What I’m Watching: Barry

Barry: Season 2, Episode 2 “The Power of No” (B+)

One of the things I’ve always liked most about Hank is the creative excitement he expresses when trying to plan hits. Barry was in no mood to entertain the notion of neatly extracting a bullet for Hank to send back to his family, but even hearing the impossibility of it out loud didn’t detract from the genuine thrill Hank had in coming up with the idea. Barry is in serious trouble, and he’s letting the people who influence him most get under his skin. Gene wouldn’t allow him to deviate from talking about his time in the war, even when he tried to present meeting Gene as the pivotal moment of his life, and what Sally was manipulated into presenting affected him even more severely. She definitely isn’t referring to Barry at all when she talks about never again being with a violent man, but all he took away from it was that she’ll eventually find out he’s not a good person and not want to be with him. Freezing during the hit for Hank was a huge misstep, and though they’re not likely to identify him, he wasn’t even wearing a mask. Having Fuches outside his home waiting for him activated his paranoia, though I’m not sure he’s with it enough to realize that Fuches is trying to get him on tape so that he can cut a deal for himself. Sally’s clip reel as compiled by her agency was the most absurd showcase of the insignificance of the roles she’s been getting, each incredibly inferior to anyone else going on in the scene.