Reception
Viewers
The episode was watched by 0.561 million viewers, earning a 0.3 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the Nielson ratings scale. This means that 0.3 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. [4] This was a 22% decrease from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.714 million viewers with a 0.4 in the 18-49 demographics. [5]
With DVR factored, the episode was watched by 1.41 million viewers with a 0.8 in the 18-49 demographics. [6]
Critical reviews
"Money Bag Shawty" received extremely positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 91% approval rating for the episode, based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. [7]
Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A−" and wrote, "The more things change, the more they stay the same. That's especially true in Atlanta, a show that's most comfortable when its characters are in an awkward state of arrested development." [8] Ben Travers of IndieWire praised the episode but criticized Vick's appearance, "once Vick shows up, the conversation shifts. Why is Michael Vick in this episode? Why is he on this show? More specifically, why are the producers of Atlanta paying and, arguably, celebrating a man who spent 21 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring?" [9]
Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx wrote, "There's a sense of futility baked into Atlanta, where no matter how successful Paper Boi becomes, and no matter how much money Earn makes as his manager, things will never quite work out the way they want. It's basic comic/dramatic tension. But the many ways in which things don't work out are as surprising and fun as the understated character Donald Glover created for himself to play." [10] Matt Miller of Esquire wrote, "The spectrum of these perspectives points to the shades with which Atlanta colors these issues. Truly, there are 'problems between black and white relations in this country based on misunderstandings', and Atlanta is right to point out the nuances of this issue, as Donald Glover has always attempted to do with the show." [11] Bryan Washington of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Van is Atlanta's most elusive character, which is to say that she's the least autonomous. That's my issue with this episode, as with this series so far: We rarely get to see her on her own. Except for that one episode last season." [12]
Leigh-Anne Jackson of The New York Times wrote, "They both empathize with Earn's plight and ultimately hit him with some frank advice: In order to get treated like he's better than other people, he needs to start acting like he's better than them. If their skewed version of respect is truly what Earn's after, maybe it's time for him to tap into a little Princeton panache. Or, at the very least, an age-appropriate wardrobe." [13] Jacob Oller of Paste gave the episode a 8.5 out of 10 rating and wrote, "Last week, Atlanta showed us what happens when you give a taste of cash to someone who isn't ready for it and deny that taste to someone too thirsty for it. With 'Money Bag Shawty', the series suggests that money magnifies the essence of the person who has it: Earn has money, so of course the underdog is going to push his ego onto it." [14] Alison Herman of The Ringer wrote, "'Money Bag Shawty' is, in essence, an episode-long version of the line from last season in which Earn, explaining why he can't get Al the money he's due from a club appearance, whines: 'N----s know I drink juice and shit, man!' Given that locking down payment is the sum total of a manager's job, Earn has to put down the juice box before it's too late. Knowing Earn, though, he'll be too busy licking his Michael Vick–inflicted wounds. Remember what Uncle Willy said!" [15]