Atlanta Review: “Teddy Perkins”

Story posted April 7, 2018 in Arts & Entertainment by Zach Hall.

A new week, a new episode of Atlanta. With each new episode, the show attempts to one-up itself in regards to storytelling and cinematography. Donald Glover and his team really have a knack for breaking audience expectations and this week’s newest episode is no exception. As always, if you are not all caught up with Atlanta, be warned, there will be spoilers ahead.

Atlanta’s newest episode, “Teddy Perkins,” is… unsettling, to say the least. Much like last week, this newest episode centers around one character. This time it’s Darius, who is attempting to pick up a color key piano that he found on an anonymous message board. Again, much like last week, the premise is very simple, while the journey to actually get the piano is where all the twists and turns occur.

Upon going to pick the piano up, Darius is greeted by a man known as Theodore Perkins, the brother of a famous pianist who owned the piano. Teddy Perkins is the reason this episode is as unsettling as it is. His face is bleached and is very reminiscent of Michael Jackson in his later years, but way creepier. According to Teddy, his brother Benny has a rare skin condition, so severe to the point his entire body is covered up and is unable to go outside. From the moment Teddy brings up Benny, Darius begins to get suspicious. More clues begin to allude to Teddy not being a real person at all, but rather Benny himself who had created a character. This point is further supported by the pictures Darius sees on the wall, the way Teddy talks about his father's abuse and how Darius hears someone playing the piano in a room alone, which is revealed to be Teddy.

As the episode goes on, Darius gets more and more nervous about Teddy and what he might be hiding but is determined to get the piano and refuses to leave. Finally, just as it seems Darius is about to leave with the piano, the elevator he is riding takes him to the basement where he sees a man covered from head to toe sitting in a chair. This person is eerily reminiscent of the picture of Benny that Darius saw in one of the hallways. The man writes on a small chalkboard that Teddy is going to kill them both and that he has a gun in the attic. After telling the man he’ll get the gun and attempts to leave with the piano, Darius finds out that Teddy has blocked his car in. What follows is a confrontation between Teddy and Darius at gunpoint. Teddy tells Darius that he has been chosen as his sacrifice, much like him and Benny were his father's sacrifices, inflicting pain when they would fail in an attempt to make them good at life and the piano. Just when it seems like the theory that Teddy and Benny are the same person is confirmed, the man in the basement (revealed to be Benny, all the clues contradictory to this were merely misdirection) enters the living room in his wheelchair, takes the rifle Teddy was going to use on Darius and shoots Teddy in the chest. After wheeling over to Darius, Benny shoots himself in the face. The episode ends with the cops arriving on the scene and Darius finally leaving with the piano.

This episode takes the idea of a self-contained narrative and runs with. “Teddy Perkins” feels more like a short horror film than the sixth episode of an on-going TV series. This showcases the brilliance of Atlanta. While there are thematic ties throughout the season that connect characters together in meaningful ways, not every episode has to do this. When Atlanta breaks the typical narrative structure, some of the best storytelling and cinematography is revealed. The episodes in Atlanta that stand on their own serve as some of the best parts of the show. It’s safe to say that this is not the last instance of a self-contained narrative from Atlanta and that’s a great thing.

The last two episodes have focused on one character, leaving a lot of questions regarding the characters that didn’t get this treatment. How are Van and Earn doing after the ambiguous finale to the fourth episode? Has Earn been better able to get the respect that he so desperately wants from the world? What’s Alfred’s next big career move?

Hopefully, these questions will be touched upon in the coming episodes. Check back each week to get your fix on everything Atlanta.     

To read last week’s review of Atlanta, click here.

 

Zach Hall is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email zth5043@psu.edu.