Atlanta Scene Analysis: “I’m Not Alonzo”

Here’s a scene from the Atlanta, a darkly funny show that is a masterclass in making unsettling situations hilarious.

Written By: Stephen Glover

Scene Context:

Earn has been allowed entry into an exclusive gala for agents, thanks to fellow agent, Janice, who has mistaken him for someone named “Alonzo”.

Scene Conflicts:

• Earn wants to be at the agent’s gala, which means pretending he’s “Alonzo”
• Janice wants revenge against “Alonzo”

Scene Outline:

1. Earn, having just finished a successful meeting with fellow agents, gets himself a drink.
2. Janice arrives to the bar, orders an expensive drink. Tells Earn that she’s worth it.
3. Janice asks Earn if he remembers meeting at the Grammy’s. He lies and says he does, now playing the part of “Alonzo”.
4. Janice reflects on how she taught “Alonzo” to be loyal. Earn listens, growing wary.
5. Janice reveals things have been rough for her recently and she’s not technically an agent anymore.
6. Earn listens, doesn’t say much. Janice stubs out her cigarette and turns on him, accusing him of going behind her back and ruining her career.
7. Earn tries to quell Janice’s anger, but she continues her tirade against him. She promises she will ruin him and his career.
8. Janice kisses Earn before turning to leave. Earn stops her and, in desperation, reveals that he’s not Alonzo. Janice says she’ll make sure he dies homeless.

Why It Works:

Humor In Absurdity: This is a ridiculous situation that, for all intents and purposes, is meant to be a bit unbelievable. No one, ever, will mistakenly approach you and invite you into an elegant gala, only to later reveal they’ve been scheming against you. Because this scenario is so plainly based in unreality, the humor is able to exist in it’s inherent absurdity. The perfect mess that is Earn’s entrapment is, though unfortunate for Earn, hilarious for us.

Scene Switch: Everything seems relatively peaceful leading up to Janice’s outburst. Earn’s getting along with other agents, he’s getting free drinks, and no one even suspects he’s not Alonzo. The scene lulls us into this sense of security which is then wonderfully torn apart by Janice, who effectively ruins the progress Earn has made through this episode. Not only does this make for something of a surprise- it provides an emotional gut punch to the audience, who’s been wanting Earn to succeed for the entirety of the series.

Character Sees The World: Earn gets a chance to see the cruel and awful world inhabited by agents- a world which he now must consider if he wants to be a part of. By being so brutally filleted by Janice, Earn is forced to truly question if he’s cut out to be an agent, and similarly, whether or not he’s even capable of the deceit which Janice describes. This is one of the crucial questions Earn must ask himself throughout the show- how far is he willing to go in order to secure himself some level of success?

Karmic Resolution: Earn lies blankfacedly to Janice, and though her reaction is severe, there’s a sense of karmic balance when we see Earn get punished for lying. Atlanta is a show which, in many aspects, breaks away from traditional narrative rules, but scenes like this do help establish some level of moral groundwork which gives order to it’s chaotic world.

Summary:

Atlanta is one of the most unsettling yet hilarious shows I’ve seen. It’s characters are almost always on the losing side of things, and despite how endearing they are, the continually established absurdity of their world makes these moments both funny and disheartening.