The scene opens on a dark lake outside of Atlanta where two fishermen, one white and one black, are finishing up midnight fishing. The black fisherman comments that this area always gave him the creeps, ever since he almost drowned in the lake when he was a kid. “It’s shit water” the white fisherman comments. He goes on to explain that the lake was once a successful, self-governed black town. He clarifies, “A town full of black folk that were almost white.” He goes on to explain that whiteness is just a social construct and that the black town had gotten too close to being white. No matter how successful someone becomes, those in power will never let those deemed inferior to become truly white. The scene crescendos when the white fisherman turns to the black fisherman, revealing that he has no eyes exclaiming, “we’re cursed too.” The black fisherman is then grabbed by dozens of black hands reaching up from the water. The scene ends as he is pulled into the depths below.

The opening scene to season 3 of FX’s Atlanta acts as a thesis statement. Specifically, the scene of two fishermen, one white and one black, sitting on a seemingly peaceful lake hundreds of feet above a forgotten massacre, sets the tone for the entire season. It does not matter how much we try to hide, the specters of racism haunt us. While the entire season is worth commenting on, I will focus on three episodes in particular: S03E1 “Three Slaps,” S03E4 “The Big Payback,” and S03E7 “Trini 2 De Bone.” These three episodes utilize horror to portray white neo-liberals haunted by their own racism. Read more