"Go for Broke" is the third episode of the first season of Atlanta. It is the third episode of the series overall. It was released on September 13, 2016 on FX.
Premise[]
This man Earn broke as hell. How you gone go out on a date with no money? Umm mhmm these Atlanta dudes trifling. But Ok, Paper Boi might really be about that life tho.
Plot[]
Earnest Marks gets food at a Zesto and orders a kids meal to save money, but the cashier is adamant that he must be a child to do so. After an argument about the semantics of the name "kids meal", Earn gives in and asks for a water cup, filling it with soda when the cashier is not looking. The restaurant's janitor notices him, and he makes a "shhh" motion at her as he walks away.
Earn walks to Alfred Miles' place in the rain, using his jacket as an umbrella. As he smokes and plays video games with Al, he laments that he needs to find a better way to make money. Al notes that he sells drugs (which Earn warns him against, as he is now higher profile) and that he has a deal with a group of Mexicans called the "Migos" that night. Darius loads a gun in the background over a box of cereal, then warns them that there is likely a bullet in the box now. Later, Vanessa Keifer returns home with Lottie, annoyed with Earn for his inaction in their daughter's upbringing. She notes that he smells like weed and he responds that "I never ride you for doing what you want to do with your life." Van retorts that he in fact does as they get into bed, and Earn tries to apologize by offering to take her to dinner. She rejects it, feeling as though he has done too little, and he mocks her type in men until she points out that he is only making fun of himself. She asks why he is always turning her into "the angry black woman" and they argue over who is more of a stereotype. He sniffs her armpits and observes that she had a hard day, and Van chuckles and notes that "you like it." He responds with "I love it."
Earn wakes up to find Van gone and checks his bank account, finding a little under a hundred dollars. He calls his coworker for advice, having done the math and finding he can only use $62 on the date, and is given the location of a cheap but seasoned restaurant. He takes a saved bottle of champagne off the top of a cabinet and puts it in the fridge, observing that he "might just win tonight." As Al and Darius clean their guns and Darius reveals that he calls his "daddy," which Al is put off by. They debate the ethics over a woman using the words "daddy" and "papi" in bed, and Al flatly points out that he just calls his weapon "gun" when asked. The Migos text Al that they will be meeting at 9:00 that night and Darius announces he will show up with the briefcase of product handcuffed to his wrist, because "it's professional."
Not wanting to spend money on a valet, Earn pulls Van's car up to a man who appears to run a local parking business. He warns them that they need to be back by 11:00 because of street gangs and explains that he is not actually a parking spot renter, and Van makes Earn valet when she realizes the man is charging the same amount as the restaurant. Al and Darius are led into the woods by one of the dealers, who takes them to an RV with a campfire going outside, Darius realizing they left the key for the handcuffs at home. The Migos are actually the rap group Migos, Quavo being their leader. He has the two sit while they take care of other business, revealed to be a man stripped to his underwear stuffed in the RV's compartment. Quavo gives the man his clothes back while he begs for his life, and Darius frantically gestures to Al to get the handcuffs off of him somehow, to Al's annoyance.
Earn is horrified to learn the restaurant has changed ownership and is now seafood-based, their waitress upselling Van despite Earn trying to pay as little as possible. He texts someone under the table and Van notices, but he denies it. She teases him about his passive "sad boy face" and he briefly leaves her to ask the bartender to keep track of how much he is spending, who laughs at him for being "broke as fuck." As the man continues to beg for his life, Darius quietly asks Al if the key is in his shoes, who snarkily asks why it would be there. Quavo decides to let the man go, but grabs a rifle and fires at him as he runs away, initially missing and then hitting him in the back, killing him. Darius asks if Al checked his jacket, who sighs and says he did.
Earn states his belief that humans need a chance to fail to learn how to be happy. Van says she understands, but reminds him that Lottie needs him to be more in her life to succeed. She goes to the bathroom and the waitress returns to try and get Earn to buy dessert, who angrily brushes her off and sighs defeatedly when he sees the check. The dealers make Al nervous during the deal until Earn calls him, Quavo making him put it on speaker. Earn begs Al to wire him twenty dollars, which he agrees to. A relieved Earn asks how he is doing, wondering how the deal went and mentioning that they brought guns, causing Al to abruptly hang up. Darius starts to ask why he didn't tell Earn where they were, and Al tells him to stop talking. Earn pays and Van leaves a tip when he refuses to, and in the background, the parking space man from earlier approaches a restaurant patron to tell him his car is being towed.
Quavo apologizes for the gunplay earlier, wanting to make sure Al and Darius were trustworthy. His loudmouthed cousin Tanqueray arrives as Darius awkwardly explains the predicament with the handcuffs. Quavo tells him they have a solution to the problem, and Al and Darius look at each other nervously. The dealers simply take the money out of the briefcase and the two leave peacefully, Al noting that Tanqueray "look like he gonna die tonight." Van shuts herself in Lottie's bedroom as she and Earn argue and insult each other's career choices. He insists that his manager career will enable him to provide for Lottie and that if Van won't let him work for himself, to let him work for Lottie. She opens the door and summarizes his speech as "some dumbass shit." He goes outside to report his debit card stolen in hopes of cancelling the money spent on dinner and takes a drink of his champagne. He murmurs that "champagne's the worst" but takes another drink regardless.
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