S02.E09: North of the Border

[announcergirl]

The possibility arises to make a move; it is believed Paper Boi will be at a pajama party.

[Jade Foxx]

Am I wrong for enjoying Earn's mental and physical ass kicking this ep?

[JenE4]

“Shake that Laffy Taffy. That Laffy Taffy...” Dying. This is apparently an actual song, according to YouTube. I thought for sure it was one of the show’s spoofs, like in the Justin Bieber episode last season or the soda commercial.

Whelp, we guessed the build up was going to be to Al firing Earn. Now we wait and see whether this is the impetus to change Earn for the better—so far signs not looking good. I get that he blamed Tracy for getting between him and Al since day 1. Earn was going to ask Al whether he could move in—but surprise, Tracy is already living there. Earn gets a windfall from Darius’s get-rich-quick scheme, which he promptly loses to Tracy’s get-rich-quick scheme. Earn is angry that Tracy is on the payroll for pretending to be security, when meanwhile Earn is pretending to be a manager. Yeah, they’re both trying, but neither has the experience or training to really know what to do. It’s certainly easier to just “fake it ‘til you make it” as hired muscle than to negotiate music contracts and build a client’s music career—though probably day 1 in security guard school they probably teach you not to throw a woman down the stairs via her face, even if she is acting irrational. Though instead of Earn being introspective or asking Al what HE could do better as a manager to get a second chance or even ask if he can work with the other manager to learn the ropes or just be part of the entourage like Tracy and Darius or something, Earn blames Tracy. Tracy is 3 times your size, how do you think that’s going to go? But that seemed to be the theme of the entire show—ignore ALL red flags and warning signs about interacting with ALL of these people. What can go wrong?

[drivethroo]

22 minutes ago, JenE4 said:

“Shake that Laffy Taffy. That Laffy Taffy...” Dying. This is apparently an actual song, according to YouTube. 

It's quite old, released in 2005. 

 

25 minutes ago, JenE4 said:

I get that he blamed Tracy for getting between him and Al since day 1. Earn was going to ask Al whether he could move in—but surprise, Tracy is already living there. Earn gets a windfall from Darius’s get-rich-quick scheme, which he promptly loses to Tracy’s get-rich-quick scheme.

No one told Earn he couldn't ask Al to move in and nobody told Earn to give Tracy all the windfall money.  That was all on him.  Earn doesn't want to take responsibility for his actions.

[JenE4]

29 minutes ago, drivethroo said:

 

No one told Earn he couldn't ask Al to move in and nobody told Earn to give Tracy all the windfall money.  That was all on him.  Earn doesn't want to take responsibility for his actions.

Right, that was my point—instead of taking accountability for improving as a manager, he blames all of it on Tracy when it has nothing to do with Tracy—and he’s been doing that since the moment he met Tracy.

[tennisgurl]

1 hour ago, JenE4 said:

“Shake that Laffy Taffy. That Laffy Taffy...” Dying. This is apparently an actual song, according to YouTube. I thought for sure it was one of the show’s spoofs, like in the Justin Bieber episode last season or the soda commercial.

 

Oh no, Laffy Taffy is a very real song. It was big when I was in high school, and it was played during just about every school dance I had from sophomore to senior year. An edited version, but yeah, that was a blast from the past for me. Such a stupid song, but so fun to get down to when your fifteen. 

The people on this show really have a habit of running into the weirdest freaking people dont they? Any run to the store can lead to a surreal Odyssey through their subconscious, brought upon by finding the biggest weirdos in Atlanta and getting stuck with them. I could have told Earn crashing with a girl he met in Instagram was gonna end badly, but that girl really was something. I cracked up when she was telling her whole story about her eating Al in her dream, while he was just like "ummmm" and looked super confused. Al just has the best reactions to the madness going on around him.

Al firing Earn was pretty much inevitable, but of course, Earn takes it badly. One of Earns biggest faults, beyond his constant Too Cool for School attitude, is that he never takes responsibility for his own actions. Instead of trying to talk to Al about what he wants him to do as his manager, he just gets mad and starts blaming Tracey. Earn has never liked Tracey and his get rich quick schemes and law breaking, but he really doesn't have anything to do with Earn and his managerial skills. He wasn't wrong that Tracey escalated things, but, again, its not his fault that that Al fired him. And he to know that he would get his ass kicked if he tried to fight Tracey. That was just sad to witness. It wasn't dancing naked to Laffy Taffy embarrassing, but it was another blow to Earns ego. 

There has got to be a whole paper to be written just about the imagine of the three guys on a sofa with a giant confederate flag behind them as the white frat boy talks about how much he loves snap music, while he orders his pledges around like his property, with a shit ton of old timie guns on the wall behind him. Just...yeah. A lot to unpack there. 

[meep.meep]

I don't blame Alfred for firing Earn, but I think if Earn had tried to talk to him about what he wanted him to do, he would have blown him off.  Al just wants to be managed.  He doesn't want to think about what he wants done.  He's had success with one song - have we ever seen him writing new songs?  He's just as unmotivated and ineffectual as Earn.

[ridethemaverick]

Oh man, hearing Laffy Taffy brought back so many memories. That's a dance floor classic. Don't @ me.

The only school I know of in Statesboro is Georgia Southern (the fake GSU) so if that's what they were going for, they nailed it. Also, the segregated parties and the white frat guy having no idea there was a major pajama jammy jam happening 1000 feet away was so real.

The pledges, the rebel flag, the guns...it was all so surreal.

I felt bad for Earn for about 30 seconds but he really brought that all on himself. A random Instagram chick? Come on, man. 

I'm still ruminating...

[JenE4]

I feel like I missed the greatest hit of 2005 and it’s sending me into an existential crisis. You’re all out there in 2005 shaking your Laffy Taffy. Where was I? I grew up in the era of The Electric Slide, and my kids are just too young for it, so unless there was a Kidz Bop version of Laffy Taffy... The simplicity of the Cassio keyboard auto beat is everything.

Edited April 28, 2018 by JenE4

[Racj82]

Enjoy at your own risk.

[JenE4]

Robbin' Season's True Criminal Is Revealed In The Latest Episode Of 'Atlanta'

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/atlanta-season-2-episode-9_us_5ae35a94e4b04aa23f22f60d

[scrb]

On 4/28/2018 at 12:27 AM, meep.meep said:

I don't blame Alfred for firing Earn, but I think if Earn had tried to talk to him about what he wanted him to do, he would have blown him off.  Al just wants to be managed.  He doesn't want to think about what he wants done.  He's had success with one song - have we ever seen him writing new songs?  He's just as unmotivated and ineffectual as Earn.

That's amazing if they're still riding that one song.

Its not like MC Hammer getting all the airplay on MTV back in the day and making a fortune from one song -- then squandering it.

[Dee]

Earn has had that beating, as mild as it was, given the relative circumstances, coming a long time.

[Racj82]

1 hour ago, Dee said:

Earn has had that beating, as mild as it was, given the relative circumstances, coming a long time.

Mild is not the word I would use to describe that beating. Yes, it could have been worse. It still wasn't mild. He looked like he just got his ass kicked by Mike Tyson.

[DearEvette]

The fact that Al can go anywhere in Atlanta and be instantly recognized by a wide demographic, and yet the only "perks" Earn can get him is to stay for free at the house of a sketchy star-fucker proves that Earn just doesn't know what he is doing.  If Al's girlfriend, the ex-stripper now Instagram celeb, is more aware of the sorts of things that management can demand for a person like PaperBoi than Earn does is yet another brick in that wall.  Earn needed to be fired.  That was a conversation that needed to happen.

That said, I felt more of Earn's frustration this episode than I did during the 100 dollar bill episode. And I can't say I don't blame him when it comes to Tracy.  He is just one of those people...

Fun fact:  my husband was re-watching season one and in the episode where Van has to take a drug test after a night of smoking weed with her friend, she seeks advice from Al who gives her the 'use someone else's urine' as a tip from someone named Bibby.  So Bibby was hustlin' even in season 1!

[Sheenieb]

Quote

He's had success with one song - have we ever seen him writing new songs?  He's just as unmotivated and ineffectual as Earn.

 

He is. Al put more effort into finding a new connect than he does for his music. It's clear that selling drugs is what his "passion" is. Rapping is the side hustle.

Tracy gave Earn the type of ass-whooping that makes you reflect on all of your life choices. That being said, Tracy does need to go. He's that dude that will have you broke AF. And he'll stay causing trouble.

Earn's firing wasn't a surprise. Though begrudgingly, I will admit that there were times when Earn seemed to be putting deals together for Al, but Al flaked. He tried to set up whatever that deal was at that tech company, Al walked out. He mentioned some paperwork last episode, Al didn't look at it.   So in fairness, I can't say that the low-budgetness of Al's career is solely on Earn. Al wanted to remain anonymous while getting money as Paper Boi. Anything done to advance was rejected. Now that he's had his existential crisis, he's starting to take his career a little bit more seriously, and Earn has to go. I just hope that Al also acknowledges his part of why his life constantly goes left. It isn't all Earn's fault. 

[Court]

On 4/27/2018 at 2:21 PM, Jade Foxx said:

Am I wrong for enjoying Earn's mental and physical ass kicking this ep?

If you're wrong, so am I. Maybe this  will give him the kick in the ass he needs.

At least, he finally tried to do something.

Paper Boi doesn't seem all that easy to manage either. All he wants is some weed. Earn should do more but Paper Boi seems to just be waiting around doing nothing as well.

[talktoomuch]

I miss Season 1 Earn smooth talking the janitor so he could sneak into the radio station and sneak-bribe the cool white dude to play Paper Boi's single on the radio. Come back Hustling Earn!

One thing's clear: The Woods changed Al. Looks like he's no longer ok with just drifting. I'm proud of him for having that tough conversation with his cousin. 

That footprint on the ceiling tho...

[xaxat]

10 hours ago, Sheenieb said:

Tracy gave Earn the type of ass-whooping that makes you reflect on all of your life choices. That being said, Tracy does need to go. He's that dude that will have you broke AF. And he'll stay causing trouble.

Those are the hardest people to get rid of.

[drivethroo]

Quote

The fact that Al can go anywhere in Atlanta and be instantly recognized by a wide demographic, and yet the only "perks" Earn can get him is to stay for free at the house of a sketchy star-fucker proves that Earn just doesn't know what he is doing.  If Al's girlfriend, the ex-stripper now Instagram celeb, is more aware of the sorts of things that management can demand for a person like PaperBoi than Earn does is yet another brick in that wall.  Earn needed to be fired.  That was a conversation that needed to happen.

I know when I was in college, we had a programming board that would book acts and they would be responsible for paying the entertainers.

Sometimes individual organizations would throw an event and they would ask for assistance from the university programming board to help put it on & pay the entertainers.

Pajama Jam seemed like it was put on by the Black Student Organization(s).  The white frat boys had no idea what it was and perhaps the white students in general had no idea what it was (although I did see a few white students in the background of the campus center after the concert).  If it was a campus wide event, the white frat boys who were Paper Boi fans* would've known he was on campus that night and may have even attended.

I want to know if Clark County got paid for his performance.  Because if Clark County got paid, Paper Boi should've been paid as well.  I doubt seriously Clark County performed at Pajama Jam for free.  Even if Paper Boi only got $500 for his performance, $500 is still better than free.

Earn, having attended a fairly large school like Princeton and being Paper Boi's manager, should have known that universities pay their entertainers.  If the Black Student Organization couldn't pay Paper Boi, Earn should have made them pay for lodging.  But I think the organization could have paid Paper Boi something.  There's no reason why somebody who has a gold record, has a song on the radio, being blasted by white surburban mothers on YouTube and instantly recognizable around town should be performing for free.

*The white frat boys were Paper Boi fans, yet they didn't know he was going to be performing on campus that night.  That is 100% Earn's fault. Even if Paper Boi doesn't want to post to social media, Earn should've had Paper Boi social media accounts set up to promote his events so fans like the white frat boys would know when and where Paper Boi was having a performance.  It's just one more example of why Earn is not able enough to be Paper Boi's manager anymore.

[Dee]

I can't believe they cut this!

[AgentRXS]

I thought of TLC when I saw the three of them in their silk pajamas when watching the episode, so that deleted clip is everything. I wish they would've  cut some of Tracy's scenes out to include this.

[DearEvette]

Aw man, that would have been great to include.  Would remind us why we like them together in the first place instead of the relentless downer vibe we are getting so much of this season.  A nice moment of fun, friendship, levity, and a great throwback reference with the perfect visuals.  Sigh.

[BonnieD]

Quote

Tracy does need to go. He's that dude that will have you broke AF. And he'll stay causing trouble.

Those are the hardest people to get rid of.

See, I have a real problem with people who can't just say "no" to other people. ie. when Al let himself be dragged all over town by his barber, although, granted, he needed the rest of his hair cut. I think many, many people are too afraid to flat out refuse a request and then not deviate from their stand. It's a personal peeve of mine. If you continually make a doormat of yourself, others will wipe their feet. Tracy needs to be told to leave. Period. 

[terxav]

Tracy was recently released from jail, schemed Earn out of 4,000.00 dollars and has been sleeping on Paper Boi’s couch.  So given how he is constantly eating, is Paper Boi taking care of another grown man?  I mean Tracy gave him a look in the kitchen like he could not be kicked out the house.  Oh, if he has been living there for months rent free room and board him doing security and Al paying him.  I am thinking when Al said h3 could respect Tracy because he was earning the money for being security.  Why not say ‘oh we are going to ??????? You are going to be security. Contribute to the house you have been squatting in for months.’   They should have made Tracy a cousin from Paper Boi’s father side of the family.  He would be family to Paper Boi but not Earn.  The dynamic would flow better.    Oh do you think the left overs Tracy was eating was the Pasta that Darius made back in the Woods episode?  Paper Boi was wearing a band aid on his nose so that episode had to be close in time to this one.  I remember Darius literally putting his foot in it, and now someone is eating 5hat pasta,  lol

[xaxat]

On 4/30/2018 at 5:52 AM, xaxat said:

Those are the hardest people to get rid of.

That's one way to do it.

[mrsbagnet]

On 5/1/2018 at 9:07 AM, AgentRXS said:

I thought of TLC when I saw the three of them in their silk pajamas when watching the episode, so that deleted clip is everything.

All they were missing was a wind machine.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 4/27/2018 at 4:51 PM, tennisgurl said:

I cracked up when she was telling her whole story about her eating Al in her dream, while he was just like "ummmm" and looked super confused. Al just has the best reactions to the madness going on around him.

Part of it was in response to seeing a bloody footprint on the ceiling!

On 4/27/2018 at 6:27 PM, meep.meep said:

I don't blame Alfred for firing Earn, but I think if Earn had tried to talk to him about what he wanted him to do, he would have blown him off.  Al just wants to be managed.  He doesn't want to think about what he wants done.  He's had success with one song - have we ever seen him writing new songs?  He's just as unmotivated and ineffectual as Earn.

The boys who mugged him in the previous episode praised his new single, so I think he's had more than one.