Atlanta Season 4 Episode 10 Review: It Was All a Dream

Atlanta Season 4 Episode 10, “It Was All a Dream,” has us questioning our perception of reality in a mind-bending, Inception-inspired story plucked right from Darius’s visions. It’s a beautiful sendoff for one of the best series of all time, and that’s not hyperbole. 

“It Was All a Dream” spotlights Darius, and as a Darius fan, this reviewer is content. While we’ve seen Darius B-plots in past episodes, with the exception of the jaw-dropping “Teddy Perkins,” he’s never taken center stage with the A-narrative before. It only seems fitting that such an intriguing character, who’s so enigmatic yet an open book, seizes the reins for the series finale. 

CREE: I think I was trained for a long time to look at his world like a battle, and, in some ways, it is. But I’m a part of this world, too, this big thing, and I’m allowed to dance in it how I want to. 

Atlanta‘s darkly absurdist, surrealist adventures never seem to wear down Darius. He weaves in and out of them with ease. Perhaps it’s the openness of his mind and his often thought-provoking statements. This is evident when he mentions the deprivation pods to Earn and Alfred, who dismiss the idea of partaking in such a thing. 

Throughout the series, we see Earn, Van, and Alfred rail tirelessly against the surrealism and absurdity of their surroundings — fighting to keep one foot on the ground while their exploits threaten to yank them off this plane. However, Darius goes with the flow. He accepts the madness as it comes; he lets it wash over him. Ergo, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume that maybe all of this, the whole show, is a dream of his devising while in the deprivation pod. 

Instead of the spinning top in Inception, Darius’s tether to reality is a voluptuous Judge Judy. Why? Because she’s always on TV. Admittedly, it’s a solid barometer for what’s real. Darius’s various experiences are ostensibly real at face value, and it’s not until something subtly out of place unfurls that we begin questioning reality. 

DARIUS: Get in my pink Maserati. It’s outside. Go, go, go, go!

“It Was All a Dream” ingeniously shifts between Darius’s precarious grip on the real world and Alfred, Earn, and Van’s visit to a new Black-owned sushi restaurant. In a way, their scenes become our anchor. There’s no way a restaurant trip could go off the rails, right? 

However, Demarcus’s rant and subsequent demand that Alfred cannot leave his restaurant unless he consumes blowfish — to the point where he attempts to lock the doors — reminds us that this is Atlanta. Any mundane situation can morph into a trippy, dreamlike escapade. 

Demarcus even makes excellent points about supporting your own and rejecting capitalist big business, especially when it disrespects your community. This episode seamlessly makes that switch, that shift in reality, whether it’s bolstered by a peculiar glance or line of dialogue. Donald Glover pens “It Was All a Dream” in a manner that’s coarse and abrupt while being a source of comfort and light. 

DARIUS: Maybe it’s just my dream, and you are just in it. Always have been. 

There’s a warmth to these characters. You can see the difference between who they were in the pilot versus who they are now. In addition, we don’t need a clear-cut ending wrapped in a tidy bow. Atlanta was never about linear narratives and concrete plotlines. 

“It Was All a Dream” is a series finale worthy of this show. It’s innovative, free-flowing, dark, hilarious, poignant, and clever. It’s in-your-face and quietly observant all at once. 

Did we get four seasons of impeccable, groundbreaking TV from Darius’s deprivation pod dreams? Or perhaps Alfred is permanently on the farm, and Earn and Van are in LA, leaving Darius alone in Atlanta. Maybe what we see in this episode is a vision of the crew’s last night together in the city before parting ways. Darius doesn’t want to let go of happier times. It could also be real, and Darius legitimately stole a pink Maserati while helping his friends flee a sushi joint.

It takes a talented writer to craft a piece of art so evocative and surreal with multiple feasible outcomes. We’ll be theorizing long after the dust on this show settles. 

“It Was All a Dream” is masterful and unflinching, with sleek direction from Atlanta mainstay Hiro Murai and an excellent performance from LaKeith Stanfield. Stanfield injects so much heart, tenderness, and nuance into Darius as he has from the start. Darius is the soul of this show, and it’s nice to see him get more time to shine. 

This episode moves like a dream that challenges our grasp on what’s real. Anything that engages and immerses the viewer in a new world is worth praising. 

Here’s to Atlanta, a series that never shied away from the truth. It’s always been grounded in reality, in the often uncomfortable societal truths we might not acknowledge in our day-to-day — the poetic, visceral surrealism is the frosting on the cupcake. Here’s to an endearing, hysterical series that kept us on our toes. We’ll never see its like again. 

Stray Observations: 

• I would also question why everyone keeps saying “tearoom” like a broken record and wonder if I was still in the deprivation pod. Darius isn’t in the wrong there. 
• Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is the first time we glimpse Darius’s personal life. I don’t recall him talking about his deceased brother or parents. What a heartbreaking scene. 
• That Inception-esque ending will undoubtedly serve as fodder for debate for years to come. Did Darius see “thick” Judge Judy? Was it all a dream, meaning Darius is the sole reason for Atlanta‘s conception? His expression at the end could go either way. We’ll never know for sure. 
• Alfred and Earn’s version of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” cleared my skin, watered my crops, and increased my lifespan. 
• I’m glad we didn’t get a goodbye scene with Earn and Van departing for LA. This show started with this quartet, and it should end with them. They are Atlanta.

What did you think of this episode of Atlanta? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Atlanta Seasons 1-4 are now streaming on Hulu.

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