What’s Happening to Van on 'Atlanta'?

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( close read [Atlanta’s Van-ishing Act]( As the series’ narrative ambitions have grown, every character has benefited, save Zazie Beetz’s Van. Photo: Guy D’Alema/FX In Atlanta’s fourth-season premiere, Zazie Beetz’s Van gets lost. Some undetermined amount of time after the European antics in the [show’s uneven third season](, Van visits the Atlantic Station shopping district with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Earn (series creator and star Donald Glover), where Deborah Cox’s thematically appropriate “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here” plays on a loop on the outdoor speakers. After an eerie run-in with a seeming parade of their past romantic partners, the two return to the parking garage — but in a Seinfeld-esque twist, they can’t find their car. People they once dated keep tracking them down with vacantly casual greetings of “Long time, no see!” The garage grows darker and darker. Van and Earn get separated, and she’s left to fend for herself. It’s a recurring situation for Van, given that Atlanta has been abandoning this character for more than a season now. [Read More]( Devour pop culture with us. [Subscribe now](for unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: [Avongers Assomble]( • Southern Charm: [Georgia Preaches]( • Atlanta: [For the Culture]( • The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: [Visions and Portents]( Stories We Think You’ll Like 1. [Will This Finally Be Michelle Williams’s Year? Williams is the emotional backbone of Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, and this puts her in an Oscars sweet spot.]( 2. [The Persistence of Memory, Via David Strathairn He embodies the anti-Nazi resistance fighter Jan Karski in Remember This.]( 3. [The 7 Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch This Weekend The Woman King! Go see it!]( 4. [The Day Deadwood Died How a single phone call and “a clash of fucking egos,” as star Ian McShane put it, led to the abrupt end of the beloved HBO series.]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Today’s Crossword 19-Across, Five Letters: Emily in Paris hat. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images, MEGA/GC Images and Amazon Prime Studios Vulture Recommends We consume it all so you don’t have to. Writer and cartoonist Mimi Pond tells Vulture why she loves the [2009 comedy film Gentlemen Broncos]( — a celebration of nerdy sci-fi cheese — by Jared and Jerusha Hess. [Read more from Vulture]( A Saturday newsletter from the people who make New York Magazine. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe](param=vulture-daily) | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2022, All rights reserved