Awkwafina is Nora from Queens season 1, episode 2 recap: Atlantic City

Awkwafina is Nora from Queens lives life large in “Atlantic City.” Was that a rabbit? Mountain Dew Tequila? Will grandma finish her soap opera? Let’s recap!

This week’s episode of Awkwafina is Nora from Queens was even funnier than the “Pilot.” And I thought that was one of the best pilots I’ve seen in a while, comedy or otherwise. “Atlantic City” was written by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong (The Orville) and directed by Jamie Babbit (Russian Doll). Where the “Pilot” had more episodic vignettes that did a great job of setting up Nora’s (Awkwafina) world, “Atlantic City” is a more streamlined presentation of a day in Nora’s life. Keeping it simple is important here because a lot of whacked-out, hilarious stuff happens to her along the way.

The Time of Your Life All Over Again

Grandma (Lori Tan Chinn) was set to take a day trip to Atlantic City. Dad (BD Wong) was off working. That left Nora with the whole apartment to herself for the day. She took a shower, waxed around her joy division, and set her attitude to sexy. Then she closed the door to her room, pulled the drapes, and got into bed. Who needs Zoosk when you’ve got a 3 in 1 Rabbit (or a Golden Triangle Triple Threat), a massive magic wand, and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights on your external DVD drive? Not Nora. 2020 is all about self-love, folks.

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But before any of the fun happened, Grandma was at Nora’s door. Her best friend was in a terrible accident. She survived, but her pelvis was left in shambles. Grandma didn’t want to waste the extra bus ticket, so she guilt-tripped Nora into going to AC with her. On the bus, Grandma wanted to hang out with Grandma #1 (Wai Ching Ho) and her other friends. So, Nora was left to find a seat on her own. She sat next to a sleeping older man wearing a YOLO hat that was that Miami shade of neon blue while the bus driver put on Hostel 2 for entertainment.

Nora discovered a wonderful truth about the bus trip to AC. Everyone on board was given a $60 gambling voucher. If you don’t use it by the end of the trip, you get the cash. But, to Nora that would just be wasting the entire trip. It’s Atlantic City. Nora was staked to participate in its main cultural import: gambling.

Hit Me with Mountain Dew Tequila

Sure, Nora was geeked to gamble. But, at first, she stuck to penny slots. They were safe until she got chased away by a casino woman in a Hoveround (Venida Evans) begging her for money. That’s when Nora moved to the Black Jack table. Jimbo the Dealer (James Ciccone) had to explain the game to her, but soon Nora was swimming in chips, enjoying free Mountain Dew Tequilas, and testing her newfound luck on trying to pick up a newly married young woman (Crosby Fitzgerald).

This is where the episode could have gone ultra formulaic. Nora starts winning. Nora sees a way out of living at home. Nora loses everything on one last bet. But, no. Not on Awkwafina is Nora from Queens. Nora just started to give her winnings away. If you had a good cause, or if you were just sitting near her, you were likely going to score some chips. My favorite was when she gave money to a dad for his kid’s college fund. It was the Nora from Queens scholarship fund.

All of the Black Jack fun ended when the lucky dad asked Nora what her secret was. What she explained was the definition of card counting. Nora didn’t know that was illegal. But the casino sure did. Nora was thrown out by casino security (Jamar Greene). Now roaming the beachfront, Nora spotted an old high school classmate who was doing someone’s hair on a bench. As soon as Nora said hi to Melanie (Chrissie Fit), she ran away from her.

Nora caught her and offered to buy her a drink. Melanie revealed she was having a hard time. Sure, she graduated from Emerson on a full ride. She’d had jobs for Buzzfeed and other digital video services. But no one was really looking for online content producers these days. So, she did hair on the beach to make ends meet. Nora tried to cheer Melanie up by explaining that she was the actual loser here. She hasn’t had as many jobs in her life compared to what Melanie’s had in the last year. Nora tries to convince Melanie to move back to New York. Melanie declines and goes off to the beach and the constant threat of lice.

Who’s Got the Power

Meanwhile, Grandma and her friends were having a good time doing what they always do in AC: sit around the food court and watch stuff on their iPads. They were about to move to their favorite table when another group of grandmas showed up. This was frustrating because that table had the only power outlet in the food court. And, Grandma’s iPad died just as she was getting to the end of her movie. The group of other grandmas watching over her shoulder were maximumly distressed.

Grandma and Grandma # 1 discussed their options. They could just go and ask the other grandmas if they could use the outlet to charge their iPad. But, there are international concerns. Grandma is Chinese. The other grandmas are Korean. There is a potential for escalation. Still, Grandma approached Korean Grandma 1 (MeeWha Alana Lee) and politely asked if she could charge her iPad. Korean Grandma 1 said no. Her own iPad was only at 89% and was rarely kept under 100%.

An epic war of words ensued. Eclipse level shade was thrown. Grandmas were dragged profusely. Off-camera, there was a small rumble that was potent enough to leave Grandma’s arm in a sling. Back on the bus headed home, Nora considered the day that she had. did everything go the way she thought it would. No. But she had some adventures, saw Grandma in action, and welcomed an old friend back into her life. That’s right. Melanie boarded the bus back to Queens. She was ready to give life a fresh chance. The bus driver put on Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights on for entertainment. Nora pulled a blanket over herself, checked for peepers, and the bouncy bus self love that she had earned.

What did you think of “Atlantic City?” Do you think Awkwafina is Nora from Queens is already finding its groove? Let’s discuss in the comments!