Snipe Hunt (Atlanta)

In September 2022, FX announced that the seventh episode of the season would be titled "Snipe Hunt" and that it would be written by supervising producer Francesca Sloane and directed by executive producer Hiro Murai. This was Sloane's second writing credit, and Murai's 24th directing credit.[1]

The episode has a different aspect ratio than the rest of the show, as the episode was shot digitally and then printed to film.[2]

The episode was watched by 0.114 million viewers, earning a 0.05 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the Nielson ratings scale. This means that 0.05 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[3] This was a 55% decrease from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.253 million viewers with a 0.08 in the 18-49 demographics.[4]

"Snipe Hunt" received extremely positive reviews. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating, based on six reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10.[5]

Quinci LeGardye of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A-" and writing, "Compared to the last three episodes of Atlanta, a truly stellar run of laugh-out-loud examples of the show's chameleonic modes, 'Snipe Hunt' is very chill. There's no city landmarks or intricate surrealist set pieces; the conflict is interior instead of introducing some random antagonist like Nando or Zan. We don't meet any new characters other than the brief appearance by the campground owner, which may be a record for this show. Instead, director Hiro Murai and writer Francesca Sloane produce a quiet family drama in the middle of a vast campground, focusing on characters and giving us more time with Earn, Van, and Lottie as a family unit."[6]

Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone wrote, "After a run of very big and funny Atlanta episodes, 'Snipe Hunt' opts for a quieter, more wistful tone. Earn screws up with the tent, but he ultimately accomplishes his main goal for the camping trip. He convinces Van to join him in Los Angeles, not as a co-parent and friend, but as the life partner he has finally figured out that he wants her to be."[7]

Ile-Ife Okantah of Vulture gave the episode a 3 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "'Snipe Hunt' is also a much more heartfelt episode than I would have expected. Atlanta is known for its experimental nature and Afro-surrealist energy, so episodes like this sometimes fall flat for a viewer like me who is eager to dissect every twist and turn. But the episode seems to anticipate this reaction by producing an unsettling energy that keeps the viewers anxious about what's next."[8] Christian Hubbard of Full Circle Cinema gave the episode a perfect 10 out of 10 rating and wrote, "'Snipe Hunt', like the ones preceding it, doesn’t really carry a noticeable narrative thread with the rest of the final season. However, like the entire catalog of installments before it, it tells a story that feels tangible and easy to follow. The stakes are personal and that's okay because every story told on television should be."[9]