Donald Glover’s FX series Atlanta has been one of the weirdest comedy-dramas on television. So it makes sense that the new trailer for the show’s final season reminds viewers of that surrealist legacy.
Released on Friday afternoon (July 22), the promo clip is more of a time capsule than a glimpse into the future. There are no hints at what’s to come; instead, it’s packed with callbacks to the show’s zany past—a moving collage of absurdity.
Earnest “Earn” Marks (Donald Glover), Vanessa “Van” Keefer (Zazie Beetz), Darius (LaKeith Stanfield), and Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles walk in front of what appears to be a convenience store, as references to past episodes appear on screen: an invisible car here, Teddy Perkins’ piano there. Even that crazy motherfucker Zan pops up. Despite the 45 second runtime, there’s a glut of references for the show’s longtime stans.
Speaking with GQ, co-writer Stephen Glover confirmed that fans will see some of the same surreality in the upcoming season, which, according to the teaser, is slated to drop in September. There’s also the chance the last season will tie together thematic loose ends from its unresolved predecessor (and solve some lingering theories).
Take a look at the new trailer—and a trip down memory lane with each reference highlighted and decoded below.
Alligator: Season 2’s season premiere (“Alligator Man”) gave us Katt Williams and his bizarre domestic pet—a full-grown gator. Here it’s seen climbing a wall.
Bibby: Who could forget the wayward barber from the series’ sophomore season (“Barbershop”), responsible for Paper Boi’s ill-fated (and diversion-laden) haircut appointment. Ever on the go, he zooms by in this clip.
Coconut Crunch-O’s cereal: If you peeped Season 1’s “BAN”—a parody of BET programming—you’ll remember this cereal and its hilarious-yet-dark animated commercial, featuring the one and only Cree Summer.
Invisible car: Darius is seen riding in the same whip neighborhood cool guy Marcus Miles skrrted off in Season 1 (“The Club”). His vehicle, however, is not.
Naijia Bowl: Season 3’s “White Fashion” episode jokes about cultural appropriation, with a storyline about a White-owned food truck shilling out unseasoned Nigerian cuisine. Keen eyes will spot an ad for the signature dish.
Orange tree: The third episode of the third season (“The Old Man and the Tree”) finds Alfred as victor of a high-roller poker match at a billionaire’s house party. After the host refuses to pay up, the rapper takes a chainsaw to the man’s beloved tree, said to be one of the oldest in the European city. That same tree goes timber here.
Teddy Perkins: While the creepy, eponymous, Michael Jackson-inspired character from Season 2 is not seen in the (pale) flesh, his presence is felt thanks to a falling piano (a nod to the freebie instrument Darius took off his hands) and a giant egg that hatches an ostrich—a stomach-turning delicacy that Teddy enjoys.
Zan: The clout chasing vlogger who trolls Paper Boi all throughout Season 1’s “The Streisand Effect” is seen taking a selfie. Now, all we’re missing is other scene-stealers like Clark County, Lorraine, and Tracy.