Barry: new HBO show

[TheStoicPaisano 9,922]

Lulz @ Noho Hank’s dinner outfit.

[HamsterHookah 112]

On 9/20/2022 at 10:44 AM, MeerkatBong said:

Just binged this; it's awesome. Bill Hader is a beast. The ability for this show to go from dramatic and tense to comedic and absurd, from scene to scene, and have it work, is amazing and why this show is special to me.

Bill Hader has just been a wonderfully pleasant surprise with his turn and dramatic chops. He was always likeable and hilarious, but his embodiment of Barry and the range of emotional and psychological trauma is so believably authentic and good.

And I maintain that intermixing the dramatic and tense with the comedic and absurd is difficult and rewarding when pulled off, and it lands most often for me.

I know that Barry is this weird animal and doesn't quite check a box, but it is right in HBO's pre-merger/max wheelhouse, and while it will probably never get the commercial eyeballs and success and critical acclaim that I think it deservers, I can't see how this doesn't springboard Bill Hader into being able to write his own ticket for whatever he wants to do moving forward. I wouldn't be surprised if we are talking about him being nominated for an Oscar one day.

[83Horn 1,640]

So, it's been a week since the first two episodes aired, and no comments on this?  Is anybody watching, or watched and were underwhelmed.  I finally got around to watching yesterday, and thought the first two were a much better start than last year.  They look to be setting up story lines exploring unexpected consequences.  Not great, but solid episodes, and I look forward to seeing how the season plays out.

[Sawbonz 27,546]

I enjoyed it. Satire is really layered, and his dream / flashback scenes have the feel of bad community theater which is perfect IMO

[Ted Lange 16,084]

I liked them well enough, but the show isn’t consistently funny any longer, which is why I liked it in the first place.  Plus Barry’s girlfriend sucks 

[HamsterHookah 112]

2 hours ago, 83Horn said:

So, it's been a week since the first two episodes aired, and no comments on this?  Is anybody watching, or watched and were underwhelmed.  I finally got around to watching yesterday, and thought the first two were a much better start than last year.  They look to be setting up story lines exploring unexpected consequences.  Not great, but solid episodes, and I look forward to seeing how the season plays out.

I had the same thought; I think the concept is probably a bit too experimental of a blend to keep focus and eyeballs. 

[RPM 26,318]

First 2 episodes were directed by Hader. Thought he did an excellent job. 

[wutang75 444]

Binged this entire series over the weekend and loved every bit of it. You fickle MF’ers complaining about season 3, wtf? That shit was awesome - with the exception of maybe the first 2 episodes, every bit as good as Season 1 and 2.

[Genco 3,040]

9 minutes ago, wutang75 said:

Binged this entire series over the weekend and loved every bit of it. You fickle MF’ers complaining about season 3, wtf? That shit was awesome - with the exception of maybe the first 2 episodes, every bit as good as Season 1 and 2.

TV fan are ya? Well, we'll call you...Groove Tube!

[Doc Sam Beckett 5,792]

1 hour ago, RPM said:

First 2 episodes were directed by Hader. Thought he did an excellent job. 

[wutang75 444]

Tonight episode was top notch. “That’s us” was great.

[kingkoopa6 8,347]

Lol. Straight to jail guy 

[bolverk 29,660]

Have you ever been called Boo Boo the Fool? What about Fish Tits or Baby Shoes?

[TexasMan 10,891]

 

[HamsterHookah 112]

5 hours ago, TexasMan said:

 

Agreed-- I think Bill Hader will be an Oscar winner (actor and/or director) in the short-to-midterm.

Also, I haven't finished this episode, but the way the camera zoomed out and having the same actor as Sy Abelman, I thought to myself "wow this looks exactly like that scene in A Serious Man (one of my favorite movies) when he wrecks and dies", and not 2 seconds later he wrecks.

[veritas aequitas 443]

This season is pulling it out of the ditch

[LonghornSean 3,994]

This show is great. Can’t wait to hear again from everyone who feels the need to fast forward through Sally scenes to get through a… [checks notes]…28 minute episode.

 

I’m behind getting to ep 3 and about to watch ep 4 from tonight.

[RPM 26,318]

Great episode. Hader is directing his ass off.

[TheStoicPaisano 9,922]

Quote

Just a bunch of Chargers fans and one guy in a Houston Oilers hat, which is confusing.

 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18,547]

That was a gut punch of an episode. 

[HamsterHookah 112]

10 hours ago, RPM said:

Great episode. Hader is directing his ass off.

100% this. This season should be a critical darling. It's amazing.

[texhorn 351]

Wow, what an episode.

[bschoolprof 6,252]

This season has been epic. Yes, it’s not as funny as it used to be, but it’s still funny and dark and very well done. 

[HamsterHookah 112]

13 hours ago, bschoolprof said:

This season has been epic. Yes, it’s not as funny as it used to be, but it’s still funny and dark and very well done. 

It's the best season of TV I've seen in a long time.

[Sawbonz 27,546]

[TexasMan 10,891]

What in the last season of Brockmire is going on here? 

[veritas aequitas 443]

13 minutes ago, TexasMan said:

What in the last season of Brockmire is going on here? 

Jumping the shark? 

[bschoolprof 6,252]

Real or dream sequence?

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,976]

But the point of the story is that God gives you exactly what you need. And don't whine

 

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,976]

Sally makes a pretty hot trashy brunette waitress. The kind that may require a doctor's visit later, but you take what you can get out in flat land territory. 

[HamsterHookah 112]

This show is fantastic. I've simply been overtaken in a way that I haven't in a very long time, with something so interesting and great. This season is a master class.

If you agree even partially, a must read is this New Yorker interview with Bill Hader that came out over the weekend. It's a fascinating story, his journey from production assistant to director, from a nobody to SNL in 2 years, he talks about Barry and Berg and, of course, he would be friends with George Saunders:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/bill-hader-just-wants-to-make-weird-things?

[83Horn 1,640]

11 hours ago, bschoolprof said:

Real or dream sequence?

I'm thinking the whole episode was a dream sequence.  There was just enough "weirdness" about it that made it dream-like, such as standing watch outside his house from dark until dawn without moving, the interactions with his son, etc.  Also, there is no way that Cousineau could have survived on his own in the wilderness for eight years, especially after having had his little accident in the previous episode, right?  The man couldn't even order his own food if left alone.

[bschoolprof 6,252]

I kinda hope it was a dream sequence, but then again that's such a lazy plot device that I also hope it was not.  

[Juicy 726]

I didnt even think dream sequence, I was so focused on the fact that "jump ahead" scenes seem like such a cop out, but this one, holy shit, literal Saul at the Cinnabon stand good.

[Juicy 726]

The final push  barry vs cousinou is going to be so good. How they fit in Hank and Fuches is going to bring it full circle to comedy again I feel. 

[Ted Lange 16,084]

I miss when this show was funny.  It’s no longer a dark comedy it’s just dark.  I think I’ve laughed maybe once all season and that last episode was just weird.   

[thrillhammer 683]

On 5/7/2023 at 10:14 PM, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

But the point of the story is that God gives you exactly what you need. And don't whine

 

so you did buy the comforter?

[Celery Man 20,934]

It would suck if it was still a funny murder show four seasons in. I’m along for the ride but was surprised that the flash forward persisted through this episode and likely the series.

 

There’s a metaphor with their immaculate prefab home out in the dust and their bullshit of having changed at all. Sally hasn’t murdered anyone yet, right?

[HamsterHookah 112]

Bill Hader was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma and I got big Oklahoma vibes from the safe house locale.

[4th&Five 41,525]

Started the series on Friday and just caught up. Really great. Also, Hader directed over half of the series. 

[bschoolprof 6,252]

The prison escape sequence was pretty funny. As was the Dave and Buster's criminal mastermind meeting.  But, yeah, this show is dark and weird.  I didn't really love the last episode.  

[Mitch Cumsteen 18,547]

6 hours ago, Celery Man said:

There’s a metaphor with their immaculate prefab home out in the dust and their bullshit of having changed at all. Sally hasn’t murdered anyone yet, right?

Didn't she stab someone in the neck and kill them with a baseball bat? It was in self-defense ish, but I'm pretty sure she killed that dude and Barry got rid of the body.

[4th&Five 41,525]

It was definitely self defense.  He was choking her.

[Celery Man 20,934]

ah that's right that's right

she gon kill again

[Pam Cummings 9,640]

The time jump fucked this show up. It's just too unbelievable. Am i really supposed to believe that Janice Moss' dad hasn't aged one bit in like 15 years? That he is capable still of knocking out a full grown man and dragging the dead weight to his basement without being noticed?

 

Hell, forget that even. The dude is capable of torturing a guy into speaking German but he can't track down Barry? Bullshit. Bullshit all around, what a stupid story line.

Edited May 15, 2023 by Pam Cummings

[83Horn 1,640]

42 minutes ago, Pam Cummings said:

The time jump fucked this show up. It's just too unbelievable. Am i really supposed to believe that Janice Moss' dad hasn't aged one bit in like 15 years? That he is capable still of knocking out a full grown man and dragging the dead weight to his basement without being noticed?

 

Hell, forget that even. The dude is capable of torturing a guy into speaking German but he can't track down Barry? Bullshit. Bullshit all around, what a stupid story line.

I don't think there was a time jump.  I believe last week's episode, and most of this week's was all a fantasy inside Barry's head.  That last image of Barry and Janice's dad sitting face to face was back to present time.  At least, that's my theory.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18,547]

I gotta say.... I'm having a difficult time liking this season. The show has lost most of the dark comedy, and now it's just mostly dark. And quite honestly, the storyline and show really doesn't quite work without the comedy part. Post-prison Fuches Raven was cool, but the whole Hank/Fuches confrontation seemed off and the Sally / kid / vodka / attack thing was tough to watch.

If it was a dream sequence and not a time jump, then it all seems excessive. And what's the payoff? I'm going to keep watching because I'm invested and it's almost done, but I'm not really digging it.

[Pam Cummings 9,640]

Usually dream sequences are a lot shorter and less detailed. Like what's the point of developing scenes/stories from John and Sally's standpoint if it's in Barry's head? I think it is for real.

 

Sally is weirdly sexier though with the dark hair.

Edited May 15, 2023 by Pam Cummings

[Ted Lange 16,084]

Agree, hard to believe they'd devote 2 episodes and so many storylines to a dream sequence.   Speaking of Sally, she is just awful, I always want to fast forward thru her scenes but am afraid I'd miss something.   I did enjoy this week more than the previous episode.  I assume the guy that attacked Sally and rammed the house, the guy from the restaurant she worked at?  What a bizarre scene. 

[A-Tex Devil 2,446]

1 hour ago, 83Horn said:

I don't think there was a time jump.  I believe last week's episode, and most of this week's was all a fantasy inside Barry's head.  That last image of Barry and Janice's dad sitting face to face was back to present time.  At least, that's my theory.

I’ll hate that if true, but…..

Barry seemed like younger Barry (the hair) when they pulled the mask off.  May have just been messed up from the mask but he seemed like the younger version in that quick shot.