Barry Season 1 Episode 4 Review Summary: Barry discovers that separating himself from the Fuches and the Chechens may be more difficult than he anticipated. Sally is shocked to discover that an audition set up by a potential agency has requirements. Moss is promised a bombshell by Gene, but only over dinner. During a party hosted by his classmate Natalie, Barry invites a Marine buddy and his two friends. Zach, a budding actor, there challenges Barry’s claim to Sally. (HBO)
- Sarah Solemani is the author.
- Maggie Carey is the director
- Scale: TV-MA
- Duration: 29 minutes
Airs: every Sunday at 10:30 p.m. on HBO Canada/HBO (United States)
Although the premise has lost some of its humor, this episode was an improvement over the previous two because Barry began to advocate for himself.
Sally opened the episode by making Barry a Facebook page. He also came upon a former marines comrade. Sally didn’t go to acting school since her agency set up another audition for her. Fuches was still present, which was unfortunate for Barry because they both worked for the Chechens. Another task was assigned to them, requiring Barry to break into a stash house in Bolivia.
She found out where they stood when she met with her agency. She flatly rejected his jest that he should expect more from their relationship. Barry received a text from his marine friend while in class. Cousineau didn’t believe any of it while he was speaking in front of the students in his Mamet monologue. He made Barry concentrate more on himself. With that ferocity, Barry confronted Fuches and told him that enough was enough.
Sally was eliminated from the audition because she already turned down her representation. Barry had a vision about his ideal existence in which Jon Hamm appeared while he was driving to a party. Barry used the money from his latest hit to buy Sally a new laptop because hers was shattered. It was too much for Sally, who didn’t want it.
Fuches unexpectedly arrived during the gathering to provide him with information about his upcoming job. Moreover, Barry’s fellow marines attended the event and caused a scene. When he noticed Sally chatting to another man, he confronted her, but she became hostile.
The police were still having problems getting access to the camera in the meantime. Cousineau called Moss and offered shocking details in exchange for a meeting that turned into a meal. The allure of Cousineau gradually won her over. When they eventually had access to the footage, they were unable to see Barry’s face.
One of Barry’s marine friends realized there was more going on with him as they were leaving after seeing the information about the hit. Whatever he was doing, he wanted a piece of it.
Overall, this was a solid episode that advanced the plot as Barry’s conflict reappeared as a result of his confrontations with Fuches and Cousineau. Barry had never before had a connection like that, thus it also affected his relationship with Sally. Henry Winkler’s portrayal of Cousineau, however, was the episode’s strongest aspect. He was a joy to be around. It will be interesting to see where the serialized plot goes because it is still interesting to watch.