It turns out that Van has been on a journey of self-reinvention, inspided by the French movie "Amélie," one of the highest-grossing foreign-language films in the U.S. Bits and pieces of the Jean-Pierre Jeunet classic's signature look and tone are present throughout, from Van's very Amélie Poulain-style clothes and bob hairdo wig — which just might be the one she was accused of stealing in "White Fashion" — to her casual interference with the people around her. As writer Stefani Robinson told The A.V. Club, this was very much the intention. However, this being "Atlanta," Van's actions have a distinctly different vibe from the episode's inspiration.
From absurd encounters with gangs and melee weapon baguettes to outright cannibalism, it's clear that Van's not living in a romantic comedy. Instead, her various missions involve all sorts of disturbing and violent behavior, as befits her nickname within the episode, Tarrare. This is a not-so-subtle reference to a real historical entertainer known as Tarrare, the man who couldn't stop eating. The historical Tarrare was always ravenously hungry and capable of eating virtually anything, reportedly up to and including a human being. Van herself refers to that last part in the episode, and indeed, she appears to be delivering ingredients for a very ... human-themed dinner, which a few characters later enjoy with cloth covering their heads, a manner reminiscent of the real-life practice of eating ortolan.
In the end, Candice (Adriyan Rae) manages to help Van drop her French-themed coping mechanism, which turns out to have a surprisingly tragic side. However, with "Atlanta" Season 4 reportedly continuing the Europe theme, it remains to be seen how her time in France impacts her, or where her future lies.
