Atlanta: Zazie Beetz on the Shocking, Somber Finale and What We May See in Season 2

If you were feeling a little bit sad ahead of Atlanta's final episode for a while, it's totally understandable; as evidenced by critical reception, ratings and social media buzz, the FX dramedy is not only one of the best new shows of 2016 but like nothing else on TV thanks to its singular, cinematic look and quirky stories.

Mid-way through the episode, Earn (Donald Glover), Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry) and Darius (Keith Stanfield) witness a gruesome, shocking shooting of a suspect by police that was jarring even by this show's standards.

Through we've seen Atlanta's abstract, existential filter applied to "touchy" topics such as racism, transphobia, police brutality and more all season, seeing a man gunned down in front of a screaming infant took things to a whole new level.

Beetz said that in reading the script for the episode, it "felt lighter" than it did when shooting it; she too was shocked to see it play out.

Most everyone calls Atlanta a comedy but, "A lot of times I picked up on the darker tones, the more serious nature of it," she said.

Earn and Van get cozier and seem like they could make their relationship work; Paper Boi gets invited to go on tour, hinting at greater stardom for him -- the season just sort of fades to black.

[...] Van coming to terms with his dream being an accessible thing -- that it's not just a fantasy but that people can be creative and support their families.