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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Following last week’s two-part premiere of Donald Glover’s Atlanta Season 3, this week’s episode confines itself to a more luxurious space. The third episode of the new season is titled, “The Old Man and the Tree”. It is written by Taofik Kolade, with Hiro Murai returning to the director’s chair.
In this review, I will be discussing Atlanta Season 3 Episode 3. There will be no spoilers here, as the title of this article suggests. Nonetheless, please read ahead at your own discretion to avoid any possible revelations.
Plot Synopsis
According to FX Networks, here is the logline for Atlanta Season 3 Episode 3.
This one was cool. Going to rich parties and meeting weirdos. Season 1 was better.
FX Networks
Discussion
This week’s episode of the hit FX Networks surreal comedy-drama is an interesting one. It is all over the place, and quite literally too, as we find our beloved lead characters exploring the spaces of different rooms of a billionaire’s house party. The ideas that grow here are innovative, and with “The Old Man and the Tree”, they are more than just a reference to Hemingway’s novella. Instead of the Sea, we have the Tree, which symbolizes the root cause of humanity’s oldest issues, including racism and capitalism. I will spare you the plantlife puns and jump straight into the analysis.
The Other
According to Byung-Chul Han in The Expulsion of the Other, the Other is defined as “a secret… a temptation… eros… desire… [and] pain”. I will extrapolate this concept in future reviews of the series but for now, the Other is something that is negated or ignored by the proliferation of what is “Same”.
Often, we tend to stick to our own cultures, but in some cases, there is a cultural exchange of music and other media. In one scene, we have a character discuss with another how some Black people can indulge in anime. This is one example of the Other, that — unless you happen to be of Asian descent — we may avoid people who enjoy Japanese media, whom we refer to as “weeaboos”. In another example, we have Othered 21 Savage for having roots in the United Kingdom, or Barack Obama for being part-white. Such notions solely comprise the tip of the iceberg of the modern age. In last week’s episode, I refer to whiteness and Blackness; this week’s episode extrapolates on the idea, that the concept of hair loss is “more easily pulled off by white men that are assumed to be dangerous”.
Think about it. How often do we break the norms? We have always found talent in white people but less so in Black and colored individuals. For example, how many romance and horror films have non-white actors cast as the lead characters nowadays? Or in films of any genres, for that matter? Today, we have Jordan Peele’s Us, Black Panther, Misha Green’s Lovecraft Country, Turning Red, Scream (2022), to name a few; and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Spirituality
Glover has never shied away from deep themes such as spirituality. There is a line that sticks out in the midst of the episode, where a supporting character mentions an encounter with a phantasm. The writers set this scene up to be comedic, but in the following moment, there is a shift in gravity. The discussion leads to the Devil and God existing to help establish a balance in the world, i.e. that which is Other and that that is Same. In other words, it is all about what self-destructs and what survives.
With the concept of the Same, as per Han, production is destructive, information is deformative, and communication is “merely cumulative”. We have become numb to sins or to deeds. Religion is another example of what is Same, that Christianity — which has been around as long if not longer than others — has survived as long as it has. Christianity’s ideals are seen as Same because it is an endless repetition, much in the same way that likes and favorites on social media are.
The Crew of Atlanta
Donald Glover, Paul Simms, Dianne McGunigle, Stephen Glover, Hiro Murai, and Stefani Robinson serve as the executive producers of the series. Janine Nabers serves as the co-executive producer, while Alex Orr, Cass Marks, and Kaitlin Waldron serve as the producers. Ibra Ake, Taofik Kolade, Jamal Olori, and Francesca Sloane serve as the supervising producers. Jordan Temple serves as the co-producer.
Alexa L. Fogel stars as the casting director, while Rebecca van Unen serves as the casting director for the U.K., France, and the Netherlands. Francesca Bradley serves as the casting associate. Kathryn Zamora-Benson is the U.S. casting associate.
Stephen Murphy serves as the cinematographer, while Isaac Hagy serves as the editor of the episode. Jen Bryson and Cameron Ross return as the assistant editors.
Jen Malone and Fam Udeorji return as the music supervisors, with Whitney A. Pilzer as the associate music supervisor.
Jonathan Paul Green serves as the production designer of the episode. Lynda Armstrong serves as the head of the make-up department, while Shunika Terry is the head of the hair department. Celia Yau serves as the costume designer. Sophie Coombes is the set decorator.
The Cast of Atlanta
As always, Donald Glover stars as Earnest “Earn” Marks. Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield, and Zazie Beetz portray Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles, Darius Epps, and Vanessa “Van” Keefer, respectively.
Jessica Temple plays a mom.
Patrick Kennedy stars as Will, the host of the party, while Natalie Quarry appears as a worker in the building. Daniel Fathers as a billionaire, Fernando, while Jasmine Leung plays an Asian party guest named MK. Hugh Coles plays a white guest named Socks.
Heather Elrick plays a dealer of a card game. Darrell D’Silva and Daniel de Bourg play gamblers, Bruce and Yonathan, respectively. Sheyi Cole plays TJ, a “self-taught multi-hyphenate” Black creative.
Celeste Dodwell plays Joanne, while Carl Andersson plays Sam. Jai Paul appears as… Jai Paul.
Performances and Character Developments
Henry has a “started from the bottom, now we here” arc this season, now living the lifestyle he has always wanted. Paper Boi is a vastly different character compared to Phastos in Eternals or Jefferson Davis in Into the Spider-Verse. Still, with all the upgrades that fame has gotten him, Paper Boi is still Alfred Miles, who does not let people get the best of him. Also, let’s not forget his milieu; the character lost his mother prior to the beginning of the series, and Henry as well lost his mother after the production of Season 1. This is delivered well in Robbin’ Season’s “Woods” episode.
I love his dynamic with Fathers’s character, Fernando, who is most likely a play on words combining both Nando’s (the South African fast-food chain) and the plant itself, fern. Ferns are needed to cleanse the atmosphere, which is why the character himself makes all the life choices he makes. Fernando preserves life by Othering himself from most of the world and allowing only the brightest and most brilliant of individuals to enter his home and let their essence grow in his countless numbers of rooms.
Glover’s character, Earn, also tries to establish an Other by continuing to progress as a manager. He permits himself to engage with new opportunities, but also slowly loses someone close in the process. Here, he creates a risk of failure by taking a chance on something new. Stay tuned for the mid-credits scene, which adds flavor to this specific development; although, I do not believe it is all that necessary.
Final Thoughts on Atlanta
“The Old Man and the Tree” has some callbacks to the pilot episode (“The Big Bang”), perhaps “B.A.N.” and “Teddy Perkins”, but most obviously, “The Club” and “Juneteenth”. It has much for us to ponder on, like how franchises and brands can be racist in their “journey” (if we can call it that) via capitalism. While “Three Slaps” has layers that require analysis, this week’s episode trifurcates in plot development, providing for three stories to occur simultaneously. At its core, everything is like a tree; without a central purpose, it all ceases to be.
Donald Glover’s Atlanta Season 3 is now on FX and streaming via Hulu!
Have you seen Glover’s series? If so, then what are your thoughts on it so far? Let us know! For more comedy and drama-related news and reviews visit and follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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