Van is drawn into show business in snappy Atlanta

I never expected to analyze Tyler Perry’s ethics in one go Atlanta review during my writing career but that was because I didn’t know I would get the chance to recap this show. (Really, I get paid for this? Life is wild.) An investigation from Supporting All Black Art is coming soon Atlanta‘s wheelhouse as a show that hints at the intricacies and eccentricities of being black in America (and being a black American touring Europe). With “Work Ethic!” Donald Glover produced another standalone psychological horror starring Van, who enters the world of the mysterious Mr. Chocolate.

First, let’s get the record straight for non-blacks reading this: Kirkwood Chocolate is a parody of Tyler Perry. There could be arguments for the character being based more on fiction or taking inspiration from many other reclusive geniuses, but once you have the connected office reams of scripts and Glover’s impersonation of Madea’s “Hell-er,” it’s clear to see who is at the center of this parable. Nor can you deny that Perry is a major player in Atlanta and Black Hollywood — one resident can attest to that, but I’m pretty sure he owns “most of College Park” — and that his company raises many contradictions Significance to anyone who grew up listening to his plays and films and whose parents still regularly watch at least one of his shows. A Tyler Perry episode of Atlanta could have come much earlier in the show’s tenure, and I’m so glad the writers room took the time to do so.

Director Glover skillfully builds Chocolate Land as a domain ruled by an ever-present force, from Van and Lottie arriving at dawn and walking through the property in the morning light, to the shift from a multi-camera sitcom to single-camera realism, when the god speaks through the machine. (The lighting also gets dimmer outside of the sitcom world as in Kevin can fuck himself.) I also loved that the crew became pro-chocolate the more involved they were in the production, which made Van feel out of sync with everyone around her the longer she was there. Aside from the growing cult following, it’s also a great show of how power works: the more someone attracts you, the more you support them. (The “Even OJ” was absolutely a bit much, as was the security guard who was shot while holding a fake M16.)

Another very solid narrative choice made in Work Ethic! introduces Van as an actor before Mr. Chocolate decides on Lottie. It’s a quick nervous breakdown with the other child actors in the waiting room, but Van was never the stage mom type. Her determination to protect Lottie is very sweet, with author Janine Nabers’ dialogue showing the strength of their relationship. Van also has a very cynical detachment from the other workers and visitors on set, being there more as a bag than postponed acting dreams (which would have been a very odd addition to her character). This is the first time we’ve seen her as Lottie’s mom since her solo adventures last season, and despite her misgivings at the time, she’s a very dedicated and good mom to Lottie in this episode.

Also, I have to add, mainly because I’ve been reading recently Jennette McCurdy’s excellent memoir I’m glad my mother died: Van is the kind of mother I would have wished for as a potential child star. She let Lottie explore this world and have her fun until it was clear that Mr. Chocolate wanted complete control (and in case it wasn’t clear that the line was “tell me how to raise my child”) wild.) This type of environment was filled with exploration; Van wouldn’t let her daughter go around unsupervised, and I appreciated that. Also, Chocolate Land had too many security guards/interns to comply with labor laws.

At first I was hoping that they wouldn’t show Mr. Chocolate at all, but it was worth it for the final exchange where Van presented herself as the Kirkwood Chocolate woman. Even before the reveal, Glover’s performance and the myriad of scripts pouring out of the piano typewriter were hilarious. (If the music that came out was rubbish, imagine the quality of the scripts.) There’s also excellent talk about whether Van just fell into the role the magnate set up for her, or if she just did a few degrees away from the typical chocolate character. I can’t deny Tyler Perry writes real life (of someone).just as I can’t deny his cultural influence or the fact that he gives that to black people occasions (and checks) You deserve. With that in mind, I can also argue that his depictions of black life can enforce some of the stereotypes and tropes that have plagued Hollywood for years. “Work Ethic!” uses comedy to shed light on all the contradictions and massive gray areas of a cultural phenomenon, and to stimulate thought-provoking conversation for fans and repeat offenders alike.

The main caveat I have with this episode is that so much of Van’s standalone is devoted to the extended Mr. Chocolate metaphor. Over the past four seasons, Van has had the least screen time of the main quartet, and while Zazie Beetz has had some stellar moments, I can’t help but want a full show starring her. This whole episode can be compared strongly to “Teddy Perkins”, with the pseudo-horror scenario playing a menacing character in a restrained and disguised Glover. But when I look at Van’s other standalone episodes, this one doesn’t feel like I’ve completely caught up with the character, especially considering how close she is to her plot in Tarrare. The beautiful scene with Candice by the river featured an anecdote as to why Van went to play cannibal Amélie, explaining both the extent of her depression and how it affected Lottie. The mother and daughter have since been reunited and have a deep connection, which is great, but I’d love to see how it got to this point. Atlanta has some great episodes that balance cultural conversation and character development (see “value‘), but this one was stuck in Mr. Chocolate’s world. I hope the rest of season four can spare Van more of the spotlight.

Crazy observations

• Lottie has grown so much. 🥹
• For anyone who wasn’t paid to go through the episode with a fine comb, here are all of Chocolate Land’s productions: Nobody can tell me what to do 2, Broken home, a small happy family, unmoved, The family that stays, jealousy (I think that’s supposed to be pronounced “jealous” which is ha), Is not crazy, the shake, Single Father, Year of God, Captain Kernel, Still not crazy, Draymond & Keith, and love after diagnosis
• Also, a count of all the Perry references I yelled at: Van tells Lottie, “That’s the one [movie] you saw with granny’, that stiff conrow wig, the fancy maintenance worker, the crack sandwich, 14 more scenes(!), the John Witherspoon stage, the woman directing two pilots and starring in another, Lottie gets a BET award, mean husband credited as “dark man” the groats.
• The other stages were named after Tommy Lister and Mario Van Peebles.
• I’m surprised my eyes didn’t roll back during the husband and wife conversation from the first Chocolate Land show.
• “The postal department begged us to fix the problem beforehand.” A reminder to check in at the VFX workers and editors you know (and maybe buy them dinner).
• Mr. Chocolate’s Private Offices make a Chekhov gun of a set and I love the part with the guard getting shot in the foot.
• Continuing my obsession with Earn, Al, Darius and Van’s life situations, the place that Van and Lottie now live is very cute.
• For anyone (especially my family members) who thinks the episode was too hard for Perry, I have a question: you all saw it bitterness, To the right? How did she get on the boat?