What I’m Watching: Barry

Barry: Season 2, Episode 7 “The Audition” (B+)

This episode totally reframed things, shifting almost entirely into the crazy world of theater and acting. What Lindsay saw of Sally’s scene prompted her agent team to see different potential in her, putting her in the room with the famed TV producer who actually wanted to make her a show called “Payback Ladies” with the tagline “It’s that time of month – for revenge.” It was good that she passed on it, though she received quite a bit of anger and judgment from all those who couldn’t believe that she would turn down any opportunity to be a lead. Barry, on the other hand, scored an audition for a leading role simply because of his height, and even after he didn’t put any effort or emotion into the audition, they were still talking about how tall he was and how good he’d look on the poster. This is an entertaining skewering of the way the industry works, exaggerated to a degree but also so rooted in truth. I love and have missed Sally’s nonstop rants, and I like that Barry didn’t even respond to anything she said but just kept doing his next line. I’m intrigued to see if Sally’s show goes well in the new venue Lindsay found her as an apology. I do hope that Hank isn’t going to meet an untimely demise after he delivered a melancholy speech while the revolt was happening around him since he continues to be a great and memorable character. Gene, on the other hand, doesn’t seem long for this world, at least not in his current capacity. Fuches bringing him to the car that has Moss’ body in the trunk and calling the police to confess as him was a clever ploy, and it’s not one that Barry will likely be able to refute, certainly not without exposing his true identity to his acting teacher.