Atlanta season 2 episode 1 review: The Florida Man and the Alligator Man

(FX)

Looney Tunes was the unlikely inspiration for Atlanta season 2, or "Robbin' Season" as it's going by, in that every episode is designed to be enjoyed in isolation.

This has kind of always been the case with Donald Glover's quiet meditation on his home city, which cares more about creating really great scenes than advancing plot and is fiercely enjoyable because of it. It's particularly true of Robbin' Season's opener, however, which tells a series of bite-size stories.

Resetting the mood of stuntin' over competence, it starts with a couple of kids casually playing FIFA before deciding to hold up a Mrs Winner's for its drug stash, only they messed with the wrong fast food attendant and end up getting chased out of the place with a semi-automatic rifle, an innocent girl just along for the ride catching a bullet in the process.

After drone-camming over Atlanta we settle on Ern; he's still in storage. Checking in on Alfred and Darius he finds the vibes off, something that goes completely unexplained and may be picked up in a later episode. Darius, true to idiosyncratic form, is testing out slider recipes, while Al lays supine on the sofa, despairing at Ern as he tries to dig himself out of a hole with implied new sidepiece Tara.

Confused, he rolls out with Darius and sets up maybe Atlanta's funniest joke to date: Darius believing that the maniacal "Florida man" he's been reading about in headlines is one repeat-offending guy. I'm already in tears before Darius claims his ultimate motive is "to prevent black people registering to vote" and am reminded that, as much Donald Glover wants to write drama, he can't resist comedy as it comes so naturally to him and is so wonderful.

We eventually wind up at Ern's uncle's house, a farce ensuing that gives rise to some amazing lines ("Shit's like an Azealia Banks Snapchat!", "I"m tired of motherfuckers knocking on my door like they the police" - police at the door, and the callback "I'm not crazy, I'm not Florida Man!") but also an emotional moment, Ern's uncle serving as a Christmas Carol-esque sign of what might happen to Ern if he doesn't brush that chip off his shoulder.

'Alligator Man' isn't an innovative or experimental episode of Atlanta, but damn is it a confident and hilarious one, the play-like show maintaining its gift of being so casually funny every time it opens its mouth it doesn't even have to try.

Atlanta is coming to FOX UK later this year.