Summary: Jim tortures Barry using VR and learns that he gave $250,000 to Gene. Suspicious, Jim leaves. Barry escapes but cuts his hand and passes out. Gene gets a call from an agent looking for advice on the movie. He tempts Gene by saying they are making the movie with Daniel Day Lewis and Mark Wahlberg. Gene is suckered in and agrees to meet, but it's a trap set by Jim, who now suspects that Gene hired Barry to kill Janice. Hank sends four men to kill Fuches but they are all killed. Hank then tries to send a rocket at Fuches' house, it fails, and Hank barely escapes. Hank decides he will track down Barry. He watched Gene's house where Sally arrives with John, looking for help. Hank captures them and calls Barry. Barry wakes up and answers and learns that Hank is holding them hostage.
The Good: Barry didn't have a huge role in this episode, but he continued to carry most of the drama in the show. Barry's VR-style torture is a unique idea, and compellingly executed. It's unclear how long Jim left him with it on, but it's evident that it was really breaking him down. These scenes are intense and well-done overall. We got to see the facade Gene has been putting on crumble to great effect in this episode. The man said he had changed, but he's still the same guy with the same weakness, and this time he's really getting punished for it. Once again, Gene's ego completely ruins everything for him. He said he had changed and he was honourable, yet the mere mentioning of Daniel Day Lewis and Mark Wahlberg immediately makes him sing another tune. Suddenly it's not about protecting Janice's legacy, it's about "getting her story out there". Barry isn't an evil bastard anymore, he's a "sympathetic soul". Gene swings whichever way the breeze takes him as long as he's still the center of attention. It's frustrating to watch Gene fall back into these habits, and immensely satisfying when we learn that it's all a trap. It's absolutely fitting that the man who conned him was a former student, and it's even more fitting that the mistake Gene made was the exact same mistake he made with Lon all those years ago. He really hasn't changed at all, and now it looks like Gene will face some major consequences for his enormous ego. Hank steals the show in this episode. His attempts to take out Fuches are absolutely hilarious and I thoroughly enjoyed them. The FUBAKs is a really funny concept, and I loved Hank's reactions to each of them like he had just received exciting new toys. Even better was the reveal of the heads in boxes, and Hank opening each one ("why am I still opening these?") was really funny. Then it all culminates in a fantastic sequence as Hank comically misses the one rocket he brought to kill Fuches (his henchman "was thinking budget") before we launch into a hilarious gunfight that culminates in Hank falling down a hill Looney Tunes-style. The sequence is all done in a oner, which is quite impressive, but is also laugh-out-loud funny throughout. Then the episode takes a turn towards the end as Hank captures Sally. It's surprising that it's taken this long to see Hank and Sally in a scene together, and it's great that we get one before the end of the series. Poor Sally's paranoia has taken her back to LA, and it's sad to see her PTSD continuing to engulf her as she fails an attempt to confess due to the lingering trauma of the man she murdered. Now it looks like things are going to come crumbling down for her and her family, and it's an exciting cliffhanger with Barry preparing to go save them. The Bad: I find it hard to believe that Jim would be so sloppy that he lets Barry escape his garage. did he really not tie up his feet? Or bolt the chair into the ground? Or take out all the weapons from the room? Jim has been the one competent character in this series so far, so to see him suddenly become incompetent is frustrating. Even if he believes that Gene is the real target and not Barry, surely he wouldn't just let Barry get away like that? The man killed his daughter! I have suspended my disbelief in a lot of places for this show because of how generally incompetent most people are, but Jim is the one character who I have been told should be competent. So I struggle to get over this issue. There was a possible inconsistency in this episode with Sally calling Gene's phone. We heard in the previous episode that Gene changed his phone number after he ran away. If that's the case, then how was Sally able to contact him? There's no way that she should have his phone number. This is most likely an oversight by the writers. The Unknown: What's next for Gene? Will he be put behind bars for this "crime" he committed? Will Barry get involved somehow? How will Gene's story intersect with everything else that's going on? Is Hank going to give Barry the address to Fuches' place? What will happen when they meet? What is Hank going to do with Sally? Will John find out who his parents really are? Have Sally and Gene been in somewhat regular contact? How does she have his number? Why did Jim leave Barry in a position where he could easily escape? Best Moment: Hank's failed rocket followed by a gunfight was a beautifully shot sequence and also absolutely hilarious. Character of the Episode: Hank. Conclusion: A compelling and funny episode to set up the endgame of the series. This isn't exceptional television, but it more than did its job of setting up the series finale while still providing enough story beats and laughs to stand out on its own. Score: 68
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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