Atlanta has truly been the show of a generation, earning mountains of praise from fans and TV critics alike despite its relatively short four-season length. One of the show's trademark traits is its ability to shock, scare, or cause hilarity in viewers off of a single standout scene. Readers might remember the eerie Teddy Perkins, and now a scene of creative head Donald Glover and LaKeith Stanfield kissing joins that illustrious pantheon of Atlanta phenomenons on Twitter.
The above clip shows us a snippet of the scene, and fans are throwing all sorts of interpretations and reactions to it on social media. Earn and Darius (Glover and Stanfield, respectively) are looking to buy a pair of Nikes, but the seller won't accept anything more or less than a smooch as payment. There's a funny exchange between the two ("So do you wanna kiss a stranger?" Darius responds to Earn's hesitance), and much like the arguing pair of friends at a fast-food, there's a line starting to form and they have to make a decision.
Twitter has caused quite the ruckus over this scene, given that some people see it as pushing an agenda. Many have dismissed these claims, asking viewers to watch the scene for themselves before assuming anything LGBTQ+ related is liberal propaganda. As more hours have passed, the backlash has cooled down, and most fans are able to see the scene for what it is: a cheeky jab at sneaker heads who will do anything for the drip, and a subtle exploration of masculinity and its implications.
It's not uncommon to see this type of politicized debate happen over the hit FX show. Creator Donald Glover has spoken out against critics that say the show is "only for white people," an ironic criticism considering that the same people might compare the show to Dave, another comedy show by fellow rapper and (white) multimedia star Lil Dicky. Regardless, it's a small price to pay for producing one of the most revered TV shows of the past few days. Great art is bound to ruffle some feathers.
Check out some more reactions to the smooch below, as well as the full clip from the show.