Summary: Hank calls Fuches who agrees to meet upon hearing that Barry has a kid who Hank has captured. Barry buys guns and heads to Hank's place. Fuches arrives first and has a stand-off with Hank. Fuches says he has accepted who he is and will leave Hank alone if he admits he killed Cristobal. Hank breaks down but ultimately can't do it so Fuches shoots and kills him. Fuches dives on John to protect him while the remaining men all kill each other. Fuches delivers John to Barry and leaves. Barry, Sally, and John sleep in a motel. Sally and John leave during the night and Barry goes looking for them at Gene's place. He ultimately decides to turn himself in while talking with Tom, but Gene abruptly kills him. A few years later, Sally is teaching acting again with John. John goes out to a friend's place and watches the movie made about Gene and his father called "The Mask Collector". Gene is serving life in prison and Barry was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full honours.
The Good: This episode subverted my expectations in many ways, and I applaud the writing team for creating an ending that surprised and entertained at every turn. I imagined that much of this episode would have been dedicated to Barry's conflict with Hank and Fuches, and yet the situation was resolved in the episode's first half, amusingly before Barry even got there. I went into this episode expecting another massacre by Barry, so having everyone kill each other before he got there ended up playing on my expectations beautifully to create the perfect surprise. Hank and Fuches also received a terrific conclusion. Their conflict occurred far too quickly and I didn't quite feel the significance of their disagreement until their showdown in this episode. Fuches has done the hard yards to change and he has accepted how bad of a person he is, and because of that he is disturbed by Hank's stubborn delusions where he gets to pretend that he's still a good person without accepting the bad that he has done. Hank killed Cristobal, and rather than face that truth and accept it, Hank hides from it and lashes out angrily at anyone who tells him otherwise. This fundamental difference between Hank and Fuches creates an almost primal distaste for each other, one that is fittingly utilized in their confrontation. Stephen Root and Anthony Carrigan are outstanding as Fuches lays bare what he needs from Hank, and Hank crumbles under the weight of his grief. In the end, Hank is killed and Fuches lives, which is fitting with the message of the show. Fuches did the right thing and accepted who he was. The result for Fuches is genuine redemption as he saves Barry's son and gets an opportunity to set things right with Barry in a beautiful final scene they have together. That they don't speak is perfect as it shows Fuches' restraint to manipulate Barry any further. But on the other hand, Hank dies because he was unable to accept the bad things he has done and was never able to achieve true change. Hank's death is tragic, and I love his final scene where you can tell that he sees Cristobal during his final breaths. The image of Hank's lifeless body holding the Cristobal statue's hand is a beautiful send-off for the character, one that worked exceedingly well. Everything else going on around Hank and Fuches also works really well. The action sequences in this show are excellent, and this last one was no exception. It was ridiculous to see everyone get mowed down instantly, and the grenade going off was darkly comical. I appreciate Bill Hader's direction as always, and the sequence of Fuches walking John away from the carnage as everyone agonizes in their pain was brilliantly executed. As for Sally, she finally gets to confess all that she has done wrong to John in a beautiful moment. This feels like John meeting his real mother for the first time as Sally is finally able to be her true self instead of "Emily", and the mother-son moment here works really well, especially to set up Sally's choice to leave Barry and what we see at the end of the episode. I like that Sally's story has come full circle as she ends up leaving Barry in the same way that she left Sam (sneaking out in the middle of the night), giving herself a chance at another life. It's almost funny how Barry is relegated to the background during all of this. As Fuches and Hank have a tremendous philosophical clash, Barry is just buying guns to prepare for his sacrifice, and it's all ultimately pointless. I have to applaud the show for still including so much comedy in this finale, as scenes like Barry walking through a store fully armed really made me laugh. "Barry" may have shifted more towards drama, but it never left the comedy behind. Barry is all prepared for an honourable sacrifice and one final big hurrah, and yet when he arrives he simply reunites with his family and nothing more. There isn't much for him to do here, but that's the point. Barry has nothing more to contribute, all that's left is for him to turn himself in, but he doesn't want to do it. It's funny to hear him make up excuses to Sally to not want to turn himself in. It's easy to understand why. Barry has a family to hold onto and that prevents him from giving himself up; it's the same deal as before, where Barry held onto the idea of a future where he could be happy to prevent giving himself up. But once Barry realizes his family has left him, he has nothing holding him back and he can finally understand that it's time for him to truly redeem himself and pay for his crimes. It's funny that Tom is ultimately the one to talk him down in this situation, but this makes it clear that it was Barry's own choice, not the will of someone else. And in one final ironic twist, Barry is denied his chance at true redemption. Because by now it's far too late, and it would be almost sick to give this man another chance. In one final brilliant scene, Gene shoots Barry abruptly in a scene that's edited in such a comedic way that I can't help but laugh. Only a show like this one would make me chuckle when the main character was killed off. I can't think of a better way that Barry could have died. Surprisingly, the show doesn't end here. After a nice piece of editing that makes you think for a moment that they are going to do an awful "it was all just a theatre production" ending, we get one final timeskip to explore the legacy that Barry left behind. I love this decision so much. In these final moments we get to see Barry tackle one final interesting theme: the inaccuracy in media portraying the lives of real people. This idea was set up back in the aptly titled "tricky legacies", and it pays off enormously here as we get to see just how badly Hollywood butchered the Barry/Gene story. Seeing a movie about this story that we just watched which so enormously misses the point is comical, but also a sad reflection on how true stories can get lost in translation and how difficult it is to trust in what we haven't seen with our own eyes. "The Mask Collector" was a blast to watch, and it's interesting to think about what John would take away from this movie. Would he be happy to know that his dad was a hero? Would he understand that a Hollywood production like this can never answer his questions, considering that he would know how inaccurate the scene of Barry saving his family was? It's difficult to read, but it is engaging to think through these ideas and create our own takeaways from the story. It's also quite frustrating and almost infuriating to learn that Barry was given a hero's burial while poor Gene rots away in prison, having lost everything in his life because of the one awful man who is now being praised as a hero. Sad, thought-provoking stuff. The Bad: This can't help but feel a little underwhelming. A big reason for that is because of the timeskip happening so late in the show. With only 4 episodes to develop a story post-timeskip, the show wasn't quite able to make this final act as emotionally engaging, dramatic, and interesting as it could have been. Barry and Sally's story was fleshed out, but they didn't ultimately end up doing a whole lot in these final three episodes. Meanwhile Hank, Fuches, and Gene all felt underdeveloped and I never got a clear sense of who they were post-timeskip to connect with their emotions in the way that I had with the characters pre-timeskip. It's a shame because so much of this finale was beautifully written, well-acted, and thematically significant, but I didn't have the same level of emotional investment as I did before the timeskip. It's disappointing to learn that Jim genuinely did let Barry just get away. Are we seriously going to pretend that Jim doesn't want any justice for the man who pulled the trigger on his daughter? Barry could offer such valuable information on the Gene Cousineau case, so Jim should absolutely want to keep him imprisoned. Ultimately, Barry getting away from Jim's captivity is just a moment of very lazy writing in a season that was otherwise pretty well done. The Unknown: Will John believe that his father was a hero? Or will he recognize the inaccuracy of "The Mask Collector" and understand that this film is not the truth he would have been seeking? What has Sally told him about Barry? What became of Fuches after he left Barry? Did he continue to live a life of crime until it inevitably caught up to him? Best Moment: The stand-off between Hank and Fuches, and the carnage that resulted was hugely satisfying. Character of the Episode: Hank. Conclusion: Overall, this was an emotionally satisfying, poetic, and enjoyable finale that concluded this series in as darkly comedic of a way as you would expect. I've seen a lot of mixed opinions on the final season of "Barry", but I don't quite agree with them. Yes, this season had its weaknesses, but I found it to be every bit as compelling as the other seasons of the show. Season 2 is still easily the best for me, but I rate season 4 as similar in quality to seasons 1 and 3. There was a darker tone to this season and some heavier scenes, but there is still absurdity and comedy in every episode in this season. While the tonal balance may have shifted towards drama this season, I never felt like "Barry" lost its heart, nor its comedic edge. The storytelling in this fourth season was superb, and every character was given a memorable send-off and conclusion, with all of them coming with their own twists and turns that both surprised and impressed me. As such, I'm very satisfied with this season as a finale, and even though there weren't quite as many laughs as I'm used to seeing from "Barry", I'm overall happy with how the series ended. "Barry" has been a lot of fun to watch and I'm very glad that I got to experience it. The blend between comedy and drama felt unique from the first episode, and I continued to be both captivated and entertained by the show through all four seasons. Bill Hader's sense of humour and his directing style came together nicely to create a visually memorable and funny show that also happened to have some well-written and thought-provoking storylines, even if they weren't the most subtle. At only 32 episodes long, I can easily recommend "Barry" since it offers an incredible amount of content and entertainment with such a small time commitment, and incredible consistency that ensures you will be entertained until the very end. I don't rate "Barry" as one of the greatest shows of all time, but it's still terrific; it's an easy, entertaining watch that I thoroughly enjoyed and I look forward to rewatching in the years to come. Score: 73
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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 Summary: Barry leaves Sally with a gun and goes to L.A. to kill Gene. He looks for a religious podcast to justify his choice to kill Gene. Gene claims he is back in town to stop the movie being made. He visits Leo to explain himself and tells him he will be in town. Gene heads home and Barry follows him to kill him, but suddenly Barry is captured and taken to the garage by Jim. Sally gets drunk and gives alcohol to John to stop him from crying. She seemingly gets attacked in her house, but it's unclear if this is real. Fuches gets out of prison and meets with Hank, agreeing to be protection for his business in exchange for getting Barry. However, Fuches gets drunk and congratulates Hank for killing Cristobal, which Hank denies. Hank gets upset and takes the deal off the table.
The Good: Barry's sheer stubbornness and the extremity of his claims throughout the episode are a blast to watch. I think we can all agree that Barry is a terrible person, and watching terrible people do things is endlessly funny. Poor Sally tries to be reasonable with Barry, pointing out that he likely only wants petty revenge on Gene, and naturally Barry denies it and tries to paint himself as doing the right thing. This idea is taken even further as Barry hilariously searches for a religious podcast that aligns with his worldview so that he can feel justified. It's hilarious listening to increasingly questionable pastors, culminating in a really fun Bill Burr cameo as he announces the validity of murder, finally giving Barry what he's been looking for. This religious aspect to Barry has been an excellent source of comedy so far, and I really enjoy it. The story culminates in Barry finally moving in to kill Gene, but he's apprehended by Jim and taken to the garage in an excellent twist. It's been nearly impossible to predict where the story heads in every episode this season, and this Jim twist continues that unpredictability in an exciting way. Sally is a total mess right now. This episode stitches together a fantastic sequence to show how Sally is haunted by her past, and afraid of everything that goes on in her life. It's awful how she treats her son, making him a burnt grilled cheese and then sneaking him some booze to get him to stop crying. And after getting herself wasted, Sally then enters a surreal sequence that sees the house get attacked by some mysterious men, triggering her PTSD in interesting ways. I'm not certain how much of what we saw was actually real (see: The Bad and The Unknown), and that makes it mysterious and engaging to try to figure out if what we're watching is actually happening. The sequence also builds tension very effectively, leaving us at the edge of our seats. Lastly, there's Fuches and Hank who steal the show this episode. We haven't seen them for a long time, so seeing what they have done in the past 8 years in entertaining. Fuches' transformation into a prison big-shot is absolutely hilarious, and his mannerisms and behaviour after leaving the prison are a never-ending source of entertainment throughout the episode. Hank's new businessman role is amusing to watch, and it's sweet to see all of the Cristobal tributes that he has placed all around the new "Nohobal" building. Fuches and Hank's reunion is nice to see, and it's sad but understandable to see thei rrelationship fall apart rapidly. Fuches is drunk and not able to see that Hank genuinely did love Cristobal, and the result is that Fuches opens old wounds by pointing out that Hank did murder Cristobal, a truth that Hank has clearly ignored for a long time. I like this character work, and it's set up an intriguing new relationship between Fuches and Hank. The Bad: I praised the Sally storyline for effectively making us connect with her terror by having it be totally unclear how much of what she was experiencing was real or if it was all in her head. But if this was never the intention of the scene, then the scene completely failed to communicate what was real and not real and it became confusing for no reason. I suppose we'll find out next episode if this sequence was good or bad. The Unknown: Is Gene actually a changed man? Why was he in Israel for 8 years? How did he get there? Why didn't he ever come back? Is Jim involved somehow? How will Leo handle his dad returning to his life? Will Hank be able to track down Barry? Will he even try after arguing with Fuches? Where is the Hank/Fuches story going? Are they going to end up fighting each other? Will Barry get involved somehow? What the heck happened with Sally? How much of this was real and how much was in her head? Was there actually a man in the house? Did the house really get attacked by a truck? Or did she imagine that? I'm sure she was imagining the lines that were identical to those said by the man she murdered back in "starting now", but how much else was imagined? Was the whole thing a hallucination, and did she trash the house herself? What does Jim have planned for Barry? Has he been looking for him this entire time? Did he set a trap with Gene? Best Moment: The image of badass prison Fuches strutting out to his car while Black Sabbath plays is absolutely hysterical, and my favourite part of the episode. Character of the Episode: Fuches. Conclusion: The previous episode derailed some of the momentum of the season, but this episode restored it. This was a thoroughly enjoyable episode that effectively sets the stage for the final act of "Barry". Score: 66 Summary: Barry is homeschooling his son John, making him sheltered and preventing him from spending time with other children. He tries to teach him not to be angry. Sally works as a waitress and is trapped within her life. She is sad to see Natalie with a successful TV show and is not invested in her new family. She chokes Bevel, a bad co-worker who tries to hook up with her before getting him fired. After returning home, Sally sees that Gene has re-emerged after 8 years with the intention to speak out in a movie about Barry.
The Good: This episode confirms that what we are seeing is an 8-year timeskip, which is such a bold move for the final act of this story. I quite like this decision as it throws us off in a way that we don't expect, making the story feel even more unpredictable and exciting. Now Barry and Sally have a new life to fight for, and it's tough to see where both characters are going to go, and how the rest of the main cast fit into this. As for that new life, this episode's entire purpose is to establish what this new life is, and what it means to Barry and Sally. Barry is clearly living it up playing this new role. As a father to John, Barry can play up all of the aspects of his character that he wants to be true, but we can see that evil within him as he holds Sally prisoner in this life and creates a traumatic environment for his son to grow up in. This is the answer that "Barry" provides to those asking the question "is it just if Barry gets a second chance". The answer ends up being a resounding no. Barry has tricked himself into thinking he's a good man, but it's a facade, and Barry's statement that he has to kill Gene at the episode's end confirms that the evil within Barry is still there. The soft-spoken, religious father that we see here is not the real Barry, and even though he's having a good life and has created a bubble to hide from what he's done, the things he has done continue to haunt the world around him. Sally is suffering immensely (more on her in a bit), and poor John is living through a traumatic childhood without even knowing it. This episode is uncomfortable and bleak in showing Barry's parenting style, how he manipulates John to love him with his stories, and how he isolates John from being able to form relationships with others. Add on these false stories of Barry's past, and John is set up to have a horrifying moment in his growth when he learns who his dad really is, and finds that he has no ability to connect with other people to overcome this. The knowledge of all this makes Barry's bond with John feel disgusting. Even if Barry seems like just another caring parent at first glance, this episode firmly hammers in that what Barry is doing is not good. Poor Sally is living a trapped life, and it looks like she has nothing to live for with this new family. Barry has it easy staying at home to parent, and naturally Sally is the one that has to go work and take risks with other people so that Barry can live his fantasy life. We can see how this new life weighs on Sally. Being a waitress is crushing for her as she knows she could be so much more, indicative with how she tortures herself watching Natalie's show regularly. To cope with her new life, Sally drinks, Sally ignores her son, and Sally chokes disgusting men to at least give herself the power of being the abuser instead of the victim for a change. This is her sad fate, and the episode portrays this nicely. Seeing Gene again was a blast, and a welcome departure from seeing Barry and Sally's new life. His re-emergence raises several exciting questions, and provides a necessary hook to make me anticipate the final three episodes. The Bad: This episode is too bleak and uncomfortable to watch. The storytelling is good, and the show artfully and impressively conveyed Barry and Sally's new life, but it is too much. "Barry" is a tragicomedy that gets by with lots of humour to take the edge off of some of the darker moments in the show. Because of this, it has always operated at a fast pace, offering plenty of jokes, and never forcing us to sit in the uncomfortable subject matter that is being discussed. Even the most dramatic of episodes obey this rule. The season 3 finale, "starting now", is another bleak and intense episode, but because it moves quickly between scenes, it's constantly entertaining. It doesn't linger in the misery felt by the characters, and its primary goal is still to entertain. "tricky legacies" struggles because it does linger in misery, and it doesn't do much else. This episode is deeply uncomfortable and dark, and instead of channeling this tone to tell a story, the entire point of the episode is to sit and watch how uncomfortable and dark it is. This doesn't make for entertaining television, and after 10 minutes I already got the picture and was more than ready to move on to see what came next. Instead, the episode continued to beat us over the head with the horror of Barry and Sally's new life to its detriment. The pace of the episode is painfully slow, and because of that, this doesn't feel like an episode of "Barry" anymore. So many scenes move at a glacial pace to get to the point, and the length of scenes is much longer than what we typically see in "Barry". This is not necessarily a bad thing - "Better Call Saul" does slow, long scenes to great effect - but this style of storytelling has never been what "Barry" does, and the switch to it in this episode did not work because it made "Barry" feel like a different show altogether. It felt jarring, odd, and out of place. Was the story competently told, and was the episode directed well? Yes, absolutely. But the story was told in such a weird and ultimately unnecessary way (a 10 minute sequence could easily accomplish this), that it did not work the way it should have. I usually love episodes that break the norm (just look at how much I praised "ronny/lily"), but when an episode does that, it should still feel like it belongs in the TV show it is a part of. For example, great formula-break episodes from "Lost" still very clearly had the same tone, directing style, and emotional resonance as other episodes in that show, but "tricky legacies" did not feel like it belonged as a part of "Barry". The Unknown: Where has Gene been for 8 years? Has he just been at his cabin? What happened to Leo, did he die? Or did he simply abandon his father? Why has Gene emerged now? Is it really just to tell the story of Barry in a movie? Or does he have ulterior motives? How is Barry going to kill Gene? What is he going to do? Will Sally be willing to risk everything for this new life with Barry? Or will she ultimately choose to escape from Barry? I get the sense that Sally will have to make a choice about this soon. Where have Hank and Fuches been? How are they going to fit into the final act of this story? Best Moment: Honestly, the brief scene with Gene because of how it felt more like the old "Barry" that this episode tries so hard not to be. Character of the Episode: Barry. Conclusion: Quite possibly the strangest episode of the series. This episode showed us the bleak reality of Barry and Sally's new life. While this was effective, the way it was shown to us was out-of-character for "Barry", resulting in a weird episode that has a very limited entertainment value. Score: 57 Summary: Fuches is beaten by prison guards to reveal where Barry is gone but he does not know. He earns respect from other prisoners for not selling Barry out. Hank and Cristobal celebrate the sand, but Hank cooperates with the Chechens to kill all of their men. He tries to get Cristobal to join him to work with the Chechens but Cristobal is furious. He tries to leave and Hank fails to stop him. The Chechens kill Cristobal. Gene is isolated in his cabin and learns that Barry escaped. In his paranoia, he accidentally shoots his son who came to visit. Sally continues to help Kristen and tries to swipe her role when she fails. Realizing she has no career, she returns home dejected. Barry is waiting for her and she wants to leave with him. A hallucination/timeskip sees Barry and Sally living in the middle of nowhere with their son, John.
The Good: This episode is a testament to how interesting and compelling the supporting cast is in this show. Barry doesn't appear until the very end of this episode, and all other scenes are dependent on the supporting cast to create a compelling episode. As you would expect, "Barry" steps up in this department because the side characters are all terrific. Hank, Sally, Gene, and Fuches are more than enough to carry this episode on this own, and all of their stories are effective. Hank is definitely the one who steals the show. This episode creates a very memorable story with Hank as we slowly learn that Hank has sold his soul to the Chechens and finally embraced his darker side, something that I have theorized about since season 2. This development works really well. Hank has always been naive as he never had to do any typical criminal actions himself, but ever since his traumatic experiences in the season 3 finale, he's changed. We are seeing the results of that change in this episode as Hank is able to turn on these newly hired men in the blink of an eye, killing them all and almost killing Cristobal too. It's sad to see Hank change like this after being one of the friendliest people in the show for 4 seasons. Last episode saw Hank accuse Barry of being narcissistic, self-centered, and murderous, yet now we see Hank exhibit these same traits with how he turns on Cristobal. It's sad to see him fall into darkness and destroy his life, a pattern that we see throughout this episode. Cristobal's death was sudden and heartbreaking, and it forms the centerpiece of this episode. The sand-sinking scene came right out of nowhere, and it was horrifying to watch. The lack of music as Cristobal cried out for help, the visuals of us sinking with him, and the muffled sound effects were masterful at making this feel terrifying. For a moment I thought he was actually going to die like this, but that wasn't the case. Having this death fake-out does serve a greater purpose because it gets our guard down for later when Cristobal actually does die, making the moment hit that much harder. Hank and Cristobal's break-up is a tough scene to watch. Anthony Carrigan is fantastic throughout the scene showing Hank's varying emotions, and hearing him go from defending his actions to panicking and begging Cristobal to stay while apologizing was devastatingly sad. Even sadder was the extent of Cristobal's betrayal, as he's ultimately unable to even touch Hank after seeing what he did, which was so far removed from the Hank that he knew. Michael Irby and Anthony Carrigan played off of each other so well, making this feel so raw and emotional. The ending with Hank walking back, knowing that he won't see Cristobal again is an incredible moment, and the breakdown on the couch was really sad. The episode does one more excellent move by making us think that Cristobal has walked back in, only for it to be someone else. Ordinarily, this would feel cheap. But since Hank has his back turned and is also hoping desperately that this is Cristobal coming back, the moment works because it connects our emotions with Hank's emotions, adding extra weight to the moment that Hank realizes it's all over. I can't praise this sequence enough. Masterful filmmaking, terrific acting, and the intense emotional weight made this terrific. Sally's time as a teacher goes exactly where you would expect with her. She is caring and she genuinely wants Kristen to succeed as her teacher. But Sally has always been jealous, and when the time comes, Sally chooses to stop helping Kristen and instead attempts to poach her role by "auditioning" for Sian Heder (whose presence is a great meta joke on directors getting swooped up to do franchise films like Star Wars and Marvel). Seeing Sally switch over during her performance to appeal to Sian Heder was quite funny, and the confirmation that she is trying to steal the role is when she comically steps right in front of Kristen while performing. This is a pretty disgusting thing to do, but it's absolutely in-character with Sally, who gets jealous of absolutely everyone. Thankfully, her attempt her doesn't work and Sally is faced with the harsh reality that her career is essentially done. No matter how good she is, no matter what she tries to do, she will never be able to have the career that she dreamed of. The despair of everything being done gets to her, and when faced with reality, she has opted to run away with Barry instead. The final scene between Sally and Barry is excellent with Barry stepping out of the darkness. His presence has lingered throughout the episode with us never knowing where and when he's going to turn up. This reveal made the most sense, and followed by a fantastic time-skip/hallucination scene (see: The Unknown), ends the episode on a great note. Gene and Fuches have less to do in this episode, but their stories are still good. Gene is consumed by paranoia, and it looks like his paranoia may have just cost him his son. In his sheer panic, Gene ends up shooting his son (hopefully not fatally), and I suspect that this may be the straw that breaks the camel's back for Leo. The saddest touch is that Leo was likely just trying to surprise his father by dropping off the coral tree cafe that he had been asking for. Fuches is comically beaten up immediately upon the realization of Barry's break-out. Fuches absolutely deserves this for all that he has done, but funnily enough, it works in his favour. Despite genuinely not knowing where Barry went, the prisoners think that Fuches is remaining loyal to Barry and that earns their respect. Next time we see Fuches, he may just have that gang he was talking about a few episodes ago. There are a few other great moments in the episode. The cops charging into the D&B and annihilating everyone was hilarious, and the comment of "there was one guy in a Houston Oilers hat which was confusing" is a great joke. I continue to enjoy Tom, and his comment on how his phone "leapt to life" is quite amusing. The Bad: I do have some problems with Hank and Cristobal's break-up. As well-executed as the scene was, I was a little confused by Cristobal being so fundamentally against any form of violence or killing. Cristobal always has been a softer leader, just like Hank, but he has never been so innocent and legitimate that he would never condone murder. His first scene sees him getting his men to kill everyone in Barry and Taylor's car when they tried to bum-rush him. Later, in season 2, Cristobal allows Ester's men to burn Hank and the Chechens alive in a bus, which is extremely messed up. Considering this, I found it difficult to believe in Cristobal making such a big stink over Hank being willing to murder. Should Cristobal have been furious? Yes, absolutely. But this should not be the main reason. He should be furious that Hank never told him any of this and didn't even look for an alternative to killing everyone, and he should be furious that Hank's actions nearly killed him as well. I wish the scene had leaned into this angle more. The Unknown: What is that ending scene supposed to be? Is this another hallucination? The desolate landscape is similar to what we've seen in Barry's head, and details like the donut in the fridge (the same one Barry was eating in "forgiving jeff") suggest that this may be a vision, just like previous visions in Barry's head. Or is this actually real? It's hard to see how this could be a reality, but you never know with this show. I was tricked into thinking the sequence at Gene's cabin to conclude season 1 was a hallucination, when it was actually reality. Is it possible that Barry and Sally went off the grid and established a new life in the middle of nowhere, with a sheltered child who they desperately do not want to become violent like Barry? Where are Barry and Sally going? How will Jim get involved? Is Leo going to survive his gunshot? How will this affect his relationship with Gene? What's next for Hank now that Cristobal is dead? Will he lean further into his villainous side? What's next for Fuches? Will he also get out of jail, or will he build a community for himself? Best Moment: Hank and Cristobal's break-up followed by Cristobal's death is an absolutely devastating sequence acted to perfection by Anthony Carrigan and Michael Irby. Character of the Episode: Hank. Conclusion: Another excellent episode. Though this one leans further into the drama side than comedy, it is just as effective. Still, this episode is a testament to the strength of the supporting cast, and it provided a shocking, tense experience. Score: 73 Summary: Hank meets with Toro, who is sending hitmen to kill Barry. Fuches calls Hank and learns about this. Barry meets with Lon and learns that Gene has told Barry's story. He calls Hank to kill Gene, but Hank blows him off and refuses. Barry meets with a witness protection agent and notices a man is there to kill him. There is an attack and everyone in the room is killed except Barry. Barry escapes. Lon meets with Jim who takes him to his garage. Gene is fearful that Barry will come after him after making his deal and tells Tom what he told Lon. They go to hunt down Lon and find out he talked to Jim. Tom flees, leaving Gene to face Jim. Sally starts a teaching class and uses Gene's method on Kristen. Everyone else is horrified and leaves, but Kristen stays.
The Good: This is peak "Barry", combining humour and drama masterfully. On the dramatic front, Barry's story is really sad to watch. He's so broken, and angry, and utterly soulless. It's far removed from the socially awkward and relatable figure he was in season 1. Now he's at his worst, and every scene here reflects that. After speaking with Lon about Gene, Barry falls into a fit of absolute rage at how Gene is ruining his deal as well. Barry has been frightening when angered, and in this episode he falls to a whole new low, raging at Lon, and then raging on his own (though amusingly a bystander witnessed the whole thing). This sets up Barry calling Hank, a scene that absolutely steals the show. Barry is pathetic and manipulative here. He has called Gene and he has called Sally, but here he only carries Hank when he wants something from him, and he tries to manipulate Hank into giving him what he wants. It's desperate and pathetic, and this time Hank can see that too. Seeing the sheer hurt, betrayal, and pain in Hank's face contrasted with Barry's sadistic desperation, frustration, and rage is starkly impactful. Seeing this long-running friendship finally dissolve is very sad, and hearing Hank accuse Barry followed by Barry's angry response confirming the worst is very painful, and I can't help but feel for Hank who has lost his friend. Despite this intense emotional drama, "Barry" still leaves plenty of room for comedy. The opening of the episode sees Hank and Cristobal meeting "Toro", which is where the episode pulls out a very fun Guillermo Del Toro cameo. This scene seems like your typical arrangement of a hit, but it takes a delightful turn when Hank starts instead criticizing a gadget podcast that Toro is clearly a huge personal fan of. It's so funny to hear Hank complaining about this podcast because of the non-functioning gadgets, and being forced to only imagine them since he often listens to the podcast while driving. The best part about this joke is that it comes back later when the two podcast hosts try to kill Barry and the pen gadget blows up, becoming completely ineffective. This final scene is so fantastic for a lot of reasons, not just the comic timing of the gadget not working. Fred Armisen's facial expressions as he works up to killing Barry are so funny, and I love that Barry's mass murderer instincts kick in and he immediately figures out that this guy is here to kill him. The wacky action involving a ceiling sniper that follows is a ton of fun, and the sheer violence that accompanies the wacky ridiculousness has become a signature touch of "Barry". I really enjoyed this ending scene. More on the comedic front is Gene's story, and the laughs here are fantastic. Last episode got its laughs from Gene's vanity and narcissism, but this episode instead gets most of its comedy out of Tom's absurdity through visual gag after visual gag. I adore the variety in humour between episodes, and it makes both of the last two episodes equally memorable in terms of comedy. However, I give the edge to this one because the visual humour was so good, and it made me laugh more. The wide shot setting up Tom crashing the car was a hilarious delight, you have an idea of where this is going, but the execution is tremendous. Breaking into Lon's house was even funnier, and got a lot of comedy out of keeping Gene and Tom outside of view of the camera. Tom throwing a rock through the window is so funny because we don't see what he's doing until it happens; hearing Gene falling into broken glass and Tom fumbling around through the kitchen is funnier because we are left to fill in the holes with our imagination. Then a terrific gag of Lon's wife being in the backyard the entire time with the backdoor unlocked makes the entire break-in even more absurdly funny. Add on one final gag of Tom throwing Lon's monitor into the pool in the background and the scene is a masterclass in comedy (nothing is even stored in monitors so this is absolutely meaningless to add the cherry on top). The episode has a few other terrific comedic bits. Having Fuches get yet another change of heart after seeing himself and Barry in "Rain Man" is a hysterical moment. Seeing Fuches have a change of heart in practically every single episode now is really funny, and is a clever self-parody that makes good use of the character. The torture done to Lon was outrageously unexpected. I was afraid that Jim may have cut out his tongue, so when he started speaking German, I was baffled in the best possible way. The real kicker is that Lon's snack of choice seems to have changed as well from Skittles to Haribo gummy bears, making his German transformation even more authentic in hilarious fashion. Sally has her own story in this episode, and most of it is really good. It's amusing to see her taking Gene's role as teacher, and she adds some typical Sally flair to make things enjoyable. I don't think we've seen Sally with glasses before, so if she just grabbed them to look more professional, that's a good touch. I also like that she simply skips the "boring" parts of class so that she can only teach the parts that she likes. As fun as this is, the most impactful part of this storyline was her dressing down of Kristen, which was done in the same way that Gene did with her. Sally was ruthless and cruel, but the result was that she drew something out of Kristen that Kristen never would have unearthed otherwise. The class reacts poorly to this, but it's telling that Kristen comes back for more, highlighting that even though Sally may be in the wrong for subjecting others to the challenges that she faced, it still ultimately bears fruit. I appreciate the complexity in this story, and Sarah Goldberg is great as always. The Bad: Sally's story is starting to feel like a disconnected side story again, so I hope that she can get back in touch with the main plot to avoid similar problems as last season. Her story also has the one moment of weak writing in the episode. When she executed Gene's acting strategy, I was confused about how everybody decided that it was abusive. This caught me off guard because nobody raised this point in Gene's class, furthermore she used a type of strategy that we commonly see from coaches and acting teachers, so this is far from abnormal behaviour, and most certainly not abusive. Furthermore, students usually won't have the courage to confront teachers like this about abuse, so there's a sense of realism that is lost when absolutely everyone up and leaves after that. Add on how inconsistent this type of moral behaviour is in the world of "Barry" where people are often shown to be too stupid or ignorant to notice these things, and the scene feels out of place in this show. The Unknown: Batir has returned and is possibly planning on eliminating Hank's new operation. Where is this storyline heading? What's next for Fuches? He has been a bit adrift in this episode. Where has Barry gone? Will he try to escape prison? Why is he missing? What the hell did Jim do to Lon to make him German? Best Moment: Barry's phone call with Hank. Character of the Episode: Hank. Conclusion: This is "Barry" at its dark, comical best. There are some emotionally charged scenes here that hit like a truck, but they are interspersed with some absolutely hilarious sequences that are a blast to go through. The best episode of the final season so far. Score: 73 Summary: Fuches tries to convince others in the prison to help him and Barry. He tells Barry that the FBI made him wear a wire but he refused. Barry meets with Sally who is horrified by him but tells him she feels safe with him. After this, Barry meets with the FBI and cuts a deal with them. Hank and Cristobal pitch their new sand business to a couple of gangs. Hank tries to get the group to help break Barry out of prison. Cristobal talks to him, and after Fuches calls to say Barry is speaking with the FBI, Hank decides they have to kill Barry. Gene puts on a one-man show for Lon to tell an exaggerated story of his relationship with Barry. Sally finds that she has no future career in acting. After talking with Gene, he suggests that she teach.
The Good: Last season I talked a lot about how episodes were hurt by the sheer quantity of disparate stories being told, as it resulted in episodes feeling disjointed with lots of short scenes and minimal story progression in each episode. Thankfully, this season so far seems to have broken that habit, at least in these first two episodes. There are fewer stories being told in this season, scenes are given more time to breathe, and every story thread has meaningful connective tissue that makes this feel like one clear story instead of a series of different story threads. I've really enjoyed the different feeling of this season so far. Barry's time in prison has been fun to watch, and Fuches' presence keeps things feeling light. He's so emotionally charged, and makes such braindead decisions sometimes, and it's really funny. His attempt to win over the prison by interrupting TV time and giving everyone obnoxious nicknames was quite funny. Fuches seems to think he has everyone playing in his hands, but he lacks subtlety and ends up never accomplishing what he wants to. This is also exemplified by Fuches trying to tell Barry how he had to turn on the FBI for trying to break him away from Barry to try and give him some points. But nobody buys it. The cops obviously don't buy it, and Barry doesn't buy it either, knowing full well that Fuches is full of crap. Because of that, is it any surprise that Barry seems to have betrayed him by the episode's end? Barry is a shell of who he was before, and after a phenomenal scene with Sally (see: Best Moment), I could totally buy into Barry coldly sacrificing Fuches and Hank for his future. Hank and Cristobal remain so much fun to watch. Their coordinated pitch meeting for the two gangs was charismatic, silly, and perfectly in character for the both of them. The direction was superb, the comedy was perfectly timed, and they were convincing enough that I could honestly buy into the gangs agreeing to get into the sand industry. I also can't help but feel bad for Hank here. He saw Barry was arrested and immediately got to work trying to get him out only to learn that Barry never cared and was immediately willing to sell him out. It's a sad moment for Hank who finally realizes how one-sided this friendship has always been, and true to form to the show, the scene ends with a fantastically funny line delivery of "we have to kill Barry". As great as Hank was, it's Gene who steals the show this time. Poor Gene just can't help himself. He's such an attention-seeking person and despite his best judgement he does something really stupid by contacting Lon and telling him an exaggerated story of what he did. I couldn't help but laugh in amazement when Gene desperately tried to confirm that he was an "anonymous source". This is going to blow up in his face, I'm sure of it. It helps that everything we see of Gene is absolutely hilarious. Lon catching up to him before he can put up his stupidly obvious letters that anybody could pick up is really funny, as is his impression of Barry and his laughably inaccurate readings of what happened in his conversations with Barry. Henry Winkler kills it here, and I was having a good time in all of his scenes. His story culminates nicely with a moment between him and Sally. Sally comes in with accusations, but Gene does well to focus on how they are both victims of not only Barry, but their own hubris, before giving her some advice on how to move forwards. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: Did Gene really do all of this just for another taste of fame? Jim will inevitably find out about this. What happens then? Who is Toro? What plan did he have to get Barry out of prison? Is he going to try to kill Barry now? What is the purpose of Barry's hallucinations in this season? We see flashbacks of his childhood with Fuches, and some hallucinations of a better life with Sally, similar to what we had in season 1. I'm curious to see if these scenes are leading somewhere. Will Sally start to teach acting? It does parallel nicely with Gene, since both of them were cancelled by the industry. Is Barry really going to make a deal with the FBI? Is he going to give up everyone? Who is the person he is taking with him? Is it Sally? That seems to be the obvious answer. Could it be Fuches? It would be funny if he was taking Fuches all along, but Fuches jumped the gun by freaking out and calling Hank. Best Moment: Barry and Sally's scene is outstanding television. It makes sense that Sally only came back to make sure that the murder that traces back to her is covered up. But she stays around after that, and this totally changed the dynamic. At the start of the conversation, Barry looked like a shell of a man who was ready to say farewell to this chapter of his life. He was repentant, apologetic, and seemed to understand that he never deserved Sally to begin with. He has accepted what went wrong in his life. Bill Hader conveyed this masterfully, and he looked terrifying, like a broken, soulless man throughout this scene. But then Sally makes a mistake by telling Barry that she feels safe around him. And Barry latches onto that. The acceptance vanishes in an instant, and suddenly all that Barry sees is an opportunity to get Sally back, and then his desperation comes out. Sally runs away, but the damage has been done, and it's so sad to see Barry reduced to this pathetic, disillusioned mess. Such a good scene with phenomenal acting and writing. Character of the Episode: Gene. Conclusion: "Barry" is back to doing what it does best in marrying drama and comedy in a way that is tremendously entertaining. This is a great episode to shift season 4 into gear. Score: 69 Summary: Barry is taken to prison and is heartbroken by Gene's betrayal. Fuches is terrified of Barry being in his cell block and cooperates with the cops to wear a wire to bust Barry. But when Barry apologizes to Fuches and says he was right, Fuches has a change of heart. Gene has a taste of fame after busting Barry, but Jim wants to keep off of the media. Gene contacts a reporter posing as Jim. Sally goes back home to her unsupportive parents and struggles to process that she was dating a murderer. Hank and Cristobal set up in a place in Santa Fe, but Cristobal wants to get into the sand business. Hank is reluctant, but after seeing Barry was arrested, he is ready to return to LA.
The Good: This episode is your typical season premier so there is nothing too spectacular here, but the episode is very competent in terms of establishing where our characters are currently at, and what conflicts they are going to face this season. Barry is still the most fascinating part of this show, and the character is a joy to watch here. We get to see Barry reach a level of mental fragility that he hasn't ever hit before. Now that he's been betrayed by Gene, we see a furious, self-destructive, and disappointed version of Barry. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't realize that he is the problem, and instead lashes out at Gene for taking away his chance to be a better person. It is highly evocative to see Barry lashing out at a poor prison guard who tried to help him and reaffirm him, an interaction that results from Barry's fury towards Gene. Barry's change following his arrest has led to yet another reunion with Fuches. This episode is reminiscent of season 2 with Fuches once again trying to sell out Barry to save his own ass, only to immediately have a change of heart the moment Barry starts saying nice things to him. Fuches is so emotionally driven, and Stephen Root plays this aspect of him to peak hilarity. It's darkly funny to see Fuches unsubtly trying to get Barry to confess to a murder while desperately trying to stop himself from embracing him, only to give in by the episode's end, destroying the wire and reconnecting with Barry. These two are almost like a will-they-won't-they couple with how they go from love to hate so frequently, and I get a good laugh out of that. Part of what made season 2 so effective was how it dove into Sally's personal life to make the character easier to sympathize with and understand. Season 4 seems to be taking a similar approach by exploring Sally's family, and immediately we can see why Sally is so self-absorbed after we spend a single scene with her mother. Sally's parents are opposites and it's clear that they have had a huge impact on her upbringing. It's quite devastating how cold and callous Sally's mother is, and her father goes too far in the opposite direction, being caring to the point of over familiarity and treating her like a child. It's sad to see that this is all Sally has for family, and their inadequacy is immediately prevalent with how poorly they support Sally when she realizes that Barry was a murderer the entire time, and that she had no idea. Hank and Cristobal remain fun. I appreciate that the show is not ignoring the terrors that Hank went through in the season 3 finale, and we see that he's suffering from PTSD. It's in-character that Hank would be unable to let go of Barry, and seeing that he was imprisoned will likely lead to Hank trying to get him out of jail. As is always the case with Hank and Cristobal, there is a fun new story introduced here where they are going to try to get into the sand industry, paralleling it to the drug industry in an amusing way. The Bad: Nothing. Very solid episode all things considered. The Unknown: It looks like Barry and Fuches are connecting again. Will they try to get out of prison together? Will Gene be able to handle court? Will he be able to stay away from the media? He's always been Best Moment: Barry letting out his rage at Gene towards Birdwell. The subtext was clear, and Barry's fuming words for Gene were powerful and terrifying. It looks like Barry has turned a corner into darkness after what happened. Character of the Episode: Barry. Conclusion: A rock solid season premiere that sets up new stories and lays an interesting foundation for the final season. Score: 67 Summary: Sally comes to Barry to get revenge on Natalie. Barry is attacked by a biker who strangles Sally. Sally snaps and kills him. Barry gets her to leave and goes to bury the body but he is tracked down by Albert. Albert ultimately forgives a cowering Barry. Sally leaves for Joplin and Barry is called by Gene. Gene is interrogated by Jim. Barry goes to find him, thinking that Gene is going to kill Jim. Barry goes inside to kill Jim, but it was all a set-up. Barry is arrested. The Chechens are eaten by a panther while Hank is horrified in the next cell. He breaks free, gets a gun from a guard, and murders the panther. He kills Cristobal's wife and frees him from conversion therapy.
The Good: What worked best about this episode was how unexpectedly intense and stressful it was. As I've stated in previous reviews, the whole season has mixed comedy and drama so well that it has maintained an unexpectedly light tone overall, especially when compared to season 2. There is no tonal whiplash, and the season has been consistent in how it feels. Until this episode. This episode was a masterful shift to much darker storytelling as everyone is portrayed in difficult, anxiety-inducing situations that highlight the intensity and horror of what it means to do what Barry does. Almost every character is given their own exploration, and it works extremely well. Barry, being the main character, has the most expansive and interesting arc in this episode. We see the fallout of his hallucinations in the previous episode, and they ae pretty harrowing. Now more than ever, Barry accepts what a horrible person he is and that he has done terrible things that nobody should have to do. He has accepted that he is going to hell, and he feels shameful about this. This is explored beautifully in a magnificent scene between Barry and Albert (see: Best Moment), the best scene in the episode. I'll discuss that more later, but the rest of Barry's story sees him struggling to keep his influence away from those that he loves. At the start of the episode, Barry is startled to see Sally and Gene in that vision, suggesting that they will also be victims of his. While Barry doesn't kill them, this ends up being true symbolically. This episode forces Barry to contend with the reality that simply being exposed to him has taken Sally and Gene to much darker places that they would have gone to otherwise, and that's a fascinating idea to explore. Having lost everything, Sally concerningly goes to Barry for revenge, suddenly looking past the questionable morality of his actions. Of course she wants Barry to psychologically torture Natalie, and that's a pretty dark turn for the character. But what happens next is even more brutal. Out of nowhere, a biker knocks Barry out and strangles Sally. THis came right out of nowhere, and I love that we casually notice the biker standing in the background before the characters do, a creative way to make his arrival even more sudden and shocking. The strangling scene is brutally tense. For a while I thought Sally might die here, with Barry's actions being responsible for the loss of her life. Plus there is a horrible irony to Sally getting strangled to death, considering her past with abusive relationships. But what happens next is even more brutal as Sally refuses to give in and stabs the man in the neck before brutally beating him to death with a baseball bat. Having this whole thing happen just out of sight in the sound room with us unable to hear anything was an inspired choice, making the whole sequence feel even more brutal, disquieting, and shocking. This is a pivotal moment for Sally as she has crossed a boundary that will change the way she lives her life. The episode doesn't delve into the consequences very much, but we get a fantastic scene when Barry realizes what happened and tries to convince Sally that she did not do this, and Barry did it instead. A lovely touch is socially awkward Barry sending the wrong message at first, making Sally believe that she was responsible for what happened, repeating "I did this". Eventually he corrects it to "Barry did this", but the damage to Sally has been done, and no amount of denial from Barry can correct what has happened. On the other hand we have Gene, who is thrust away from his career revival by Jim. Jim is a fascinating character because everyone seems to be almost inexplicably afraid of him. But it quickly becomes apparent why he is so frightening in his interrogation scene with Gene. The scene is very well acted and Jim is imposing, terrifying, and intimidating in such a perfect way. I can totally understand Gene's fear of him, and it is sensible that he told Jim about Barry's guilt. This plays out beautifully in the episode as Gene ends up turning on Barry following a great bit of acting to finally get Barry arrested. The twist caught me off guard, and it was a gamechanging conclusion for this season, setting up for a very different fourth season (see: The Unknown). The emotional impact of this is evident. Barry is betrayed and heartbroken that Gene turned on him, and while Gene is certainly feeling triumphant about getting revenge, there does seem to be a hint of sadness in his eyes. Revenge is satisfying, but it does not resolve everything. More interestingly, I want to dive into Gene's con, making Barry think that he was going to kill Jim to keep him quiet. This hits Barry hard following what happened to Sally, and the possibility of Gene also succumbing to the same evils that Barry has succumbed to is too much for him to take. In his mind, Barry is killing to save others from having to face the same reality that he does. It's almost honourable in a way, but he should certainly still be condemned for his actions. Coming right off of Albert forgiving him, it is alarming how quick Barry is to turn back to murder. Short Hank/Cristobal paragraph. Fuches is the only character that doesn't have much to do here, but that's okay. What we learn is that Fuches is going to prison alongside Barry, and he will be embracing his new moniker of "The Raven". Even in such a serious episode, the show managed a few great jokes. My favourite has to be the police continuing to be complete idiots. Everything about the line "I haven't seen [Albert] since he stormed out of here and cocked his gun in front of us, he's probably out seeing the sights" is comedy gold. The biker thinking Sally put something in his eye is such a dark but effective joke to throw in the episode. The Bad: Nothing too bothersome, but there are a few flaws. There are a few conveniences as there have been all season, like Albert finding Barry inexplicably, Jim being almost cartoonishly terrifying, and Hank being able to get to Cristobal unbelievably easily in Bolivia. Hank's story in particular is absolutely unfeasible the moment you put even a modicum of thought into it. This show has never had a particularly compelling plot even though the characters are well written. This show is worse without Akhmal in it. I'm sad that he's dead. The Unknown: How long will Barry be in jail? How will the series continue with him in jail? Will he interact with Fuches who is also in jail? How will Gene's career change now that he has turned Barry in? What's next for Hank and Cristobal? Will they be okay after what they went through? How about Sally? How will she change now that she has murdered someone? What is she going to do in Joplin? How long will she be there? Will Jim play a role in the story going forwards? Or is his role done now that he has avenged Janice? What happened to Batir? He ran away a few episodes ago and never came back. Best Moment: Albert confronting Barry is fantastic television. Albert is understandably furious, realizing that the man who saved his life has become such a stone-cold murderer. It's in this moment where Barry locks eyes with the man whose life he saved that he understands that he deserves it all. As Albert brutally tears him down, Barry is unable to find any words. He's ashamed of all he's done and how he's let everyone down, and he can't do anything but scream in agony and fear, awaiting the inevitable. This is Bill Hader's best performance on the show yet, and Barry's piercing screams stuck with me even after the episode was over. This was a truly broken man who no longer knew what to do anymore. But Albert still stood up for him. Albert likely saw another traumatized war veteran in front of him, and he pitied Barry. He gave him that second chance that Barry had been craving since the first episode of the season, even calling back to the "starting now" line from season 1. It's a shame that Barry's inability to stop using murder to solve all of his problems prevents him from ever committing to proper rehabilitation. Character of the Episode: Barry. Conclusion: This was bleak, dark, and difficult to watch in all of the best ways. This was such a sharp change in tone, and it worked superbly as a season finale. One of the show's best episodes. Score: 78 Summary: Barry is able to leave the house and is found and taken to a hospital by Ryan's father. He has visions of the people he has killed on a beach. Sally struggles with her new job and sees that Natalie has a new show. She lashes out at her but Natalie records it and posts it online. Sally makes an awful apology video and embraces her dark side. Lindsay drops her. Gene starts working on his master class with Annie directing. Hank goes to Bolivia to find Cristobal but is captured by the Bolivians. Fuches is taken to the police by Jim Moss. Jim learns about Barry's involvement and meets with Gene to get more information. Albert hears from Fuches about what Barry has done and prepares to go after him.
The Good: Sally is the star of the show in this one as her story comes full circle. We started the season with her having her own show and on the verge of breaking out with an enormous success. But in the span of three episodes, she went from having everything to having nothing as everything fell apart. Her show was cancelled, she was rerouted to a terrible writing role, and she had to watch as her assistant rose higher than her by pandering to a nonsensical algorithm instead of actually having a vision. Her frustration is completely understandable, but it's what she does with it that makes her lose our support. She takes everything out on Natalie in a vicious elevator scene, and I was stunned to see her be so ruthless, degrading and unsympathetic with someone who has been there for her since the start of the season. Then there's her apology video, which was comically bad yet still in tune with how narcissistic Sally has been since the start of the show. This season has toned her down to get us hopeful that she can get out of her toxic relationship and find success, but we are given a harsh reminder that Sally isn't a particularly good person. Her "apology" and defense of it is a reminder of that. Even Lindsay is disappointed at seeing who Sally really is, and Sally's hateful words as she edges her way into the darkness (literally) is the final straw for Lindsay who leaves her. Sally has absolutely nothing and her career has been burned to the ground. It should be interesting to see where she goes next. The next big storyline to discuss is Fuches'. Fuches is the catalyst for two major players going after Barry: Jim and Albert. Jim is the simpler story. He proves to be much more competent and frightening than everyone else that Fuches sent to kill Barry, so much so that he turns Fuches in and launches into his own investigation. Gene's demeanour around him is a good way to show us how intimidating he is, and there's a nice directing flair to emphasize Jim noticing Gene sweating. Albert is a bit more interesting as he confronts Fuches and gets Fuches to open up about who he is to Barry. Naturally, Fuches dodges questions about himself and fixates on setting another deadly threat in Barry's direction by channeling Chris's death to get Albert hungry for vengeance. Gene has a few scenes and they are solid. His acting master class is decently funny, and I like that Annie is struggling to readjust back into the director job. It's quite funny that she still manages to forget the name of her assistant even with all of this pressure. Hank has one really funny moment when he doesn't do anything about the man preparing to shoot him with a blowgun because he "didn't want to be rude". Barry's story has its problems (see: The Bad), but there are some good ideas at play with it. The sequence of Barry on the beach with everyone he killed was effective, and there was a surprisingly intense conclusion as Ryan's father killed himself while bringing Barry to the hospital. The scene was a bit forced, but it plays into the season's themes of forgiveness. I got a good laugh out of Jim bringing Fuches in to the cops. The Bad: The same flaws re-emerge. With so many individual story threads, it becomes difficult to tell a cohesive and satisfying story in 30 minutes. The rapid intercutting of scenes was as jarring as ever, and I still believe that the decision to have so many short scenes was a mistake for this season. Barry's story is especially hurt by this. He has a fever dream experience of sorts, but the sense of mystique and immersion is ruined because we cut away from him so quickly to go see other characters. As a result, I never got into the feel of this dream-like experience, and much of its impact is lost on me. I was also very confused about Ryan's dad's involvement and the details of what happened here. Why did Sharon leave after sounding so vicious and ready to kill in the last episode? How did Barry survive? How did Ryan's dad find him? None of these questions get answered, and that makes Barry's survival feel convenient and not organic within the story. Hank's story didn't work for me. Even moreso than everyone else, Hank feels disconnected from everything. He's hardly been afforded any time in the last two episodes, and now he's suddenly in Bolivia somehow, and then he is randomly able to find an exact person who knows Cristobal so he can turn Hank in. It's rushed, nonsensical, and doesn't feel like satisfying storytelling. I'm not very interested in Hank's story right now, which is a shame because the character is great. Albert going after Barry is a bit too filled with tropes. He inexplicably turns off the cameras to the investigation room and decides to go on his own to confront Barry without telling anyone. These decisions are inexplicable, even the explanation of Albert not trusting the incompetent LAPD is not enough to gloss over this. The Unknown: What happened to Sharon? Where did she go? Why and how did Barry survive? Will he be found at the hospital by someone? What is Sally's next move? Her career looks like it is screwed. Will she return to Barry? Will Albert and Jim go after Barry on their own? How is this all going to turn out? Will Hank and Akhmal be able to escape from the Bolivians? What happened to Batir? Best Moment: Sally ranting at Lindsay and completing her fall from grace. Character of the Episode: Sally. Conclusion: I really enjoyed seeing the result of Sally's development this season, but other than that this was more of the same. It's funny, enjoyable television, but hurt by too many characters in their own isolated storylines. The show is still very good, but never sniffs great. Hopefully the season finale can bring things together in a satisfying way. Score: 65 Summary: Fuches is shot and left for dead by the bikers but he's saved by a rural family living on a farm with goats. Fuches again contemplates turning a new leaf but ultimately heads back to LA to go after Barry, contacting Janice's father next. Barry is invited to dinner by Chris's wife Sharon. Barry heads over there but is confronted by Taylor's sister's biker group. A chase ensues as they try to kill him and he drives away. Eventually the bikers get wiped out and Barry arrives at Sharon's, but she has been contacted by Fuches and poisons him. Hank realizes his operation has been shut down and ponders his next move. Sally has an interview for a position in the writer's room at BanShe but doesn't know if she should take it. Gene gets an offer for his own new show and offers to give the entire pay to Annie.
The Good: This episode dived deep into absurdity, and had an immediate comedic impact. This episode is funny and it shows in every single scene. Barry's story is the centerpiece, particularly that incredible chase sequence towards the end of the episode. I've praised how this season has married the comedy and drama together in a way that previous seasons struggled with. Instead of bouncing between drama and comedy in this sequence, every beat of this chase sequence offered both drama and comedy at once, avoiding the tonal whiplash that I used to feel so often with this series. Some highlight moments include the absurdly unsubtle way that the bikers recognize Barry, the gun "hand-off" which ended in a hysterical disaster, and Taylor's sister shooting through the roof at the store only to be killed by that one guy who thought his ex-wife was coming for retribution. I was laughing the whole time, and also in suspense to see how this chaos would finally end. Another thing to praise about this sequence is its direction. The framing, creative shots, and editing is all stellar and makes the experience feel much more cinematic. The conclusion of the episode is another stunner that caught me completely off guard. I did not expect Sharon to have been contacted by Fuches already, and the ending is a big surprise that makes me excited to see where the show goes from here. Fuches' story is another absurd example of combining drama and comedy. On paper, there's a really good character story here. Fuches is shot and karma catches up to him, but by some miracle he's saved by a group of people and once more brought to a peaceful farm life where he's given a chance at redemption. But ultimately Fuches is immune to good decision-making and decides to continue pursuing revenge. It's a simple character drama story. The only difference? This episode presents this story as pure comedy and it is fantastic. While the story beats are presented logically enough, they are very clearly exaggerated to be played for laughs and it works spectacularly. Fuches' ability to somehow end up on farms with hot girls and goats is funnier than it should be, and what really sent me over the edge is the overdramatic music that plays over all of his scenes. The laughs are all there ("what do your people call water", "there's a Starbucks right over that hill"), and what we end up with is a character exploration that is seamlessly converted into a comedy. Also up there in absurdity is Mitch and the entire concept of the beignets store. The details about it are slowly revealed over the course of the episode, but I really laughed at how much of a commodity Mitch and his idiot wisdom was, and he somehow did seem to pierce the heart of the issues that our characters were having. This show really knows how to create memorable side characters that can make you laugh, and Mitch is quite possibly the best that we have seen so far. I loved the suggestion that people would line up for miles outside the beignets store specifically to use him as a simple therapist. Perhaps even funnier is the subtle suggestion that people might not even realize why they keep coming back, since they seem to be unrealistically obsessed with the beignets. Or maybe the beignets really are that incredible, and Mitch is just an added bonus. Who knows? This concept is so genius and funny, and I was delighted every time we returned to Mitch as he rambles on in that same position with that same facial expression. The side stories in this episode are fine. Gene surprised and impressed me by making a genuine effort to repair Annie's career, and there was the delightful bit where his agent breaks into his house dramatically for seemingly no reason. Sally gets an interesting career choice in this episode, with a highlight scene being that hilarious meeting where her agent and the BanShe manager (Vanessa Bayer) used ludicrous noises to represent what Sally could provide. Hank continues to spiral as he loses everything, and I did get a good laugh out of his complete misunderstanding of what "red flag" means. The scene of Barry using voice-to-text in the store, leading to him sending the most nonsensical message to Sally was another fantastic comedy highlight. The Bad: The dive into absurdity did have some big downsides though, and I can't help but feel that the show loses something whenever it has these insane episodes where the rules no longer seem to matter. A lot of the happenings of this episode make no sense, and that will make it hard for the show to carry dramatic weight when the story tries to be more serious. This is very similar to my problems with "ronny/lily" from season 2, and while these episodes are some of the show's finest, there's no denying that they have also managed to hurt the show a lot. A lot of details in this episode don't add up. How did the bikers find Barry casually on the road? How did they find where he was staying? Why did they even shoot Fuches? Why did they make some of these batshit crazy decisions? Like shooting Barry out in the open with no regard for who else they kill. Also isn't Taylor's sister an olympic gold medalist? Why on Earth is she so concerned about $1700? The logistical details in this episode don't work at all, and that unfortunately drags down the experience because you realize that the rules don't matter, so there are no real stakes. It's still funny, but the drama gets significantly downgraded because the details are no longer there. Again, I still feel that having all the characters on their own with their own personal stories is a mistake. The season is still too crowded, and you can really feel that with how many side stories there are that barely progress in this episode. We are always jumping from place to place and that prevents these side stories from gaining any momentum. The pacing of the show is still badly hurt by the sheer amount of disconnected storylines that are being told at once. The Unknown: How will Barry survive that ending? Will somebody save him? Will Sharon be unable to murder him? Will Albert get involved somehow? How will Janice's father play into things? How will Sally move forward at BanShe? Will she take this opportunity? Will Gene and Annie's partnership last? Best Moment: The sheer insanity of that chase sequence. Character of the Episode: Barry. Conclusion: This episode delved head-first into absurdity, and while that resulted in both ups and downs, we ended up getting what was easily the best, funniest and most focused episode of the season. I still have my problems with this third season and how it is handling its story, but there's no denying that this show has a competent team who know what they are doing. Score: 73 Summary: Albert arrives at the LAPD to investigate Moss's murder and immediately tells them to round up the Chechens. Cristobal's wife arrives in LA and attacks the Chechen compound. Batir is facetiming home from above and watches the Bolivians and cops attack and destroy the compound at once. Barry is upset about Sally and gets advice from Hank and Cristobal. After he leaves, Cristobal's wife reclaims him and Hank hides. She realizes Cristobal was cheating on her. Sally's show gets cancelled and she is torn up. Barry visits and sees her break down. He offers to terrorize the show manager and a frightened Sally sends him away, When Barry leaves, the vengeful mother and son are in a nearby car. The mother accidentally shoots her son. Fuches meets with Taylor's sister and sets her up to go after Barry too. Gene apologizes to everyone he can but still struggles to overcome his past.
The Good: There's a lot to enjoy about this episode. Sally's show being cancelled caught me totally off guard and is a great way to push this character down a peg. It seemed like she had done everything right, but naturally "the algorithm" decided her fate and took it all away from her, which is a funny and depressing take on society, especially with how much algorithms are used on platforms like YouTube. It's an interesting critique on the concept, and also a critique on the people in power who are submissive to these devices. It's easy to feel for Sally as she tries to process her own failure. Barry's story intersects with Sally's by the end and it is well told. I got a good laugh out of Barry visiting Hank and Cristobal for advice, and Hank's passive aggressive words for Barry are really funny. It's sensible that Barry would look for help to get Sally back, and I smiled at how he interprets Hank's words. His ridiculous collage is funnier than it should be, and that final scene where he tries to connect with sally is both hilarious and sad. Barry doesn't even realize that what he's saying is wrong when he offers to drive the person who cancelled Sally's show insane, and that's a perfect example of his disillusionment with the social world. He thinks he's being reasonable, but in reality he's scaring Sally with how calmly he is offering to do these psychotic things. But the episode still keeps things light with some of Barry's suggestions like replacing her dog with a slightly different dog to make her think she's going insane. The scene is both funny and impactful, and is the quality content that I've come to expect from this show. The incompetence of the Chechens is still extremely funny to watch. The entire sequence where Batir facetimed the Bolivians and the cops destroying the operation was a blast and it really made me laugh. I was expecting Batir to be an intimidating character, but I appreciate that he's every bit as clueless as every other character in this show. There were so many good jokes in this sequence. The entire secret operation being visible from a nearby parking garage, Batir trying his best to impress his bosses, Akhmal getting shot again (his delivery of "ah f*ck you" is pure gold), and the cops running away from a single suicide bomber all made me laugh hard. The sequence was perfect. Gene's apology tour was a good use of the character. You can tell that he genuinely does want to turn a new leaf and leave his old life behind, but the episode does a good job of confronting us, and him, with the possibility that even these apologies are motivated by selfish reasons. It's a sad truth that was conveyed effectively. Albert's return was a surprise, and I'm curious to see where this goes. It's great to see a competent character for once, and Albert immediately stands out as a threat for being nowhere near as comically inept as the rest of the LAPD. The Bad: Again there is way too much going on in this show for any of it to be truly impactful. With each character having their own individual storyline, there is too much here for a 30 minute episodes. Scenes feel incredibly short, and you have to go through far too many scenes before returning to a character. By spreading things out so thin, it becomes difficult to invest in the characters and storylines. We are jarringly thrown from storyline to storyline in an effort to keep up with the plot, and it makes the show much less interesting to watch. A lot of this season's good ideas are being wasted because everything feels so rushed. The character of Barry is suffering a lot because he feels like an afterthought in his own show. In previous seasons, Barry was very clearly the centerpiece of the entire story. But now with every other main cast member having their own story, Barry has become no different from any other character and he has been shifted to the background. I want to be invested in his story, especially with how much I enjoyed seasons 1 and 2, but Barry has been so marginalized that his story no longer feels fluent. I'm not sure how I feel about the Bolivian threat resuming once again. The story was flat and ended prematurely last time, so it feels strange to bring it back with Elena instead of Fernando. It's repetitive, and I can't help but question the decision to make this plot so needlessly dense. I enjoy Hank and Cristobal, but they aren't enough to make me interested in this. I'm not sure what to make of Kyle getting shot at the end. It's such a random scene that is so bleak and depressing, despite also feeling like black comedy. I'm not sure what I was supposed to feel or how I even felt about it, so the scene felt like a flat way to end the episode. The Unknown: What will Albert's role be in the series? Will he meet Barry? Is he going to die? How wilL Sally move on from Joplin's cancellation? What's next for her? How will Elena's arrival change things? Will she go after Hank now? What is Hank going to do now that he knows about her? Will Kyle survive getting shot? Who else is Fuches going to contact? Best Moment: The sequence at the Chechens plant store really made me laugh. Character of the Episode: Sally. Conclusion: This is entertaining stuff, but this season still feels like it has too much going on to really stand out. I have a good time with these episodes, but the story is not grabbing me the way that it used to in the first two seasons. Score: 65 Summary: Fuches contacts the families of Barry's former victims, giving them a chance for revenge. Barry gets the bomb from Hank and is supposed to bomb Cristobal's house while he is gone to pilates. Barry tries to detonate the bomb, but the app doesn't work. Cristobal returns home but finds out that Fernando has learned about his affair. Cristobal runs outside and right then the house explodes, killing the Bolivians. Barry brings a shocked Cristobal back to Hank. Gene prepares to leave town but finds out that his role has been increased in his show and that he's starting to become well-liked due to how he helped Barry. Gene returns home and Barry tells him he will leave him alone and that his family is safe. Sally attends her TV show premiere and is overjoyed. Katie tells her about her concerns about Barry. Sally has a realization and chooses to break up with Barry after he arrives late.
The Good: The entire bomb plot was really funny. This required the usual suspension of disbelief that "Barry" requires of us due to its inherent ridiculous portrayal of the real world. But if you can do that, this is fantastic comedy. To start, the reveal that Hank decided to keep the bomb out in a parking lot in broad daylight due to pure fear of blowing up was fantastic. Then the bomb starts speaking in some other language and doesn't stop speaking, and I couldn't help be love the absurdity of that. Barry plants the talking bomb and it works so well because we see Fernando accusing Cristobal suspensfully while their men investigate this mysterious sound they are hearing in the background. This is surprisingly funny. I also really enjoyed the entire concept of the detonate app which has a consumer-friendly customer service number. This universe never ceases to amaze me. The remaining three storylines are good but unremarkable. Gene's story is solid as he panics and tries to get out of dodge as fast as possible, but he's constantly barraged with career successes that give him good reason to stay. It's a good conflict for him, and features some funny bits like Gene's endless nicknames. Fuches is out for revenge, and building an army of vengeful past victims is a creative idea. I'm curious to see where this story heads. Lastly, we have Sally who is great in her scenes. Sarah Goldberg again portrays her brilliantly as she is overcome with emotion during her TV premiere. I greatly enjoyed the irony of newbie Katie being mature and composed, while experienced Sally stutters and screams in excitement like a baby. The emphasis on rotten tomatoes scores was a great touch. This takes me to the end of the epiosde where Katie finally confronts Sally about Barry, and after a moment of introspection and realization, Sally makes the harsh decision and immediately breaks up with Barry. I'm shocked that it happened so soon and so suddenly, but I'm happy that Sally was able to get away from Barry's dangerous messiness. The Bad: Something about this didn't quite click for me. One big issue I have is that this show has burned down a lot of its key relationships. The relationships between Barry/Sally, Barry/Hank, Barry/Fuches, Barry/Gene, Sally/Gene, and Hank/Fuches have all either been burned down, or hardly have much going on at the moment. This is a significant problem because good comedy depends on there being relationships between characters that allow for the humour to emerge. Right now we don't have very much character interaction that isn't marred by characters being cold towards each other and that hurts this show's ability to make you laugh. Season 3's best episode so far got laughs out of the Barry/Gene relationship, but since then there has been a lack of focus on relationships. The comedy is suffering, but so is the drama. This is mainly because every character is on their own at the moment, resulting in too many story threads that aren't able to be fully explored. With so many disparate story threads, it makes these short 30 minute episodes feel unsatisfying since these episodes can only spend 7-8 minutes on each storyline as there are so many stories squeezed into each episode. This makes the stories feel rushed, and it makes them less emotionally effective as the stories we have seen in seasons 1 and 2. This third season has already resolved a lot of the storylines that started off the season, but I didn't have much of an emotional reaction to any of it. Barry and Sally's break-up was good, but it didn't have that emotional level to it. Likewise with Barry's decision to stop going after Gene. The resolution of the Bolivian threat was also very abrupt and anticlimactic. Since "Barry" is juggling so many storylines, it has struggled with giving them the time to breathe, making them lose a lot of their power. There was too much crammed into this short episode, and nothing hit me as hard as I expected it to. The Unknown: Will Fuches be able to take revenge on Barry? How will Barry respond to people coming to his place to kill him? Is the location Sally's house? Will she get caught in the crossfire? How will Barry handle Sally breaking up with him? I don't imagine that this relationship will simply end so suddenly. What's next for Gene? He's definitely going to be sticking around, but how will he remain important to the show? Will Cristobal be okay after the explosion? Will this change how he interacts with Hank? Best Moment: I laughed the hardest at Barry going to pick up the bomb which was placed comically far away from the Chechens. Character of the Episode: Barry. Conclusion: This was solid story progression, but I had some concerns about the state of the show and some pacing problems that are hurting this third season right now. Score: 64 Summary: Barry and Gene prepare for their scene, but Gene freaks out and hits Barry, telling him to stay away from his family, and runs. When Batir realizes they were hit, he orders Hank to get revenge on Cristobal. Hank tries to redirect things to Fernando and tries to call in Fuches, but Fuches is happy on his own. Fuches calls Barry and they have another argument. Fuches decides to return to LA to get revenge. Batir wants Hank to blow up Cristobal's house so Hank calls Barry to do the job. Initially Barry says no, but after Gene's outburst he agrees. Sally and Katie do interviews and Katie struggles to hide her discomfort towards Barry.
The Good: The character dynamics here are as good as ever. Barry and Gene continued the fun from last week. Gene is almost like a puppy being trained by Barry so that Barry can be satisfied. He says he's doing this for Gene, but there's no way that 1 line in a TV show can replace Janice. Gene's obvious hatred for Barry and Barry's inability to see it does make for some interesting dark comedy once again, and good drama too. There's a good scene where Gene asks Barry if Janice died fast, and Barry has to snap back to reality. Hi assertion to Fuches that he and Gene talked out there issues rings false, and Barry realizes that at the end when Gene lashes out at him in another great scene (see: Best Moment). Having the lines reflect Barry and Gene's situation is an idea that this show has overused a little bit, but it still works here. Barry and Fuches continue to have a sad relationship. It's obvious that Fuches cares about Barry but he's still so selfish and short-sighted and all he can think about is that Barry betrayed him, even though it was Fuches who tried to kill Gene. It's no wonder that Barry is unable to forgive him, and Barry's inability to forgive Fuches nicely parallels Gene's inability to forgive Barry. Fuches' time in Chechnya looks like it is coming to an end, and his total misinterpretation of the anti-revenge fable was a hilarious but fitting conclusion to the episode. Hank is a blast in everything he does. He continues to have great lines as he awkwardly bumbles around trying to protect Cristobal and get Barry and Fuches working for him. There are some good laughs in this episode like with Hank being grateful for the almost expired groupons, and Akhmal being terrified of the bomb. Cristobal also had a good moment where he actually convinced Fernando to go home, but it looks like Batir's bomb attack will likely continue this war. I really appreciated that the main character of "Laws of Humanity" is named "Hugh Manity". That's a great hidden joke. I would love to see a Marvel movie entitled "Cake Boss". The Bad: Katie does not interest me very much. She has been only a partially realized character so far and many of her scenes are dull. It seems like she is being set up to cause some sort of friction in the Sally/Barry relationship and that is fine, but her scenes are never particularly funny, interesting, or dramatic. Sally's story as a whole suffers from being a bit unclear. I couldn't quite recall the importance of these interviews, and I was confused by people switching out just to ask a single question. I might be missing something, but I spent more time confused than I did laughing. This episode feels like a transitional episode so it suffers in that regard. Every story is in an in-between situation, and while there is some comedy extracted from these scenes, this episode is all about moving characters and it doesn't do this in a particularly interesting way. The main issue is that everything is quite predictable. We know Fuches will come back to LA so this episode gives him a reason why. We know that Gene won't be able to stand Barry and that Barry will work with Hank again, so this episode gets to that point. These storylines have interesting ideas and jokes within them, but they aren't the most exciting to watch. The Unknown: What is Batir suspecting about Hank's actions? Will he figure out Hank has a relationship with Cristobal? What will be the consequences of Gene running from Barry? What is Barry going to do now? What is Hank going to tell Barry to do with the bomb? What will he use it for? How is Fuches planning to build an army to take revenge on Barry? Is Katie going to leak information about Barry's abusive behaviour with Sally? How will this affect the show? Best Moment: Gene's scene with Barry was great. The way he flinches when Barry touches him is a brilliant piece of writing, and you can't help but wonder what Gene does next. His rage-filled outburst was superb as it made sense for Gene to be unable to accept any apology from Barry, and it shows Barry that Fuches is right and Gene will never be the same with him. Character of the Episode: Fuches. Conclusion: This was decent progression, but it felt like a transitional episode to get the characters to where they need to be. There is nothing too offensive here, but nothing stands out either. Score: 60 Summary: Barry has returned to hired killing but isn't fulfilled. His home life with Sally has little spark as she is busy producing her own show which she stars in. Hank is interrogated by the police about the Chechen pin and what happened at the monastery and he frames Fuches who is currently in Chechnya. Hank has engaged in a relationship with Cristobal. Barry goes to Hank to find work, but Hank turns him away, annoyed that Barry framed him. Gene is told by the police that they have no evidence on Barry and that Fuches was the man responsible. Gene doesn't believe it and meets with Barry. He tells him what he knows and threatens to kill him but his gun falls apart and Barry kidnaps him and takes him to the desert to kill him. Gene tells Barry to earn his forgiveness and Barry decides not to kill him.
The Good: This show has come back as strong as ever, and I'm happy to have it back. First of all, I'm pleased to say that the tonal issues weren't anywhere as bad in this episode as they were in season 2. The show seems to be carrying a lighter tone overall and it doesn't take its serious scenes too seriously. There is some darker character work, but it isn't as overbearing as it used to be, allowing the show to hit a finer balance with its tone. Barry remains a compelling character to watch. He slid deeper into his depression and we can see that in both his appearance and the way he acts. He now visualizes bullet wounds in the people he is close to, and he is much more emotionally detached than he was last season. His relationship with Sally is surprisingly cold as he continues to do his work while Sally dives into her new job in producing a TV show (which features a beautiful long take of Sally walking through the sets). Barry is in a rut here, likely struggling because he is unable to forgive himself and doesn't feel like he deserves to be forgiven. Forgiveness is a major theme of this episode, established early on in a terrific (and funny) opening scene, before coming back in Barry's scenes with Hank and Gene, letting us know that Barry has much to atone for. The scenes with Gene are all very strong. I'm pleased that the show didn't tease us with Gene knowing about Barry for a long time, and the storyline was immediately propelled forwards. Gene quickly confronts Barry, which makes sense because Gene has lost everything, Janice, his acting class, his career, so he has nothing to lose in going for revenge. Gene knows what Barry has done. It doesn't take a detective because Gene has known Barry and all of his oddities get explained once Gene is able to connect the dots. Thus, it makes sense that Gene would go for revenge and his confrontation with Barry is tense and exciting. The scene builds and builds all the way to a superb climax where Gene's unused gun falls apart in hilarious fashion, allowing Barry to turn the tables on him. It's a classic "Barry" moment that really got me to laugh. Once Barry and Gene end up in the desert, it seems unlikely that Barry is going to kill him, but the tension is there. From there, we got a pleasing development as the old optimistic Barry comes out again when he realizes that he can work to earn forgiveness from Gene, giving him purpose and giving him hope. Hank is as much of a joy as ever and he's the highlight of this episode. His operation has become much tamer than it was before due to a lack of "baddies". The obvious heroin front store (PLANTS!) is hilarious, and I love seeing the Chechens being as incompetent as ever. Hank nails the interrogation, and he's such a funny personality to watch. Him dubbing Fuches "The Raven", his funny reaction to being shown the Chechen pin which he absurdly reads with glasses, and that glorious image with his foot up on the SUV are just a few examples of the many many laughs I had during the entire scene. Hank is written so well and is such a blast to watch. I'm happy to see that his relationship with Cristobal has been confirmed since it was all but confirmed last season. They are a lot of fun together, and it's remarkably easy to root for everything Hank-related because the character is so funny and likeable. The episode also features a great scene between him and Barry. Hank is understandably frustrated with Barry and his rejection is justified, but even with this anger it's still a joy to see these two interacting with each other. I'm excited to see where their relationship goes this season. The Bad: It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm sad that the acting class has ended. The group was always reliable for good jokes, and I'm sad that we won't be getting them anymore. Wasn't Mae investigating Fuches back in season 2? Surely she should know who he is by now. Perhaps it's intentional that the cops aren't revealing what they know about him, but I suspect that this was an oversight in the writing. The Unknown: What will Fuches do this season? It's strange that he is starting this season far away from everyone else in Chechnya. Is Hank going to forgive Barry eventually? If so, then why? How will Cristobal feel about that? What are the police going to do to attempt to find Fuches? What is Barry's plan to earn forgiveness from Gene? Will Gene go along with it or is he going to plot against Barry? Natalie has become Sally's assistant and Sally is as selfish as ever when dealing with her. I wonder if Natalie's frustrations are going to lead somewhere in this story. If so, where is it heading? Best Moment: Hank's interrogation really made me laugh. Character of the Episode: NoHo Hank. Because of course it is. Conclusion: There was nothing mind-blowing here, but this was a solid return for "Barry". Enjoyable drama and enjoyable comedy, it's all that you could want. Score: 65 Summary: Fuches doesn't kill Gene but tells him something before leaving. Barry arrives and so do the cops. The cops arrest Gene under suspicion that he murdered Moss. Barry arrives for Sally's performance but is unnerved by what is happening to Gene, and repeatedly calls Fuches in frustration. Fuches contacts Hank at the monastery looking for help but is surprised when he sees that nobody is listening to Hank. Cristobal arrives to kill Hank but Fuches talks to him and gets everyone to make up. The three gangs celebrate their union. The theatre performance doesn't go as planned when Sally changes her scene at the last second to show her standing up to Barry. Sally is horrified by her actions but she is surprised when her performance is praised. Barry discovers that Gene has been released; the cops discovered a Chechen pin that Barry planted in the car and they blame them. Barry receives a text from Hank that Fuches is with him. Angry, Barry goes to the monastery and shoots down tons of people in an attempt to kill Fuches, including Mayrbeck. Fuches escapes. Batir arrives from Chechnya and finds Hank amidst the chaos. Gene remembers what Fuches told him before leaving: Barry is responsible for killing Moss.
The Good: Everybody starts off this episode in an awful place. Barry and Gene are in custody being eaten alive by what's happened. Gene is in a horrible way, overtaken by grief after finally learning what happened to Moss. He's a shell of himself and can hardly even listen to detective May. Barry on the other hand is frustrated. His mentor has been detained and it's looking increasingly likely that he will be arrested, and it's all Barry's fault. He deals with troubling emotions as he's put in a place where he has to choose between himself and Gene. Elsewhere, Hank's future is looking grim. He has no control over anything anymore and he receives news that Batir is coming to replace him. At the same time, Sally is a nervous wreck while preparing for her performance, as is Lindsay who tries (and fails) to calm Sally's nerves. I thought this episode worked outstandingly well on an emotional level. So much of what happened here had emotional weight to it and provided a fittingly conclusive end to the storylines that were explored this season. I'll start with Sally's arc. This whole season saw her faced with a similar dilemma to Barry: should she enact the truth and risk facing judgement, or enact a lie that makes her look better. Earlier in the season it seemed like Sally had accepted the truth and was going to use that. But there's a cruel twist in the story as Sally panics about showing hundreds of people how pathetic she used to be and changes the scene at the last second, creating a scene with less emotional power and less meaning. Horrified with herself, Sally tries to leave and her emotions are easy to sympathize with. Despite knowing what she had to do, she just wasn't strong enough to do it. But in what was yet another cruel twist, the audience loved her performance. They praise her and commend her acting skills, and it seems like this performance is about to launch Sally's acting career. And it was based off a lie. It's going to be very interesting to see how Sally deals with this development. Barry's internal conflict was also explored in a new, and powerful way this episode. Since the start of the show, Barry has only killed for self-preservation. He tries to prove that he is a good person by not killing, but he has still ended up in position's where he is forced to kill, like with Chris and with Moss. Each time Barry was given a choice. He could face the consequences for his actions, or he could go back to killing. Both times Barry chose to avoid the consequences and kept on killing. This episode put a slight spin on this conflict. This time Barry's choice isn't one with a selfish nature. This time he's forced between choosing between Gene's future and his own. The predicament this puts him in is fantastic to watch, and as usual, Bill Hader is terrific. Barry wrestles with the guilt of what has happened in realistic ways, seeming unfocused at Sally's performance while being utterly enraged whenever he sends voicemails to Fuches. As the episode progresses it seems more and more like Barry will need to make a decision soon. But he is saved in the end and all of his panic goes away in an instant. Barry is lucky and Gene will be okay. But one emotion still persisted inside of Barry. He still needed revenge against Fuches. This leads me into what Fuches was up to this episode. For the first time this season, Fuches turns to the Chechens and gets in touch with Hank. But Hank isn't in a promising place. His time as a leader is facing its end and he has nothing to offer Fuches. Fuches in exchange, doesn't have anything to ensure the loyalty of the Chechens. Both of them are desperate and need something to work out. So when Cristobal arrives, Fuches seizes his opportunity and gets the Bolivians and the Chechens to make peace. It's almost a fairy tale ending and it's surprising how perfectly everything works out. As such, this storyline ends up being the best place for the writers to squeeze in some comedy, and they do so with a resounding success. Moments like Hank ordering a "heroin table" and Fuches being too far away for Cristobal to hear him were hilarious. The strongest part of this storyline was the examination into the Barry/Fuches relationship. As Fuches gets Cristobal to reunite with Hank, he finds himself describing their situation in the same way as his relationship with Barry. Whether or not he realizes this, or even cares about it is difficult to discern, but either way it's powerful to see Fuches saving Cristobal and Hank's relationship when he can't even save his own relationship with Barry. While Fuches encourages Cristobal to change his methods to continue his bromance with Hank, Fuches himself is unwilling to change himself to suit Barry's needs. And Fuches never realizes this. He still thinks he is justified in what he did to Barry and is still feeling hateful. So when Barry shows up in a rage, Fuches leaves. He views himself as a victim and doesn't care how many other lives are lost as he secures an escape. Barry on the other hand, also doesn't care about all the lives he's taking. The show has spoken out many times about how a real killer is somebody without a soul. But Barry has worked hard to deny this and prove that he does in fact have a soul. Here he completely falls apart, murdering relentlessly and even killing his own protege Mayrbeck without hesitation. Before there was always hope that Barry could maybe be redeemed, difficult as it may seem. But this brutal killing spree proves that there is no turning back for Barry. Despite how much he has grown, he is still the same man that murdered innocents on Korengal, as he makes the exact same error in judgement in the monastery. And that error has cost the lives of dozens of people. Barry's conclusive walk into the darkness after seeing Mayrbeck's corpse was a brutally effective way of showcasing Barry's true nature. Barry may have told Gene that he was right about how people can change, but what Barry wants to believe is completely different from what the truth is. The Bad: Unfortunately, the tonal issues persisted in this episode as well. Some of the jokes in this episode were really well done (like the ones in the Chechens storyline and the sudden reveal of Sasha's dark past), but others didn't work at all. The fact that there were moments that were played for laughs during Barry's killing spree was a complete misjudgement. This is the darkest and most frightening scene of the entire show as Barry murders like a supernatural force. Yet for some reason, the show tries to make us laugh? It's very awkward and takes away from the seriousness and implications of Barry's murders. Unfortunately the comedy issue wasn't only present in the ending. There were numerous points throughout the episode where a very powerful character moment had a lessened impact due to an ill-timed joke. The Unknown: What will Gene do now that he knows the truth? He doesn't seem like the kind of man that would go for vengeance. What are his intentions? Will he try to turn Barry in? Will he try to help him? Will he try to get back in contact with Fuches? How will Sally be impacted by the audience loving her fake story? Will this catapult her into stardom? Will she be happy about this? Or will this only result in more inner conflict for her to resolve? Will Sam hear about this performance from Sally? What happens if he returns to confront her about it? Will Hank still be sent to Chechnya? With almost everyone dead, surely Batir won't be willing to send away the few men that are left. What happens to Cristobal now? How will Barry deal with his killing spree? How will it change his behaviour? What does this mean for his relationships with Gene and Fuches? Best Moment: There are so many moments to pick. I'll go with Barry murdering Mayrbeck. Mayrbeck is ready to defend his people and more than willing to pull the trigger. But when Barry is the one who enters the room, Mayrbeck is a mixture of surprised and glad to see him. He hesitates, but Barry does not. Seeing Barry kill mayrbeck without a second thought was horrifying, and it was made worse when you remember that Barry had previously warned Mayrbeck that hesitation could be the difference between life and death. In this case, it was. Character of the Episode: Barry. Conclusion: This was a terrific season finale. So much happened, plenty of things were resolved, and even more things were left open-ended to leave room for more exciting material in season 3. Had it not been for the tonal inconsistency, this could have been one of the best season finales I've ever seen. But unfortunately, the awkward tone detracted from my enjoyment of the episode. This finale was pretty representative of my feelings on this season as a whole. There was so much to love in this season. The writing, directing and editing was just as superb as season 1, if not better in a few places. I was especially pleased with how the show expanded on its supporting cast, turning Hank, Sally and Gene from solid side characters in a comedy into fully fleshed out characters that were given complete character arcs. And the performances were consistently awe-inspiring. I don't think there was anyone who didn't deliver in this season, and I was especially impressed by the entire main cast of Bill Hader, Henry Winkler, Sarah Goldberg, Stephen Root and Anthony Carrigan. This season could have been near-perfect television had there not been one major flaw: the tone. This show manages to be both an outstanding drama and an outstanding comedy. But the problems arise when you put both of those together. The story doesn't fit together as well when it tries to both make you laugh and make you think about morality. At times it's extremely awkward, and because of that I think this show is one where every individual piece is fantastic, but the overall product isn't as good as any of the individual pieces. Don't get me wrong, I've had a blast with this show so far, but looking back at the entire season as one entity isn't as impressive as looking at every individual scene or even every individual episode. It's difficult trying to make a black comedy. Balancing drama and comedy is never easy, and this show comes close but doesn't quite nail it. But thankfully, the show does nail everything else, and it's because of that that I'm still left thinking that this was a tremendous season of television. Score: 79 Summary: Sally turns down a new lead role because she's disgusted by the TV show she was offered. Barry gets an audition for a movie immediately and Sally feels jealous. She speaks with Lindsay who gives her a chance to show her performance on a theatre stage. Sally gleefully accepts. Barry goes to his audition but is surprised when Gene doesn't show up. Barry gets a call from Gene and learns that Fuches is posing as a private investigator and is leading him to Moss' body. Afraid for Gene, Barry leaves the audition and goes to Gene's cabin. Fuches shows Moss' body to Gene and prepares to shoot him in the head. Meanwhile, the Burmese and Bolivians try to kill Hank and the Chechens. However, the Chechens escape and win in a gunfight. They turn to Mayrbeck as their new leader and abandon Hank.
The Good: This episode managed to both function as a standalone episode while also setting up the season finale in an exciting way. The first 3/4 of this episode tells an individual story before things heated up in a big way towards the end, giving us an epic climax and a memorable cliffhanger. The early parts of the episode were quite strong. The main focus was Sally, and she was terrific. Sarah Goldberg gave out her best performance yet as she got to convey a wide assortment of emotions throughout her scenes. We see a mixture of excitement and disgust when she meets with Aaron Ryan and learns what her new lead role would be like. Sally's choice to turn down the role isn't anything good for her career, but now that we've been given a look at Sally's character this season, it's easy to understand why she would turn down this offer. This one choice defines Sally's frustrations throughout the episode. When she learns that Barry has an audition, she finds it hard to figure out what to feel, and she is left with a mixture of happiness for her boyfriend and anger over how he succeeded quickly while her talents are continually wasted. The best scene of the episode is absolutely Sally's monologue, which nicely paid off of these emotions and created something really memorable (see: Best Moment). Hank's story is a lot of fun too. Having been captured, the Chechens are in danger of dying, but we see Barry's training pay off as they all fight their way out and seemingly secure a new future under Mayrbeck's leadership. Anthony Carrigan is still a joy to watch, and his antics carried this storyline. The escape from the bus was very skillfully (and humourously) done, and every scene with that traitorous accordion guy was quite funny. Barry's story was strong too. This episode has Barry finally living his dream. His relationship with Gene has never been stronger, and now he has a shot to make a name for himself in the acting industry, proving that he can find purpose in his life by leaving his past behind. But then a sudden, unexpected call from Fuches turns that all on his head. While at his audition, Barry is faced with the possibility of Fuches taking away everything that he had worked so hard to obtain. So Barry makes a choice and leaves, dashing over to Gene's place to ensure his safety. But he's too late and Fuches is already setting up Gene's death. And with Fuches' gun raised, the episode ends. It's such a frustrating ending in the best possible way. This is how you do a cliffhanger that builds anticipation for what happens next without making it feel like the audience is being played. I don't think Gene is about to die, but ending the episode in such a precarious position makes anything feel possible. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. The Unknown: Will Gene somehow be saved? Will Barry make it there in time? What happens when Barry reunites with Fuches? What will the cops do when they arrive to the location where Gene currently is? There are so many possibilities, and I'm very curious to see what happens. Will Barry still get the role? With how excited everyone was about him being 6'2", I wouldn't be surprised if they still give him the role. What's next for Hank now that he's seemingly been kicked out of the Chechens' organization? Best Moment: Sally's 3 minute monologue was outstanding television. To do the entire thing in a single take is simply jawdropping acting, and I think Sarah Goldberg portrayed Sally's complete emotional meltdown perfectly. What's really impressive is how the scene manages to be both emotionally heavy and hilarious at the same time. In most cases, "Barry" has failed to put drama and comedy together in a scene without it feeling jarring. This is one of the few cases where both the comedy and drama came together perfectly. Character of the Episode: Sally. Conclusion: This was a strong episode of storytelling anchored by an outstanding performance from Sarah Goldberg. It may not be one of the show's absolute best episodes, but it's another fun episode. Score: 68 Summary: Barry breaks things off with Fuches and leaves him behind. Barry returns to acting class and learns that Sally has changed her scene to reflect the truth about what happened. With some help from Gene, Barry is able to use his murder of Moss to bring out a great performance and show the power inside Sally's story. Barry completes the Chechens training. Hank prepares to attack the Burmese but his plans get leaked to Cristobal who stops him. Fuches hunts down Moss' body and prepares to use it as leverage against Barry. He seemingly plans to tell Gene what happened to Moss.
The Good: This was a solid transitional episode that advanced the story in preparation for the final two episodes of the season. As usual, Barry's story is the highlight. For the first time, we get to see Barry bring out a fantastic performance all by himself. He finally figures out how to channel his experiences and turn them into an emotional performance, and it's a powerful moment for him. He makes Gene proud, impresses Sally and it finally looks like he is fitting in. But this isn't meant to be. It's evidence enough that his relationship with Gene is in a tricky place when Gene continually keeps bringing up how Barry killed somebody and got away with it. What would Gene do if he found out that the key to Barry's brilliant performance was the time that he murdered Gene's girlfriend? It's clear that this isn't the happy ending that Barry expects it to be. And with an angry Fuches out for revenge, it seems like Gene and Barry's relationship is under a serious threat. Everybody else had pretty solid story advancement. It's entertaining to see Fuches stumble through the woods during his hunt for Moss. Sally's story continues to be quite good. Sarah Goldberg has been killing it this season, and I think it's fascinating to see Sally face the truth of her past and seemingly be rewarded by receiving a promising new offer from her agent. Hank's story is also a blast. The accordion guy made for a good laugh early in the episode, but it made for a better one when he turned out to be the reason for Hank's downfall. I'm intrigued by the end of this episode. Hank has been put in a really bad position, and I want to see how he tries to get out of this one. The Bad: The biggest problem about this episode is that it hardly acknowledges the events of the previous episode. Barry moves on with his life like he was never even injured, despite the fact that his wound would have certainly been infected. Furthermore, there are no consequences to what happened in the last episode. The cops apparently haven't really looked through the crime scenes enough, because if they did, they should have immediately been led to Barry and Fuches. Furthermore, returning to normal storytelling after the crazy formula break in the previous episode felt jarring. It felt odd to go back to something so ordinary after such a surreal episode, and that resulting in me being less immersed in this episode than I wanted to be. The Unknown: What is Fuches going to do next? Will he tell Gene about Barry? Or about Moss? Both? What does he plan to accomplish? Is he motivated purely by spite or does he have a more cunning plan? What will happen to Hank now that Cristobal knows that he was planning betrayal? Can Hank repair his relationship with Cristobal? Best Moment: Barry remembering Moss in order to act out the scene with Sally was really powerful. I love the touch of Barry opening his eyes to escape the guilt out of reflex only to close his eyes once more and willingly accept the past. It's a beautiful bit of visual storytelling that made Barry's intense performance mean so much more. Character of the Episode: Barry. Conclusion: This is a solid episode with some decent storytelling. However, ignoring "ronny/lily" proved to be a big mistake, making this episode feel both jarring and unrealistic. This isn't a bad episode, but it's certainly the weakest of the season so far. Score: 58 Summary: Barry sneaks into Ronny's house without intent to kill him. He tries to smuggle him out of the city. However, Ronny is a trained fighter and he fights Barry. However, Barry breaks his windpipe and Ronny passes out. Barry tries to leave but Ronny's daughter Lily arrives. Much to Barry's shock, Lily starts acting completely wild and fights him. Lily stabs Barry and leaves out the window. A stunned Barry goes to Fuches, demanding stitches. Fuches wants Barry to kill Lily since she's a witness and they hunt her down. Fuches gets terrified of her antics and they both end up driving away injured. They end up back at the supermarket so Barry can get Fuches some superglue remover (he glued his hands to the wheel). In the supermarket Barry finds Ronny and they fight. The police arrive. Loach is there first and he shoots Ronny btu Ronny gets back up and kills him in one hit. Other cops arrive and kill Ronny. Barry escapes out back and returns to Fuches.
The Good: ... What the hell did I just watch? This has got to be the most unexpectedly absurd episode of television I've seen. After I watched it, I was literally speechless for 10 minutes. Nothing in this episode made sense and I was not expecting anything like this at all. But it was so fun! The one thing I can center my thoughts around is the fact that this is the most fun I've had watching a TV episode. This is easily the most I've ever laughed watching an episode. The humour here was outstanding and I completely lost it laughing at several moments. The whole episode was just so ridiculous and unbelievable, yet it never broke my immersion. I was just floored by the absurdity of it all, and the downright slapstick interactions between characters was the icing on the cake. The funniest part of this show has always been how incompetent everyone is. This episode takes that incompetence and dials it up to 11, allowing us to watch an episode where two fools (Barry and Fuches) bumble around trying to accomplish a single basic hit. Another thing I need to applaud is the masterful directing. This episode was brought to life absolutely perfectly and there were so many little things that I absolutely loved, like the single-shot fight sequence, the patient opening scene which established the plot in a brilliantly simple way without exposition, the horrifying imagery with the monstrous Lily and many other things. I'm honestly struggling to do justice to this episode in this review. I don't think that my words can quite explain why this was so good. You just have to watch this one for yourself. It's such an unexpected surprise, but it's an absurd amount of fun. This is unlike anything else you will see on television, and the uniqueness makes it feel all the more special. As an experience, there's nothing else like this and I can honestly recommend this entire show if only to get to this one episode. Leave it to "Barry" to even include some character exploration underneath all of this madness. This episode likens Fuches to the devil for Barry, as we get to see Fuches waiting there for him when he gets back from deployment. The same shot is paralleled at the end of the episode, and we're left wondering if Barry will ultimately decide to go back with him. It's a lovely story to tell in the background of the utter chaos in this episode. The Bad: I'm unsure about what to score this because there are flaws that stem from this episode. I need to clear up, as a standalone episode this is absolutely superb. But when this episode is looked at as part of a TV series, it doesn't hold up as well. For one, everything here is pretty ridiculous and definitely stretches plausibility. For example, Barry being able to escape the store at the end makes no sense. Hell, there is no possible way that Barry and Fuches get out of this without being apprehended. So many people saw them and Fuches even hit a cop car. Plus Barry most definitely left some blood somewhere which could be traced back to him. There's no way that they can escape scot-free. Going so overboard does have its drawbacks for the rest of the series. Now that we have seen the rules get broken once, it will be hard to buy into future drama knowing that the rules could be broken at any time. While this worked magnificently for this episode, I think that it will have an effect on the quality of the drama in future episodes. The Unknown: What the hell was Lily? What universe does this show take place in? What is she? With Loach dead, will we see May take up the Barry investigation? I'm sure that she will find it suspicious that Loach died responding to a scene where Ronny was. Best Moment: Do I have to choose? There were so many brilliant moments and jokes packed into this episode. Character of the Episode: Barry. Conclusion: This is unlike anything I've ever seen. What an episode. I haven't been this shook up and confused after watching an episode since "International Assassin" from "The Leftovers". I can say for sure that this is one of the all-time greatest TV experiences, and probably the best episode of pure comedy I have ever seen. But as a drama, it feels like there should be more here so I'm unsure on how to score this. In a lot of ways, this is a massive achievement, but in some ways it's also underwhelming. I don't think I can justify anything higher than an 86 considering the flaws but even that doesn't feel right. Take my score for this episode with a grain of salt. This was spectacular and you should absolutely go out of your way to watch this. Score: 86 Summary: Barry and Sally have dinner with Sam. Barry asks Sally what that was about and she reveals that she never stood up to him. Sam sneakily watches Sally rehearse and Barry confronts him. Sam insults Sally and leaves an infuriated Barry behind. Sam invites Sally to his place so he can give her something. She declines but eventually Sam twists the strings enough to get her over. Their meeting initially starts fine but Sam shows his true colours. At the same time, Barry angrily goes to Sam's with the intent to kill him and almost shoots Sally by mistake. Ashamed, Barry tries to contact Fuches who declines, not wishing to turn him in anymore. Barry goes to Gene where he opens up and reveals what happened after Albert got shot. Gene gives him some good advice and sympathizes with him, surprising Barry. Barry tracks down Fuches and tells him about what Gene said but also gives his confession. Loach offers Barry a deal. If Barry kills Ronny, the guy who has been sleeping with Loach's ex-wife, he will let him go.
The Good: This episode quite literally was an emotional rollercoaster. It took me on a ride with so many ups and downs, and I felt so many different feelings throughout the episode, changing between them so suddenly that at times I actually felt like I was on a rollercoaster (especially that final moment which I'll get into a little later). The first half of this episode explores the conflict that comes up when Sam returns to Sally's life. The reason for him being there makes enough sense though not perfect sense (see: The Bad). Regardless of why he's there, the episode explores what Sam's return does to both Sally and Barry, and I think it does a damn good job. Sally is unnerved by Sam's presence and she is forced to face up to the fact that she has been lying to herself this entire time. It's almost too much for her until Barry comes in with his own experience about lying about his past in front of others. He tells her it's okay and actively encourages her to avoid accepting the past and tells her to keep believing the lie. The scene is wonderful, because while it sounds like solid advice, Barry is only telling Sally to avoid facing up to who she is, the exact same thing that Barry is doing to avoid facing the consequences for his actions. The scene has some wonderful layers and allows the show to continue exploring morality in interesting new ways. As the episode went on, the tension gradually increased. Sam's presence was uncomfortable since the beginning, but it managed to get a lot worse when he verbally abuses Sally in front of a seething Barry. Then the episode builds up tension expertly for the next 10 minutes as Sally gets lured into Sam's room while Barry makes his way to Sam's hotel with the intent to kill him. The sequence was edited brilliantly to leave us in maximum suspense, clearly leading to a big climax. Things starting getting crazy once Barry was in the hotel and when Sam started showing his true colours by attempting to harass Sally. Everything led to a suitably horrifying moment as Barry almost kills Sally when trying to take a shot at Sam. However, the moment snaps Barry back to reality and the weight of what almost happened sets in for him. The scene winds down very effectively, allowing me to slowly release the tension I felt. This entire sequence was paced, edited and directed perfectly, and is yet another example of why execution is so important for TV shows. Had this not been executed perfectly, this could have been a pretty dull, and even laughable, sequence. Shockingly enough, all of this was just the first half of the episode. The second half took a different turn and focused heavily on Barry's inner conflict, allowing him to do things he hasn't done before. Fuches unavailability forces Barry to go to Gene instead, and for the first time we get to see Barry open up to somebody about his dark past. It's an unexpected surprise, but it signifies a big change for Barry. Barry always thought that his past made him a horrible person and he tried to suppress it. But now he has told somebody who understood that what he did was wrong, and they forgave him for it. It's not what he expected at all, and he's suitably excited about this. After all, this means that there is hope for his new future! But Barry makes the mistake of going back to Fuches, to tell him about what he just discovered, and it bites back badly at him. It's complete heartbreak for Barry, and by extension for us as well. Just as Barry finds hope for his future, it's all gone and he is forced to face the consequences. I especially love the storytelling touch that it's Barry's relationship with Fuches, who is representative of Barry's past, which defeats him. But it's over for Barry now and a vengeful Loach will ensure that justice is dealt to Barry. At least that's what I expected to happen. What came next was one of the most unexpectedly brilliant plot twists I've ever seen. Right at the height of suspense, when it's clear that Barry is in danger and that we might be hit with a hugely cathartic moment, the tension is completely thrown away. Loach reveals his true motivation: not to avenge Moss, but to get himself a hitman to take out Ronny, who has been sleeping with his ex-wife. This was a genuine shock for me, and I was left as speechless as Barry. Then the titular "what?!" comes out and the episode ends. After one of the most intense and exhilerating episodes of the entire show, we are hit with a sudden relief of tension as "Barry" drops one of the best set-up punchlines I've ever seen. The ending is nothing short of a genius decision, and it provides a hilarious conclusion to an episode that truly put me on edge. Sure it's all pretty absurd, but "Barry" has always been a little bit ridiculous, so this actually fits with the style of the show. The episode ended with one of the most impressive comedy moments so far. But it also had a damn good moment at the beginning of the episode. The timing and placement of the title card in this episode was superb and it made for a stellar joke to kick off the episode. If there's one thing that this show is absolutely nailing, it's using creativity to always surprise the viewer in pleasant ways. The Bad: Unfortunately, there was more attempted comedy in this episode. The two jokes at the beginning and end work very well, but everything else fell woefully short. Regardless of how skillfully put together this was, there were still a lot of tonal issues. For such a serious episode with so much natural suspense, there should not be any jokes squeezed into it. I was too on edge to laugh at anything, and many of these jokes only served to lessen the tension that the rest of the episode had done so well to build up. It's a shame that my immersion was being broken so frequently because this could have otherwise been an all-time great example of how to do suspense in a TV episode. Would Sam really learn about Sally's play? Not very many people watch these things, so I find it hard to believe that word would get passed down to him. The Unknown: I imagine we will see Sam again? Is he going to be angry with Sally about her performance? What will he do? Will Barry deal with him somehow? Apparently Loach wants Barry to go kill Ronny. How is that going to work? Will Loach literally just let Barry and Fuches go if they succeed? Also how long has Loach planned this? Was this his plan from the very beginning? It certainly seems like it, and it actually makes sense too, looking back on what Loach has done this season. Best Moment: Barry telling the story of Albert to Gene was pretty stunning. Barry's enraged murder is quite shocking and it makes it clear that Barry has always been overly violent. More subtly, the show even answers why Barry has been indebted to Fuches all along, which I appreciate. But what makes this scene truly great is Gene's speech that follows. Gene is understandably shaken by this reveal. But he actually puts in the effort to help Barry out, connecting his own story with his son to Barry's experiences and leaving him with the positive message that your mistakes don't define who you are. Character of the Episode: Barry. Conclusion: This was terrific stuff. The tension was top-notch and the writing was even batter. This was a really well-crafted episode that built to one of the most ingenious endings I have ever seen. Had this episode not been filled with attempted comedy that bogged things down, it would have been even better. Still, this was easily one of the best episodes so far. The first half of season 2 has certainly delivered. Score: 74 Summary: Esther is still alive after Barry's failed hit and as a precaution, Cristobal gives Esther the Chechens' headquarters as a more protected base. Angry, Hank decides to kill Barry. Barry and Sally work on their stories and struggle. Barry finds it hard to come up with a good story while Sally struggles to come to terms with the fact that she never got a chance to tell Sam off. Hank and an assassin takes shot at Barry but miss. Barry confronts them and he and Hank agree to a deal where Barry teaches the Chechens how to be hitmen. Gene again tries to reach out to Leo but is unsuccessful once again. Fuches confronts Barry and they have an emotional talk together. At acting class, Barry's new story is a failure. Sally tries to get Barry to play Sam but Barry can't do it and storms out. Sally follows him and unexpectedly finds Sam in the parking lot.
The Good: After a slightly weaker episode, "Barry" returned to top-tier comedy and drama (for the most part) in this episode. There was so much to enjoy throughout the episode, and just about every scene captivated me. I'll start with the opening sequence with Hank. Hank is quickly growing into my favourite character of the series. He is this absurdly nice and unthreatening man trying to be the head of a mafia, and I enjoy him every time he's on screen. He was hilarious in the opening of this episode as he dreams of proving himself as the very best to Cristobal in absurd fashion (a conference with Thomas Friedman). Then he all but gives away his plans to Cristobal and Esther in a brilliant scene before deciding to extract revenge on Barry for blowing up everything in his face. This led to Hank's horrible failed attempt to murder Barry. The incompetence was wonderfully funny to watch with some pretty great jokes, such as Hank's relief after Barry doesn't shoot him and the absurd Cristobal dance. But on a more serious level, this scene did a lot for the characters of Barry and Hank. Despite being pretty much a joke, Hank understands that he has nothing at the moment, and the fact that he does stare down death unflinchingly is commendable. Barry on the other hand, still can't find himself able to pull the trigger, even to protect Sally and himself. It's a frustrating moment for him, and the acting makes it clear how much everything has gotten to his head. Once it becomes clear to both men that there is no physical threat from either, they decide to come to a reasonable compromise, which makes sense from a character viewpoint, and also fits with the absurdity of this show as an assassination attempt ended with a deal and a dance. Barry's internal conflict in this episode is pretty well done. The episode raises some interesting questions about how Barry saved Albert's life (see: The Unknown), but we know that it's something he should not be sharing to the acting class. Though we don't know exactly what he did, we can still understand Barry's emotions as he tries to write the script, struggling to find something that makes him appear as more human to his classmates. Barry is a very violent man, but he doesn't want to fall back on being a ruthless hitman ever again. No scene shows this better than when Sally and Gene try to shake Barry into choking her in a scene. You can understand why Sally is being so aggressive; it's just acting after all. But Barry's internal conflict makes the simple act of pretending to choke Sally that much more frightening, and Bill Hader acts Barry's discomfort perfectly. Barry has avoided facing up to what he has done and is trying to forget about it and move on. But as this season is proving, that's simply not possible for him to do since his past will always creep up again. Sally had a really good continuation to her story as well. Now we know why she was trying so hard to convince everyone that she is a stronger woman now. She still hasn't had the emotional relief of standing up for herself against Sam, and as such she is trying to tell herself that she is stronger despite having never proved it. This is a wonderful bit of storytelling that humanizes Sally more. Gene's story also continued nicely as he tried and failed to connect with his son for a second time. He's clearly genuine in wanting to reconnect, but he won't be able to win Leo back unless he apologizes and makes up for the mistakes he has made. It should be wonderful to see the egotistical Gene struggle with the idea of an apology. One final scene I want to highlight is Barry's emotional reunion with Fuches. The scene was surprisingly touching since, for the first time this season, Barry openly accepts his past and reconciles with Fuches. Furthermore, Fuches is given a nice character touch as he still helps Barry out despite the fact that he is actively working against him. Fuches may be angry with him, but deep down he still cares for Barry. The Bad: What happened to Barry's injury in the last episode? It felt a bit strange to gloss over his recovery, especially since how much his movements had been hampered. I'm not a big fan of how Sam showed up at the end. Don't get me wrong, my problem is not with the storytelling. I think that confronting the past is a perfect way for Sally to overcome her baggage. But the execution of the scene felt strange to me. Instead of it being a powerful moment, it came off like the ending of a soap opera. It was just such a random cliffhanger that felt cheaply engineered to create a "shock" ending. I don't think it fit with the style of the show at all. The Unknown: Why is Sam there? Did he track down Sally? Is he simply wanting to join acting class? How will Sally react to Sam's arrival? Will she finally be able to tell him off? What did Barry do to save Albert? Albert got shot in the face, which doesn't seem like it would be easy to fix. How did he manage to save him and why is it a story that he shouldn't tell anyone? Best Moment: Sally trying to get Barry to choke her only for Barry to freak out was the most emotionally powerful scene, but I enjoyed Hank's failed assassination attempt so much so I'm a little torn. I'll leave this one up to you since both scenes did wildly different things but were still so good. Character of the Episode: Hank, though everyone is a contender in this episode. Conclusion: This was more really good stuff. The storytelling is still top-notch, and the comedy is still consistently making me laugh. This season has been a blast so far, and I look forward to seeing if the back half of the season can pay off of the brilliant set up in these first few episodes. This show is proving the importance of writing in a TV show, as the execution has been near-perfect which is one of the key reasons that I'm enjoying it so much despite there having only been one truly fantastic episode so far. Score: 69 Summary: Gene announces to the acting class that they will all act out a story about themselves. Barry, not wanting to act out his time in Afghanistan, convinces Gene to let him act out the first time they met each other. Gene initially agrees, but after a failed attempt to develop a relationship with his estranged son, he tells Barry that the story has to be about Afghanistan. Loach contacts Fuches and enlists him to help capture Barry. Sally becomes frustrated with her acting career as she continually lands small parts. Barry goes to kill Esther but finds he can't do it. He attracts the attention of the Burmese and is shot escaping. Fuches is waiting for him at his place, and Barry rebukes him. Fuches tells Loach that he will eventually get a confession.
The Good: This episode branched out a lot and shifted the focus away from Barry and onto the other side characters instead. There was a lot of work done with Sally, Gene and Fuches in this episode. A lot of storylines slowly inched forwards in this episode. Barry didn't have a whole lot in this episode, but there was still some good stuff. His attempt to kill Esther was very entertaining, and it made sense that he would struggle to pull the trigger and return to a life of killing and being evil. That's the last thing he wants, and so he doesn't go through with it. And he faces some consequences as the Burmese notice him and nearly gun him down. The other characters have very good stories too, setting up for more interesting character exploration this season. Fuches allying with Loach made perfect sense, and both characters' motives were well defined. Sally's story was a highlight of the episode. She's very unhappy with the state of her career and the well-intentioned compilation of her 5-second roles did more harm than good for her. At first it seems like a simple case of an actor being disappointed by their lack of success in the industry, and that's a decent story to tell. But in a later scene at the theatre, we are given evidence that there is much more under the surface than what meets the eye, which serves to turn Sally's story into something much more engaging (see: Best Moment). Lastly, we get to Gene who was given a wonderful bit of backstory in this episode. Gene was always a fun character because of his egotistical nature and charismatic behaviour. He hadn't received much in-depth exploration in the last season, but now we get a look at his personal life with a son who he abandoned, Leo. It's sad to see Gene attempt to start a relationship with Leo, only to get rejected because his son understandably holds a grudge. But in this quick storyline, we get to see that Gene's selfish behaviour is the root of most of his problems, including his fractured relationship with his son. So when Gene sees Barry practicing a scene about him, he can't bear to let his ego get in the way of somebody else's development once again, and he forces Barry to act out Afghanistan instead. This was a wonderful little story to experience. As usual, the comedy was pretty good. There aren't as many jokes as the last episode, but what we got was quite good. I particularly liked Hank calling Barry the most evil guy he knows, and Esther staring blankly at a wall while enjoying a song. The Bad: This episode does feel pretty messy with so many storylines moving forward at the same time. It isn't as satisfying to watch as a result, and while there are good moments, the episode as a whole doesn't gel together as well as I would have hoped. This is a problem that typically happens when the focus shifts towards side characters instead of the main character, so an episode like this is pretty unavoidable. At the very least, it is comforting to know that "Barry" is planting the seeds for much stronger stuff in future episodes by developing the supporting cast. But that doesn't make this episode any better unfortunately. This episode is an investment for the future. We will get better content, but in exchange, the quality of this episode suffers. I think that the emotional weight of this episode doesn't fully land since the stories are jumping from place to place. Both Gene and Sally's stories could have been far better had only one of them been the central focus of the episode. But since both of their stories are squeezed into the B-story of the episode, I wasn't able to invest in their struggle as much as I would have liked. The Unknown: Is there more to Sally's background that we don't know yet? She seems horrified by the idea of revisiting the time when she was weak. Is there more to Gene's past than his relationship with his son? Will Barry end up confessing to Fuches eventually? How will Hank react to Barry's botched assassination attempt? Will Barry be able to redeem himself for his failure? What happens when Sally discovers that Barry is a killer? It's quite ironic that she has moved on from a man who was violent with her to a man who is violent with everybody except her. Best Moment: Sally tries to make her personal story about her struggles as an aspiring actress. But Gene sees right through Sally's farce and doesn't let her words sway him. And seeing that she isn't convincing him is enough to get Sally to snap about her past, proving that she still hasn't overcome the pain that her previous relationship had put her in. It's a fascinating scene that allows the show to finally start exploring Sally. Character of the Episode: Sally. Conclusion: This was good stuff. The supporting cast got to shine in this episode and I understand all of the characters a lot more than I did going into this episode. The only issue is the messy structure of the episode, which can feel choppy and unsatisfying at times. The poor structure brings down the score and detracts from the power of the episode. Score: 61 Summary: Fuches is arrested after his new hitman fails a job badly and is killed. The cops connect him to the tooth recovered from where Goran was murdered. Loach is given this information and connects Fuches to Barry. Meanwhile, Gene has a nervous breakdown and leaves the class. Barry tries to keep everybody's spirits high but nobody is into it. Barry tries to convince Gene to come back but it doesn't go well. Hank is enjoying his new life as Cristobal's partner, but is surprised and hurt when Cristobal wants to bring in a rival gang, led by Esther. Hank pins the blame of Goran's death on Esther and tries to get Barry to kill her. Barry refuses angrily. At the play, Gene shows up and cancels it, announcing he's done teaching. To get him to stay, Barry tells the class a story about his first kill, but is shaken by how different the class' interpretation of it is from what actually happened. Gene decides to stay. Barry encounters Hank who threatens him, telling him that he has to kill Esther or he will tell Goran's family that Barry murdered Goran.
The Good: This was a wonderful premier that did a lot of things right. Right from the get go, I knew this was going to be great. The cold open shows a newly recruited hitman trying to do a job and botching it horribly, leading to a trainwreck of events that results in Fuches' arrest. The whole thing was hilarious, and I couldn't stop laughing the entire time. What's most striking is how this scene focuses on one of this show's defining styles of humour: incompetence. It took me a little while to understand how this show worked in season 1, but now I can appreciate how everybody in this show is so woefully incompetent, and how funny it is to watch everything go wrong. Overall, the comedy was done superbly well here. This was the funniest episode of the show for sure, and I was laughing in nearly every scene. It would take far too long to go over all of the jokes I enjoyed, so I'll go over a few highlights. Fuches trying to play smart with the cops only for them to take his DNA from his coke was a perfect comedy moment. Barry attempting to hype up the acting class by imitating Gene was great. Everything that Hank did was simply a joy to watch, and I laughed at his antics. This episode proves that "Barry" has found its footing as a comedy. The tonal issues I had early in season 1 are all but erased. The show has figured out that its best drama comes from inside the heads of the characters, not through tension or action. There are no attempts at unnecessary tension-based drama, and that allows for the comedy to be the focus. What's most impressive is that the show doesn't focus too much on the comedy. There is a balance between drama and comedy, and that balance was maintained perfectly here. Barry's character arc in this episode was really good. We can see that he's desperately trying to ensure that Gene doesn't abandon the class. This class has allowed Barry to move past the person he was, and he is fighting hard to ensure that he doesn't regress back to his depressed mental state in season 1. But tragically, to ensure the continuation of the acting class, Barry ends up revisiting old wounds that he had hidden. After being unsettled by the difference between how the acting class portrayed his first kill and how it actually went down, Barry is once again questioning if he is a good person or if he's just a heartless monster. This shakes Barry to the core, and in a stroke of horrible luck, Hank returns to see him immediately after this with a completely different atmosphere. Hank threatens Barry and forces him to return back to the life of a hitman. And unlike in the clothing store, Barry doesn't have the resolve to push Hank away, and so he has found himself sucked back into the same conflict he thought he had just escaped. One thing about this episode that really surprised me was how much character was put into Hank. Hank was a fun background character in season 1, but he is treated as much more of a main character in this episode. Hank's been given an actual character arc this season, and I'm really excited to see how he adapts to his new role. This episode shows us that Hank really is a genuinely kind and goodhearted guy. He enjoys his new partnership with Cristobal, and enjoys the finer things in life, like volleyball. That initial sequence with Hank was hilarious, but it also does well to show us that Hank really isn't suited to be a big mafia boss. Yet that's the position he's in, and he's doing his best to achieve his goals. After being talked down by Esther and Cristobal, and then abused by Barry, Hank has enough. He forces a change inside himself and comes off as downright chilling in the ending scene with Barry. But it's not quite the right fit for Hank, as the show proves when he drives off listening to absurdly unintimidating pop music. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. This was a really fun episode to kick off season 2. The Unknown: Will Barry accept the hit? What will this mean for his relationship with Sally and his commitment to acting class? Loach has discovered a connection between Moss' death and Barry now. Will he go after Barry in revenge? Where will this storyline go? What else will the cops do with Fuches? I presume that he's going to return to Barry at some point. How will that happen? Best Moment: Barry's speech about the first man he killed was pretty good, but what took the moment over the top was the contrast between Barry's actual past and how the actors were portraying what happened. It was a chilling reminder for Barry of how messed up he is, and Bill Hader conveyed Barry's shock and unease brilliantly. Character of the Episode: I'll give it to Hank this time. He had a great episode all around. Conclusion: This was a near-perfect way to kick off this season. I'm already extremely interested in what comes next and there are a couple of really engrossing plot lines that were set up. Outside of the set up, this episode managed to function as a great episode on its own with plenty of comedy and a couple of powerful moments. I may be going a little high on this one, but I really loved what it accomplished, and I had a lot of fun watching it. Score: 72 Summary: Barry returns to Fuches, takes his money and leaves him behind. Angry, Fuches goes to the Chechens with hopes to give them Barry if they don't kill him. Goran isn't interested and orders Fuches to be killed. Barry decides to quit acting class, but Sally talks him into staying. Barry goes to Fuches and frees him, killing Goran and his men in the process. Hank sees this and is able to escape before the cops arrive. He makes peace between the Chechens and the Bolivians. Ryan is framed as the murderer. Time passes, and Barry, Sally, Gene and Moss are all on vacation together. As discussion turns to Barry, Moss starts to realize that Barry is the killer she was looking for. Barry tries to talk her out of arresting him but she refuses to listen. Distressed, Barry most likely kills her.
The Good: This episode was logical fallout from the last episode, and it provided a satisfying conclusion for this first season. In this episode, Barry closes the door on his hitman life by severing ties with Fuches and the Chechens. I really enjoyed all of the scenes between Barry and Fuches. Fuches has taken the brunt of the blame from Barry over Chris' death, so Barry is extremely aggressive towards him. But Fuches is still like family to him, so Barry does end up saving him from death, and takes him to the airport as a final act of friendship. Their last scene is surprisingly powerful, and it's hard not to feel for Fuches as Barry forcibly removes him from his life. The acting from Stephen Root was top-notch and played a big part in that scene's quality. The war between the Bolivians and Chechens was ended before it even began as Goran gets killed by Barry. The scenes with them were delightfully entertaining as always, with Goran's "exercise" and Ruslan's torture device being the two biggest comedic highlights. Goran's death made no sense and was very over-the-top... but it's fitting for a character who has always been very over-the-top. After tidying up the loose ends, the biggest surprise of the episode came when we jumped to a future where everyone was living happily. It was a very unexpected direction for the show to go, and I was actually expecting it to be another fantasy vision of Barry's. But it wasn't. Against all odds, Barry actually found a happy ending for himself and managed to move on with his life. But of course, it's not meant to be, and Moss ends up finding the connection she needed to prove that Barry is actually the murderer she has been hunting. This ending is so tragic, as it pulls Barry back from his happy life and forces him to kill somebody close to him to preserve his own happiness. This is horribly sad, and I expect that this murder will prevent Barry from moving forward in the way he wanted to. As a final note, I really want to give more praise to all of the actors on this show. The casting was excellent, and everybody from Sarah Goldberg to Glenn Fleshler did a fantastic job with their characters. The side characters aren't a very fleshed out part of the show, but the stellar acting made it consistently enjoyable to watch these characters. I want to give special praise to Henry Winkler and Anthony Carrigan who were tremendously charismatic as Gene Cousineau and NoHo Hank respectively. And of course, Bill Hader is my pick of the actors for his fantastic portrayal of Barry. The Bad: There were no scenes that I would outright call bad, but something about the overall story didn't make this episode feel as memorable as it should have been. This episode didn't hit me enough on an emotional level for me to give it a score of 70+. I think that's because the storytelling was pretty simplistic, and while I was satisfied with what happened, nothing went to that next level to make me say "wow". This was a very good episode, but it was also too safe for my liking, not ever going the extra mile to really get me to connect with what was happening. The Unknown: The cops found Fuches' tooth in the crime scene. Will they go after him now? Will that be a catalyst for Barry to return to his job as a hitman? What is Moss' fate? Did Barry kill her? He probably did, because I can't imagine a situation where Barry lets Moss live. What will come from the new relationship between the Chechens and Bolivians? Best Moment: The final confrontation between Moss and Barry was quite sad. Barry tries to explain to Moss to let him go, proving to her that he is trying to be a good man and that he deserves a chance. But Moss doesn't see it, and tragically she chooses to view Barry in the same way that the acting class viewed MacBeth back in "Do Your Job". And so Barry decides that he has to kill her, but unlike with Chris, he begs her to reconsider her decision so that he doesn't have to do what comes next. Barry ultimately making the move to kill her is a sad conclusion to the scene, made tragic because of how avoidable it all was. Character of the Episode: Barry again. He really is the heart of this show. Conclusion: This was great stuff. More comedy, more tragedy, and yet another outstanding performance from Bill Hader made this a worthy finale. While there wasn't anything that spectacular here, it was still a very well executed episode. The season as a whole was very enjoyable. This is one of the best executed TV show's I've seen. It's clear that there was a lot of thought put into this story, and every episode flowed seamlessly into the next. The acting was top-notch and the directing was consistently above par. The biggest flaws from the show came from issues with tone early in the season, and from my minimal investment in the side characters. But outside of that, this is really consistent and enjoyable television, with one terrific episode standing out over everything else. I would definitely recommend this show. It's a short and easy watch, and while it only got me completely emotionally invested in one episode, I still think this show offers much more than your usual "fun" show. Score: 68 Summary: Cristobal sees the carnage and calls Goran to figure out what happens. Goran is surprised by how nice Cristobal is, and decides to kill Fuches for giving him bad advice. Cristobal declares war on Goran. Barry and Chris escape, but Chris has to kill a man to save Barry. Chris is shaken up by this and tells Barry that he wants to turn himself in. Barry realizes that he has to kill Chris and eventually does so. Barry arrives at the MacBeth play and has a mental breakdown which allows him to deliver his line with a lot of power. Sally's performance gets much better following that and she catches the attention of the agent who she had invited to the play. Meanwhile, Moss examines the evidence left by Taylor's death and suspects Barry to be involved.
The Good: This episode had two halves to it. The first half was typically more light-hearted, examining the plot in pretty funny ways, focusing heavily on the Chechens/Bolivians conflict. But then there's the second half of the episode, which was unexpectedly dark and showcased the best acting and writing we have seen in the series so far. That's not to say that the first half was poorly done. In fact, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Showing Taylor's foolish bum-rush from the Bolivians' perspective was quite funny, and it set the tone for a wonderful scene where Cristobal called Goran to figure out what was going on. I've really enjoyed this show's fresh take on mob bosses. Rather than making them threatening, these two are the polar opposite of that. The phone call scene was excellent and it made me laugh a number of times, while also providing an ominous closing note. The cops storyline was pretty solid too. I like that they've tapped into Goran's phone and are well aware of what's going on. Goran is so hilariously incompetent, and it's a joy to watch. The cops sorted through the evidence and they made connections that led to the logical conclusion that Taylor was working with Ryan, but Moss is convinced that Barry is her man. It's standard storytelling, helped along by a couple of decent jokes. There's also Fuches and Hank reflecting on Barry since they think he's dead. Their interactions were hilarious, and I loved that Hank casually told Fuches that they had to kill him. These characters don't have a whole lot to them so far, but they are just a joy to watch. Then there's the rest of the episode, which is stunning. The main story concerns Barry and Chris. Chris was never a killer, yet here he murders a man to save Barry's life. And that happens just a few minutes after he watches two of his friends die. For Chris, it's too much and he can't deal with it. But Barry is the one with the real problem. Since Chris is no longer trustworthy, Barry knows he has to kill him. The show takes on a lot of weight as Barry sits in the car, looking empty as he realizes what must be done. To add on, Chris realizes what Barry is thinking and tries to talk him out of it. The tension amps up with every second, and the outstanding acting on display really sucked me into the scene. And then in a moment, Barry kills Chris, and the full weight of what Barry has just done hits us. Barry stages the scene to look like a suicide and walks away, having killed a friend. Now that scene is dark. Barry is forced to go to a place where he has never gone before, and it's so painful to watch. What comes after is somehow even more powerful. Following this murder, Barry has a complete mental breakdown as he imagines what happens to Chris' family following his death. This scene is edited superbly well, and the quick cuts brilliantly convey how these thoughts are invading Barry's mind (likely stirred on by his exposure to grief back in "Use It") and that Barry is trying to find some way out of this guilt. The end result is that Barry performs his singular line perfectly, and gives Sally everything she needs to get her life back together, perhaps even reigniting their connection. While it's nice to see Barry finally doing well as an actor, the implications here are horrifying for Barry. The only times we have seen Barry be competent as an actor is when he is reflecting on his life as a hitman. What if the only way that Barry can adequately be an actor is if he continues working as a hitman? That's a really tragic conclusion to come to, and it's easy to sympathize with the dilemma Barry finds himself in. Before now, there was always hope that Barry could just move on as an actor if he could break free from his old life. But this episode has crushed that hope. It's become clear that Barry needs to keep working as a hitman if he wishes for this acting career to work. In fact, looking back at previous episodes, it's clear that this was always the case. The hope that we had for Barry never truly existed. That's some outstanding storytelling, and it has pushed the morality of this show into an even more gray territory than before. That's fascinating stuff, and I'm eager to see more of it. The Bad: It doesn't make much sense that Chris would join the marines in that woefully constructed plan if he had never killed anybody before. Chris' choice to go makes even less sense when you see the consequences he faces in this episode. Why would he take such a risk for no apparent reason? The show only treated Chris as a character in this episode, not the previous one. He was only in that car because the plot required him to be there. The Unknown: Can Barry somehow find a way to be a good actor without relying on his life as a hitman? What will happen in the war between Goran and Cristobal? Will the cops get involved? Moss is after Barry now. What will she find about him? What will the cops uncover when they find Chris' dead body? Best Moment: Barry's meltdown and his terrific line delivery was a standout moment. The implications of this scene (as discussed above) were groundbreaking for the show, and allow this show to be looked at from a completely different perspective. Character of the Episode: Barry. Conclusion: This was easily the best stuff of the show so far. Barry's inner conflict exploded with complexity in this episode, and there were so many spectacular moments that made me feel something for the character. And somehow, the show managed to tell such a dark and powerful story without giving up on its comedy. This was so skillfully put together. Score: 78 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
February 2024
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