Following Earnest, Alfred, Darius, and Van’s European adventures, the fourth episode of ‘Atlanta’ season 3 returns to the titular city for another eerie standalone episode in the manner of the season opener. In the fourth episode, viewers meet a new protagonist, Marshall Johnson (Justin Bartha), a white guy from Atlanta who is forced to pay for his ancestor’s role in slavery due to a restitution statute.

As it investigates the long-term impact of slavery on the African American community and how society has regarded slavery in the years since its abolition, the episode illustrates numerous alarming socioeconomic shifts in society. If you’re wondering what happens to Marshall in the midst of the unclear circumstances, here’s everything you need to know about the season 3 episode 4 ending of ‘Atlanta’! WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Recap of Atlanta Season 3 Episode 4

The fourth episode, titled ‘The Big Payback,’ begins with Marshall Johnson, a white American man, going about his daily routine. He stops at a coffee shop to have a cup of coffee before picking up his daughter from his wife’s house and dropping her off at school. Marshall finally arrives to his office. However, a suspicious automobile is following Marshall the entire time. Marshall listens to the news on the radio on his walk to work. A black man has won a lawsuit against a wealthy businessman over his ancestors’ slavery. The black man said that the businessman owed him money for enslaved and forcing his forefathers to labor without paying them.

The case causes a sensation throughout America, and members of the African American community begin to demand money on identical grounds. While everyone else at the firm is panicking and expecting layoffs, Marshall continues to work as usual and seems unconcerned about the situation. Marshall collects his daughter from school, and she confronts him about the event. Marshall assuages her by assuring her that everything is alright. However, later that night, a woman named Sheniqua Johnson knocks at Marshall’s home and demands $3 million for the enslavement of her ancestors by the Johnson family.

Marshall begs Sheniqua to leave him alone, but she insists on money. Sheniqua creates a ruckus at Marshall’s workplace the next day. Marshall, who is distressed, seeks help from his colleagues but can not see a clear answer to the situation. He tries to talk to his wife, Natalie, about the problem. Natalie, on the other hand, is adamant about declaring their divorce by completing the divorce process. Marshall is also barred from seeing his daughter. Marshall returns home depressed, only to discover Sheniqua and her pals waiting for him. Marshall escapes the scene and spends the night in a hotel debating whether or not to pay Sheniqua.

Atlanta Season 3 Episode 4: Will Marshall Pay Sheniqua?

In the closing part of the episode, Marshall finds himself in a modest hotel where he encounters Earnest, another man in a similar circumstance to his. Marshall expresses that, while what his forefathers did was bad, it happened a long time ago. Marshall believes that he had no part in his ancestors’ actions and should not pay the consequences. Furthermore, Sheniqua’s demand for money is bold and will have an impact on his and his daughter’s financial security in the future. Earnest, on the other hand, emphasizes that they must do their share to make things right. Slavery was a brutal system that, despite being abolished, had a significant impact on the African American community’s possibilities. As a result, Earnest argues that Marshall owes Sheniqua money. Furthermore, Earnest tells Marshall that, despite the fact that he appears to be losing everything, he will be alright.

Marshall ultimately agrees to pay Sheniqua despite the fact that he lacks the funds she requires. Marshall sells his house and loses his job. He starts working as a server in a restaurant. Marshall gives Sheniqua a modest amount of his monthly salary as restitution for his ancestors’ actions. Marshall eventually finds solace in the notion that others around him are in a similar circumstance. As Marshall serves some customers at his restaurant, the episode concludes with a glimpse at the show’s vision of an economically equal society. A huge section of the American people has been robbed of their riches by paying for their ancestors’ role in slavery, which has been redistributed in society. People who pay reparation, on the other hand, are doing well, signaling that society is heading toward a future in which everyone, regardless of financial or economic background, has equal possibilities.