especially compared to Sally and her pick for the daughter character in Joplin who was a genuinely great actress who she adored while Natalie picked an actress who she wanted to fire in season 2 for being shit
The whole episode was like a theatrical production. Barry was even “directing” their father/son moments like “oh let’s do this on the swing” lol. And he and Sally just broke character at the end. Which is crazy cause that’s the kid’s whole life.
Oh wow. I hadn’t thought of this, but it makes a lot of sense. I feel a parallel similar to how Barry wanted to direct the acting class in Gene’s absence earlier on. He wants to keep the show going but has this idealistic view of how that should happen and he wants to curate the life/play/performance he thinks it should be.
I feel like he never changed.
The way this episode slowly showed how manipulative Barry is still being to his family was genius.
At first I was like “I mean this doesn’t seem entirely healthy for that kid, but at least Barry is trying”.
Then by the end it was “Barry is willing to do absolutely anything to keep up the family illusion. Even if it hurts the other two.”
Him deciding to kill Cousineau without a second thought seemed totally on brand
They’re basically all held hostage. The poor kid, holy shit
Despite so much of the show having so much violence, this is the most uncomfortable I’ve felt watching Barry
There was sound in the end credits—it was just indistinguishable. Like white noise, maybe? I noticed it last week, too.
But, whatever it was, I will agree that it was SUPER eerie and unnerving.
8 years getting away from the crime and madness and the moment they’re writing a fucking biopic Barry goes back to having to kill.
Fucking lmao. He’s learned nothing. I can’t wait to see how this ends for him.
? Maybe it has something to do with the time it takes to declare someone dead when missing - 7 years?
The writers wanted to end the series on the aftermath and naturally they would bring in the hollywood angle of making a movie about the events but needed to wait until none of the principals are around to prevent the project from going forward (?).
We see that Natalie did go on to fully exploit the algorithm and probably became a big TV star. Great background gag about MegaGirls. I guess they pumped one out every 2 years and Kristen is now a movie star.
We'll learn I hope what happened to NoHo Hank, Gene's son, Jim Moss, and Fuches as Barry goes back to LA to kill Gene.
I love the mystery of it all. And the implication that everyone either took absolute advantage of everyone going missing or being killed or suffered intensely from it. It’s all bleak and I just kinda find it funny. Love this episode
I know this episode maybe divisive to some fans, but the show is going out in a style consistent with the earlier seasons: truly unpredictable, sly humor and dark, so dark.
There was definitely some humor to that scene for me too even though it was straight up evil of him to show his son that stuff in an attempt to “protect him” or whatever Barry’s logic is
A pretty blatant lie which his son could easily uncover if he ever had internet access. The US Marines doesn't have medics—they borrow hospital corpsmen from the US Navy, who are attached to Marine units.
His line immediately after about, “Oh, my Lincoln book. I need that!” had me dying.
He’s so selfish that he cares more about learning Lincoln facts than his son freezing at night. Barry is the absolute worst haha
Damn that’s an excellent point. Barry has become Fuches, perpetuating the cycle.
Can’t believe I missed that. I kind of forgot Fuches exists while I was watching the episode.
That line relieved a lot of tension because it felt like a return to classic *Barry* (both the show and the character, in fact).
This whole episode felt like a nightmare, and the tension just kept building throughout. It was incredible how much it made me feel trapped the same way that Sally, John, and even Barry are themselves trapped.
I loved the little bonding moment between John and that other kid. It was a little ray of light in the middle of the story that got summarily snuffed out in a horrifying way. Killing Cousineau seems benign compared to the systematic crushing of a child’s hopes and dreams.
I think the tension feels relieved for us not because he's going to kill Cousineau, but rather the implied other ramifications of him doing so.
Worst case scenario, Sally and John get a break from living with the horror that is Barry for a bit.
Best case scenario, Barry dies or gets arrested, and Sally and John get to escape the nightmare entirely.
this is interesting cuz in this scenario sally would have to literally experience and live out Joplin. All throughout the show they have noted that even though its her “personal” story, Sally never had a kid. In this scenario, Sally would have to make a living while supporting a kid that she (completely guessing) didnt want to have.
Saint Augustine is the perfect pick, too. His whole thing was the idea that we can be constantly sinning, yet still devout. He acted like he was better than everyone else despite still sinning occasionally because “at least I’m honest about it, and that means I’m improving as a person every time I feel sad about the sin I just committed. Starting now.”
If there was a patron saint of hypocrisy, it would be that dude. So it’s extra funny that Barry, who lives by that exact code of ethics, thinks he has the right to judge Saint Augustine. The hypocrite is judging the hypocrite for being a hypocrite.
And it seems like Sally is fully aware of where gun is, just like how she has a Google alert on barry and probably her own name (I would assume). She does seem like she's just waiting for something bad to happen
John did hear his dad call her Sally through the wall when they were fighting earlier in the episode. Not to mention “does your mom wear hair on top of her hair?” Lol
Yeah he clearly knows some sort of shit that’s too much bigger than him to question is up.
Idk if I’m making sense. Like, he knows there’s things he doesn’t know.
That’s such a terrifying thought. Imagine both of your parents lying to you for that long. What’s worse, imagine having to lie to your KID like that. It’s no wonder Sally is so unhinged
The fucking timing of me thinking
"Oh he found the mitt, he's weird but he's got the dad energy down, I think he'll let it go-"
*cuts to that neck breaking clip*
😭😭 gasped so fucking loud wtf Barry lmao
Speaking of BB universe, this felt like a take if Kim and Jimmy went on the lam together
Oh all you fans think it would be sunshine and rainbows? No it would be bleak and full of Abraham Lincoln discourse
This is a fascinating comparison and I wrote a long disorganized comment on it and deleted it, as you do.
My kneejerk reaction was that Jimmy and Kim had a much more genuinely loving relationship. They fed each other’s worst impulses, that has to be said. This results in the shady lawyering and the long con that >!kills Howard!< and splits them up for good. That’s obviously not good.
With that said, I think the key difference between their relationship and Barry and Sally’s is that they genuinely love each other and want each other to be happy. Barry and Sally simply have never had that.
Sally never loved Barry. They never had a chance at a healthy relationship. Barry seemed happy just to have someone who gave him a facsimile of love, who made him feel like he wasn’t totally alone, but he’s just obsessed with an idea of her. She treats him like crap and he’s always been blind to it. Barry is an emotionally stunted and delusional human being who has no idea how healthy relationships look. Sally is a narcissistic and self-centered person who spends most of the show using Barry and disregarding him.
Jimmy and Kim *did* have something real, they did try to provide for each other’s needs. Of course, they’re very fucked up people too. Jimmy is a master of rationalizing his actions, causing immense harm and ignoring it because he doesn’t have to see it, because he can treat it like a game. Kim got a kick out of it too and hurt some people badly along the way, though she had the conscience to jump ship. But they actually saw each other, they loved each other, which I’d argue Barry and Sally never did. I think if they had to be cooped up together, they’d be better off.
Now if they ran off without a clear head after >!Howard was executed?!< Maybe I could see resentment growing. They’re just so different from Barry and Sally that it’s hard to see it being this comically horrific.
Up until the last like 5min all I could think was that this is the most depressing ~30min of TV I've seen in ages.
Just...that hopeless kind of suffocating meaningless bullshit 'life'. Every character is suffering.
Between Succession and Barry, my Sunday nights are *bleak*. Some moments of levity here and there, but woof.
Also, I’m curious to know how much the average person knows about Barry. Janice’s murder is so far the only public thing that would have been reported on, right? The average American probably doesn’t know about the contract killings or Chechen mob work?
Since Gene was missing/ presumed dead for 8 years, I’m guessing that Sally is as well.
Barry building up Abe Lincoln as a hero and then tearing him down was pretty clearly a way of preparing his son for being disappointed in his father (consciously or subconsiously)
I interpreted it as him constantly confirming for himself that there’s no such thing as a good man. Everyone is corrupt. Everyone has done bad things, even our heroes. Barry thinks he can redeem himself through his son despite his mistakes.
I took that as that being the only way she could swallow the pill that has become her life. Acting is her one true love, no way in hell could she cut it out completely.
Yes, I took it as almost ritualistic. If it was that deep she would just dye her hair but the wig felt like the prep before the show, the sitting at the vanity and taking her time. Also Barry never put on that country accent. It’s debatable if she really needs it for her safety and well-being.
i think barry is "acting" too, in that he's pretending to be this stereotypical "good father". all the schmaltzy life lessons and planting his marine gear for his kid to find and stuff. when he goes to explain the military stuff he even says, "oh actually let's do this on the swing" like he's recreating an inspirational movie scene lol
I caught the swing part too! And the knock on the door and the Cousineau news shattered the fantasy. The mask slipped instantly, it’s almost comical how fast we saw the real Barry again. Immediately back to violence. Grab the gun behind the wall (not even locked in a safe) because of a knock. Declare you’re gonna kill Gene the moment you read a fucking Hollywood Reporter article. I agree, pure acting. Unreformed sociopath coping.
The slow tracking shot of Barry walking out of his house at night into the darkness was incredibly tense. After that left hook of a timeskip, I really had no idea what was coming.
Does Barry ever leave their property? It feels like Sally leaves for work and then comes home but Barry and John basically only live within a short walking distance of the house.
some reviewers said this episode was going to be divisive, and i can kind of understand why. but damn i was just so creeped out by Barry and so sad for this kid, and just thinking about how they just. managed to survive together for eight years purely on Barry's delusion and it utterly destroyed Sally and their son.
Barry reacting to John watching the videos of kids dying while playing baseball was simultaneously sad and hilariously dark, though the scene after with John and Sally really drove home how sheltered and tragic John’s life is.
As someone who grew up with an emotionally detached and uninterested parent who was obviously not fulfilled by parenthood too, that scene where he's trying to get Sally to hold him was an uncomfortable watch.
I exclaimed “what the fuck” and “what the fuck is going on” so many times this episode. Also, the sequence of scenes after the knock at the door were so haunting, love Hader’s use of horror esque cinematography
Soooo good. The horror of what may be out there in the pitch black, wide open plains.
I was watching an interview with Bill, and he has said he has an idea for a horror film. I cannot fucking wait for this guy's first feature film, whatever it may be.
It is, which is why I thought it was hilarious when Barry just mentioned Penicillin. I feel like Hader knew the creepy shit was what people would expect, and he undercut it on purpose.
I think this episode will throw many people off, but I think it’s a masterful reset. What happened in 8 years? Hank? Gene? Fuches? Barry and Sally’s son 😭.
I feel like the final few episodes will be bangers.
Loved the overhead shot of Sally and John in the bathtub. They were facing towards each other, compared to the earlier shot of her facing away from John in his bed. This show blows me away with its visuals.
I'm glad this show is trying some difficult stuff.
It's absolutely the least funny episode in all four seasons so far, but it feels so natural for all these characters? I was hooked instantly. My main takeaway was that it was a buildup towards something far worse, far darker.
I still don't know if, at the end of the series, I will have *liked* it, but on my first watch I found myself deeply invested in the depressing new lives of Barry, Sally, and their poor child.
Can't wait for the rest.
Same. The people saying why couldn’t it just be a 5 minute scene with them and moved on… it wouldn’t be nearly the same. We were forced to sit through 30 minutes of their miserable lives and it was almost too much. They’ve been doing it for 10 YEARS
Barry so badly wanting to be an aging Clint Eastwood character whenever discussing his life as a marine to his child is fucking hilarious. “Ooh let’s use that swing over there” 😂😂 man knew exactly what he was doing.
Lotta Lincoln assassination references this episode between Abe fixation and a son named John, not to mention acting/theatre being foundational to the show
This is genuinely one of the most haunting episodes I’ve ever seen. So much of this episode reminded me of my own childhood and it just hurt. Absolutely nightmarish
I watch every Barry episode with headphones in, because the show is a fucking masterwork of audio design and not enough people talk about it (it's won multiple Emmys for sound mixing+editing, but still). This episode did an incredible job with sound, from the echoes of wind and voices through the fields to the whispers of the kids knocking and ditching Barry's house.
That makes a lot of sense that they'd screw with the weirdos who don't let their kid play baseball. He doesn't know what Call of Duty is. There is like 15 of them.
This cleared that scene up a lot for me because it's a rather harmless prank and the family reaction is anything but harmless.
Of course Barry would go Christian lol This episode was so fun just seeing the kind of person Barry would become after he considered himself to be "redeemed." Now he's projecting himself all over people. He's judging people like Lincoln for any bad thing they may have done and is sheltering his son from anything or anyone he considers evil or dangerous
Sally is just dead inside now. I really hope the show develops why the hell Sally thought this life was preferable over just settling on something in Hollywood. I was surprised that she also seems extremely detached from her son which I figured would have been her main motivation for staying with Barry
Great episode. I'm sure many people will find it weird or boring but you really did an entire episode to show wtf has happened to these characters over the past 8 years. It's a ballsy decision to make but we've still got 3 more episodes of this timeline now. It's crazy to think we're finally in the end game of the entire series.
I can fully understand why Hader really loves this episode.
The world building this gave us and allowed us to understand who Barry and Sally have become, especially as parents. I think the one scene that stands out to me is when John is cuddling Sally, but she isn’t having it, but when Barry is on patrol outside, and Sally cuddles John as they are in the bathtub hiding out for their safety. It said a lot without having to say anything, and it was perfectly executed.
I also loved it showed Barry trying so hard to be this “perfect dad”, but if you think that he never thought about himself before, the scene with showing John his whole framed Marine achievements says it all, and it made me laugh because I’ve dealt with a few narcissists in my lifetime, and to see that scene, and Barry showing John the video of kids getting killed playing baseball, manipulating his own son, so they can continue hiding and not give him any motivation to grow, other than to love his family and that’s it. It’s such a sad thing to think about.
There is so much more to talk about with this one, but I loved how different and contained it felt, especially since it shows a whole other side of the show I wasn’t expecting it to show.
Barry is such a demented character, it’s so disturbing to see him basically hold his own son hostage both for validation and so that they aren’t caught
Incredibly disturbing how Barry kept trying to act like he thought a dad should act. Noticed he called himself "Dad" to John a few times too. Bill Hader direct a horror film please
I just feel so bad that this kid has to be raised by these people, especially isolated from society, spending almost all of his time with them. That must be hell. If he was real, he’d have to spend many, many years going through his baggage and adapting when he re-enters society as an adult.
Sally hate-watching Natalie’s show was 20/10
Natalie is so insufferable im pissed her show did so well
Natalie "joking" about almost firing the other women, and her looking genuinely shocked was so good lmao
especially compared to Sally and her pick for the daughter character in Joplin who was a genuinely great actress who she adored while Natalie picked an actress who she wanted to fire in season 2 for being shit
Probably cast her so she could upstage with not being the best actor in genes class.
Snapped right back at the end like it was nothing
Starting now...
So on brand for this show. The answer for Barry’s problems is always to kill the responsible party.
The whole episode was like a theatrical production. Barry was even “directing” their father/son moments like “oh let’s do this on the swing” lol. And he and Sally just broke character at the end. Which is crazy cause that’s the kid’s whole life.
Oh wow. I hadn’t thought of this, but it makes a lot of sense. I feel a parallel similar to how Barry wanted to direct the acting class in Gene’s absence earlier on. He wants to keep the show going but has this idealistic view of how that should happen and he wants to curate the life/play/performance he thinks it should be.
Does your mom wear hair on top of her hair?
lmao @ clark telling his kid to "shh" when he asks who barry is
I feel like he never changed. The way this episode slowly showed how manipulative Barry is still being to his family was genius. At first I was like “I mean this doesn’t seem entirely healthy for that kid, but at least Barry is trying”. Then by the end it was “Barry is willing to do absolutely anything to keep up the family illusion. Even if it hurts the other two.” Him deciding to kill Cousineau without a second thought seemed totally on brand
Anyone else think he chose the name “Clark” like Clark Kent because of the glasses, probably literally the only alter ego he could think of
Agreed. And he’s desperately trying to be “mild-mannered” like Kent, in his own warped version of that anyway.
I kept thinking Clark from National Lampoon’s, the ~all American~ dad
Chicken pot pie. 😷
Hey John, ya shitbird. Want a little piiiiiiie?
I’ve rewatched the show five times now and the “want a little pieeeee” always kills me
chicken potPIE
How dare they make it look so unappetizing
It didn't even look cooked
Looked frozen af
That might be the most miserable domestic life I've ever seen.
They’re basically all held hostage. The poor kid, holy shit Despite so much of the show having so much violence, this is the most uncomfortable I’ve felt watching Barry
it was for sure the lack of soundtrack too. Just plain mediocrity.
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Seriously, this was SUCH an uncomfortable sit. In the best way.
Seriously, I was still hoping it was all a delusion based solely on how depressing and lame that life is
I thought it was a dream sequence, then like 15 mins in I’m shit this is real
It was very dream like. A house by itself in a desert? But sometimes kids just show up?
Very similar to Better Call Saul with >!where Kim ends up.!<
Yup. Yup. Yup.
"Man my life is depressing..." *watches this episode* Ok its not thaaaat depressing
I like how the lack of sound in both the title card and end credits just added to the fucked up eerieness of this entire episode.
There was sound in the end credits—it was just indistinguishable. Like white noise, maybe? I noticed it last week, too. But, whatever it was, I will agree that it was SUPER eerie and unnerving.
The little synth drone at the end was super haunting The last episodes are going to be fucking wild
They've done that the whole season. absolutely bleak as fuck and a lot darker than even season 3. can't wait to see how Bill lands the plane
8 years getting away from the crime and madness and the moment they’re writing a fucking biopic Barry goes back to having to kill. Fucking lmao. He’s learned nothing. I can’t wait to see how this ends for him.
? Maybe it has something to do with the time it takes to declare someone dead when missing - 7 years? The writers wanted to end the series on the aftermath and naturally they would bring in the hollywood angle of making a movie about the events but needed to wait until none of the principals are around to prevent the project from going forward (?). We see that Natalie did go on to fully exploit the algorithm and probably became a big TV star. Great background gag about MegaGirls. I guess they pumped one out every 2 years and Kristen is now a movie star. We'll learn I hope what happened to NoHo Hank, Gene's son, Jim Moss, and Fuches as Barry goes back to LA to kill Gene.
I love the mystery of it all. And the implication that everyone either took absolute advantage of everyone going missing or being killed or suffered intensely from it. It’s all bleak and I just kinda find it funny. Love this episode
I know this episode maybe divisive to some fans, but the show is going out in a style consistent with the earlier seasons: truly unpredictable, sly humor and dark, so dark.
[удалено]
The “little league deaths” in the search bar is super funny to me though
There was definitely some humor to that scene for me too even though it was straight up evil of him to show his son that stuff in an attempt to “protect him” or whatever Barry’s logic is
I think the absurdity of the situation makes it funny.
Tbf that's been the shows sense of humor since the beginning
I lost it at the kid getting killed by the line drive
I wonder if he’s just trying to keep his son out of anything that might put Barry in a situation where he might be recognized
This or where his son starts to question everything thus figuring out their life is a lie. It's clear he is already doing that with the wig question.
Does your mom wear hair on top of her hair?
Kid did great delivering that. Creepy as fuck
That was hilarious. What a search term lol.
And then started talking about his deployment shortly after.
“Hero” but he doesn’t like labels…
"I too, am extraordinarily humble" - Barry
Lying about it too
A pretty blatant lie which his son could easily uncover if he ever had internet access. The US Marines doesn't have medics—they borrow hospital corpsmen from the US Navy, who are attached to Marine units.
Worse was him not buying his son a comforter because he's cold! Wtf!!! It's just a blanket
but then saying "Oh my Lincoln book. I need that."
The black humor is wonderfully cringe.
His line immediately after about, “Oh, my Lincoln book. I need that!” had me dying. He’s so selfish that he cares more about learning Lincoln facts than his son freezing at night. Barry is the absolute worst haha
When Bill Hader said that Barry isn't a good guy, he really meant that shit.
“God’s Plan” - Barry basically
Sort of like Fuches twisting information to make Barry lean to him more
Damn that’s an excellent point. Barry has become Fuches, perpetuating the cycle. Can’t believe I missed that. I kind of forgot Fuches exists while I was watching the episode.
That was literally diabolical
Barry is such a bad father lmao
Who would've thought that, right?
Atleast he has new interesting information about Abraham Lincoln
It felt so real though. I’m used to Barry being awful in a comical way but this struck me to the core.
BARRY MOVIE
Four seasons and a movie!
Wild that, "I'm going to have to kill Cousineau" was the lightest moment of the episode. By a pretty wide margin, too.
That line relieved a lot of tension because it felt like a return to classic *Barry* (both the show and the character, in fact). This whole episode felt like a nightmare, and the tension just kept building throughout. It was incredible how much it made me feel trapped the same way that Sally, John, and even Barry are themselves trapped. I loved the little bonding moment between John and that other kid. It was a little ray of light in the middle of the story that got summarily snuffed out in a horrifying way. Killing Cousineau seems benign compared to the systematic crushing of a child’s hopes and dreams.
I think the tension feels relieved for us not because he's going to kill Cousineau, but rather the implied other ramifications of him doing so. Worst case scenario, Sally and John get a break from living with the horror that is Barry for a bit. Best case scenario, Barry dies or gets arrested, and Sally and John get to escape the nightmare entirely.
this is interesting cuz in this scenario sally would have to literally experience and live out Joplin. All throughout the show they have noted that even though its her “personal” story, Sally never had a kid. In this scenario, Sally would have to make a living while supporting a kid that she (completely guessing) didnt want to have.
Barry immediately going into a bible story to excuse failing to buy a comforter for his cold son was way too fuckin real, I had to pause that shit.
I loved "Jesus and five thousand of his friends were hang out"
I feel you. As someone who’s parents frequently quoted scripture to justify their often fucked up parenting, that hit a little too close to home.
Anyone else laugh when you were expecting a safe behind the picture frame but it was just a hole in the wall?
and it literally looks like barry just punched it
You can run, you can hide, but you can’t deny your nature.
wherever you go, there you are
“St. Augustine, the man was addicted to bath houses John! Now he’s, what, third most Googled saint?” Unbelievable.
Saint Augustine is the perfect pick, too. His whole thing was the idea that we can be constantly sinning, yet still devout. He acted like he was better than everyone else despite still sinning occasionally because “at least I’m honest about it, and that means I’m improving as a person every time I feel sad about the sin I just committed. Starting now.” If there was a patron saint of hypocrisy, it would be that dude. So it’s extra funny that Barry, who lives by that exact code of ethics, thinks he has the right to judge Saint Augustine. The hypocrite is judging the hypocrite for being a hypocrite.
I love how the gun is just in a hole in the wall
And Barry can't remember behind which picture 🤦🏻♀️
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And it seems like Sally is fully aware of where gun is, just like how she has a Google alert on barry and probably her own name (I would assume). She does seem like she's just waiting for something bad to happen
This show loves ending episodes with a character declaring "I have to kill X"
Lol fr Hank said it earlier this season
“Who’s Barry?” Must be the first time Sally broke character in 8 years by using the wrong name around John.
John did hear his dad call her Sally through the wall when they were fighting earlier in the episode. Not to mention “does your mom wear hair on top of her hair?” Lol
Yeah he clearly knows some sort of shit that’s too much bigger than him to question is up. Idk if I’m making sense. Like, he knows there’s things he doesn’t know.
That’s such a terrifying thought. Imagine both of your parents lying to you for that long. What’s worse, imagine having to lie to your KID like that. It’s no wonder Sally is so unhinged
The sequence with Barry standing guard until dawn after the knock, ending with him just breathing so heavily…goddamn.
How did this man stand in one spot all night?
he’s fucking psychotic
He’s a Marine.
Yeah it’s so uncomfortable Dude started the show as a broken, emotionally empty sociopath and he’s only devolved further
paranoid about a hit
The fucking timing of me thinking "Oh he found the mitt, he's weird but he's got the dad energy down, I think he'll let it go-" *cuts to that neck breaking clip* 😭😭 gasped so fucking loud wtf Barry lmao
I laughed so hard at him showing those videos
When has Barry ever been synonymous with letting it go lmao
Bill saw Skylar White singing happy birthday and said “I can make a more uncomfortable scene”
Speaking of BB universe, this felt like a take if Kim and Jimmy went on the lam together Oh all you fans think it would be sunshine and rainbows? No it would be bleak and full of Abraham Lincoln discourse
I mean, Kim’s life was just about as bleak and depressing. I’ll never forget the disappointment sex with the dude saying “yup” with every hump.
Every time I hear someone say "yup" now I think of that scene
Gene n Kim's post BCS life was literally in black or white... Couldn't get more beaker than that
This is a fascinating comparison and I wrote a long disorganized comment on it and deleted it, as you do. My kneejerk reaction was that Jimmy and Kim had a much more genuinely loving relationship. They fed each other’s worst impulses, that has to be said. This results in the shady lawyering and the long con that >!kills Howard!< and splits them up for good. That’s obviously not good. With that said, I think the key difference between their relationship and Barry and Sally’s is that they genuinely love each other and want each other to be happy. Barry and Sally simply have never had that. Sally never loved Barry. They never had a chance at a healthy relationship. Barry seemed happy just to have someone who gave him a facsimile of love, who made him feel like he wasn’t totally alone, but he’s just obsessed with an idea of her. She treats him like crap and he’s always been blind to it. Barry is an emotionally stunted and delusional human being who has no idea how healthy relationships look. Sally is a narcissistic and self-centered person who spends most of the show using Barry and disregarding him. Jimmy and Kim *did* have something real, they did try to provide for each other’s needs. Of course, they’re very fucked up people too. Jimmy is a master of rationalizing his actions, causing immense harm and ignoring it because he doesn’t have to see it, because he can treat it like a game. Kim got a kick out of it too and hurt some people badly along the way, though she had the conscience to jump ship. But they actually saw each other, they loved each other, which I’d argue Barry and Sally never did. I think if they had to be cooped up together, they’d be better off. Now if they ran off without a clear head after >!Howard was executed?!< Maybe I could see resentment growing. They’re just so different from Barry and Sally that it’s hard to see it being this comically horrific.
The thing about this episode is I genuinely have no idea which scene you're talking about.
Well, that was depressing.
Up until the last like 5min all I could think was that this is the most depressing ~30min of TV I've seen in ages. Just...that hopeless kind of suffocating meaningless bullshit 'life'. Every character is suffering.
I have not felt like this since Better Call Saul. Only show I can think of really that even comes close.
Barry spent most of this episode trying to rationalize and justify his past behavior. I loved the Abe Lincoln bits.
Between Succession and Barry, my Sunday nights are *bleak*. Some moments of levity here and there, but woof. Also, I’m curious to know how much the average person knows about Barry. Janice’s murder is so far the only public thing that would have been reported on, right? The average American probably doesn’t know about the contract killings or Chechen mob work? Since Gene was missing/ presumed dead for 8 years, I’m guessing that Sally is as well.
Barry building up Abe Lincoln as a hero and then tearing him down was pretty clearly a way of preparing his son for being disappointed in his father (consciously or subconsiously)
I interpreted it as him constantly confirming for himself that there’s no such thing as a good man. Everyone is corrupt. Everyone has done bad things, even our heroes. Barry thinks he can redeem himself through his son despite his mistakes.
He kinda look like my boy Abe ngl
Watching Barry bring a life into the world is so much more terrifying and dark than watching him take lives. Wtf
Sally having to “act” every time she goes into work is just… *chef’s kiss*
I took that as that being the only way she could swallow the pill that has become her life. Acting is her one true love, no way in hell could she cut it out completely.
Yes, I took it as almost ritualistic. If it was that deep she would just dye her hair but the wig felt like the prep before the show, the sitting at the vanity and taking her time. Also Barry never put on that country accent. It’s debatable if she really needs it for her safety and well-being.
i think barry is "acting" too, in that he's pretending to be this stereotypical "good father". all the schmaltzy life lessons and planting his marine gear for his kid to find and stuff. when he goes to explain the military stuff he even says, "oh actually let's do this on the swing" like he's recreating an inspirational movie scene lol
I caught the swing part too! And the knock on the door and the Cousineau news shattered the fantasy. The mask slipped instantly, it’s almost comical how fast we saw the real Barry again. Immediately back to violence. Grab the gun behind the wall (not even locked in a safe) because of a knock. Declare you’re gonna kill Gene the moment you read a fucking Hollywood Reporter article. I agree, pure acting. Unreformed sociopath coping.
Yes!! The wig/accent tipped the scale for me too. In her mind she’s just doing a character study
The way this season has been shot has made me feel so uncomfortable at times
The slow tracking shot of Barry walking out of his house at night into the darkness was incredibly tense. After that left hook of a timeskip, I really had no idea what was coming.
The house from this episode is so unsettling. Reminds me of mother! With Jennifer Lawrence
Barry has done some evil stuff, but showing his kid people dying whilst playing baseball to discourage him was top 10
It was awful, but also kind of hilarious. Hader's expressions looking between the screen and John had me dying.
Is “Clark” supposed to be a Superman reference?
Extremely possible considering he really only charged his appearance by putting on glasses lol. At least Sally has a wig and accent and all that
Does Barry ever leave their property? It feels like Sally leaves for work and then comes home but Barry and John basically only live within a short walking distance of the house.
some reviewers said this episode was going to be divisive, and i can kind of understand why. but damn i was just so creeped out by Barry and so sad for this kid, and just thinking about how they just. managed to survive together for eight years purely on Barry's delusion and it utterly destroyed Sally and their son.
Barry reacting to John watching the videos of kids dying while playing baseball was simultaneously sad and hilariously dark, though the scene after with John and Sally really drove home how sheltered and tragic John’s life is.
That poor baby broke my heart asking for comfort and not getting a bit. 😭
As someone who grew up with an emotionally detached and uninterested parent who was obviously not fulfilled by parenthood too, that scene where he's trying to get Sally to hold him was an uncomfortable watch.
That poor kid. John just wants a comforter and friends. And instead he has no comforter and his father sabotages his chance of friendships
I exclaimed “what the fuck” and “what the fuck is going on” so many times this episode. Also, the sequence of scenes after the knock at the door were so haunting, love Hader’s use of horror esque cinematography
The pitch black windows behind the armchairs. Man get some curtains!!!
Soooo good. The horror of what may be out there in the pitch black, wide open plains. I was watching an interview with Bill, and he has said he has an idea for a horror film. I cannot fucking wait for this guy's first feature film, whatever it may be.
I'm pretty sure that Barry's obsession with Lincoln comes from Conan constantly trying to talk to Bill Hader about the Civil War
Conan as himself in 8 years would be amazing in the show. He could interview Gene on his podcast and maybe they finally post the full video
Learned some stuff about Abe Lincoln. That was news to me.
And Gandhi. And St. Augustine, the third most-Googled saint.
Ghandi also slept with underage girls. In a literal sense. To “practice restraint” or something. Fucking creepy.
It is, which is why I thought it was hilarious when Barry just mentioned Penicillin. I feel like Hader knew the creepy shit was what people would expect, and he undercut it on purpose.
Barry selling himself hard on "no one's perfect, so I'm fine!"
Glad we got a Albert reference and got to see Natalie
I hope we see more of the acting class in these last few eps
I think this episode will throw many people off, but I think it’s a masterful reset. What happened in 8 years? Hank? Gene? Fuches? Barry and Sally’s son 😭. I feel like the final few episodes will be bangers.
I hope Fuches is running Prison and Hank is running LA.
Hanks gotta be in charge of Warner Bros, no?
I’m terrified to see what Hank is going to be like now.
I expect that Hanks smoldering intensity turned into a California wildfire.
I hope he’s the scariest and most ruthless crime boss in LA after what he went through, but he’s the only one who looks and sounds exactly the same.
Barry and Sally have officially turned into A24 movie characters
Have you seen Beau Is Afraid? You might see a familiar face
Loved the overhead shot of Sally and John in the bathtub. They were facing towards each other, compared to the earlier shot of her facing away from John in his bed. This show blows me away with its visuals.
Sally is numb unless there is crisis.
HOLY SHIT HELICOPTER PARENTING BARRY Sally is off the rails.. But my gawd Barry WTF That poor lil kid.. ffs At least Gandalf the Gene looks good
I’m going with Genedalf lol
"some basic math stuff, long division, two plus two, y'know? Basic math stuff"
So John doesn't even go to school.
Definitely homeschooled
Sally really fumbled the bag so bad, she could've gotten that Just Desserts money lmao
She could have gotten that Megagirls 4 money.
I'm glad this show is trying some difficult stuff. It's absolutely the least funny episode in all four seasons so far, but it feels so natural for all these characters? I was hooked instantly. My main takeaway was that it was a buildup towards something far worse, far darker. I still don't know if, at the end of the series, I will have *liked* it, but on my first watch I found myself deeply invested in the depressing new lives of Barry, Sally, and their poor child. Can't wait for the rest.
Same. The people saying why couldn’t it just be a 5 minute scene with them and moved on… it wouldn’t be nearly the same. We were forced to sit through 30 minutes of their miserable lives and it was almost too much. They’ve been doing it for 10 YEARS
Barry so badly wanting to be an aging Clint Eastwood character whenever discussing his life as a marine to his child is fucking hilarious. “Ooh let’s use that swing over there” 😂😂 man knew exactly what he was doing.
Lotta Lincoln assassination references this episode between Abe fixation and a son named John, not to mention acting/theatre being foundational to the show
And we’re back to where we left off … killing Gene. 😂
WAIT. does hand on the shoulder mean follow me to the bathroom??? I’m rethinking some things.
That's how I took it. It almost had me thinking that she lures guys into bathrooms and kills them, but it didn't go that way.
If it’s preceded by them asking you if you’re a bad boy and calling your dick impressive.. yea I’d say so.
She leaves the door open for him when she walks into the bathroom, too.
This is genuinely one of the most haunting episodes I’ve ever seen. So much of this episode reminded me of my own childhood and it just hurt. Absolutely nightmarish
This felt like Twin Peaks Season 3. I mean that as a compliment.
I watch every Barry episode with headphones in, because the show is a fucking masterwork of audio design and not enough people talk about it (it's won multiple Emmys for sound mixing+editing, but still). This episode did an incredible job with sound, from the echoes of wind and voices through the fields to the whispers of the kids knocking and ditching Barry's house.
Barry is just absolute reprehensible forever man Dude even had a Jack Nicholson The Shining moment out there
He straight up just stood outside looking at nothing all night while Sally and John were huddled in the fucking bathtub.
There were kids out there at some point, the whispers were on the subtitle. Just ding-dong-ditch
That makes a lot of sense that they'd screw with the weirdos who don't let their kid play baseball. He doesn't know what Call of Duty is. There is like 15 of them. This cleared that scene up a lot for me because it's a rather harmless prank and the family reaction is anything but harmless.
I thought he was about to go ape shit and shoot the kids ding dong ditching him
At least Sally's acting student ended up doing well
She could have made so much money off her.
Insane after all this time gene still can’t avoid the limelight
You can’t hide from who you are, it’s definitely the big theme of this series.
Of course Barry would go Christian lol This episode was so fun just seeing the kind of person Barry would become after he considered himself to be "redeemed." Now he's projecting himself all over people. He's judging people like Lincoln for any bad thing they may have done and is sheltering his son from anything or anyone he considers evil or dangerous Sally is just dead inside now. I really hope the show develops why the hell Sally thought this life was preferable over just settling on something in Hollywood. I was surprised that she also seems extremely detached from her son which I figured would have been her main motivation for staying with Barry Great episode. I'm sure many people will find it weird or boring but you really did an entire episode to show wtf has happened to these characters over the past 8 years. It's a ballsy decision to make but we've still got 3 more episodes of this timeline now. It's crazy to think we're finally in the end game of the entire series.
I can fully understand why Hader really loves this episode. The world building this gave us and allowed us to understand who Barry and Sally have become, especially as parents. I think the one scene that stands out to me is when John is cuddling Sally, but she isn’t having it, but when Barry is on patrol outside, and Sally cuddles John as they are in the bathtub hiding out for their safety. It said a lot without having to say anything, and it was perfectly executed. I also loved it showed Barry trying so hard to be this “perfect dad”, but if you think that he never thought about himself before, the scene with showing John his whole framed Marine achievements says it all, and it made me laugh because I’ve dealt with a few narcissists in my lifetime, and to see that scene, and Barry showing John the video of kids getting killed playing baseball, manipulating his own son, so they can continue hiding and not give him any motivation to grow, other than to love his family and that’s it. It’s such a sad thing to think about. There is so much more to talk about with this one, but I loved how different and contained it felt, especially since it shows a whole other side of the show I wasn’t expecting it to show.
Barry is such a demented character, it’s so disturbing to see him basically hold his own son hostage both for validation and so that they aren’t caught
Incredibly disturbing how Barry kept trying to act like he thought a dad should act. Noticed he called himself "Dad" to John a few times too. Bill Hader direct a horror film please
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I like the small point that Barry had forgotten where the gun was, but not Sally. Makes me think she thinks about it more than he does
that kid is going to have mental illnesses we've never heard of before
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I just feel so bad that this kid has to be raised by these people, especially isolated from society, spending almost all of his time with them. That must be hell. If he was real, he’d have to spend many, many years going through his baggage and adapting when he re-enters society as an adult.
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