S03.E02: Limonada

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

Barry learns the extent of Gene's storied Hollywood history. Then, Cristobal and Hank face a major setback when Cristobal's father-in-law Fernando unexpectedly arrives in LA looking to take out the Chechens - and bring Cristobal home.

Original air date 2022.05.01

[Kate47]

I am the Selina Meyer nervously laughing gif because wtf. That scene of Barry in Sally's office was legit terrifying. We've seen bits of this come out before, but jeez. This season is getting super dark right out the gate.

Y'all, my stomach was in a knot for the entire episode and I think I need to go lie down.

Edited May 2, 2022 by Kate47

[cardigirl]

I laughed so hard at Gene being chased by all those dogs! And the cute little dog that followed him home. 
 

"Everybody deserves a second chance."

show is still great! 

[MrWhyt]

oh no trouble for Hank and Cristobal!!

rest of the episode: this shit is dark y'all

[Penman61]

Anyone still rooting for Barry’s “redemption”?

[Irlandesa]

Sheesh. How are they going to do another season after starting so dark?  But these two episodes are probably the most I've ever enjoyed this show so I'm glad I stuck with it.

It's just amazing that Barry's solution is to get Gene an acting job.  So silly and yet so perfect.

Did we know Gene was this hated in Hollywood? 

55 minutes ago, MrWhyt said:

oh no trouble for Hank and Cristobal!!

That was legit simultaneously sad and hilarious to hear the footsteps and have Hank just watch him as he left.

[thuganomics85]

I always said that the best comedies are the ones that end with the main character quietly threatening to kill someone's grandson.  A classic romp right there!!  Cue that laughing track!

Legitimately thought that Barry yelling at Sally was going to be one of those "in his head" moments, but nope: dude that just went all manically psycho on her like that.  Yes, even if he didn't hit or insult her, that was scary as hell and makes me wonder how much longer it will before Barry truly goes off the rails.  Bill Hader really can be unnerving at times.  And what was nuts was not only did almost everyone else act like it wasn't that big of a deal or something that couldn't be addressed (except the younger actress), but even Sally seem to pretend like it was no big thing and went back to acting like everything was normal.  I wonder if that was similar to how she reacted with her abusive ex? 

Hearing that Gene burned a massive amount of bridges during his time in Hollywood was interesting, but it looks like Barry managed to finally find him a small role that he will enjoy: wherever he likes it or not!

Trouble in paradise for NoHo and Cristobal, as the head of the Bolivians (who is Cristobal's father in-law?!) believes this has gone on long enough and has brought the Bolivian's A-Team here to take out the Chechens.  At least they get to live another day, which is great, because they're one of my favorite criminal groups on television.  Look at them all excited getting to tour Hollywood!  And have interesting discussions about how dated The Man Show is.  But it looks like NoHo and Cristobal have to stay apart for now, but I'm still rooting for them!

Sally has competition from a show similar to hers, which is amusing since that has been an occurrence in real life.  The first example that pops into my mind was when Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and 30 Rock premiered around the same time and even same network (and ended differently than most expected with the more hyped Studio 60 getting canceled after one season, while 30 Rock lasted for multiple ones and even snagged a few Emmys!)

Edited May 4, 2022 by thuganomics85

[SHD]

Bill Hader is so underrated as an actor. He was just fantastic in this episode.

 

[arc]

It's amazing the show has turned all the screws so tight in just the second episode. Cristobal has a wife and kids back in Bolivia! He has a terrifying father-in-law who brought a paramilitary brigade to a gang war! Sally's show has its schedule moved up! Gene Cousineau's career died because he's insufferable (or was? I mean, he seemed so kind, albeit self-absorbed, as a teacher, but then again that was him being a big fish in a very tiny puddle.)

But the big thing was definitely Barry unleashing that much rage on Sally. That was truly frightening. It looks like Sally's trying to compartmentalize the whole thing and of course that can't possibly work when she's immersed in the theme her whole day at her job.

Well, also Barry threatening Gene's son and grandson. There's really no redemption possible for Barry now, is there? Not when he's been frantically trying to duck any kind of atonement for murdering Janice. He didn't even notice how much he scared Sally.

4 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Did we know Gene was this hated in Hollywood? 

Not really, though it definitely explains why he used to have an acting career but no longer does.

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

And what was nuts was not only did almost everyone else act like it wasn't that big of a deal or something that couldn't be addressed (except the younger actress), but even Sally seem to pretend like it was no big thing and went back to acting like everything was normal.  I wonder if that was similar to how she reacted with her abusive ex? 

The younger actress thought it was a big deal. The writer also did, but "they're adults... and I like my job." -- she didn't think it was plausible the network or studio would step in esp considering Barry's not an employee and didn't want to stick her neck out. The other woman (producer? AD?) was the most dismissive shit-happens one of the people involved.

Sally definitely thought it was a big deal, because she went all out trying to appease Barry. A spaghetti dinner, a new Xbox controller, apologizing for (presumably) reacting appropriately in her texts. All of that made me very sad.

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Sally has competition from a show similar to hers, which is amusing since that has been an occurrence in real life. 

"Pam!" looks like the CBS take on a woman who just left an abusive relationship.

[Blakeston]

Gene had a lovable quality in the first two seasons when he was teaching the acting class, but he was also a raging narcissist. I'm not at all surprised that he made enemies in the industry by throwing tantrums when he was rejected for roles.

What does surprise me is that Sally seems to be reasonably competent at her big job (or at least she was until Barry showed up, and she made appeasing him her top priority). Sally always came across as a mediocre talent, at the very best.

[iMonrey]

This episode was much better than last week's and felt more like old-school Barry. Dark on the inside, funny on the outside. I'm glad they revisited Barry's movie audition from last season.

Quote

Did we know Gene was this hated in Hollywood? 

No. I always assumed he was just a second rate theater actor. Lots of posters at his school of him in plays. They did, however, establish he brought a loaded gun to an audition. 

Quote

Bill Hader is so underrated as an actor.

Oh I don't know, he did win an Emmy after Season 1.

My prediction: Hank is going to hire Barry to take out Fernando. That'll be how Hank and Barry reconcile. 

[sistermagpie]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

No. I always assumed he was just a second rate theater actor. Lots of posters at his school of him in plays. They did, however, establish he brought a loaded gun to an audition. 

Quote

So ironic, given the gun he brought to threaten Barry...

[Joimiaroxeu]

Yeah, I also figure it's just an amount of time until Hank hires Barry to kill Cristobal's FIL. Most likely a very short amount of time.

This episode is probably going to win some awards for both Hader and Winkler. Stunning work by both of them.

[heatherchandler]

12 hours ago, Penman61 said:

Anyone still rooting for Barry’s “redemption”?

I am, I don't know why.  I also rooted for Tony Soprano and Walter White, so yeah.

 

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

 

No. I always assumed he was just a second rate theater actor. Lots of posters at his school of him in plays. They did, however, establish he brought a loaded gun to an audition. 

 

He brought a loaded gun to a FULL HOUSE audition!  🤣

 

[Kate47]

I do love that the hesitancy to hire Gene isn't because he's older, washed up, etc. It's because he's been genuinely awful, making Barry's quest for redemption that much  more difficult. 

[raeb23]

Sally's response to Barry, reverting to learned behaviours from her marriage, was heartbreaking to watch. And Barry's so far gone, he doesn't even seem aware of the boundaries he's crossed with her & with Gene. 

And yet despite the darkness of this episode, I still found myself laughing at the dog chase, the Chechens touring Hollywood & Fernando's entrance.

[iMonrey]

I kind of thought Gene would get home and try to tell everyone what happened and nobody would believe him because it all sounded so crazy. That's what happened when he was talking to that girl taking a smoke break outside. I wasn't expecting Barry to get there first. I wonder how he got there so fast.

[ghertigirl]

Quote

It's just amazing that Barry's solution is to get Gene an acting job.  So silly and yet so perfect.

I was dumbfounded.  I was asking my husband, wait, he thinks that is going to make Gene forget that he killed his girlfriend?!?

Quote

Bill Hader really can be unnerving at times.

Honestly, they need to submit this episode for consideration for an Emmy for both Bill Hader and Henry Winkler.  I was blown away by how amazingly fantastic they both were. I belong to a movie group and someone posited that Bill Hader is the rare actor that you could imagine both playing Batman and The Joker.  So true!

Edited May 2, 2022 by ghertigirl

[arc]

44 minutes ago, ghertigirl said:

I was asking my husband, wait, he thinks that is going to make Gene forget that he killed his girlfriend?!?

I halfway think a big role might do it, but an extra role or even an “under-five” won’t.

[Phishbulb]

The two women having the discussion in the foreground- "I'm leaving you because you have too many dogs!" with the dogs chasing Gene in the background was such a hilarious visual joke. Coen Brothers-esque. 

[Irlandesa]

18 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Sally has competition from a show similar to hers, which is amusing since that has been an occurrence in real life.  The first example that pops into my mind was when Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and 30 Rock premiered around the same time and even same network (and ended differently than most expected with the more hyped Studio 60 getting canceled after one season, while 30 Rock lasted for multiple ones and even snagged a few Emmys!)

I think the most well known example is Chicago Hope and ER.  They were two shows about life in Chicago hospitals that debuted within a day of one another. ER became the massive hit but Chicago Hope still did well and lasted 6 seasons.

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I wonder how he got there so fast.

Yeah.  I wondered if he took and Uber. 

[arc]

I hope Barry at least returned Gene’s phone!

[LADreamr]

It wasn't just Bill's acting that was brilliant in this episode, but also his directing.  The choice to have Cristobal's departure just reflected in Hank's face, as he watched, was great.  Which speaks to Anthony Carrigan's skills, too.  Hank going from his very Hankish, "so, like, are you breaking up with me?" to watching him leave and see his face so subtly turn from disbelief to stunned heartbreak - incredible.  

And then Barry threatening Gene's family.  That whole speech calm and almost spoken under his breath, so much so that the people whose lives he was threatening took no notice.  And the dichotomy of a very quiet threat of a very awful thing.

This episode was a masterclass in so many things.

[sistermagpie]

19 minutes ago, LADreamr said:

It wasn't just Bill's acting that was brilliant in this episode, but also his directing.

Also those slightly wonky angles at the end on both Barry and Gene--especially poor Gene--was fantastic.

[LADreamr]

2 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

Also those slightly wonky angles at the end on both Barry and Gene--especially poor Gene--was fantastic.

Exactly.  Everything was so carefully thought out.

[Tachi Rocinante]

The dog scene was ham-fisted and cheap.  I half-expected to hear the Benny Hill theme song.

[tennisgurl]

I know that everyone has been singing his praises, but it does need repeating, Bill Hader really is amazing. The whole cast is great across the board, Henry Winkler in particular was a real standout this week, but Bill Hader has this amazing ability to flip the switch from hilarious to scary so fast. You can really feel him unraveling and the more he unravels, the more he radiates violence. His screaming at Sally was so intense, and it was so sad watching Sally fall right back intro old habits from her abusive marriage, trying to placate Barry and apologizing for everything. This show has always been a very dark comedy, but we are going really hard on the dark now. Its great television, but its hard to watch at times.

Barry's downfall will probably end up being his attempts at fixing everything in his double life instead of the actual murders he has been paid to do. Its always the cover up.

Gene might be quite lovable as an acting teacher, but he's also quite the narcissist and very sensitive to criticism, I can see a younger Gene burning a whole lot of bridges because he couldn't handle being rejected. Barry trying to make it up to Gene by getting him a part was so ridiculous and hilarious, so perfectly this show. The bit where he tries to explain the situation to the girl who's phone he wanted to borrow was so great, that mix of real darkness and hilarity. He's is clearly and understandably terrifying, but the woman's baffled reaction to his bizarre story was also hilarious, because the situation really is both terrifying and bizarre.

It might have been a very dark episode, but it still had tons of great moments of the comedy side of being a dark comedy. Especially that couple breaking up over one of them having a million dogs, then seeing Gene in the background being chased by a whole pack of dogs, was so surreally hilarious.

"He brought a loaded gun to the Full House audition."

[BC4ME]

The funniest part to me was when Barry went into a fast food place to get Gene food and opened the trunk, gave him his food and drink and said, “Here’s your change.” He made Gene pay for his food lol. That whole scene was shot funny.

[LADreamr]

2 hours ago, BC4ME said:

The funniest part to me was when Barry went into a fast food place to get Gene food and opened the trunk, gave him his food and drink and said, “Here’s your change.” He made Gene pay for his food lol. That whole scene was shot funny.

LOL I didn't catch that.  I wonder if it was just food for Gene, or if Gene was also paying for food for Barry?  I mean... are there any lines of decency left to cross?

[PinkRibbons]

12 hours ago, LADreamr said:

It wasn't just Bill's acting that was brilliant in this episode, but also his directing.  The choice to have Cristobal's departure just reflected in Hank's face, as he watched, was great.  Which speaks to Anthony Carrigan's skills, too.  Hank going from his very Hankish, "so, like, are you breaking up with me?" to watching him leave and see his face so subtly turn from disbelief to stunned heartbreak - incredible. 

And this was so clearly written exactly for Anthony Carrigan's skills as well. Noho Hank was originally a bit character with almost no lines but Anthony got the part because of the way he listened during a script reading. Literally they just watched him react to other peoples' dialog and then had to cast him. It was what I thought of the whole scene where they just kept the camera on his face. Gotta love how generous Bill is to other actors and how much he loves watching them shine.

Barry yelling at Sally was so so uncomfortable, but as someone deeply enmeshed in mental health issues lately, man I wish someone had brought up the possibility that Barry was going through a psychotic episode and needs to see a doctor. Then again, it's only Sally who can attest to the fact that over (at least?) a year of being in a relationship, Barry hasn't really thrown up any flags as an abuser until now. It's just so sad that everyone including her just automatically assumed his demeanor was part of an ongoing abusive relationship. To be clear, his behavior was absolutely abusive and someone needs to help Sally face that it's not okay and she shouldn't brush it off. At the same time, please get Barry on the right meds.

[arc]

3 hours ago, PinkRibbons said:

Then again, it's only Sally who can attest to the fact that over (at least?) a year of being in a relationship, Barry hasn't really thrown up any flags as an abuser until now.

I saw a recap that suggested some of this has been going on offscreen for a while. Sally's insistence on a simple spaghetti dinner (carbonara was too fancy?) and all the other details like the beer and donut certainly implied she's already learned a lot about appeasing an abusively angry Barry.

[aghst]

18 hours ago, LADreamr said:

 

And then Barry threatening Gene's family.  That whole speech calm and almost spoken under his breath, so much so that the people whose lives he was threatening took no notice.  And the dichotomy of a very quiet threat of a very awful thing.

This episode was a masterclass in so many things.

I think it would have been more effective if Barry just implied the threat to Gene’s son and grandson.  Like take him aside and the. Look at both potential targets without verbalizing what would happen to them.

But does Gene understand at this point that Barry is a professional killer, not just someone who killed Janice?

He may want justice for Janice but does he understand that if Barry was caught it would be a death sentence?   I thought there might be a small part of him which wouldn’t want to see Barry die.  Also thought that when the crash occurred, Cousineau might go to check to see if Barry was all right, even if Barry abducted him and threatened to kill him.

As for Barry’s solution, it shows he’s looking for ways to avoid killing Gene and his idea to get him a part harkens back to the first season when getting roles was everything to Gene and his students, as if Gene would be mollified by getting an acting job after all these years.

I can see Gene getting into his minor role, being a ham and caring too much, rather than alternating between desire for vengeance and being terrorized.

The angry and raging Barry seems so abrupt.  He hasn’t been able to get jobs, either acting or contract killing, so he was in this state but he aced that audition and was far more convincing in getting Cousineau cast as well than last week, when Enriquito dismissed him easily for being so desperate.

Of course Cristobal has a wife and kids back home.  They’ve really fleshed out Noho’s story and found ways to intertwine Hank’s and Barry’s respective plots.  If this acting job is a success, Barry is not going to want to get his hands dirty, especially since he has to keep Gene placated as well.

But he’s going to rescue Hank because they’ve become friends.

What happens to Sally will also have a huge bearing on Barry.  Was funny how excited and effusive Natalie was about the Pam! Show, even though she’s working for Sally.  But it seems notable that Sally didn’t dump Barry when he couldn’t get jobs and was in a poor mood even before he yelled at her.

She had the upper hand in the relationship in season 2 but now that she’s got a big job, she’s more eager to please him?

Still, she’s doing a show about domestic abuse and her live-in boyfriend shakes up the set by screaming at her and scaring the other cast and crew members?

At some point Barry will be more invested in her success.

 

 

[Dev F]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

But does Gene understand at this point that Barry is a professional killer, not just someone who killed Janice?

Barry told him he was a hit man in the first episode of the series; Gene just thought it was an improv rather than the truth. And Gene knows Moss was investigating a hit on one of his students just before she died, so he's probably put two and two together.

[sistermagpie]

11 hours ago, PinkRibbons said:

Barry yelling at Sally was so so uncomfortable, but as someone deeply enmeshed in mental health issues lately, man I wish someone had brought up the possibility that Barry was going through a psychotic episode and needs to see a doctor. Then again, it's only Sally who can attest to the fact that over (at least?) a year of being in a relationship, Barry hasn't really thrown up any flags as an abuser until now. It's just so sad that everyone including her just automatically assumed his demeanor was part of an ongoing abusive relationship. To be clear, his behavior was absolutely abusive and someone needs to help Sally face that it's not okay and she shouldn't brush it off. At the same time, please get Barry on the right meds.

 

7 hours ago, arc said:

I saw a recap that suggested some of this has been going on offscreen for a while. Sally's insistence on a simple spaghetti dinner (carbonara was too fancy?) and all the other details like the beer and donut certainly implied she's already learned a lot about appeasing an abusively angry Barry.

Yeah, it almost seems like Sally might be misreading some things because of her own history. Like when Barry called her at the end and she apologized, I might absolutely be wrong here, but his reaction didn't seem like that of a controlling abuser, but someone completely unaware of what he had done. Like in his head he was just frustrated and didn't understand how violently that came out because he didn't actually intend that. Not that there's only one type of abuser, I'm sure, but it doesn't seem like controlling Sally is a priority for him.

He seems really deep into something like PTSD as well. It's not Sally's job to fix him and she's not to blame for his outbursts, but her pre-emptively keeping up a facade that this is normal for him or for them might lead to trouble as well.

[grandmabegum]

I wonder if the couple will stay together since one of the dogs left and followed Gene home.

[Lone Wolf]

On 5/1/2022 at 8:18 PM, cardigirl said:

I laughed so hard at Gene being chased by all those dogs! And the cute little dog that followed him home. 

I liked the fact that it brought up the rear; just when I thought we'd seen them all, it came running up.

I thought that it was just a sight gag, but since it followed Gene home I guess it's going to be his (or his grandkids') now.

On 5/1/2022 at 10:33 PM, Irlandesa said:

It's just amazing that Barry's solution is to get Gene an acting job.  So silly and yet so perfect.

That was legit simultaneously sad and hilarious to hear the footsteps and have Hank just watch him as he left.

I'm going to assume that he really did, but I wondered if (since we didn't actually see it happen), he had spun so far out that he was just telling Sally and Gene that because he wanted it so badly.

And apparently listening to a Don Henley interview on the radio.

On 5/2/2022 at 2:49 PM, Phishbulb said:

The two women having the discussion in the foreground- "I'm leaving you because you have too many dogs!" with the dogs chasing Gene in the background was such a hilarious visual joke. Coen Brothers-esque. 

"Who?" You!" "Me?"

Also, "The Man Show Did Not Age Well".  Can't argue with that.

[cardigirl]

21 hours ago, grandmabegum said:

I wonder if the couple will stay together since one of the dogs left and followed Gene home.

Apparently, the woman with too many dogs is a writer on the show.  She did a great job with the part.

[grandmabegum]

1 hour ago, cardigirl said:

Apparently, the woman with too many dogs is a writer on the show.  She did a great job with the part.

Bring her back. Put her in the background of a scene at the police station filing a missing puppy report.

[Soobs]

I was worried after such a long time period it would be hard to reconnect with this show, but wow it was everything I want it to be!

Barry is really in a dark place. Like most dysfunctional relationships he and Sally really connect at their wounds. The young co-star had a look on her face of a person who isn't going to just let Barry's behavior go. I'm worried for her.

Every scene with Barry and Gene was amazing. I also loved Noho Hank's interrogation. He did well for his first one! Cristobal and Hank's relationship was surprisingly sweet. Their feelings seemed a lot more genuine than a lot of TV couples.

I'm not really rooting for Barry to get away with as much as I am for him to get the help he needs. He really shouldn't be walking around in society at this point.

[Milburn Stone]

13 hours ago, cardigirl said:

Apparently, the woman with too many dogs is a writer on the show.  She did a great job with the part.

And I noticed the name of Allison Jones in the acting credits. She's a casting director. I assume she played the casting director!

[arc]

20 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

And I noticed the name of Allison Jones in the acting credits. She's a casting director. I assume she played the casting director!

She's a legendary casting director. She's casted for so many great shows (mostly comedies) that she's underground famous.

[Iseut]

This episode was amazing and terrifying.

I previously thought that Barry had Sally on such a pedestal that his violent tendencies would be directed anywhere else but her. She's always been the star of his dream life, even when she was oblivious to it and seemed to be with him more out of convenience than anything else. To see him turn his anger toward her, and to see her put her show at risk to try and appease him, much in the way she would have with her abusive ex, was a huge shift for both of them and really hard to watch. The performances were incredible, though. 

Really sad for NoHo Hank and Cristobal. I love that Cristobal saved Hank and the Chechens from the attack, but there's no way they can keep doing that forever. 

[paramitch]

Oh, Miguel Sandoval! I've always had a little crush on him, ever since Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her. I love his voice.

Holy cats, this season is going full-on grimdark. But everyone's certainly hitting it out of the park -- the performances here from every single principal -- from Hader, to Winkler, Goldberg, Carrigan, and Root -- were wonderful.

Hader was absolutely terrifying, and it broke my heart to see Sally instantly fall back into her "appease the abuser" routine. When he called her and she apologized... ouch, ouch, ouch. Run, Sally, run!

On 5/1/2022 at 11:17 PM, thuganomics85 said:

Trouble in paradise for NoHo and Cristobal, as the head of the Bolivians (who is Cristobal's father in-law?!) believes this has gone on long enough and has brought the Bolivian's A-Team here to take out the Chechens.  At least they get to live another day, which is great, because they're one of my favorite criminal groups on television.  Look at them all excited getting to tour Hollywood!  And have interesting discussions about how dated The Man Show is.  But it looks like NoHo and Cristobal have to stay apart for now, but I'm still rooting for them!

Honestly, Cristobal and Hank are my one main ship at this point, and the rare sweet spot on this increasingly dark dark dark show. I hope they both survive this!

On 5/2/2022 at 3:01 AM, arc said:

Well, also Barry threatening Gene's son and grandson. There's really no redemption possible for Barry now, is there? Not when he's been frantically trying to duck any kind of atonement for murdering Janice. He didn't even notice how much he scared Sally.

(SNIPPED)

"Pam!" looks like the CBS take on a woman who just left an abusive relationship.

Yeah, I absolutely cannot see Barry coming back from this. But then again, I couldn't see him coming back from Chris in Season 1 or Janice in Season 2 either. Or even nice Ryan from S1E1 (even if he didn't kill him, he would have). Barry's been damned for most of this show. I just kept rooting for him anyway. Not anymore.

And genius comment -- "Pam!" is EXACTLY how CBS would make a show (a sitcom of course) about an abused woman.

On 5/2/2022 at 7:55 AM, iMonrey said:

I always assumed he was just a second rate theater actor. Lots of posters at his school of him in plays. They did, however, establish he brought a loaded gun to an audition. 

It's pretty heavily implied that Gene was at least mildly successful for awhile early on in his career -- I'm guessing in a popular TV show, where he got enough acclaim and residuals to get his house (and vacation house), and to make enough of a name to publish an autobiography and start his own drama school. He's also been established as hobnobbing during this same period with a bunch of celebrities. Meanwhile, if he was just a washed-up theatre actor, he never would have made that kind of bank in L.A.

On 5/3/2022 at 10:10 AM, LADreamr said:

It wasn't just Bill's acting that was brilliant in this episode, but also his directing.  The choice to have Cristobal's departure just reflected in Hank's face, as he watched, was great.  Which speaks to Anthony Carrigan's skills, too.  Hank going from his very Hankish, "so, like, are you breaking up with me?" to watching him leave and see his face so subtly turn from disbelief to stunned heartbreak - incredible.  

Carrigan is a wonderful actor, and he's been fantastic to watch on this show. He's so shaded and complex -- he can add a drop of heartbreak to a funny scene, or a hint of comedy to a tragic one. 

On 5/3/2022 at 10:27 PM, PinkRibbons said:

And this was so clearly written exactly for Anthony Carrigan's skills as well. Noho Hank was originally a bit character with almost no lines but Anthony got the part because of the way he listened during a script reading. Literally they just watched him react to other peoples' dialog and then had to cast him. It was what I thought of the whole scene where they just kept the camera on his face. Gotta love how generous Bill is to other actors and how much he loves watching them shine.

I'm part of a playwriting group out of NYC, and last week Maggie Edson (the author of "Wit"), who is a friend of our group's leader, took part in our meeting and talked to us. She's dropped in a few times, and each time talked about a different thing. This time, she talked about the importance of listening, and of (as writers) including those moments in our scripts, giving the performers the chance to truly listen to each other. I was so inspired by that and it's exactly what you describe here and what we saw in that moment, and it was amazing. Carrigan is so good.

On 5/4/2022 at 10:42 AM, sistermagpie said:

Yeah, it almost seems like Sally might be misreading some things because of her own history. Like when Barry called her at the end and she apologized, I might absolutely be wrong here, but his reaction didn't seem like that of a controlling abuser, but someone completely unaware of what he had done. Like in his head he was just frustrated and didn't understand how violently that came out because he didn't actually intend that. Not that there's only one type of abuser, I'm sure, but it doesn't seem like controlling Sally is a priority for him.

Barry doesn't have to be aware that he's abusive to be an abuser. Plenty of people are so narcissistic they don't actually see the terrible effect they have on other people. Barry hasn't shown signs of wanting to control Sally up til now, but he definitely did here, and his behavior to her in every single way there was a whole pile of "Run, girl!" red flags.

On 5/8/2022 at 5:50 AM, cardigirl said:

Apparently, the woman with too many dogs is a writer on the show.  She did a great job with the part.

I love that. She was terrific!

On 5/8/2022 at 7:44 AM, grandmabegum said:

Bring her back. Put her in the background of a scene at the police station filing a missing puppy report.

I totally second this. And then they could bring her back a third time to pick up her found puppy! I mean, I would love that.

[rmontro]

On 5/2/2022 at 2:17 AM, thuganomics85 said:

Yes, even if he didn't hit or insult her, that was scary as hell and makes me wonder how much longer it will before Barry truly goes off the rails. 

Wait, you mean he hasn't gone off the rails yet?

[Kel Varnsen]

On 5/2/2022 at 3:07 PM, raeb23 said:

Sally's response to Barry, reverting to learned behaviours from her marriage, was heartbreaking to watch. And Barry's so far gone, he doesn't even seem aware of the boundaries he's crossed with her & with Gene. 

Yea her setting up Barry's perfect dinner (with nothing for her) and then the new video game controller was hard to watch. Especially after she just finds out her show is being fast tracked not just canned, which I would think would be a pretty big sign of confidence from the network.

Barry trying to force Gene to get over his girlfriend was crazy but for some reason less hard to watch. Also it's kind of interesting that Gene closed down his acting school. Since you would think he would be using Sally's success to promote the school (since he discovered her and made her famous).