968 Season 3 was like a different show. They kinda treated the fans like ass a bit. It was enjoyable but not what I waited for.

[@geekylove3603]

@Swish I enjoyed it. Not as much as the first two seasons. I enjoy risk taking TV and films though. This episode is a good start. The scavenger hunt was beautiful shot and Earls music was dope.

[@witchdoctorstrong3734]

It's funny Kenya said the last movie in theaters she remembers was NOW YOU SEE ME 2. Cause that movie came out in 2016, the same year ATLANTA PREMIERED.

[@Kingu32]

🤣

[@ADKBuddy]

Mad love for the MF DOOM reference 🐐🕊❤

[@totalitarianhologram5137]

That must be the rapper Blueblood

[@cnow1983]

I knew as soon as they they he hide his ☠️💀

[@christianthew8979]

I love DOOM so fucking much and to see the refrences to him in this episode made me so happy. RIP

[@QuestKid710]

What was funny to me and you have to be from Atlanta to know, the target was filmed at the old Rich's/Macy's at Greenbrier mall. And if you lived during the freaknik days, it was raided

[@landovangogh5021]

It’s so crazy cus my girl and I were watching this and we both go “damn, blue blood sounds a lot like Earl.” Thank you for confirming this for us lol

[@juanm2706]

Just noticed that Deborah Cox “Nobody’s Supposed to be Here” is playing in the background. Possibly a nod to fact that they are stuck and not sure how they got there and how to get out. You hear this while Earn is talking to Kenya.

[@NineNerdYards]

Niceee!

[@PlatinumHustle]

I noticed that too

[@peepininmywindow5170]

The entire episode was filled with so many nods to Outkast as a group. Headland and Delowe, which is right down the street from Tri Cities HS. The girl greeting them inside the funeral home named Keesha, from Da Art of Storytelling Pt 1, a sad but all to familiar story of what happens when people stay home, in small towns or hoods & life dictates their path in only 1 of 2 ways. Her saying, “he put so much time into this album, but sometimes you don’t back what you put into it” is HEAVILY reminiscent of Hey Ya’s, “Y’all don’t hear me y’all just wanna dance.” The cocked “A” hat in the manner Big Boi wears them. The Episode being titled, “The Most Atlanta.” So many Outkast call backs, while subtle were there. “Bout 4/5 cats off in my Lac now…. It’s like that now, it’s like that now.” As 4 of them jump in the Lac hoping to make sense of what just happened. Viewers spent their entire last season wanting them all to be in reunion episodes in the city, not realize that when you grow up in small places like this, going “home” is never the same. It’s the best feeling, and the worst feeling at the same time. Because everyone is stuck. Just like the Station Scene, and just like the final verse of Elevators(Me and You.) “Got stopped at the mall the other day….” Brilliant episode that has so many layers to it. Thoroughly enjoyed that. And sadly, I don’t think we’ll be seeing them on screen together as a cohesive friend group much. They’ve clearly gone their separate ways, but pretending it ain’t so.

[@NineNerdYards]

Dammmn

[@peepininmywindow5170]

@@NineNerdYards you know what I enjoy about this show is, the critical thinking required to catch things is so demanding that when we come to discuss things like this even if it’s not technical “right” that’s the entire intention of the show itself. I’m truly thankful for that, because we can openly talk about it without being called “crazy” and such. I texted a friend of mine after the first two episodes and said, “if I am indeed correct about this subtle Outkast homage, I’m going to be ruined once Atlanta is over, because it’s one of the rare shows that has continued to creatively challenge its viewers.” Also. That being said, I hope to see Donald Glover and Jordan Peele work on something together in the near future.

[@Peacekeepa317]

You deserve Pulitzer for that fucking comment! Goddamn nigga. You went off

[@geekylove3603]

Wow. That was amazing thank you. While I have you both here, why do you think black directors are leaning into horror so much lately?

[@anitapallenberg80]

Hats off dude! This is brilliant. Thanks for sharing :)

[@robesdebah4811]

Glover said in interviews that he realized he wanted most to use the show to tell short stories and this episode is TIGHT AS HELL. Three good stories that manage to wrap around each other and give character development. I also thought of Doom. I just found out he was dead a month ago (I know) and it threw me. The scavenger hunt seemed very much in his style. Plus, he died in exile in Europe while the gang was doing their European tour. I wonder if any of the crew got a chance to meet him.

[@gregomorel9138]

What interview bro?

[@Relax-wt7ip]

I know I'm really late to this but I wanted to drop a personal note about what Al says about Blue Blood (MF DOOM). Super early into the episode I kinda figured it was about MF DOOM and was really happy where it was going but when Al makes it to the funeral and says "he really had an effect on me" I almost lost it. I never really thought about what albums like Mouse and the Mask and Madvillany did for me as a youth that felt outcasted and unable to fit in to any crowd. I had a really 'basic' music library, I'd listen to major lazer for workouts and thought I needed to listen to AC/DC to be able to relate to my dad. But MF DOOM? MF DOOM gave me peace and comfort when I was at my lowest. I could escape and have fun in my imagination. All caps when you spell the man's name. Thank you DOOM, I'm a better person because of you.

[@chrisdlr82]

I liked how you caught the rebirth part. Especially when it’s dark and they say "the walls feel like carpet and it's wet." I knew that it meant something more

[@swishyo4312]

and the way we have a rebirth metaphor with the characters going straight to a funeral... only caught that association now

[@SofaKingOverThisIsh]

Working theory; Paper Boi can't accept that he needs to let his youth die. Earn and Van are stuck in the limbo of their own separate histories and need each other's help to escape. I believe the the dark passage at the end is a metaphor for being reborn.. And Darius, perhaps he struggles holding on to the material and his past, and needs to let go so he can allow fate to guide him. Either way, all three stories are obvious metaphors.

[@AtheistLuvXmas]

👍👍👍👍

[@geminikid609]

I don't think it's obvious metaphors. This is donald glover here. The man who wanted to make a meme out of nothing "roscoe's wetsuit" so sometimes things are just put their for comedy or just disturbing the audience that's what I think Darius plot is for

[@SofaKingOverThisIsh]

@@geminikid609 perhaps. It is just a theory and the way I personally digested the episode. That being said, Donald his brother and Hiro have openly latched on to the idea of surrealism as a plot device, which leads me to look at the surrealism for the hidden plots.

[@kevlaw10]

Out of all episodes, this is was one that really had me asking “wtf is going on?” 😂😂

[@theorderofthebees7308]

I have to agree but it was nice to see them back in Atlanta again

[@einveru6458]

I read somewhere that DOOM also lived in Atlanta at one point.

[@matthewgabbard6415]

Apparently everyone has

[@Notrixgypsy]

Wheelchair lady is also a play on the snail meme

[@Air.keccc1]

The whole van and earn plot gives me backroom vibes

[@SaWxRaPz]

When they entered that emergency exit and ern said the walls were carpeted i really thought they would have ended up in the backrooms tbh 🤣🤣

[@killakam123321]

Lmao they were 100% in the backrooms. They also said something about wet carpet

[@ToyotaCamrySEv]

they wrote this exactly like a dream, like ive had dreams about slowly getting chased, or being stuck in big structures like malls or parks, or scavenger hunts about topical events. Most of my dreams are about getting chased hella slow tho

[@dakingceasar88]

Them waiting in traffic is also a joke on how shitty Atlanta traffic is

[@matthewgabbard6415]

Why did they run I-75 through the town, I'm sure I'll never know

[@scoobyisdead]

so glad you caught the comparison between Blueblood & MF DOOM cause that was my immediate first thought which was followed by me being upset cause he’s gone 😭 probably the only besides Michael, Pac and Prince that cut deep cause he was a poetic genius and geniuses in their craft

[@paradoxlust]

Doom faked his death though. Told us all he was going to in many verses. Facts. Czar metal face. King geedorah. Many.

[@christianthew8979]

​@@paradoxlustnah you trippin. Disrespectful asf

[@jdub4670]

The Harmontown drop was perfect. Well played

[@gkswarm9265]

The mobility scooter lady represents death i think, she says “i don’t care” when darius tries to explain why he’s not guilty or deserving of being killed. She says “i’ll wait” when he stands out of her reach. And wherever he goes she follows. Theres loads of other reasons but i think she definately represents that

[@bvsedvdrian]

great season openers, im so hyped for the rest of the season

[@tjj2040]

Your commentary is unmatched. Your channel is something I literally need somehow. This and YOU are GOLDEN!

[@tapset]

Literally?

[@BkNy02]

I cackled when I saw the skeleton 😂This was a funny first episode of the season.

[@zod4365]

Amazing breakdown, as always

[@NineNerdYards]

Zod is back in the chat y’all!

[@LordHaveMurcielago]

6:54 at this moment in the show I couldn’t help but think of Nipsey Hussle. The name of the fictional rapper being “blue blood” as well as the corner store in the plaza being a similar looking location to Nipsey’s Marathon Store out in LA also made me think of him as well. Then seeing the wife made me think of Lauren London. The MF Doom call backs make a lot of sense as well. I’m noticing death or the ideas of death have been recurring topics in this show. The “R.I.P. Clarke County” poster, The old lady from the Sweet T&T episode, “White Earn”, 2pac when they were in Amsterdam and now Blue Blood…I wonder if this is possible foreshadowing.

[@AveryLedwell]

THANK YOU as soon as I heard the name “Blue Blood” I thought about Nipsey too. I get the Doom references and love that as well. I just couldn’t help but to think about Nip first though.

[@neiceone8819]

Yeah And Al mom asking his about who owns his music and that slight hesitation that Earn gave I think he always knew there was a possibility that Al would try to find new management he never really trusted Earn which is something that hasn’t been referenced why yet I think Earn will try to kill Al for his masters but miss and hurt Darius or Van

[@TheWSWildcat13]

Thought the same thing about the store

[@theianmckenyon]

Kenya’s final shot mirrors the young boy in the S3ep1 ending. There’s always someone out to get them. Head on a swivel

[@NineNerdYards]

Truuue. Nice catch.

[@MaskedHeart]

ion get it

[@drummerslane]

That “beginning of the end” explanation was dummy lit 🔥

[@actualnotanewbie]

I thought the point of the B plot was that both characters were stuck in ruts because they refused to actually move past their past, and them walking through the exit door symbolizes their decision to finally get past their past.

[@Kromedome21]

Cool DOOM easter egg i just found while listening to his Christmas mixtape, in the last song Earl references hiding it in a book and here's a snippet of lyrics from the DOOM track Let it Snowwww "Sick slick, hidden in the book The only way they find it is the spittin' n' the hook Listen, don't look now, keep walkin' Traded three beans for this cow, keep talkin'"

[@michaelklindtofficial805]

Kept me hooked the whole time just waiting for the reveal of earl being in the casket. When it was just the skeleton with a the fitted on I laughed. I just know that’s exactly what they wanted us to think lol

[@zod4365]

14:57 lol, the brand of the air fryer... "SayManWare"

[@yungbaka34]

The store clerk looks Like Dj Mustard😂

[@mfhex1398]

This episode was just a heartfelt shout out to one of the most influential yet least known people out there. So amazing, wish the man himself had made this reality for his fans. But it's still nice to dream, and Atlanta put this dream on screen. RIP DOOM

[@MatthewBardoe]

Love the channel and your analysis. I just wanted to express to someone how much I picked up Walking Dead vibes from this episode. It is clear that there are a lot of horror tropes in this episode, but I do wonder if Walking Dead is a specific reference here. The opening with Target is a very end-of-the-world theme. The traffic jam piece is straight out of the early episodes of walking dead. The lady on the scooter is very zombie-like in her determination to follow their prey, their unrelenting pursuit. In the scene you mentioned in the parking garage at Atlantic Station those people in there feel like zombies, and when Earn says "I wouldn't let you turn into one of them." that is a very direct reference to the process of people turning into zombies on the walking dead. Plus we have already seen Van show an interest in eating human flesh. Anyway, need a place to get that out.

[@NineNerdYards]

I love this theory and line of thinking!

[@keevinmacon2708]

Dope analysis

[@sadbe4n]

i was so excited to hear earl on the new episode and i was surprised i was able to understand the DOOM reference :)

[@_TheViewer_]

CRAZY, dude thanks for the clearence on the stabby lady ! 😂🎉

[@toonami9739]

You brought the video fast! I know it was originally on your Patreon, but I wasn’t thinking you bring it on KZbin immediately after. Thanks!

[@vicjames3256]

Def got It Follows vibes from scooter lady. Totally missed the MF Doom ref. Damn. Great vid.

[@IAmSolomon]

The Station felt like purgatory with all those people stuck for an endless amount of time

[@realjoshb]

Definitely got lost trying to find my car the first time at Atlantic Station.

[@NineNerdYards]

😂 dude where’s your car?

[@yomi.]

I was ready for this video even DM you 😭

[@izzydeoro]

man im mad grateful for your channel, i discovered it when season aired but ive been looking for video essays about atlanta for YEARS

[@Kashthehippie]

Atlantic Station parking garage is definitely like this..I park above ground to avoid getting lost.

[@KenobiStark1]

Earn saying “there’s a girl coming round the corner, she’s wearing a shirt she stole from my house.” I felt dat. And I’m missing so many shirts and dope sweatshirts, damn. And the fever dream reminded me of them getting stuck in the Backrooms of reality.

[@samuellodato3862]

I'm wondering if the Galaga arcade machine is a reference to the line 'Get me a Persian rug where the center looks like Galaga’ by Frank Ocean in 'Oldie' which of course also has Earl Sweatshirt on the track (who we now know was Blue Blood).

[@r667h]

the harmotown clip is just the cherry on the top for me!!! congrats on such amazing video quiality and style

[@HiddenKeyElement]

Shout out for including the Harmontown rant about Now You See Me 2. Absolute gold😂

[@ByRichVisuals]

I think the kiesha saying blue blood being sick towards the end but still being able to finish an album was a reference to J Dilla

[@rhkagePKMN]

“So you still work here”, “Ya I’ve been trapped here for a while”~crazy

[@khalilcollins65]

I literally off chance searched if you made a review and here it is

[@MymiddlenameLee]

For me, this episode is a metaphor about being STUCK...

[@N1GHTH4WK97]

Earns plot is probably the best. The carpeted walls and sopping wet carpet floor is a reference to the back rooms. It’s a lore that follows walking through doors or going to certain areas that detach from reality. Trapped in an endless maze with no exit or remembrance of time. I love how Atlanta incorporated the story of the exes before giving the big reveal away with the exit room. The nerd in me got chills hearing her mention the carpet and the walls🤌🏿

[@niambiwalker1280]

This episode was sooo funny if you’re from Atlanta bc Atlantic Station literally is a black hole 😂and you will DEFINITELY run into someone you knew or know and you will get trapped there. You go for one thing and next thing you know it’s dark and you’ll get lost in the parking lot and it’s ridiculous 😂😂😂

[@MaskedHeart]

I thought it was cool how everyone met at the same place

[@abbyw2508]

One of the wildest parts of living in Atlanta while watching Atlanta is seeing the real places, and I think esp after season 3 I was so not expecting to recognize places that Al going to a funeral next at the event space/canvassing spot I used to work at was Wild!

[@abbyw2508]

But I also think there's a lot to be said around Earn and Van escaping Atlantic Station and popping out in East Point, not really sure how to articulate that but the unreality of Atlantic station is so real

[@SurfDUI]

The line of the episode- "That's not his skeleton, I had to have him cremated about a month ago." 😭

[@ahspiritualtriip8968]

Peep the tracc in the baccground when earn and van meet Kenya, "how did you get here, nobody's supposed to be here".

[@donmays]

Love your breakdowns yo, going to enjoy this last season!

[@AwijoshSun]

When Wheelchair Karen replied "I don't care", that might've been a reference to Tommy Lee Jones' iconic line from The Fugitive

[@Italic_q]

i may be off but i think the choice of earl sweatshirt voicing blue blood may be because earl sweatshirt has a rumored hidden album on youtube that his fans have tried to uncover and i saw a reddit post saying that the qr code led them to a earl and alchamist album

[@victorsanchezsanchez8773]

love how in 7:00 he mentions elevator which its used in one of the season 1 episodes

[@devzeppalin]

This was a great one two punch from the final season. Best way to begin after the polarizing S3, hope this wraps all of that up nicely, which it seems to be doing.

[@CAPISCE1]

When I first saw the episode my first thought is that this episode is about things returning, or coming back. This can be linked between all stories in the episode, from Darius returning an Air Fryer to him being chased by the wheelchair knife wielding woman, which reminded me of the snail that never stops following you to Earn's storyline where exes keep on coming back to him and his girlfriend while they keep on coming back to the same place to Paper Boi's storyline where it is not known if Blue Blood is really dead.

[@MarcoBayod_MB]

I was afraid of the show changing after season 3, I loved the shorts/anthology style of that season, having the Atlanta title as a regular title was a red flag for me, when Earn and Van get out of the car, walking normally, saying hi to Keisha, the store guy, I was sad to see how the show became a regular show... until it wasn't, OMG! what a fantastic way to start the season. To me the lady in the wheelchair was definitely a ghost, like the entity in It Follows, latched on to the Air Fryer, with a horror like sound coming from her chair, the last shot made sure of that

[@isaiahd2123]

Did you notice that one song "how did you get here, nobody's supposed to be here" playing at Atlantic Station?

[@chungledorf350]

Carpeted walls, sopping wet that matches the description of The Backrooms

[@supermoony-u3k]

Omfg the dan harmon now you see me 2 rant 😂😂😂

[@grxzzly94]

The song in the background is saying “How did you get here, nobody’s suppose to be here” …🤷🏾‍♂️

[@bryanwalsh1107]

The movie with the Flamethrower is Fahrenheit 451 which the previous season pays homage to as well. It's about censorship and societal control; two themes which Atlanta focuses on heavily.

[@ZARI_TAZAYAWAN]

The beginning of the end expression was very much felt. i thought it was good foreshadowing and genius execution

[@blackdadsanonymous4590]

This episode has Chief Keef and Earl Sweatshirt. I was gassed. Love from 🇬🇧

[@20DollarGoldPiece]

Where was Chief Keef?

[@NineNerdYards]

Opening song

[@xvinna9957]

I forgot about this Atlantic Station part 😂 I went there for the first time lost my keys and got lost. I thought I was gonna be stuck there but I eventually found them. That shit was scary tho 😂😂😂😂

[@jctobias2916]

I felt elements of this episode were inspired by the horror movie It Follows, where the evil entity slowly follows you to kill you, and that entity can be passed on to other people like the wheelchair lady. Specifically gets passed on by having sex, which makes me think van & earns ex’s were meant to haunt them if they stayed in the same place and never progressed in life

[@JoJoDOOM95]

I most definitely see the DOOM similarities, it's good writing.

[@MrGeek847]

I’m grateful to have found your channel. I needed more insights!!! Lol

[@DocSorok]

did anyone else think of Mac Miller when Blueblood started playing? "cold like gazpacho, i whip the stolen bronco"..?

[@LevelUpVisions]

BEST BREAKDOWN OF ATLANTA . Thank you much LUV.

[@TheKai432]

Did you notice the song that was playing in the background when Van and Earn was shopping?

[@liljimmybih]

😂 that scene with the wheelchair lady telling Dairus “I don’t care” is a reference to Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive.

[@patzerr3541]

Love your breakdowns man!!

[@wweep]

Has to be one of my favourite atlanta episodes. Great video as always :)

[@JurassicLion2049]

Might be a hot take but while Darius is an interesting entertaining character, Alvin has the best episodes / adventures. You really get introspection with him as he evolves as a creator.

[@NineNerdYards]

I agree.

[@euphoriairohpue]

I think of that dan Harmon clip everytime I hear this movie🤣🤣🤣

[@triocha24]

this episode & S4 finale my top 2

[@NineNerdYards]

S4 Ep 8 is in my top 5

[@Dirk8100]

Thank you for this! Love the commentary.

[@MaskedHeart]

🎶love that 🎵Deborah Cox🎵 in the background🎶

[@MaskedHeart]

my guy's back! saw your live but was waiting for this. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@gheeg9510]

Did anybody else notice that the song playing in the mall speakers is “Nobody supposed to be Here” by #deborahcox? Its as if something is warning Van and Earn that they shouldn’t be there.

[@tylerboroshok7417]

When Al was walking up to the coffin idk why but I was kinda expecting the twist of the episode to be that Blue Blood was white

[@NineNerdYards]

Lol that would be funny.

[@curveswithcoffee]

Same thing I thought

[@jahlei]

It is so easy to get lost in Atlantic station parking garage 😭😭😭 it’s a maze in there,, that’s so wild he put that in the show

[@BruhManReviews]

You my friend are a genius.

[@2samarie2]

Can’t lie this episode made my eyes well up doom fans know where Al comin from

[@bigbadslime1629]

Whole time I was thinking this is something Doom would do, also when I heard blue blood rapping it gave me Captain Murphy Earl Sweatshirt “between friends “ vibes

[@JaeSproo]

*NineNerdYards, I THINK....* that this first episode was a dream. Each of our four main characters had dreams that deal with their own mortality. This would follow the pattern. The first episode of Season 3 was also a dream.

[@tapset]

Who's dream is it?

[@d.sfilms7677]

@@tapset We live inside a dream, but who is the dreamer?

[@StLaRok]

Thank you for pointing out that Van looked good, because she looked GOOD 😂🥵