What I’m Watching: Atlanta

Atlanta: Season 4, Episode 8 “The Goof Who Sat by the Door” (B-)

Compared with season three, every episode of this season has actually featured the show’s regular cast members, which has been a treat. There are only two more installments to go before this show signs off for good, and so I suppose that it’s fitting that there would be another return to the B.A.N. which made for a very popular season one episode. These just don’t quite resonate as much with me, and choosing to focus on a real behemoth - Disney - and a real character - Goofy - definitely made for an interesting if disorienting experience. I can appreciate the absurdity of someone getting voted into power because people didn’t realize they were selecting the wrong person with a similar name, and the less amusing piece of someone’s vision being completely corrupted. Disney movies are capable of having meaning and being vehicles for change, but all too often, ideas that could be monumentally influential and perception-changing are swept under the rug in favor of something that can be more widely-received and universally-beloved. I did do some brief post-episode researching on this episode’s influences and will admit that I’m not familiar with “The Spook Who Sat By the Door.” This series has covered a lot over the course of just four seasons, and it’s definitely adept at skewering socially-accepted norms that really shouldn’t be nearly as commonplace or accepted as they are. There’s also something bold and risky about not having series regulars appear as their normal characters across numerous episodes and seeing those installments receive tremendous acclaim.