Barbershop (Atlanta)

In February 2018, FX announced that the fifth episode of the season would be titled "Barbershop" and that it would be written by producer Stefani Robinson, and directed by series creator and main star Donald Glover. This was Robinson's third writing credit, and Donald Glover's third directing credit.[1]

Stand-up comedian Robert Powell III guest stars as Bibby, making the episode his acting debut. Powell was unaware of his character's extended focus on the episode, only receiving the script just two hours before filming started. Thinking he was just an extra, Powell fired his agent and cut ties with his talent agency for the "unprofessional" treatment, saying that instead of the script "what they had been sending me was this travel PDF."[2]

The episode's score was composed by Flying Lotus and Thundercat. Thundercat was a close collaborator of Donald Glover and was asked to compose the episode. During this, he brought Flying Lotus to help him.[3]

The episode was watched by 0.607 million viewers, earning a 0.3 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the Nielson ratings scale. This means that 0.3 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[4] This was a 21% increase from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.499 million viewers with a 0.3 in the 18-49 demographics.[5]

With DVR factored, the episode was watched by 1.39 million viewers with a 0.8 in the 18-49 demographics.[6]

"Barbershop" received extremely positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 90% approval rating for the episode, based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10.[7]

Matt Miller of Esquire wrote, "As has been a theme for Donald Glover's Atlanta, he's trying to show white audiences the black experience. Some might watch the first 20 minutes of this episode and wonder why Paper Boi is going through all this, but a brilliant final scene doesn't need any words to communicate that, as Parham wrote, 'the relationship the barber has to his artwork, the client, is defined by these moments of tenderness and a genuine, knowing trust.'"[8] Bryan Washington of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "If 'Helen' excelled in character development, tension, and emotional resonance, 'Barbershop' proves to be a whole other thing. The episode is an extended bit, which would be a pretty big gamble if the jokes were unfunny or dumb, but the paradox of the relationship between black guys and their barbers is a world unto itself, a premise the entire series could've been built on."[9]

Leigh-Anne Jackson of The New York Times wrote, "The 'black barbershop as sacred space' trope isn't new; it's made the rounds in Hollywood, the art world, academia and beyond. Unfortunately for Al, this week's visit to a no-frills strip mall spot is steeped in none of the barbershop's fabled camaraderie, current events catch-ups or stress release. When he stops in to get 'the usual,' what he gets instead is all the worst barbershop experiences rolled into one, then exaggerated to Curb Your Enthusiasm proportions and spun through the signature Atlanta absurdist filter."[10] Jacob Oller of Paste gave the episode a 8.1 out of 10 rating and praised Powell's performance, "Powell has the talented tempo of Chris Tucker on his best days, the hustling charisma of Bernie Mac at his scoundreliest, and the wild desperation of Charlie Day's It's Always Sunny character."[11] Miles Surrey of The Ringer wrote, "Though Atlanta's first season was showered with praise and awarded two Emmys, Henry was notably excluded; he wasn't even nominated. If there's any justice in this world, 'Barbershop' is the showcase that will force the Emmys to recognize Henry this year. And then we'll get something new: Paper Boi, smiling infectiously."[12]

Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club was less positive, giving the episode a "B-" and wrote, "For as much content as 'Barbershop' has, it's ultimately an episode solely about a weird consumer experience that doesn't lend much to the larger story or the Robbin’ Season theme."[13]

TVLine named Brian Tyree Henry as an honorable mention as the "Performer of the Week" for the week of March 31, 2018, for his performance in the episode. The site wrote, "Henry's Alfred just wanted to get his damn hair cut, but his regular barber Bibby instead dragged him all over creation, lying, cheating and stealing his way through an all-day odyssey, with Alfred reluctantly in tow. The two are complete opposites: Bibby is a skinny, high-energy chatterbox, always working on his next hustle, while Alfred is a stoic mountain of a man, suffering in silence. Together, their comedy chemistry was off the charts. Let's just hope Alfred changes his mind and doesn't go find a new barber, so we can see these two in action again soon."[14]