Barry: ben mendelsohn (3x03)

I mean, it's a good show, what more do you want from me?

Cons:

I'd say that Fuches is probably the main character in Barry who offers me the least when he's onscreen. The stuff between him and Barry, the whole fucked up nature of their relationship, great television for sure. Their phone call was captivating. But when it's just him talking to other minor characters, being weirdly settled in his exile, I find that my interest is less than fully held. It's a minor thing, I just think the character type is slightly less captivating than most of the other things going on.

I wouldn't call this show "subtle" necessarily, but one thing I really admire about the performances and the script is how usually the audience knows the inner turmoil of the characters, but it's in-universe believable why other characters don't pick up on certain things. One moment that didn't quite work for me on this level was when Sally's young co-star was asked about Sally's new stable relationship. Her reaction was so awkward and stilted and clearly showcased that there was something to hide. A little over the top for my taste.

Pros:

Let's start with the Chechnya/Bolivia drama. I find myself surprisingly... moved, but Hank and Cristobal's plight. First you had Cristobal saving Hank and his men, and then here he deflects a plan to go back and try to kill them again. Meanwhile Hank's men want to kill Cristobal since they blame the Bolivians for shooting up their place. They're doing all this stuff to protect each other all while knowing they can never, ever blow their cover. It's a real Romeo and Juliet story, and I'm kinda digging it.

Sally is put through a press junket where she's asked simple, repetitive questions over and over by a revolving door of reporters. This is going to sound so obvious and silly but sometimes I forget how truly funny this show can be. Sally thinking that maybe Cake Boss is one of the new Avengers was honestly really hilarious. Idk, there's some new dude called Moon Knight that everyone is into, so why not Cake Boss?

But on the more serious side of things, Sally is someone who is getting what she's always wanted and is simply drenched in dissatisfaction and stress about all of it. You see how much of her is a façade, how terribly important her success is to her, and how much her own happiness has fallen down in the list of requirements.

Contrast that to Barry, who is also getting what he says he wants, in forcing a "friendly" relationship with Mr. Cousineau, in getting work as an actor. It's such a twisted, funhouse mirror version of what Barry is fighting so hard to achieve. We see immediately how unsustainable it is, when Gene totally loses it and screams at Barry during filming. That's one thing I'll say overall for this show and this season, is that the pacing is quite brisk, the entire shifting dynamics of various relationships happen within these short half hour episodes. I love that.

I'll leave it there. As always, I feel oddly unequipped to write about this show. It sort of exists outside of the standard realm of TV for me, and it always has such interesting gifts to give.

8.5/10