Barry recap: The show’s penultimate half-hour reminds us that it’s still a comedy
The series heads into its finale with some pitch-perfect gags from Raven’s blood artists and NoHo Hank
TV Reviews Barry
For the first time in weeks, Barry feels like Barry again. Leaning on the comedy more than the drama, despite what the introductory images will have you believe, Barry returns to a relatively more accessible mode in this penultimate installment. And by accessible, we mean we’re presented with bloody-seeping boxes containing the decapitated heads of Four Ultimate Bad Ass Killers (FUBAK) within the first 10 minutes.
Okay, so Barry being a comedy still means a minute-long montage of Barry tearfully bidding farewell to the world he destroyed as he takes one last look at the pastures from hell, purgatory beach, and his son John. Moss is there, too, rattling rusty tools on a steel tray and telling Barry that he’s amputated his arms and legs off, and—following on the harrowing tales of Barry’s fourth season—for at least 30 seconds, we believe it. The show has been so relentlessly unsympathetic toward its characters, so invested in taking this story to that absolute limits; why shouldn’t Barry spend the last two episodes as an amputee? If any show could pull it off, it’s Barry. Thankfully, the show’s comedic sensibilities won out, and it cuts, instead, to a delightful shot of Barry with V.R. goggles on, shifting awkwardly in the chair he’s tied to. The stupid idiot still has his limbs.
“a nice meal” conjures that season one Barry magic, where waiting for the punchline sometimes puts butterflies in your stomach. Acting like he and his cast are doing it for the last time, because they are, Hader gives his principles a chance to shine. Fuches, NoHo Hank, and Cousineau drop the act and return to their core characters, with Anthony Carrigan taking NoHo Hank out for one last spin. Meanwhile Sarah Goldberg, who might be the most underappreciated actor on television, gets one last shot to do the right thing.
Hollywood does weird things to people. The allure of stardom, a brush with immortality, and the chance to work with Daniel Day-Lewis from My Left Foot blend into a green juice of narcissism, and sadly, Gene Cousineau still wants a taste. Despite launching a blog that’s getting some positive comments, Cousineau takes a meeting with an agent (Nate Corrdry), who promises major stars for the “Barry Berkman Story.” The random, too-good-to-be-true phone calls are enough for Cousineau to change his tune from “Warner Bros. is being such a dickhead for attempting to profit off my dead girlfriend” to “this would be a great way to get Janice’s story out there.” Hader and Winkler aren’t keen on redeeming Cousineau. He’s been given an out at every turn, and as soon as someone appeals to his ego, he caves.
It doesn’t take long for Cousineau to crack. All it takes is the right phone call. The same is true for NoHo Hank, who still has Raven’s “NoHo Hourglass” comment on his mind as he stares at his bronze Cristobal, pining for better days. But like Cousineau’s phone call, as soon as his assistant informs him that FUBAK is ready, he switches gears in classically Barry fashion.
As great as the show has been this season, there’s a persistent feeling that the darkness and dread is overtaking the show’s humor. The series has consistently played with both, but as the show wraps up, it found its characters’ breaking points in very upsetting places. So after enduring the Raven’s gauntlet of pain the last few weeks, this handful of scenes of NoHo Hank stepping on rakes was a breath of fresh air. Beginning with his meeting of FUBAK, Carrigan is in the pocket, playing each introduction like a horny manchild opening Christmas presents. But his enthusiasm for FUBAK is matched with the disappointment of receiving their heads in return. (Hank observing the four boxes, with the perfect amount of blood seeping out of the bottom, and declaring, “It’s their heads,” was one of the biggest laughs of the night). Hank pivots, choosing the much simpler plan of blowing up The Raven’s house.
Stephen Root’s The Raven née Fuches also plays the hits in one of those Barry group scenes in which everyone treats murder as the world’s most mundane thing. After dispensing with and decapitating FUBAK, Raven hosts a house meeting between his new family and his new gang to discuss some interpersonal issues arising from the beheadings mentioned above. The way each gangster tosses out suggestions, like taking the ladies out for a nice meal (if timed correctly) or watching Fast & Furious 6, is so casual and seemingly productive, with Raven’s family staring back blankly. Barry has always deployed murder with such a degree of nonchalance, with characters rarely treating the situation with the gravity it deserves. Fuches makes such an empathetic aside when he says, “Me saying it, and you seeing it: two different things?” (which could be applied to Cousineau, too), but he’s not dealing with the thing in front of him. The violence on Barry is a fact of life, and is treated with the everydayness of leaving the toilet seat up.
Barry’s casual usage of therapy language reflects a culture more attuned to that verbiage and television’s obsession with it. It inverts how Tony processes therapy on The Sopranos. When Tony tells Silvio about his anxiety, it shows weakness and ignorance. He never totally understands the sessions and struggles to implement Dr. Melfi’s lessons—mostly because following her advice would mean stop being a mob boss. But for the gangsters on Barry, showing vulnerability is a strength. These guys have a more expansive vocabulary—some are probably in therapy themselves—but it’s the same result as Tony. They’re still cutting off poor Todd’s head. Nevertheless, saying it and seeing it are two different things, and Raven’s family will need to see change rather than just hearing about it.
After name-checking Wile E. Coyote a few scenes earlier, Hank pays the reference off in the episode’s centerpiece. Perched from a cliffside facing Raven’s nest, Hank fires a missle at the compound and whiffs in spectacular fashion, lamenting at only bringing one missile (they were worried about the budget). The ordeal ends in a symphony of Looney Tunes slapstick, with Hader’s camera panning through a perfect unbroken take of Hank’s car careening down the mountain pass as Raven’s flock of blood artists fire at their canvas. While dancing away to avoid gunfire, Hank calls Raven, begs for a ceasfire, and tumbles off the side of a mountain, staying on the line the whole way down. This episode was filled with NoHo nonsense™—as if they were saving the best for last.
As Raven and Hank talk terms, the Last Temptation of Gene Cousineau plays out in the park. Denying himself one last chance at redemption by picking poor Sally up from the airport, Cousineau grabs his loveliest umbrella and meets an agent. In any situation, Cousineau can be counted on to act selfishly, so when he hears of Mark Wahlberg’s interest, he folds immediately, going out of his way to vouch for Barry if it means getting Wahlberg. “We have one problem with Mark, though,” the agent says. “He doesn’t want to play a cop killer, and seeing as this Berkman guy killed your girlfriend, that’s a no-go.” “Look, Barry is a very complicated guy,” Gene says. “But a sympathetic soul. He loves my character so much, it made him do stupid things, like killing my girlfriend[…]He was so desperate to have a father figure.” Even with the agent’s reminder of her murder and the verbal confirmation from himself, Cousineau is willing to sell out Janice for another chance at fame or respect or whatever. Of course, all of it is fake. The agent was a honeypot sent by Moss to find out why Barry gave him $250,000 because of Moss’ position. The way Moss sees it: Janice found the drug money in Cousineau’s theater, and he paid Barry to kill her because she was on to him. Hollywood does weird things to people.
Seeing as Cousineau was busy waving bye-bye to his integrity, he left Sally exposed outside his house. As she pounds on his front door and edges on another mental breakdown, she spots a cop and briefly considers turning herself in. What other choice does she have? Barry is bleeding out in Moss’ kitchen after he cut himself during a way-too-easy escape. However, just before she surrenders, she sees Shane, the guy she killed, and his bleeding eyeball. Whether it’s active guilt or some unprocessed trauma that gives her pause, telling the cop would make the killing real, and her sudden realization of responsibility for his death causes her to falter. As she turns to John, a group of bald Chechens leads him into a black SUV. In the episode’s closing minutes, Barry, who once again was pretty much missing from the whole episode, gets his final mission: rescue Sally—and maybe exonerate Gene Cousineau?
Without seeing the final episode, it’s impossible to say how much of this classic Barry tone will make it to the finale. But, considering all the ravens coming home to roost, it does feel like we’re heading toward a gutting (in more ways than one) finale. So amid all the plate stacking of “a nice meal,” it lives up to its name. As the gangster suggested, the episode feels like we’re getting a welcome diversion from the pain and misery, like we were taken for a nice meal while four dudes had their heads cut off. For a show that’s never cared much what the audience thinks of it, “a nice meal” plays to the rafters, giving us one last reminder that Barry is a comedy.
Stray observations
- Henry Winkler’s dismissive “yeah” after Tom’s “you’re showing them to the be whores that they are.” Melamed and Winkler were put on this Earth to be scene partners.
- There were several beautifully blocked scenes in this episode, including Cousineau’s conversation in the park with the agent, Hank surveying the heads, and the confrontation in the hotel room. It’s clean work that balances the humor and horror gently, never pushing you too far one way or the other. The camera’s distance gives it an objective, non-judgemental viewpoint, which really pays off in the distance in that fantastic NoHo Hank one-shot. The camera barely moves, never zooms, and captures this hilarious wide shot where Hank can jump out of the car and fall off a mountain, and we can hear every “oh” and “ow” and “ee” on the way down. It is undeniably stylish and never knocks you over the head with its style.
- “Hey, don’t downplay your accomplishments, that’s still a shitload of coups, Todd.”
- Cousineau’s umbrella (on a sunny Los Angeles day no less) is another example of this show’s strength: accessorizing.
- “Are you telling that Daniel can’t get a movie made?” Hollywood, eight years from now, is somehow even more depressing than it is today.
- I love how Winkler raises his hand after he says, “Daniel will know exactly what to do with my character.” He’s going to be hands-off with this.
- Why did it seem so easy for Barry to escape Moss’ garage? I assumed it would be like when Ramsay Bolton kept letting Theon Grayjoy loose on Game Of Thrones, but then Barry passed out. Was Moss really over Barry as soon as the $250,000 came into the picture?
- It’s so easy to forget that Hank and Sally have never met. Both play the scene beautifully, with Carrigan in awe of this woman, who has no clue who he is. It must be disappointing for Goldberg to go four seasons without a scene opposite fun NoHo Hank.
- I’ve always wondered if Sally actively knows she killed Shane. While she was in shock, Barry yelled, “I did this” at her until she repeated it. The way that plays out, it seems like it works and that Barry has done something like that before. So I wonder whether her seeing Shane is active repression or guilt. Anyway, maybe they’ll answer that in the final episode.
- Who knows how long it’s been since Sally’s last vision of Shane?
127 Comments
Isiah! Fuck. Even in death, just an absolute fox.
Preceded by, “Why do I keep opening these?” LOL
Or the first meeting:“He has five hundred confirmed kills”“Make it five hundred and one…..”I’m going to miss Noho Hank.
“Add to cart!”
That was one of the funniest lines ever. NoHo Hank is the BEST!!!
I cackled—cackled—with delight at “Why do I keep opening these?” The best comedic line and delivery on Barry in years.
He’s had so many great lines, but that one might be my favorite.
I was surprised they didn’t do a “what’s in the box” bit from Seven
the scene played like the worst game show ever
I’m yelling at the tv “Don’t open the box!!” ala Se7en. The Fast & Furious scene was just perfection. And the “you only brought one rocket??”
The very first scene of this show was Barry standing over the corpse of a MAN HE JUST MURDERED, yet, I keep seeing these recaps going “Durr where’s the ha ha funny?” “Duh I don’t like this serious Barry with all the murders and stuff.” “#notmybarry” Breaking News: a show about a mass murderer might get a little dark.
But the show often is funny, and we got a lot more of the comedy and absurdity that was more frequent in earlier seasons this episode. Hank and the heads; Team Raven negotiating on the best way to insulate Fuches’ new girlfriend and her daughter from the violence; “You only bought one rocket?”I almost didn’t realize how much I missed that absurdity, especially the Hank-based kind, until this episode. We’ve gotten it here and there, but definitely not as frequently of late as we did this episode.
The comdey is obviously the best part of this show.
This season was so much funnier than S3. S3 was so dark I almost stopped watching. Having finished S4, that choice for S3 feels very deliberate.
I don’t think you’re wrong, although in its defense I will offer that season 3 gave us “You have too many dogs!”
Oh definitely had its moments!
I’ll just take any excuse to remember that scene, it was so goddamn funny.
This is a strange comment and I’m surprised people are liking it. Barry, since the beginning, has been split between serious drama and absurd comedy. It’s not a dramedy, and it’s not a drama with funny moments. Its tone is unlike that even of Coen Brothers movies. But comedy is baked into the DNA of the show, and that unique balance of comedy and drama is what people love about the show. So I don’t think it’s unwarranted that people complain if they think tonally it got unbalanced. Personally I don’t even know if I agree that it has, but it’s absolutely a valid concern and it’s a silly counterargument to say that just because the show is about a dark subject it can’t get too dramatic or too dark.
That’s a super smart critique to the above post! Am with you 100%. Not that I don’t enjoy this season, but, as you note, this show is a comedy in very large part. And not just a subtle, sly comedy—such jokes that do come are on-point/hilarious to the max. So it’s not unfair to complain about an entire episode or two sporting a desolate, no-laughs, Coen-Brothers (non-comedy) aesthetic & spirit.
Kinda reminds me of why I walked out of Kill Bill II. Less talk-y, more kill-ey, please. 🙂
Barry, since the beginning, has been split between serious drama and absurd comedy.100% agree. The trick seems to involve changing our perspective on murder. Sometimes, the show wants us to take it seriously (Barry kills Janice, Sally kills the biker guy, Hank kills Cristobal). Other times, not so seriously (Barry tries to kill that feral little girl, Sally asks Barry to terrorize Natalie, Hank is still attracted to the FUBK guy’s severed head). It’s a very fine line, and the show falls on either side seemingly on a whim.But as soon as the killing stops and we see the actual consequences of the murder and mayhem, things get really dark. The last couple of episodes had no killing and almost no laughs (not a complaint). We were just soaking in the very real aftermath of Barry’s months-long murder spree. While Barry was in prison, he was clearly suffering from a delusional break with reality. At the very least, Sally and John will need some serious therapy to recover from Barry’s influence. Gene fled for his life and might now take the fall for Barry’s actions. The deaths that matter (Janice, biker guy, Cristobal) *really* matter. Others, not so much.
It’s not HAHA funny. It’s Ironic funny. Is it a comedy, is it a drama? Only Netflix/HBO/StreamerOfTheMoment knows. The rules currently state: if it’s half an hour, it’s a comedy; if it’s an hour, it’s a drama. Whatever……. SO what is Ted Lasso…. a half hour comedy that’s an hour. And BARRY is a half hour comedy that’s a drama. The trouble with TV these days is shows can’t pick a fukn lane. They want to be everything all at once. Serious comedies, funny dramas. EVERYTHING is a god damn Dramedy or Comma! Sometimes I want to laugh and not just smile knowingly. Where the fuk is Mel Brooks!
Where the fuk is Mel Brooks!Well, he got History of the World, Part II made, and that was very funny.
HAHA— yes he did!!! Thanks for that reminder!! More please!!!!
I feel ya, though. I like shows like this and some of the more story-based comedies, but good sitcoms, that are just trying to make you laugh as much as possible, can be hard to find these days. Digman! was great in that regard, American Auto was really good, we got new Party Down this year, Royal Crackers has been funny from what I’ve seen so far.
Yes! American Auto is quietly killing it. I think Unstable (Netflix) is pretty consistently hilarious too. Mrs. Davis started strong but I feel has gotten a little too byzantine, but it’s been very adept at promising high drama then undercutting it with absurdism.
I thought American Auto was just okay in season 1, but season 2 took a big leap forward. Really crushed this season. Jon Barinholtz is giving one of the funniest performances on TV.
I like your left field.
AMERICAN AUTO is one of the best old-fashioned comedy sitcoms in years; the episode about the pandering and “representation” from season 1 was one of the funniest episodes of ANY show I’ve seen in recent memory. Solid, laugh-out-loud charm. And THE OTHER TWO in and you’ve got a funny night, and I’ll even throw UNSTABLE in for a guilty pleasure.
Was it? Is it?
I certainly thought so.
Comma, lol. It’s not enough for a comedy to just be a comedy anymore. It has to have prestige.
That’s something I feel like I’ve noticed increasingly with critics and Prestige TV, for both comedy and drama— comedies are prestigious to the extent they’re not comedies; dramas are prestigious to the extent they’re not dramas. By that I mean: Every well-regarded comedy isn’t well-regarded for how funny it is; it’s always ”It’s a comedy, but” (like you’ve said already). And the essence of drama is in the storytelling, but a lot of praise and prestige for dramas is more like “It’s about the techniques they use to tell the story, with all the cinematography and fancy tricks” rather than how moving or impactful the story is.
it’s its own unique brand of humor but if I’d have to describe it to someone I’d compare it to coen brothers movies type of humor.
Stephen Root’s The Raven née Fuches
Uh, I’m pretty sure Fuches is a man.
Née means someone’s original name. It’s a loan word from French and sometimes retains the accent. It’s not gender specific English, it just indicates a name change. We just see it most often with women because they change their names far more often than men. In French, née is the feminine form but is used regardless of gender.
But for a man I believe it should be né, with one e. French is a gendered language.
True, but it’s loan word in English so there isn’t a gender distinction. The French have more or less adopted the practice in daily usage.
what do you mean? french people absolutely gender the verb “né” (from naitre); I don’t know if there’s an english expression derived from it but this is a native french word and we don’t have adopted the practice in daily usage from anything.
and you don’t even want to know about the “inclusive writing” debate where if you don’t know the sex of the person you write
“cet enfant est né-e…”
Come for the typo-ridden review, stay for the arguments about French grammar.
The English word derived from French. It is a direct loan word. It is, however, not gendered in English.As for French, maybe you’re right. In my observation I’ve never seen the male form used, but that may be because men seldom change their names.
“Now write it 100 times and if it isn’t done by sunrise I’ll cut your balls off.”
it’s abolutely né for the masculine in french but if this is an english expression then it wouldn’t be the first time a french word got butchered on its way to become an english idiom.
got his ass
It’s not gender specific English, it just indicates a name change.
I’m not sure where you’re getting this. Even in English, né is for men and née is for women.
I’ve never seen né used in English. Ever.
I just checked Google News, and it shows up pretty regularly:https://fortune.com/2023/05/23/beyonce-jay-z-real-estate-record-200-million-malibu-mansion/https://www.vulture.com/article/john-early-now-more-than-ever-trailer-release-date.htmlhttps://www.marketwatch.com/story/most-stocks-end-up-losing-you-money-whats-an-investor-to-do-996e8326https://www.vibe.com/news/national/fetty-wap-sentenced-drug-charges-1234759674/Looks like Vibe magazine uses it a lot, because of all the male rappers with stage names.
Technically means “born”
Season 4 feels incredibly rushed. Maybe it should have been a 3 series show instead. Just all over the place. Insane this episode got a higher rating than the Succession episode from tonight. It was a “B” at best.
I dunno about the season feeling rushed— maybe the developments in this episode did, but I think that’s more of a plotting pacing problem overall. I think there’s been more slack in the middle of the last two seasons than the first two, so they’re having to rush the actual plot beats and story elements at the end.
You’re right about it being too rushed. I feel like the episodes can and should be longer.
I think Season 3 was some of the best television in recent years. A little sad this isn’t quite the same quality due to it having to jam so much into so little time.
Different shows, different authors. I loved a lot about this episode but it felt the least cohesive in the series. It was definitely a launching pad for next week.
Barry always had 180° turns situation; that’s part of its charm.
Hader gives his principles a chance to shine.Nope.
Princi-Pals?
I don’t even bother with this schmuck any more
I personally liked “telling Barry that he’s amputated his arms and legs off.” I hate it when my legs get amputated off.
I guess those are future VR goggles that can render photorealism in real-time? The 1930s aesthetic must come back in a big way in the next 8 years.I assumed Moss gave Barry a big dose of drugs before leaving but was distracted by the new information.
I don’t think they were VR goggles, just regular welding goggles with blackout lenses. All the imagery was in Barry’s head.Yeah, I’m thinking Barry was pretty dosed up. His hand wasn’t that badly cut.
I think the same, but they’re referred to as VR goggles in the recap. I do believe they’re just a passive part of the sensory deprivation.
I can only imagine what Moss would do if he did have VR goggles. Maybe some sort of modified Ludovico Technique? I’m sure whatever he came up with would be as scary as that assortment of torture instruments he had laid out.
I will get a good laugh if, after they wrap up with Barry and Gene, Moss is immediately arrested on two counts of kidnapping and torture.
Someone has to ask where he got the info at some point.
I’m really disappointed the whole Lon O’Neil thing was just played for laughs. Ahahaha, isn’t it a hoot that this cop, one of the Good Guys, tortured and brainwashed a reporter? Certainly we wouldn’t want to consider whether there would be consequences for that. What is this, a story with drama and plot?
At least we have a good idea now of how Moss managed to screw with Lon’s mind so thoroughly.
For those who haven’t seen A Clockwork Orange, this is the Ludovico Technique…It’s Kubrick’s take one one of my favorite books. Ironically, I had a similar experience when I had eye surgery, but at least they gave me Valium.
If he really was using VR goggles then I want it to be more than he was just showing Barry triggering imagery and forcing visions. I want to have seen Moss steely eyed in front of a computer, crafting an alarmingly accurate model of Barry’s son in MetaHuman Creator.
I think the same, but they’re referred to as VR goggles in the recap.The recap also says it’s sunny at Gene’s meeting when it’s very clearly cloudy, so I wouldn’t put too much stock in the stated details.
They look like the props department got their hands on a Megane X prototype and stripped it down. Almost the same eye cup design, but the ear hooks are massively simplified.
Could be, but the ones Barry was wearing didn’t look as bulky.
That was a ketamine infusion. The blackout goggles allow hallucinations to take root unimpeded.
Given what a film nerd Bill Hader is, I assumed this was a nod to “La Jetee.”
Cousineau falling for a sting using one of his former students whom he doesn’t remember was a nice touch.
Barry in the Metaverse. Do you think that this is what Zuck had it mind?
When the FUBAK guys were being introduced, all I could think of was MacGruber when MacGruber puts his super-team together. And, what do you know, they all ended up dead shortly thereafter, too (although more intentionally so).
Same with Deadpool’s team in II. Only Zazie Beetz survived the parachuting scene. Also this was a goo excuse to type Zazie Beetz, the greatest name in Hollywood.
I think I have to give it to Imogen Poots.
Imogen *Gay* Poots.
I didn’t even know about that.
It really feels like her parents were playing a prank on her.
My money’s on Moon Bloodgood.
That scene in MacGruber was so excellently blocked and framed that I cannot NOT break out in laughter every single time I see it. One of the funniest scenes in any movie ever.
Yeah, the moment I knew I was really on board with the movie was when the van blows up in the background while MacGruber is bragging about his team and his homemade C-4.
Mark Wahlberg is afraid of the woods. I pooped myself.
Ever since The Happening.
Honestly, this show has pulled so many wild swings that I was 70% sure Wahlberg was going to be behind that door, even though I knew better.
I assumed that was a The Happening reference. I’d totally believe that that movie made Wahlberg afraid of plants.
i hoped they were going to reference THE HAPPENING as the trauma which caused that, too
“Daniel will know exactly what to do with my character.” He’s going to be hands-off with this.
You just know that Cousineau would be forcefully giving Day-Lewis notes and suggestions on how to play him. Shame we’ll never get to see that scenario.
I can see the final episode going two ways:1) The ending is so devastating that viewers just stare blankly at the screen as the credits roll then half of them decide they need a shower.2) It lands with a thud and diminishes the 31 episodes that preceded it.
is the first option the ‘good’ option?
Yea Barry escaping so easily is the one thing that seemed weird to me abt this episode, like… I can’t imagine Moss would work that hard to catch him, after all that buildup, and then just leave him there where he can easily escape? It felt disappointing to me, like I expected more of a showdown between them, but maybe we’ll still get that next episode. Otherwise I loved this though, I had almost forgotten how hilarious this show can be at times. “Why am I still opening these?” by NoHo Hank was definitely a standout line lmao
Moss also let Barry & Sally escape from LA eight years earlier while HE WAS SITTING RIGHT OUTSIDE THE HOUSE
yeah I was hoping this would be adressed
I was sure this episode would open with “eight years ago” and Barry would wound but decide not to kill Moss.
Both of these are examples of something I think Barry has gotten weaker at in its later seasons— namely, the willingness to sacrifice plausibility or character consistency in order to advance the plot in the way the writers want to. (See also, Barry’s escape from prison, which isn’t totally unbelievable but shouldn’t be easy enough that we can just assume he did it— and, of course, could have been a very cool and thrilling sequence in itself.)
i think that’s also been the downside of their commitment to half hour episodes.
Hmm. I’m a little mixed on this, thinking about another Prestigious show I’ve been watching that was great in its first season but hasn’t been quite as good since, Ted Lasso. That show definitely hasn’t stuck to half-hour episodes and often the result is overlong and bloated— and somehow still leaves out crucial scenes to let us just assume what happened. I feel like Barry could keep to strong and tight plotting within a half-hour; the problem has been more that these last couple of seasons there are longer stretches mid-season where not much happens in the plot (and this year, adding in Hader indulging directorial flourishes) and then hitting the gas and having to cram in too much at the end, rather than pacing the whole thing out more naturally over the whole season.
Oh yeah true xD Maybe it’s a situation where he’s just. as competent as they need him to be in the moment for the plot to happen lmao
No, he drove away when she got home. He had fallen asleep, remember?
Still struggling to understand how John is, per the show’s timeline, only 8. He’s 12 if he’s a day.
My electric bills are sky high lately. I can’t get over Moss leaving lights and TVs on if he’s going to be out of the house for hours.
It was so distracting. I was like, is he doing this as part of some trap? But it seems like not? Really odd. You know which fictional character is great at electricity conservation? Jean Dielman.
Fuck me if I don’t kinda want the final episode to be Daniel Day-Lewis and Mark Wahlberg’s movie.
Like how in the last few minutes of Get Shorty, Harvey Keitel (playing Dennis Farina’s character) gets to say the iconic line “Fuck you, fuck-ball.”
“Oh, is that what they say? What a bunch of fuckin’ bullshit.”
The Barry writers are usually a step ahead of me, but I saw the trap for Gene coming a mile off. Still: I was hoping I was wrong. Watching Gene tell Daniel Day Lewis how to play him while Lewis rolls his eyes would have been delightful.Barry is really good still, but imo the first two seasons were far stronger than the last two. And I do think the season feels rushed, especially after the time jump. My heart sank when I saw this episode was less than a half hour. However, I am still invested enough that I am really excited to see how this ends.
idk I think Season 3 is both the best of this show, and the best of recent television. It had some of the more complex examinations of violence and how Hollywood always tries to provide tidy narratives to truly dehumanizing experiences.
I think the themes of Season 3 are interesting and thought provoking. I thought the plotting and character choices were a little loose, and that this hurt the execution of those ideas (I feel the same way about Season 4). For me, the first two seasons were more tightly written and had more forward momentum than the recent seasons.However: You get a star because I am glad you are enjoying the show! I wish I felt the way you do (although seasons 3-4 are very good television in their own right).
“The ordeal ends in a symphony of Looney Tunes slapstick, with Hader’s camera panning through a perfect unbroken take of Hank’s car careening down the mountain pass as Raven’s flock of blood artists fire at their canvas. While dancing away to avoid gunfire, Hank calls Raven, begs for a ceas(e)fire, and tumbles off the side of a mountain, staying on the line the whole way down.”
It was fucking hilarious. Very, VERY good.
I really liked the pace of this episode. After the lull of the previous two, it almost felt like time itself was speeding up, like we’re careening toward the inevitable terrible conclusion. Interesting that the show becomes funnier as soon as people start dying again. No deaths the previous two episodes = the two darkest episodes of the series. Four beheadings and a driver shot to death? Hilarity ensures.
This show knows how to stage violence and death in a way that feels fresh.
that’s because they’ve mastered the art of making every murder scene an incredible comedic scene.
I think someone described Barry’s action scenes as “bumbling mayhem” or something like that. Brutal and fast and surprising, but also not clean and sleek like your typical choreographed action fight scene.
“Mm-hmm, yes, add to cart.”
God damn it – was so hoping they would stick with Cousineau Not regressing
Hank oggling that one assassin by saying “add to cart” was my laugh of the night.Am I delusional or is John a timebomb? He’s so still and watchful. I feel like the fuse is going to go off in the finale. Maybe a father-and-son bloodbath?The way they made LA look so cold and foreboding during Sally’s call was fantastic.
He’s going to kill Gene. It’s pretty obvious.
I loved Fuches line in that phone convo with NoHo Hank – “Why you shootin’ rockets at my house”?
It’s wild how everything gets turned on its head in the blink of an eye in this show. I feel bad for Cousineau (but we’ll see how it plays out). Sally as well; it’s an interesting character.
Four Ultimate Bad Ass Killers (FUBAK)
I was watching with subtitles and they abbreviated it to FUBK which is much funnier.
NoHo Hank saved an otherwise mediocre episode. The show has descended in to a study on directorial techniques at the expense of writing a good story wit more dialogue. And there’s not enough Hader in FRONT of the camera.
Was it just me or did Cousineau seem to be considering the attractiveness of being known as a great actor for fooling the police, rather than his actual predicament
“V.R. goggles on”I think they were just black out goggles and Barry was hallucinating.
Just a fucking perfect almost-half-hour of “Barry”.Only ONE small nitpicky thing that bugged me: Gene reappearing at his son’s house and having to give him his “new” phone number, but then Sally was able to call him later on? How would she have had his new number?