Teddy tried to kill him. While Darius was outside on the phone talking to Paperboi, you hear a gun shot. Teddy thought he killed him and took him down to the basement. Benny pretended to be dead. This was why Teddy was surprised and said to Benny that he's alive. It also explains why Teddy tried to kill Darius as a scapegoat.
Also, that scene where Darrius walks up the stairs because he hears the piano playing and Teddy opens the door, I think Teddy was disposing of Benny at that moment. You see his empty wheelchair. That's where the blood on the color key piano came from as well.
UnCreative Deconstructionism Same here, I live in Washington so I already know all of those white, rich and educated people are weird and had to sacrifice a part of themselves to be there. Get Out while you can.
I'm grateful to be experiencing a show like this in real time. This is not only gonna be an important show in black television history but in popular culture period. A truly brilliant triple threat (write/act/direct)
This episode was INCREDIBLE and done with class. Meditations on fame/celebrity, media, public perception, parenting and identity all in one fuckin episode?? While juggling a suspense-thriller/horror under the comedic umbrella??! Lmao. Donald Glover is someone who's capable of pushing the boundaries of storytelling. Immense potential
Darrel Be Donald does it better than Jordan Peele in my opinion. Jordan Peele leaves an uncomfortable and confusing vibe with his. Plus, some of the jokes fall flat.
My theory is that Teddy Perkins really is Benny's brother, both were tortured into becoming good piano players but only Benny made it big. Teddy has obvious emotional and mental scarring from what the father did and his jealousy of his brothers success. At some point Benny really did get the disease that makes it so he has to hide from the light and started to get pale. Teddy still irrationally being envious of his brother got tons of plastic surgery making him look as he did. Based on Teddys talk of success coming from great pain and "maybe we'll get a good album out of it" and the desire to make the house a museum I think he planned to make it look like Darius killed Benny so that he can then capitalize and finally become famous. He obviously tried to kill Benny who survived to come back and kill Teddy but somewhat understandably took his own life due to all of the tragic circumstances. I FUCKING LOVE THIS EPISODE. This episode alone deserves an emmy.
If Jordan Peele got practice behind the camera for 'Get Out' on Key and Peele, I wonder if Donald Glover will one day shoot his own horror movie too???
I was so afraid and cried so much during this episode. The problem is that these tragedies happen in life far too often. These things are reality to some people and that brings my spirits down as a human being.
This episode creeped me the f--- out in a good way. Teddy is a classic character. Some blog post I read said that this season is to the first season as De La Soul is Dead is to Three Feet High and Rising--it just smashes everything that came before. Loving this show and this season so far.
22:26 he has blood on his shirt because prior to Darrius going up to find Teddy in the projection room you can hear a faint sound like a shot blast and that's why Teddy had a gun in the first place and when Wheelchair "Benny" comes down Teddy says he's alive in shock because Teddy tried to shoot and kill him.
man that character has GOT to be based on michael jackson the skin condition the high voice the surgery the eccentric behaviour the mannerisms the stuff teddy says about his father all soooo michael!
ActuallyDarcy I say this episode, the episode where Earn is in jail for shooting a guy, the Black Justin Bieber episode, Earn and Vanessa breaking up episode, and the nightclub episode with the invisible car. These are my favorite episodes of the entire series.
I was definitely one of the ones yelling at Darius....Dont go in there! Man get the hell out of there! Man FUCK that! Boy fuck that piano find another one!! 😂😂😂
Man !!!! his two limit no regret pact or whatever it's called pissed me off man he needed to just leave that piano alone plus the piano keys looked colored in with crayons.
I think Benny Hope was both the man in the wheel chair and Teddy Perkins. I believe it was showing the dichotomy of both sides of Michael. Teddy Perkins is the Michael that was a victim of fame, excusing his eccentricities. He had the odd behavior and facial manipulation. The wheel chair guy is Michael that was trapped by his fame who never could accept what he was and how he came to be.
Me too! I have been binge watching it so I am super late. Better late than never with the new season out now!! Had to pause because Teddy is such an intriguing character to say the least🤣 Had to see who played him and I am surprised it was Danny playing that character!!!
Oh okay...sometimes I miss it and thought I could catch it on Hulu but I guess not. I don't watch cable TV at all... The only reason I got Hulu was a free trial and Rick and Morty and Atlanta... I'm not really bout to pay monthly for shows I don't watch at all...No disrespect to the people that do I have just always been more into movies than television
There's another theory that this episode is referencing Prince and his death. The elevator, how the family wanted to turn his house into a museum when he died, and a couple other things.
I think its a combination of alot of our greats because they all go through some level of fucked up things but also have this crazy level of talent that cant be denied.
Did no one get the subtext? The entire thing was based on Michael Jackson.. and it was based on the tabloid perception of him.. which was untrue.. and it was disrespectful.
This episode reminds me of a sample Biopic of the late MJ and the suspense movie of Hitchcock's Psycho, Raising Cain, and the Dark Half. I would've left that 🎹 and 🏃 out that mansion with the quickness.
As people of color we can't continue to beat ourselves up for not living up to the ideals set by white people (of the past in particular). I say this with no resentment toward all good hearted white people. It's just that many of us grew up thinking that if the language we spoke, the food we ate, the way we expressed ourselves through music and fashion, or even the way we looked wasn't similar to that of the white person then we should be ashamed of ourselves. That was (and in many places still is) the attempt to try and tear us away from our roots and I'm glad that many of us have aWOKEn to this realization. The beauty of mankind is in our differences and those differences SHOULD be accepted and celebrated, not hated by anyone. This episode is a perfect example of the mentality of those POC that have sadly fallen prey to the aforementioned white standards. I know this is a long winded analysis of a TV show but imo it's SO MUCH MORE than just an episode of just another show. It's truly an introspective and meta observation of society and culture that deserves ALL of the praise it gets. BIG UPS to EVERY person that had a hand in making "Atlanta". It's the voice of a generation. God bless y'all.
You totally know that Donald Glover who played Teddy ,was not the same person who was Teddy at the Awards show . Plainly the face of the Teddy at the Awards show is longer and thinner and the cheeks are hollowed out, and that Teddy is taller than the one Glover played.. I watch this episode as much as possible, its amazing and makes you go deep in yourself and think ... this was my top pick of any show's episode of entertainment... I was so caught up in that show...
I loved the Get Out camera reference. At least that’s how I took it. I thinks the best thing is that this is exactly the type of experience Darius will reference randomly that earn and paperboy just disregard.
This episode had me thinking, what the fuck am I watching? Donald Glover is crushing the game with his mind. I may not get all of him, but the fact he is doing it, it's amazing. :D But yeah this episode..... Nigga, what is in your head? :D brilliant
One question I have is that why would Teddy be shocked to see benny come out of the elevator? in the show Teddy said "Benny you're alive" and then he got shot, so I wonder who's blood was on Benny's shirt.
I'm so glad you guys are finally talking about this show. It's my favorite thing on television right now. It's so unique and original and almost its own genre. Donald glover himself said he wanted it to be like a black twin peaks and he has succeeded and possibly made something even better.
Black Twin Peaks is right man. I get similar vibes but it’s definitely it’s own identity and style unique to itself like nothing I’ve ever seen. So interesting and entertaining.
This show is really something else. My favorite episode so far from Atlanta is B.A.N., and if you compare it to this new episode it's 100% the opposite in tone.
This episode is a meeting between the current showbiz and that old one. MJ is mainline but is everything mixed, cracked in two characters (Teddy & Benny), and the symbols are spread. The point is getting one more time into that atmosphere, feeling the physical, and emotional decrepitude beside the consecration signs (beautiful piano playing, mansion, kitsch decor, photo with Clinton). The story leads us to feel again the mix of pure bliss, cruel mocking, and compassion we felt for MJ. A life sacrificed by that showbiz, to this new showbiz can exist (that's what he explains for Darius).
I like Atlanta and I adore Donald but I don't have cable so I don't watch it live but I got the fx app and watched this episode only for free just to see it. Worth the free trial usage on this episode.
Atlanta is a great show. I ain't gonna lie, it introduced me to a very moving song "Evil" by Stevie Wonder. I don't listen to radio because it's shit, but if I ever come across a Stevie Wonder song, it's either Higher Ground or Superstition... maybe once in a blue moon I'll hear "Ebony and Ivory" or "I Just Called To Say I Love You." In the end, I'm to blame because I should seek out good music and not wait for someone to spoon feed it to me.
10:12 Wealthy people are considered eccentric not crazy when they do things like compare themselves Jesus. How did they not make a reaction video to that shit?
Come on dude! You know that episode was Literally flawless! Teddy was a character you wished stayed around. I'm known to be a bit of a critic when it comes down to TV shows because I know what a good 1 really lóòks like. so I give these bad story tellers no break when they F... Up but this guy, OmG this guy was Simply Beautiful. Completely flawless I might say, and the amount of emotions that this episode triggered out of me was surprising! #ChildishGambinoIsGrammyMaterial
