Having the disadvantage of having watched through E7 of BARRY, I have a “tricky” time reviewing the “legacy” of BARRY’s fifth episode. While it’s not bad enough to earn a “mom cry,” it’s sadly a lot of setup for what’s to come as we round the bases to home for the series finale.
What works so well this week is watching Barry and Sally trying to cope with what has happened since we last saw them years ago. They now use religion and YouTube to justify their narcissistic traits to mixed effects. Watching Sally at her job, it’s clear that she’s delivering the best performance of her “acting” career. It’s even more apparent in the bathroom sequence, where you can see her unhinged from a slight flirtation.
As for Barry, it’s disturbing to watch him learn the lesson that he “can’t control other people and can only control himself.” That lesson should have massive consequences as we ramp up after this week’s cliffhanger.
TRICKY LEGACIES is the closest BARRY has come to the style of BETTER CALL SAUL. Unfortunately, it doesn’t fully land, but with Bill Hader’s “pragmatic” approach, I’m “optimistic” that the finale won’t “compromise” and become one of the best TV series of 2023.
It’s available on HBO Max.
