Barry Review: What?! (Season 2 Episode 4)
The search for being a better person leads down even darker holes on Barry Season 2 Episode 4, “What?!”
Detective Loach’s sudden turn at the end of the episode is a twist perfect for this series. His constant remarks of losing his family are peppered throughout the previous episodes, and so his taping of Barry becoming a form of blackmail to get rid of his wife’s new boyfriend is a fitting way to take that character.
The move also makes sense for the longevity of the series. As Loach’s gun starts to trail from Barry, it’s easy to think Loach is a goner. But for it to turn into a new form of evil to hang over Barry, to make him continue being a bad person, is a fantastic way to keep the show moving.
It’s especially cruel, after following Barry’s conversation with Gene. Barry finally hears what he wanted to hear for so long, that he can be good by trying to change; but the circumstances and selfishness of others in his orbit appear to never allow that to be a possibility.
The scene between Barry and Gene is another in a line of scenes on Barry where Barry wanting to be true to himself alienates those around him. Gene’s reaction, after promising not to judge, is a perfect example of Barry now navigating a world full of people claiming to be empathetic, but can never truly know the evils he has seen, or potentially done.
At least some good comes from the episode: Fuches chooses a side, Barry’s side. It proves to be a futile gesture, but it’s the thought that counts. Fuches can be a tricky character to pin down, and so his attempts to warn Barry, while eventually leading to the trap, at least shows his heart is in the right place.
The emotional core of the episode, however, comes through Sarah Goldberg’s Sally. Her interactions with Sam are subtle, impressive work from Goldberg, especially so during the hotel room scene. Goldberg’s repeated glances toward the door, judging the distance she has to escape, is a quick moment but heartbreaking, Sally’s fear of being cornered coming back to her.
Sally revealing to Barry the scene never happened is a continuation of Barry Season 2 Episode 3, “Past = Present x Future Over Yesterday,” the self-reflection breaking the view she’s molded of her past. The show is excellent at continuing pieces of growth (or dismantlement) in its characters, and Sally’s is one of the more riveting of this season.
Sally knows she’s strong now, but it’s at the cost of selling something to herself, and now with Barry’s encouragement, something she must sell to others. It’s a theme of the episode, of everyone wanting to be true to themselves, but being told by someone, in some way, to be the opposite of that.
Barry Season 2 Episode 4, “What?!” takes its characters, especially so in Barry and Sally, to their points of change and pulls them back. Their nature is telling them to be better, but the world around them does not appear to want that. This delivers a fantastic episode of struggling to find the balance between truth and half-truth, while their worlds fall apart around them.
Some stray thoughts on the episode:
- Detective Loach’s handwriting while Fuches is on the phone is a quick, fun gag. It’s said that doctors have really illegible handwriting, but he takes it to a new level.
- Gene’s budding relationship with his son feels like it has some larger game at play, or perhaps I’m reading into it too much. I hope it’s more a look inside Gene’s life some more, and doesn’t become another great loss for him through Barry somehow.
What did you think of this episode of Barry? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Barry airs Sundays at 10/9c on HBO.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.