Love & Ping-Pong: 'Atlanta' Recap - Season 2, Ep. 4

Source: Guy D’Alema / Guy D’Alema/FX

Episode 4 of Atlanta titled “Helen” laid it on thick for its faithful viewers. The focus was centered on Earn and Van’s situationship—we won’t dare call it a relationship. As serious as the episode was there were definitely some moments that got reactions out of those tuned in. 

SPOILERS AHEAD.

Episode 4 opens up with Earn and Van engaged in some adult bedroom activities pretty much putting on display what Earn really appreciates the most out of his current situation with Van.

https://twitter.com/kidd_neutronn/status/977003103731019777

It can also serve as Van getting in more ways than one also. She’s getting broken off physically and on top of that Earn agrees to accompany her on an out- of- town trip to the village of Helen (located in Georgia white country) for an Oktoberfest gathering she looks forward to every year since she was young.

If you got “Get Out” vibes while watching this episode you are not alone there were plenty of moments that harkened back to the critically acclaimed movie. Just with certain aspects swapped out like a wild boar being in the middle of the road instead of deer and some nerve-wracking moments throughout the episode.

https://twitter.com/Sly_DaBeast/status/977005581012799489

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We definitely were worried about Van and Earn for a second once they arrived in the predominately- white environment where two white women are seen gawking at the couple through a glass window.

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Source: Guy D’Alema/FX / FX

Van tried to break down what to expect from the festivities once they arrived. One practice that stood out is the presence of people attending the festival in “traditional blackface”. Earn asks Van if she ever felt weird about that when she was a kid if she ever felt weird about it?  Van replied to Earn “I used to. But I’m kind of like the Serena Williams of the festival. They hate but they can’t deny the stats.”

We hear you Van.

Things get weird for Earn though when a women approaches Earn touching his face thinking he was in blackface. Twitter had something to say about that racist as hell moment.

Earn initially didn’t want a mask but after that moment he made sure to get one to ensure that nonsense doesn’t happen again.

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Source: Guy D’Alema / Guy D’Alema/FX

Earn is trying his best to make the most of the weird situation he is meanwhile Van is literally having the time of her life. They partake in a traditional game where they have to bounce a ball into a milk jug. Earn really has no idea what is going on even though Van tried to give him some direction. She can also clearly see that Earn is not feeling whatever the hell is going on. Earn gets frustrated with the game and eventually just grabs all of the balls and instead of bouncing them in the jug he just puts them in the jug.

The reaction he gets from the white folks to his action is weird as everyone is excited and puzzled at the same time at how exactly he did what he did. Twitter was puzzled as well.

https://twitter.com/e_chardeee/status/977005126182408195

https://twitter.com/Cole_World107/status/977004710937931777

Yeah, Earn time to get out seriously.

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This whole situation is just too much. Van flexes her half-German roots when both she and Earn visit the barn. The bartender and Van engage in a conversation but it’s entirely in German leaving Earn in the dark. It’s pretty obvious that the bartender is flirting with Van and both Earn and Twitter peep game.

https://twitter.com/SowmyaK/status/977005823720378368

That bartender aint slick at all.

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Source: Guy D’Alema / Guy D’Alema/FX

Every episode seems to feature a character outside of the main cast that has a moment and in episode 4 that person is Van’s friend Christina. After a fight with Earn and whooping his ass in a game of ping-pong, Van is trying to salvage the rest of the night by confiding in her. She quickly learns that her childhood friend is just a condescending frenemy. During an introduction to Christina’s white friends, she introduced her “friend” as “Lotte’s mom” and “Earn’s Girl”. Van was not too happy about that and questioned Christina why she didn’t properly introduce her to her friends by telling them her name? Her response to Van’s question was just ridiculous and she tells Van “since we were kids, I chose white, you chose black. It’s like you needed the identity.”

Van doesn’t take too kindly to being limited to just being Earn’s baby momma and lets Christina know it. Twitter didn’t appreciate the nonsense either.

https://twitter.com/ScarfaceTheChef/status/977016274021769217

https://twitter.com/afiab/status/977028051035983872

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Van beloved you need some new friends.

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Van is not having a good night, to say the least. She lost a friend and possibly her boyfriend/baby daddy and on top of that her phone. After another conversation with the flirty German bartender who gives her some sound advice on her current relationship, she breaks away from the pack to pee. Not to long ago Van lost her phone and was probably the victim of German demon prankster. After she cops a squat, she is startled by the German mascot. Earn punches the mascots head off into the trash and in the process finds her phone.

Once she recovers her phone she discovers she has a message from Earn stating that he wants to talk. Van finds Earn where they last had a discussion at the ping pong table. Van, who now has a new vibe when it comes to their situationship ask’s earn what does he want? Earn wants to keep their relationship the way it is, Van, on the other hand, wants more out of it instead of just being Earn’s convenient piece of tail honestly.

To settle it they play a high stakes game of ping pong. If Earn wins the situationship remains the same if Van wins he has to only interact with her if it involves their daughter or money. Ping Pong is definitely not Earn’s thing and Van pretty much beats the breaks off again. So now Earn is basically homeless and lost the closest thing he had to a girlfriend.

https://twitter.com/itsjus_Ry/status/977011404287938560

https://twitter.com/Sly_DaBeast/status/977010831996215296

We sincerely hope Earn’s luck gets better next week cause the L’ just keep coming.