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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.
“We start at the beginning”. Atlanta Season 3 is now in its penultimate “short film” this week. The ninth episode of the season is titled, “Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga”. It is written and directed by Glover.
In this review, I will be discussing Atlanta Season 3 Episode 9. 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 9.
Black and White episode? Yawn. Emmy Bait. Why do they hate black women so much?
FX Networks Press Room
Discussion
Note: As a member of the press, I was able to see these episodes of Atlanta Season 3 before they air. This is my second time watching this specific episode.
I do not have as many notes about this week’s episode of Atlanta. “Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga” appears pretty straightforward in the message it seeks to convey. The narrative centers on a half-white/ half-Black teenager named Aaron (Tyriq Withers) who resides in a single-parent household. His father, James (Don Woods), warns him to stray away from the path of whiteness; however, while Aaron does use AAVE (African American Vernacular English) in his speech, from the looks of it, he claims his white side.
The episode begins with his bedroom, which confirms this very idea. Aaron indulges in white culture, surrounds himself with white friends, and even engages in racist rhetoric. One day, all of this changes with one obstacle that defines his future.
This week’s “short film” continues the season’s theme of whiteness and how this also possesses an effect on Blackness. Sure enough, even the end credits (including the closing logos) are in Black and white. The Black and white look of the episode works, especially when you discover that Withers is not white white but just a light-skinned Black individual.
Malone, Udeorji, and Pilzer did a great job at giving us the musical vibe that the original run of The Twilight Zone had; O’Brien’s production designs and the rest of the crew’s work on the episode are crucial as well, and I just liked how they crafted the entire thing.
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 Kathryn Dean and Kaitlin Waldron serve as the producers. Ibra Ake, Taofik Kolade, Jamal Olori, and Francesca Sloane serve as the supervising producers. Jordan Temple and Christian Sprenger serve as the co-producers.
Alexa L. Fogel serves as the casting director. Tara Feldstein Bennett and Chase Paris serve as the Atlanta casting directors. Kathryn Zamora-Benson serves as the casting associate.
Sprenger also serves as the director of photography. Isaac Hagy and Kyle Reiter serve as the editors of the episode. Jen Bryson and Cameron Ross act as the assistant editors. J.D. Schwalm serves as the special effects supervisor. Eric Binmoeller works on visual effects, while Ashley Sengstaken serves as the visual effects coordinator.
Jen Malone and Fam Udeorji return as the music supervisors, with Whitney A. Pilzer as the associate music supervisor.
Timothy O’Brien serves as the production designer of the episode. Tiffany Hasbourne serves as the costume designer. Liz Ayala is the set decorator. Denise Tunnell is the head of the make-up department, while Shornell Young is the head of the hair department.
The Cast of Atlanta
Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield, and Zazie Beetz are credited as their respective characters, Earnest “Earn” Marks, Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles, Darius Epps, and Vanessa “Van” Keefer.
Tyriq Withers guest stars as the protagonist, Aaron. Rachel Resheff plays Aaron’s girlfriend, Kate; while Kevin Samuels portrays a rich Black man named Robert “Shea” Lee, while George Wallace plays Greg.
Don Woods stars as Aaron’s dad James. Jaxon McHan and Triston Dye appear as Chad and Lionel, Aaron’s respective white friends. Dawn Cooper plays a student. Lisa Shatterly Boyd plays Betsy, the principal of the high school. Anthony Daugherty plays Jay.
Alex Nobles plays a Black student, while Nijah Brenea and Moriah Gaither plays two Black girls. Ali Bhamani, Yash Gajera, Arish Jamil, and Anoop Surya play Middle Eastern singers at the school. Vishnu Prasad Rao plays an Indian kid, while Da’Jon Porter plays a Flamboyant kid.
Tireni Oyenusi portrays Felix. Mark Law plays a police officer, while Sean Hinckle plays a paramedic. Aaron Goodson plays a man in the episode, while Jade Dodd Shojgreen is credited as an attractive Black girl.
Performances and Character Developments
Withers embodies Aaron so well in this episode, giving us the evolution of a Black human being who is openly white to someone who lets go of that mentality and physique. One of my favorite parts about “Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga” is the way he portrays the character. The caricature of Aaron as a mixed individual seems like somebody you would see in Adult Swim’s The Boondocks. From this character, I witnessed a lot of emotions ranging from anger (due to his racist behavior) to melancholy (through the white tears that he sheds). This is not someone to take too seriously, yet you need to consider that this does happen to people under these conditions.
While we do not see much of him throughout the episode, Samuels plays Lee in a remarkable manner. The name of the character seems to poke fun at the American-Confederate Civil War general, Robert E. Lee. However, Samuels’s Lee reverses everything that racist white Americans have done to his hometown and exacts change wherever possible.
Final Thoughts on This Week’s Atlanta
“Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga” is nothing new for Atlanta, as we have seen the white Black person act as early as Season 1’s “The Streisand Effect” and “B.A.N.” episodes. This week reminds the viewer what it truly means to be Black in America; or not even America but rather “America” as a concept, which we learn from Donald Glover’s “This Is America” song (as Childish Gambino) as well as his film, Guava Island. My initial thought upon watching the episode the first time around was that it is a critique of mixed individuals such as the rapper Logic. Although, that is not exactly the case. Nonetheless, this is worth the watch if you want to learn something somewhat new through insights or just want to have a laugh or two.
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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