What I’m Watching: Atlanta

Atlanta: Season 2, Episode 7 “Champagne Papi” (B-)

Of course this show would have an episode about one of its characters trying to find a celebrity musician at a party. The manner in which it all played out is very typical of this show, with Van wandering through Drake’s humongous residential home in search of the VIP room that she saw on her phone, trying on clothes and scents along the way. Meeting his Spanish-speaking grandfather and finding out that he’s been on a Euro Tour the entire time was a fittingly disappointing ending. After an installment featuring just Darius, Van got her own spotlight here which showed just how much thinking about Earn is dragging down her life. Fittingly, he didn’t appear, but Darius did show up at the end to wax philosophic about how they’re not really there, babble that Van didn’t have any patience for. I’m not sure what the point of this episode was supposed to be, though there’s plenty of symbolism to be found in the line for photos with the Drake cutout so that they could make it seem like he was there. Drake’s nutritionist’s cousin was definitely overeager, but his willingness to go get Van food when she went into the bathroom made it seem like he wasn’t a bad guy or any real threat. The conversation about white women and black men was rather overt, and I’d like to get back to seeing the main characters on this show experience normal relationship problems and struggle to successfully pursue a music career.