Born 2 Die (Atlanta)

In September 2022, FX announced that the third episode of the season would be titled "Born 2 Die" and that it would be written by supervising producer Jamal Olori and directed by Adamma Ebo. This was Olori's fourth writing credit, and Ebo's first directing credit.[1]

According to Stephen Glover, the writers tried to reach D'Angelo for a guest appearance but talks fell through. He said that a producer might have contacted him, "Someone from his camp reached out, but we didn't even think it was possible. He's mysterious and hard to track down anyway, so it probably wouldn’t have worked out. There could have been a chance, but we just assumed."[2]

The episode was watched by 0.174 million viewers, earning a 0.0 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the Nielson ratings scale. This means that 0.0 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[3] This was a slight increase from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.126 million viewers with a 0.1 in the 18-49 demographics.[4]

"Born 2 Die" received extremely positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 94% approval rating with an average rating of 8.1/10 for the episode, based on 18 reviews. The website's critical consensus, "While a meandering subplot may confound more than it ultimately adds, 'Born 2 Die' is altogether thrillingly alive as Paper Boi reckons with the evolving legacy of his music."[5]

Quinci LeGardye of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B" and writing, "Three episodes in, it's clear that one of Atlanta's themes this season is building a legacy outside of traditional terms. Blueblood is brought back in after the premiere's pensive scavenger hunt, but the Grammy hunters see the way he left the world as a shame. If they can't get rich, they'd rather at least be known, and a funeral attended by less than 10 people is any fame-seeker's worst nightmare. In this episode, Al tries it their way and feels uncomfortable; at the same time, Earn sees D'Angelo, a man who deeply struggled with his popular image, turned into a vaguely-defined commodity. There's a national mood right now of redefining what success means under capitalism, and both of the cousins are slowly redefining themselves. I'm glad the character work is being done, even in a relatively mid episode."[6]

Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone wrote, "So, no, Atlanta has never demonstrated much interest in the rags-to-riches part of Al's story. What it has been eager to discuss, however, is what comes next, especially regarding legacy. 'Teddy Perkins' was all about the latter part. So was Al's Amsterdam drug trip in last season's 'New Jazz'. Al's subplot in this season's premiere involved him realizing, via the unheralded death of his hero Blueblood, how fleeting this all can be. And now both of the stories in 'Born 2 Die' deal in different ways with what happens after a Black performer has achieved fame and fortune."[7]

Ile-Ife Okantah of Vulture gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "This is the Atlanta I missed last season, the Atlanta that would make me think for days and become an active participant in the art even when it made me uncomfortable or confused."[8] Ben Travers of IndieWire wrote, "I don't expect a dramatic fallout between the two cousins, but such splits aren't typically easy to navigate. With seven episodes left, theirs could be the relationship that defines how Atlanta ends. What happens to Paper Boi and the business he's supporting? And, perhaps tied to the former questions, what happens to this family? Because money is important, but survival isn't enough anymore."[9]