The Big Payback (Atlanta)

The series is set in Atlanta and follows Earnest "Earn" Marks, as he tries to redeem himself in the eyes of his ex-girlfriend Van, who is also the mother of his daughter Lottie; as well as his parents and his cousin Alfred, who raps under the stage name "Paper Boi"; and Darius, Alfred's eccentric right-hand man.

The episode focuses on a dream being had by Earn of a man named Marshall Johnson, portrayed by Justin Bartha, whose life changes when a woman sues him for reparations for slavery.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.260 million household viewers and gained a 0.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.

At a coffee shop, a man named Marshall Johnson (Justin Bartha) waits in line while listening to Radiolab via AirPods.

While leaving her at school, Marshall hears a story on the radio, about a black man who sued a Tesla investor as his ancestors enslaved his forebears.

That night, Marshall is visited by a black woman named Sheniqua Johnson (Melissa Youngblood), who is suing him as his family owned her ancestors.

Marshall consults with a black coworker, who advises him to just admit to his family's mistake, meet with her one-on-one and pay her as much as he can, and she will honestly drop the issue.

[2][3] Vulture compared the episode to Ta-Nehisi Coates's article The Case for Reparations and the series Watchmen, both of which explore similar ideas, "the concept of reparations for slavery and racial violence has become increasingly mainstream, inspiring political, artistic, and intellectual work across the spectrum of beliefs.

With yet another stand-alone installment in the series, Atlanta throws its hat in the reparations ring and sets out to wrestle the topic's enormous and amorphous implications with satire.

"[4] The Daily Beast further added, "this week's Atlanta succeeds as a delightfully funny piece of speculative fiction (depending on who's watching) and a biting critique of the vain attempts to rectify the destruction of slavery by institutions and individuals, making for one of the best post-BLM episodes of television, so far.

"[5] Bartha explained Marshall's view of himself, "I don't think he looks at himself as a victim, but I think part of the thesis of this season is that we're all haunted by this ghost: white, Black, every color.

Club gave the episode an "A−" and wrote, "For a show labeled comedy (for lack of a more apt genre), 'Big Payback' isn't a fun 30-plus minutes, but it is great television.

Atlanta is tackling the big, uncomfortable questions no one else would dare — namely, can we resolve systemic racism and reconcile this country's history with slavery, when some won't even acknowledge either — and this episode is worth spending time with.

"[3] Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone wrote, "This one doesn't work nearly as well as 'Three Slaps', though, and suggests there's a limit to even this great show's ability to do and be anything from one episode to the next.

This one, though, seemed more like a leftover installment of another FX show, B. J. Novak's clumsy social satire anthology The Premise.

But I think Segal's reappearance suggests some hazy-but-potent continuity between these episodes, and maybe a larger thematic story that will only become clear with time.

Atlanta sublimates Black precarity to fixate on white fragility and thus, forecloses a more complex exploration of the problems money cannot solve.

"[4] Thrillist wrote, "'The Big Payback' and 'Three Slaps' find Atlanta pushing the boundaries for a series that already felt unconfined.