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| Photo: Jordan Althaus/HBO |
Barry has spent this season as a man torn between two lives: one full of violence and death, working as a hired hand for whatever colorful, sadistic characters he and Fuches come across (not that the Chechens aren't fun as fuck), and an unremarkable, but decidedly less dangerous existence as a terrible aspiring actor but decidely more well-adjusted dude.
Of course Fuches isn't here for any flights of fancy where a gray-haired Barry's future offspring teleport to school. That much becomes clear when the three of them are out on an airstrip in the desert, working out hte logistics for taking out the Bolivian crew's boss when his plane lands. Barry and Fuches want to practice discretion, opting to go with a long range sniper hit; Taylor wants to take those motherfuckers out mid-air then celebrate with beers because fuck yea! No shade but shade, but this guy is like if a 12-pack of Four Loko came to life.
Fuches wisely orders Barry to kill Taylor, while Taylor suggests Barry kill Fuches so he can live out his dreams. Barry again reveals his considerable shortcomings as a thespian by failing to convince Taylor to work with Fuches. I mean not getting one over on Fuches with Parent Trap trickery is one thing--you can't bullshit a bullshitter, and Fuches has a black belt in bullshittery--but even Taylor can see Fuches is a parasite, and what's no part of that.
Speaking of acting, Gene's class again makes Barry confront the messy emotions that are a liability in his line of work. Last week it was forcing him to question the morality of his actions; this week he has to face the crash and burn that is he and Sally. After Barry flubs a line during what's now Sally's Lady Macbeth part, Gene makes them do repetition exercises, saying "I love you" in varying tones. It's surprisingly affecting, as Barry the performer expresses genuine feeling in the context of acting for the first time, while Barry the person gets the message there's no salvaging whatever he and Sally may have had.
Honestly this is for the best, 'cause (shocker!) Sally is only about Sally. Notice how when all the other students accepted Barry's apology for his outburst last week and responded with their own, Sally was content to serve stank-ass attitude, burying her face in a script? And later she pushes Gene (who kinda seems over her too) to let her play Macbeth himself, she groans when he assigns Barry as her scene partner, even though he only has one line? I was half expecting her to start shouting about Oompa Loompas.
As little Barry may matter to Sally now, she's entangled herself in his life enough to unknowingly warrant some very unwanted attention. See, Vacha's still feeling some type of way about Barry acing his brother. But like Barry's boss, Goran has a fuck-your-feelings approach to HR, and tells him not to touch Barry as they examine their new stash house digs. Vacha instead settles for the next best thing, flipping open his switch blade as he follows Sally out of Gene's class. Lucky for her, Detective Moss happens to be looking for Gene, and quickly realizes Vacha's not a student. A shootout ensues, ending with Vacha taking a few slugs to the chest as he leaves this mortal coil.
It's a turn of events that smartly brings together two minor, disparate plots--Moss and Gene's affair and Vacha's stalking Barry--and incorporates them into the larger narrative. The encounter with Gene, and the discovery of the dirty money Barry stashed in the bathroom, puts the acting class back squarely in the crosshairs of the police investigation.
Like Sally's brush with death, Barry is oblivious to how the walls are closing in around him. He ignores Fuches' order to kill Taylor and instead calls to say he can handle the Bolivians solo. Which in turn inspires Taylor to recruit Chris and Vaughn to bum rush the Bolivians. Barry at least tries to get Chris out of harm's way, telling him to get out of the car, but stops short of telling him exactly where they're going and why. The final scene finds the foursome speeding headlong to the Bolivian's plane, with the car veering off the road amid a hail of bullets.
At least Taylor got to go out in a blaze of Pantera.
Other Thoughts:
- Detective Moss' fling with Gene has definitely been one of the season's lighter spots; but while Vacha's death and subsequent reopening of the investigation closes the door on their affair, it also provides an opportunity for a moment of camaraderie between Moss and Detective Loach. Moss implicitly acknowledges she crossed the line, but firmly states it's over, as tears well up in her eyes. It gives a nice shade of vulnerability to the character's no-nonsense personality.
- I wonder what Lady Macbeth or All About Eve-style machinations Sally pulled to snag Natalie's role? Also, while Sally doesn't have to be likable, I do hope, if she survives, that the show digs deeper into her psychology to give more insight into what fuels her drive for success.
- Noho Hank is quite the interior designer, offering a few tips to makeover the now former Bolivian stash house. Getting rid of the bodies is a good start.
- Give Vacha a stage and he'll sing a tune.
Those One Liners 'Tho
- "You stuck your tail between your legs and you slunk off like a beaten man. That's listening."
- "Goran, this is great physical comedy of you."
- "I never said up in my grill, so you can stop there."
- "Watch how much this guy jizzes. Fuckin' shame."
- "Chop, chop, chop, blood and guts."
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