"Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga" is the ninth episode of the third season of Atlanta. It is the thirtieth episode of the series overall. It was released on May 12, 2022 on FX.[1]
Premise[]
Black and White episode? Yawn. Emmy Bait. Why do they hate black women so much?
Plot[]
A boy named Aaron is playing video games and gets into heated arguments with his online team members. The next day, while driving to high school, Aaron and his black dad listen to a story in the radio about a black man dying in a police shooting. James states that he is not paying for his preferred college, won't fill out the FAFSA and warns him that if he stays at home after high school, Aaron will have to pay rent. This disappoints Aaron, as he wanted to go to the same college as his girlfriend, Kate.
At high school, a millionaire alumnus named Robert S. Lee appears as a guest speaker. He states he will donate a million dollars to the school and will also pay every senior's college tuition. Aaron and his classmates are delighted, until Lee states that he will only pay for black students. While wandering around the hallways, Aaron is called to a panel where he is questioned to prove his "blackness".
After the questions, they conclude that he is not black and won't give him the money. Aaron calls out the panel for only handing the money to black people, stating he is light skin. One of the judges reaffirms that he is white and Aaron leaves.
Aaron gets into an argument with Kate, who reveals that she is aware that he is not going to her college and breaks up with him. Aaron then decides to make a home-made flamethrower and heads to the high school, intending to burn it down. There, he encounters a Nigerian student named Felix, who also came to the school to burn it down with a home-made flamethrower. Felix states he wasn't deemed "black" even after he and his parents were born in Nigeria, and Aaron states he agrees with the panel that he is not black.
They get into a heated debate and both threaten to kill each other with their flamethrowers. They then chase each other, with Aaron accidentally burning his feet while escaping. As Felix finally finds him, he is shot by police officers in the area, who detain Aaron.
In the aftermath, Aaron is arrested. Lee finds Felix being carried away by the ambulance and tells him that getting shot is "the blackest thing", and grants him the money. A year later, Aaron now works at an electronics store, where he now uses more slang as part of his conversations. Kate runs into him and is taken aback by his new personality. Aaron then stares at the camera as the frame freezes and the credits roll.
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Trivia[]
- This episode was originally listed as the final episode of the season.