In yet another one-off episodeAtlantacontinues to broaden its cultural frontiers while at the same time providing some food for thought on topics like childcare and modern parenting as a whole. As usual,comedyis delivered subtly, and although this outing does seem to lack the finesse shown by this season’s previous scripts, it’s just as fun nonetheless.
So sure, Earn, Al, Van and Darius may be over on the other side of the Atlantic dealing with varying degrees of eccentric folks but they’re certainly having a good time in Paper Boi’s European tour, however, back in the States “Trini 2 De Bone” wants viewers to focus on death. In this case,Donald Glover takes over the director’s chairto offer a glimpse at another kind of Black experience, that of immigrants hailing from Trinidad and Tobago, all through the eyes of one very white New York couple and their lovable child.
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For a change,Atlantaleaves its familiar Georgia settingand instead introduces audiences to the Warners, who seem to be a decently well-off small family comprised of Miles, Bronwyn, and their son Sebastian. The episode kicks off during an early morning for the busy couple who are just trying to schedule their days, coordinate everything with the babysitter, getting their kid to eat his bland breakfast, the usual, but they’re about to be on the receiving end of some bad news.
Sylvia, the all-important babysitter, has passed away and though for now that only means Bronwyn has to take their son to school, the woman’s Trini recipe for spicy mango curry, Miles’ inability to handle hot food, and a mysterious envelope are the first signs of how much that’s going to change their lives. At nighttime, the couple ponders how to give little Bash the bad news and what’s the best way to replace Sylvia, maybe with a Chinese sitter who can teach the kid some Mandarin, only that’s not really their worst problem.
See, all of Sebastian’s favorite rituals and things come from Sylvia, be it where he dropped him off at his private school, the way she rubbed his back, or even the lullabies she sang to him, in this case very much worth listening track “Trini 2 De Bone” by David Rudder. It’s their son’s attachment to Sylvia that convinces both parents they must honor his wish to say goodbye to his nanny, only after clumsily navigating the shaky waters of explaining death to a child.
Atlantamay be getting culture shocked in Europe, but the Warners face such feelings of alienation only by driving a few miles to another borough, where Miles is puzzled by the concept of leaving his car jets with a kid from the hood. Nevertheless, that’s nothing compared to Sebastian’s instant rapport with Khadija, Sylvia’s daughter, who is completely charmed by the young boy adopting her mom’s favorite sayings, so eh-eh indeed.
The funeral is obviously foreign territory for the Warners. They’re the only white family there, although almost everyone is very welcoming, even the guy trying to land Sylvia’s old job. There is one standout character in the whole event: Curtis, the only other white person in the room but not that anyone would know it from his marked Trinidadian accent or him being the only one who corrects them on using the country’s full name: Curtis is Sebastian if Sylvia had lived on to exert greater influence on the Warner boy.
The funeral is a much merrier affair than expected for the Warners, like it sometimes is in Latin American and Caribbean countries, and the audience learns Sylvia actually lived a pretty rad life as she was a former dancer, mother of three and her nephew even plays for the New England Patriots. One person is not too thrilled about her mom’s career as a childcare professional, her daughter Princess Lee who interrupts the choreographed performance of “Trini 2 De Bone” with a rant about their mother not being there for them because she wasbusy being a parent to other people’s children.
A sitcom-style brouhaha explodes, and the Warners make a run for it, only to be stopped and reminded that this is just the way folks might grieve in Trinidad and Tobago. On the way back home, Sylvia’s influence becomes too obvious for Bronwyn who’s worried Sebastian might resent them like Sylvia’s daughter did, however, a final knock on the door delivers the envelope and the revelation that haunts her in bed: that even in the school’s family photo, Sylvia was Sebastian’s real mother.
There’s really not a ton to say about this episode, as it doesn’t rely on subtextas much as other introspectiveAtlantaexperiments, which might feel like a downgrade for fans of the show buta lesserAtlantaepisode is still darn good. With three episodes left in season six, plus confirmed footage inAtlanta’strailer showing the gang visiting Amsterdam’s Red Light District andthe gorgeous streets of Italy,the least impressive of the series’ detours might just be the last one.
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