Atlanta Recap: Season 1, Ep. 3 – “Go For Broke” - Page 2

Atlanta has already proven itself worthy of Hollywood’s attention; the city itself and the show named after it. After a phenomenal first week on FX — over a million viewers — Earn and his squad continue the clever conversation steeped in dry wit and authenticity this week.

“Go For Broke” opens with our protagonist attempting to cop a kids’ meal from one of the city’s staple spots, Zesto’s — another small detail that didn’t go unnoticed by longtime residents of the A. As he haggles with the overzealous, newly made manager over whether or not she ought to sell a grown man a child’s portion, it’s clear that his cousin/client Paper Boi hasn’t hit that rap lick just yet.

Earn heads to Paper’s crib, bumping Kodak Black’s “SKRT” and shielding his head from the rain with his work blazer. Over a blunt and video games, Earn talks money with his cousin while their spaced out homie Darius irons out crushed bills, no doubt collected from desperate two-second drug deals. “I sell drugs. It’s lucrative.” Paper shares. “It’s how we pay for studio time, clothes, videos and weed without a lame ass job.”

Money versus happiness seems to be the running theme with Earn throughout this episode. He manages to piss off Vanessa, the mother of his child, again. So he offers to take her out on a date. Yes, their odd “I love you but you don’t understand where I am” relationship is still going.

CONTINUED

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Photo: screen cap

A friend suggests a low-key chill spot with a cheap menu that wouldn’t dig too deep into his $96 pockets but the chipper waitress ends all talk of a thrifty date night with one line: “We don’t do that anymore… We got a new owner from New Orleans and he’s kinda changing it up.” Vanessa, not knowing her man’s exact situation, promptly follows up by ordering a drink, urging Earn to do the same. She also accepted the server’s suggestion of the most expensive plate in the restaurant, listed at the dreaded “market price,” and Earn looks like he could be buried right there, in the restaurant, under the table. Poor guy.

Meanwhile, Darius and Paper are way up in the Georgia mountains somewhere dropping money off to “the Mexicans, the ‘migos” for some major dope in return. They’re led to an RV and the Migos make their appearance, the actual Migos, but you know, here, as a mini-drug cartel.

Before doing business though, Quavo, as the lead, decides to scare some sense into these new guys, ordering one of his minions to pull something out of an undercarriage of the vehicle. They do as they’re told and a man plops out onto the greenery before them in his drawers. He’s crying. “Put some clothes on,” Quavo tells him. “It’s cold out.” The man is commanded to then, run home to “the city.” Quavo asks for Percy. Percy ends up being a shotgun. On the second try, Quavo hits the man and he lands with a thud amongst the trees. There’s a lot going on.

They get into the RV and Earn calls Paper, asking for an emergency $25 to his account since it’s looking like he doesn’t have the overdraft protection plan on his debit card and the check is going to be way more than he’d planned for. Quavo makes Paper put the call on speakerphone and Earn runs his yap. “Did you guys meet up with those Mexicans y’all were mad scared of?” Perhaps the only thing that saved their rep — since they actually looked scared to death — was the “fourth Migo” that walked in, a husky Middle-Eastern (?) cat who Quavo introduced as his cousin. This last Migo fanned out over Paper and it saved his ass. The money was handed over and it looks like Paer and Darius will have a flourishing drug empire in a bit.

Back in the A, Vanessa and Earn walk into the house continuing an argument from the car. We didn’t see them arguing in the car, but we all know what that tension is like by the time y’all get indoors. You could cut it with a butter knife.

CONTINUED

Concerned about the welfare of their daughter, Vanessa suggests a job opening to him, Earn replies, “I gonna become somebody you hate at a job like that.” She insults him, flippantly. “Well you’re doing that already being a rapper is something a high school kid wants to do.” They exchange another couple of hurtful digs and by the night’s end, after all that finagling just to take Vanessa out on a date, Earn calls his card in as stolen.

Oh, what a night. Paper gotta make another hit, quick.