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| Photo: Guy D'Alema/FX |
Damn. The things we'll endure for a fresh fade. Such is the Faustian pact of fuckshit Alfred/Paper Boi unknowingly signs up for when he sits down in the chair of his barber, he of a 1,000 and one hustles, Bibby.
Bibby's the "talkative" barber in the shop--you know the one who's always yakking on their headset, has a million and one stories and can recall what happened at their best friend's brother's-in-law's sister's third cousin's wedding 10 years ago but can't remember how you want your hair cut five seconds after you told them. Alfred, of course, sighs and glares his way through the frustration because he needs to look sharp for an upcoming photoshoot. Bibby starts to cut his hair, then stops when another call comes in from his girl asking about his whereabouts. And that is where the mayhem begins.
"Barbershop," would likely still have been an excellent episode had the brains behind Atlanta chose to focus on the dynamics and unique personalities of the barbershop. It worked for 'Cube. But the golden rule of this show is to expect the unexpected, and "Barbershop" instead centers much of the action around a series of misadventures that show while Alfred is adamant about not going Hollywood, he may want start putting a velvet rope between himself and the company he keeps.
Things start off with a trip to Bibby's girlfriend's house, where he convinces (well not really; honestly mama looked like she was too tired and too through to gather him) the reason for his lateness was offering Alfred, whom he recasts as a stranded magician, a ride after his car broke down. He then pushes Alfred to the back of the line in order to cut his girl's son's hair, snatching a wad of bills out of her wallet as the water stops and the lights shut off. Turns out Bibby didn't pay the bills, another lie he tries to cover as he chunks the deuce and leaves her fuming. When he walked in you had all your necessities; when he left you were in the dark and unclean. Take that metaphor girl. Take it and learn.
Bibby pulls another okie doke by promising to take Alfred by a restaraunt but instead stopping at a home under construction. After having the steel-nutted nerve to offer him leftover chicken tenders he left at the site, Bibby asks for his help in loading lumber into his truckbed. It all seems legit, until an irate woman comes up asking why he's stealing their wood and threatening to call the cops. I swear Bibby is like a bootleg King Midas; everything he touches turns to fools' gold. He goes on to attempt to use Alfred as a live-action PSA to "inspire" his class-ditching son, and finally, smashes into the back of a woman's car before driving off and leaving her screaming in the middle of the road. And don't forget, Paper Boi's still on probation.
So why endure all of this garden-variety fuckery? As any black boy who's had to sit on a wobbly folding chair for three-to-six hours on a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning knows, you don't just switch barbers. Even if you're ambivalent about the atmosphere (some causal homophobia, but that's a discussion to unpack another time), for most, it takes some deep, dank egregious mess to drop someone you trust enough to let near your scalp on a regular basis.
But that's exactly what Aflred does the next time he comes in, plopping down in another barber's chair without so much as a 'sup. Bibby's eyebrows arch in surprise like "Oh it's like that?"And Al just looks back like "Yep, just like that nigga." Unfortunately, his new braber doesn't know exactly how low he wants his temple fade. Bibby does though. A pyrrhic follice victory.
--Other Thoughts:
--Brian Tyree Henry's a master at the slow burn, modulating Aflred's frustration throughout the episode until you can feel he's willing to catch that case to savor a Bibby beatdown.
--The episode was short on social commentary (or maybe not; if I missed any let me know) but that's not necessarily a bad thing; sometimes 30 minutes of comic absurdity works just as well.
--The one liners 'tho: "If you kill me I swear to God Imma fuck you up," "You know what a nigga cat look like," and "You out here lookin' like a Super Saiyan" instantly come to mind.
--As in the season premiere, a female character is only present to cause frustration/be a source of conflict for one of the show's male characters. Outside of Van, Atlanta still hasn't consistently told stories where women are driving the narrative, or are at least playing a major role in the action.
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