Darius oddly buys a hat with the confederate flag.
The episode opens with Darius in a hardware store. After asking for “dehydrated mangoes,” he spots a “southern man” hat. He buys the hat, which has a confederate flag on it. He also buys a red pen.
Darius blocks out letters until the hat says “U Mad.”
He then hops into a U-Haul truck. He drives the truck to a gated residence. At the call box, he says, “I’m here for the pickup.”
Darius meets Teddy Perkins.
Once the squeaky gate opens, Darius drives in and arrives infant of the mansion. When Darius gets to the front door, he takes the hat off and stuffs it into his pants.
He knocks on the door but notices it’s unlocked. He walks in nervously, and is greeted by a smiling man in a robe. The man, named Teddy Perkins (played by Donald Glover in lots of makeup), introduces himself and asks him about the Stevie Wonder song he was listening to.
Teddy invites Darius to a sitting room and buzz a person to get him a glass of water. He then offers an Ostrich egg, which he calls “An Owls’s casket.”
Darius declines and he watches Teddy awkwardly open the egg with a hammer.
Teddy asks Darius how he heard about the piano. Darius tells him he heard about a free piano being given away on a message board he frequents.
Teddy asks him if he’s a music lover, and Darius tells him he works with Paper Boi. Next, Teddy brings up how rap hasn’t “matured,” but Darius jokingly says Jay-Z is 65.
Darius then tells Teddy he doesn’t play the piano. Teddy tells him that his brother Benny played the piano. Suddenly, Darius notices photos of Benny with other artists such as Al Jereau, and Stevie Wonder. According to Teddy, Benny developed a skin disorder and he can’t go into sunlight.
Teddy then jokes that his condition will inspire more great music.
“Who knows. Maybe we’ll get a great album out of this. A masterpiece.” – Teddy
Darius asks about the water. Teddy mentions that he doesn’t have a butler bringing it to him. So, Teddy gets on the intercom again and he gets up to check on who is bringing the water.
Darius gets up to wonder, because he can’t sit next to the half-eaten ostrich egg.
Once into an office, Darius is being secretly watched on a security camera. Off in the distance, he hears a piano playing. He walks towards the piano playing and sees photos of Benny and Teddy on the wall. This includes one of someone wrapped in heavy cloths in a wheelchair.
When he knocks of the door of the room with the piano sounds, Teddy answers. He says Benny is sleep.
Paper Boi tells Darius to leave Teddy and that piano alone.
Later on, Paper Boi calls and wonders why Darius wants that piano. Darius says he wants the piano and he can’t have more than two regrets. During the call, Paper Boi is at a Krystal’s and the drive thru workers gets excited to see Paper Boi.
Paper Boi ignores the workers who want a photo, and tells Darius that Teddy just wants to distract him. Darius mentions that Benny has a skin disease and may look like Sammy Sosa. Earn pulls up a photo of Sammy on his phone and they all bust out laughing.
After the call, Teddy knocks on a window, signaling Darius to come back inside. Once inside, Teddy takes a photo of him. Darius says he isn’t a “photo person.”
Darius learns about Benny and Teddy’s strict father.
Teddy apologizes and hands him a glass of water. Darius notices the merchandise of Benny. Teddy says he wants to turn the home into a historical location.
Teddy then takes Darius to another room, which houses a “statue” of his father. It’s actually a mannequin with a suit. Teddy mentions his father forced him to practice the piano for hours a day.
Darius calls what his dad did as unnecessary.
“To make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs.” – Teddy
He then says, “great things come from great pain.”
Despite the “knowledge” being dropped, Paper Boi texts Darius to see if he’s dead and Darius tries to hurry and complete the transaction. Darius’ phone wallpaper is the infamous drawing by Justin Richburg of Obama, Martin Luther King and Malcom X shooting dice in the hall way of a basketball arena with Allen Iverson.
In another room, things just get weirder. Darius says he wishes he could thank Benny in person and Teddy scolds him. Teddy then has Darius sign the paperwork and then leaves, slamming the piano cover.
On the piano, Darius notices a drop of blood on one of the keys.
Darius meets Benny.
Eventually, Darius gets the piano and loads it into an elevator. Once on the elevator, it takes him to the basement. This is apparently the wrong floor, and he tries to get it back working.
“Alright Destiny.” – Darius
Once off the elevator, Darius explores the basement. He walks until he hears squeaking. Darius turns around and notices a man in a wheelchair wearing a mask. He writes on a chalkboard that “Teddy kill us both.”
Darius asks what can he do, he writs, “Gun in Attic.”
So Darius tells him he’ll get the gun after the piano is loaded in the U-Haul.
Darius calls Paper Boi about the crazy stuff happening. Things are thwarted when Darius sees his loading path is blocked by Teddy’s apparent car. So he goes back inside, with a fire poker in hand.
Teddy selects Darius for his sacrifice.
Once upstairs, he sees a projector playing a video seemingly of Teddy’s father beating him when he messes up on the piano.
Teddy interrupts saying, “I love this song.”
Darius tells him about the car, and Teddy says he’ll move it. When he asks about a bathroom, Teddy tells him that the bathroom is upstairs, near the attic. Suddenly, Teddy pulls out the rifle Benny wanted him to get, and points it at Darius’ chest.
“Congratulations, I choose you. You’re my sacrifice.” – Teddy
Darius then drops his phone to the ground. And has a gun pointed into his back.
Teddy then takes back to the Foyer, and forces Darius to lock himself to a chair. Once restrained, Darius says, “not all great things come from great pain.” He says that some great things come from love.
He then tells Teddy, “Your dad should’ve said he’s sorry.”
“What if you would’ve been great at something else? – Darius.
Suddenly, Benny appears on the elevator and steals the gun. He then shoots Teddy in the chest. He then gets the fire poker from Darius and uses it to help him shoot the rifle at his head, killing himself.
At the end of the episode, police show up and wheel out two bodies, and the piano. Darius is in his U-Haul saddened by what happened, and eventually drives off.
What are your thoughts on the episode?
This episode was so confusing.
This is the first time I had a hard time sleeping after watching Atlanta.
Creepy episode.
Very creepy! I mean he REALLY wanted that piano by any means necessary!lol I wanna see his new movie too, can’t wait tell it comes out!
Darius is bae.
This episode was more like a horror movie than comedy.
Cray Cray episode but I kept watching. I would have fled when I first saw Teddy hahaaaaaa forget that piano, I kept wondering how was he going to load it on the truck my himself and did he get the piano ??? at the end you saw the po po or coroners peeps moving it????