S03.E01: Forgiving Jeff

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

As an increasingly desperate Barry searches the dark web for jobs, Sally, now the creator and star of her own show, begins to feel the pressures of success. Meanwhile, Noho Hank braves his first big test in interrogation, and Gene ruminates over Fuches' crushing reveal.

Original air date 2022.04.24

[aghst]

May have to try to rewatch the first two seasons, it's been so long.

[atomic]

Excited for this! Hope it's worth the wait.

 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

S03.E01:  Forgiving Jeff

Quote

As an increasingly desperate Barry searches the dark web for jobs, Sally, now the creator and star of her own show, begins to feel the pressures of success. Meanwhile, Noho Hank braves his first big test in interrogation, and Gene ruminates over Fuches' crushing reveal.

Original air date 2022.04.24

[iwantcookies]

Just rewatched S2 finale. Cannot wait for tonight!

[Kate47]

My God, this show is so good. The way it whipsaws between dark scenes and humor is just bonkers. Props to everyone involved, I hate that these episodes are only 30 minutes long.

[raeb23]

I've missed this show!

Loved that Noho Hank & Cristobal are an actual couple.

Sally remains as self-absorbed as ever, poor Natalie. 

I'm not sure if Barry's ever really going to find the absolution/ forgiveness he's looking for (or if he even deserves it), but Gene lives! 

[Irlandesa]

Some of season 2 felt a little slow to me.  I wasn't sure if I was as still into the show but this premiere was pitch perfect.

Hank continues to bring the funny but that moment when the bullets fell out of the gun after Gene's terrific threat was amazing.

[cpcathy]

19 minutes ago, Kate47 said:

My God, this show is so good. The way it whipsaws between dark scenes and humor is just bonkers. Props to everyone involved, I hate that these episodes are only 30 minutes long.

I yelled “Nooo!” At the TV when the credits started. It went by so fast!

[MrWhyt]

Well now I see why 50/50 with Cristobal was so enticing to Hank

[thuganomics85]

Finally!  It's been too long, but better late than never!  Welcome back, Barry!

I guess it really doesn't matter if your a sociopathic hitman: it's never a good time when you find yourself directionless, lonely, and just coasting through life.  Barry's mental state is certainly cratering: not even taking hitman jobs on Craiglist is fulfilling for him!  Certainly not a good sign when freaking Noho Hank has to be the one to knock some sense into him.  And, of course, there is that final scene.  I'm not sure if Barry will ever be able to find forgiveness or redemption of any kind, but I'm curious to see if he will try.

I honestly thought Gene was a goner at least twice this episode, but it looks like he's managed to talk Barry down for now.  But I'm not sure what is in store for him.  Or if he might make another attempt at taking out Barry.  Maybe next time he'll bring a gun that wasn't a gift from Rip Torn!

Noho and Cristobal are an actual item now!  Good for them!  Noho continues to be the best.  Anthony Carrigan is the gift that keeps on giving!

Sally's career seems to be on the uptick, but I suspect a downfall of some kind might happened.  Definitely think something is going to come from her dismissing Natalie like she was.

I wonder how long Funches is going to be hiding in Chechnya?

The thirty minutes flew by fast!  

[arc]

Barry's just taking jobs off a hitman website? This is so so bad for his usual ongoing goal of not getting caught for all the murdering.

Whoa, Sally is star/showrunner? Hollywood must have really loved her bit, because as far as I understood, most first-time show creators get co-showrunner position at best. The studios typically install a seasoned hand as the other co-showrunner.

WHOA, Noho Hank and Cristobal are a couple? I seriously do not remember s2 at all.

"It's like that line in Shawshank Redemption: 'Get rich or die trying.'" -- Wow. And this after a preview article said the writers were trying to dial back on Noho Hank's malapropisms.

Aw no, the acting class is no more. I guess Sally took Natalie along, which is nice. But are they replacing the specific "nobodies/wannabes" energy of the acting class with the "new TV show on the bubble" stress Sally's in now? Cause it's a different thing. Maybe they didn't want to keep hitting the same notes?

Hmm. The media before the season premiere talked about how to them it's still kind of an open question whether Barry is redeemable, but what I got out of this episode's closing is that Barry is 100% not redeemable.

1 hour ago, thuganomics85 said:

Sally's career seems to be on the uptick, but I suspect a downfall of some kind might happened.  

It's not a mere uptick! To go from struggling actor getting bit roles at best to star and showrunner is like going from law firm mail room to junior partner. She basically won a lottery ticket for how rare a career ascension this fast is. But yes, given that the studio or network executive at the notes meeting was semi-checked out and positioning to be able to drop the show without getting any stink on her if it's a dud, it sounds like the show isn't a definite home run.

[tennisgurl]

There are a few important lessons to be learned here. Don't take hitman jobs from Craig's list, and don't take a gun given to you by Rip Torn when confronting your friend who probably murdered you girlfriend. Its so great seeing this show back, we are already off to a crazy good start. Few shows jump back and fourth between dark comedy and tragedy like this one, I truly have no idea where this season is going. 

I really thought for a second that Gene was doomed, but Barry has apparently found a way to make it up to him and possibly keep him from calling the cops on him. This could even get Barry out of his funk, things have gotten so bad for him that he's seeing bullet holes in peoples heads and isn't even getting satisfaction taking random murder jobs anymore. I guess anyone, even professional killers, can feel like they're just floating through life. Is Barry having a midlife crisis? Or is this whole show his midlife crisis? 

I'll miss the acting class, hopefully the gang will still show up from time to time. Sally has really moved up in the world, already running/acting in her own show, but I am pretty sure that things will go crashing down pretty soon. The lady from the studio is already checking out of her pilot, and Sally is often her own worst enemy when it comes to her success. I am waiting for her increasing ego to take her down. 

[opus]

Was there some sort of significance to the defective gun being from Rip Torn?

[Penman61]

I truly hope the creators aren't aiming for genuine "redemption" from the audience pov. Barry lost all hope of that way back in S1 when he killed Chris just to keep him from turning them both in. Since then, Barry's killed some "bad guys" but he's gradually branched out to adulterers on Craig's List?

I realize the showrunners have tried to incrementally escalate Barry's wrongdoing (à la Walter White), but after murdering Chris, that really was about as bad as it can get. Barry's irredeemable. The only question--like Walter--is whether he will realize it. His (apparent) S3 Journey To Forgiveness should end on a dry, dusty cul-de-sac.

 

Edited April 25, 2022 by Penman61

[aghst]

Barry feeling alone and rudderless seems a jarring change from most of season 2.

OK, Fuches betrayed him and he had to kill Chris.  But the loss of the acting class dashed all hopes of changing his life?

Now he's in limbo as a struggling actor, going on auditions but not getting jobs which would presumably make him feel more hopeful about his life.  He's taking hitman jobs just so he has something to do, a purpose?

He had to know acting can be like that, rarely or maybe never getting roles before he has to give up.  Working at the clothing store in season 2 wasn't enough to distract him.  I don't think he has a money issue, presumably he earned and saved a lot when he was working for Fuches.

Winkler is knocking it out of the park, first confronting Barry, then begging for his life.  I missed the bit about it being a gift from Rip Torn.  I thought it was like some vintage, museum piece, that Cousineau wouldn't put up with modern semi-automatics, he went old school, though old school in this case was a POS revolver.

NoHo Hank had a big role this episode, more screen time than I can recall him ever having.  He's of course a highly likable character.

 

I know that characters who's dropped a lot of bodies has to be judged on whether he's redeemable.  But I'm hoping they can kind of avoid or delay this question because I think of Barry as way more light and joyful than BB.  Barry does get heavy and dark may times, but Walter White's descent was orchestrated, almost each step of the way.

They probably can't avoid the question, because if the show ended and he's not dead or locked up, people will be upset that a mass murderer isn't punished.

He's been trying to turn over a new leaf, get out of the hired assassin vocation.  The backsliding depicted in this episode is depressing and heavy.  Still had some great comic moments but anguished Barry is not fun.

No Inside the Episode.  Why would they drop it after doing it for two seasons.  Berg and Hader are so great at those, kind of lightens the mood.

 

 

[arc]

1 hour ago, Penman61 said:

Since then, Barry's killed some "bad guys" but he's gradually branched out to adulterers on Craig's List?

He started the show when he was hired to kill Ryan Madison, the guy sleeping with Goran’s wife. Then in s2, Detective Loach blackmailed him into killing Ronny, the guy dating Loach’s ex-wife. That’s not even adultery! Loach was just mad his ex moved on.

[cardigirl]

21 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

There are a few important lessons to be learned here. Don't take hitman jobs from Craig's list, and don't take a gun given to you by Rip Torn when confronting your friend who probably murdered you girlfriend. Its so great seeing this show back, we are already off to a crazy good start. Few shows jump back and fourth between dark comedy and tragedy like this one, I truly have no idea where this season is going. 

Is there a question as to whether or not Barry did?  I mean, I kept hoping for an out for Barry somehow, all last season, but it seems to me that he did kill Janice. It would have to be so convoluted from what we were actually shown to have it be any other way.  

I love this show, and have missed it so much during the 3 (THREE!!) years it was off. And I can't say why.  Watching people get murdered or tortured is so not my thing. It's the genius of this show that you can root (sort of)  for the ruthless criminals but not so much for the ruthless fame seekers like Sally. 

So glad the show is BACK! 

[arc]

17 hours ago, cardigirl said:

Is there a question as to whether or not Barry did? 

He definitely killed Janice. I think @tennisgurl only meant that Cousineau couldn’t have been 100% sure about Barry’s guilt.

[iMonrey]

Quote

To go from struggling actor getting bit roles at best to star and showrunner is like going from law firm mail room to junior partner. She basically won a lottery ticket for how rare a career ascension this fast is. 

I found that hard to swallow.

Not really loving it so far. I was kind of hoping Barry would get the movie role he auditioned for last season (he's 6'2"!). I know Barry is the antihero a la Walter White but I don't need to see this show get darker. I enjoyed Season 2 because I thought it was funnier than Season 1 and I preferred that trajectory. This show doesn't need to be Breaking Bad. 

Loved the scene with Hank's interrogation and how jazzed he was about it being his first. I was kind of surprised they went there with Hank and Cristobal. 

[Dev F]

On 4/25/2022 at 2:47 AM, arc said:

Whoa, Sally is star/showrunner? Hollywood must have really loved her bit, because as far as I understood, most first-time show creators get co-showrunner position at best. The studios typically install a seasoned hand as the other co-showrunner.

I don't know that someone with quite as little experience as Sally would get her own show right out of the gate, but it's not unheard-of nowadays for an upstart network to get really excited about some hot new auteur and give them full control over their own passion project—and for it to turn into a chaotic disaster. I figured that Sally's story would end up being an exaggerated version of something like the story of the ill-fated Showtime series SMILF: relatively obscure TV actress writes, directs, and stars in a short film based on her own life that gets a lot of buzz at Sundance, Showtime hires her to adapt it into a series despite her lack of showrunning experience, and the whole thing falls apart after two seasons because of allegations of unprofessional behavior on the part of the auteur.

[aghst]

Problem is, Sally wouldn't have the experience of knowing how to manage all the crew, what it takes to set up scenes to film, lighting, etc.

Not to mention working in the writers room, making casting decisions, etc.

[Dev F]

7 hours ago, aghst said:

Problem is, Sally wouldn't have the experience of knowing how to manage all the crew, what it takes to set up scenes to film, lighting, etc.

Not to mention working in the writers room, making casting decisions, etc.

Right, but my point is that real-life networks have hired showrunners with nearly as little experience. The SMILF creator went from never having a writing or producing credit except on her own two indie shorts to running a premium cable series. As she herself is quoted as saying in the article I linked above, "I went from making short films in my basement to running a crew of over 215 people."

[arc]

Sally sure did seem to be managing pretty well. The teal/blue dress thing was a little bit of poor communication, maybe, but otherwise she was making decisions left and right and then managed to get right to acting as soon as the direction called action.

[sistermagpie]

12 hours ago, arc said:

Sally sure did seem to be managing pretty well. The teal/blue dress thing was a little bit of poor communication, maybe, but otherwise she was making decisions left and right and then managed to get right to acting as soon as the direction called action.

I liked that moment when she was told that, iirc, sometimes it's a problem when you find somebody too good to play against you. I assumed that would be starting some jealousy and undermining of the young actress playing her daughter. But we'll see, I guess.

[shapeshifter]

Just got HBO Max back and watched the first episode of season 3.
Wow. 
So intense and dark.
It's a good thing it's supposed to be a comedy or I'd feel bad about smiling at the last line of Barry to Gene: Get back in the trunk.

Anthony Carrigan is the best.

Edited July 14, 2022 by shapeshifter

[rmontro]

I've been binge watching this show, first time through.  Wow, it's great.  I always did like Bill Hader.  Anyway.  This episode seemed to have a very different feel from the first two seasons, a lot of changes what with Sally's success, the acting class being gone, etc.  If it wasn't only the third season, I'd be worried about the show jumping the shark, but it was still enjoyable.  Just not sure where they're planning to go with this.

They're going to keep Cousineau around knowing Barry killed his girlfriend?  Oh well, guess I'll find out soon enough.