Season One Talk

[100Proof]

That was quite a time jump. Barry sand Sally are lovers. I must've missed where Fonzie had acquired some nest egg as a child star or something to afford that big california country house. That plus Janice the cop and him also appear to be an item where she always seems half revolted and embarrassed by him.

I like this show. Hader's voice and face is made for comedy but when  he's 'serious' and angry, I imagine him being that way in his real life. He would come off as very creepy and psycho looking

Edited May 14, 2018 by 100Proof

[MrWhyt]

1 hour ago, 100Proof said:

That was quite a time jump. Barry sand Sally are lovers. I must've missed where Fonzie had acquired some nest egg as a child star or something to afford that big california country house. That plus Janice the cop and him also appear to be an item where she always seems half revolted and embarrassed by him.

I like this show. Hader's voice and face is made for comedy but when  he's 'serious' and angry, I imagine him being that way in his real life. He would come off as very creepy and psycho looking

I don't recall the show ever saying he didn't have money. He may be reduced to auditioning for "guy in line" and running a acting class but it doesn't mean that he didn't once have an actual acting career.

[Blakeston]

I absolutely loved this. If this had been a miniseries, I think this would have been a great ending (and one of the best miniseries I've ever seen,

That said, if the scenes at Gene's country house were real, I have a hard time believing that Barry would be able to take down the cop. What could he have done, reached for a hidden gun? She would have blown him away before he had a chance. It's not like she was a shaky civilian who didn't know her way around a weapon.

[FemmyV]

11 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

That said, if the scenes at Gene's country house were real, I have a hard time believing that Barry would be able to take down the cop. What could he have done, reached for a hidden gun? She would have blown him away before he had a chance. It's not like she was a shaky civilian who didn't know her way around a weapon.

Maybe she was hell-bent on taking him in alive?

[teddysmom]

5 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

That said, if the scenes at Gene's country house were real, I have a hard time believing that Barry would be able to take down the cop. What could he have done, reached for a hidden gun? She would have blown him away before he had a chance. It's not like she was a shaky civilian who didn't know her way around a weapon.

I was wondering if it was real, as well. What did he do with her body? Her car? How would he explain what happened? Was it a dream?   Yet we heard muffled gun shots.  It really had the makings of a bad dream, and we've seen Barry's daydreams where he's happy with Sally, etc.   I can't believe he'd have a FB page with links to Chris & the other marines. Esp since HE KILLED CHRIS. 

I need a submarine sandwich. 

[atlantaloves]

And, I need some chicken ala king.....Damn....I screamed so loud I woke up my senile shih tzu. Seriously. Too bad he didn't kill Sally, we hate her and 
her "process". Love love love this show especially all of Barry's cute little Dexter tee-shirts. Best comedy on television! (Yeah, I am just that sick).

[100Proof]

1 hour ago, MrWhyt said:

I don't recall the show ever saying he didn't have money. He may be reduced to auditioning for "guy in line" and running a acting class but it doesn't mean that he didn't once have an actual acting career.

Didn't Janice the cop go over Gene's apt. or house at some point? I don't remember. If so, was it the kind of place a guy with money would have? He does drive a big black SUV. Lol, none of this is important.  Maybe the writers overlooked his backstory. I dunno, he just seems like one of them hack actors who had a few, as you say, standing in line roles, and then opens up an acting school. However, maybe that's a stereotype fostered in me from movies and tv shows in the first place, lol.

I just thought the forward time jump and 'all is well and they all hang out together' vibe was too much, as folks are saying, like a daydream scene.

Edited May 14, 2018 by 100Proof

[cardigirl]

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

I absolutely loved this. If this had been a miniseries, I think this would have been a great ending (and one of the best miniseries I've ever seen,

That said, if the scenes at Gene's country house were real, I have a hard time believing that Barry would be able to take down the cop. What could he have done, reached for a hidden gun? She would have blown him away before he had a chance. It's not like she was a shaky civilian who didn't know her way around a weapon.

He had hung a gun, hand height, on a tree, in case he had to take her out. 

 

I really  hope it was a nightmare, and he didn’t really kill her, but I’m thinking he really did. ?

[atlantaloves]

Oh yeah, she is dead and buried. But yeah, where did that rifle come from? That was just too convenient. I don't think Gene would hang guns from his trees, it's just not part of his process. 

[cardigirl]

I think Barry prepares for every eventuality. He hung the gun. 

[MaryWebGirl]

48 minutes ago, 100Proof said:

Didn't Janice the cop go over Gene's apt. or house at some point? I don't remember. If so, was it the kind of place a guy with money would have? He does drive a big black SUV. Lol, none of this is important.  Maybe the writers overlooked his backstory. I dunno, he just seems like one of them hack actors who had a few, as you say, standing in line roles, and then opens up an acting school. However, maybe that's a stereotype fostered in me from movies and tv shows in the first place, lol.

He had a pretty nice house. I could see him as having a few good roles in 70s or 80s, using the money to buy real estate, and then using small parts and the acting class to pay for upkeep and taxes. 

[Guest]

9 hours ago, scrb said:

So now the body count of good people he's killed is up to 2.  If he keeps killing good people or people who have the misfortune to find out his secret, it will be difficult to see him as a sympathetic character.

I see Barry as sympathetic only because he's on a lose/lose mission to finding himself because who he is is what he has always been—an assassin. That's what he's best at. That's what he does. He keeps wanting to escape it but he falls back so easily into it—with Chris and now, presumably, Janice—that he's deluding himself he can ever change. His romantic relationship with Sally at the cabin struck me as contrived and forced—like he's acting a part of "Man in Love" but this time in real life and not on the stage. When Janice asked him if he wanted to do movies or TV and he gave that old cliched answer of, "I love the stage best" (or something to that effect), it seemed so...affected. Like, he knew that was the "right" bullshit answer to give on the test only so he'd clinch the A.

I think, to me, this is a show about a man who has convinced himself that he wants to change, and that he's a "good person." But Barry has done little work to change his killer's nature—and can't contain his most basic instinct, to kill— and most awful people think they're really just misunderstood "good" people. I like this show but think Barry is an un-redeemable creepy psycho.

[atlantaloves]

Let's face it, Barry is Dexter with a Gun.  

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

Oh yeah, she is dead and buried. But yeah, where did that rifle come from? That was just too convenient. I don't think Gene would hang guns from his trees, it's just not part of his process.

My take: Barry clearly picked up on her interest in his stage name over dinner and was tracking her from then on to see how she was going to follow up on it. He went to bed but basically stayed attuned to her doings so when she left the house he followed her to the dock, and hung his gun on the tree in case he needed it before confronting her. (It surprises me zero that he would have had one hidden in the car.)

[atlantaloves]

Thanks, you are right Henderson, he knew she was catching on, yep. But still, damn it, I really loved her.  Sally caused this by opening an inane Facebook page for Barry. 

[tennisgurl]

Damn you Facebook! 

Holy shit, until the dinner scene, I thought that was all just one of Barry's fantasies! I thought Barry killing Chris would be the dark crescendo of the season, but this might be even worse. Poor Janice. She was a good person and a good cop who seemed happy with weirdo theatrical Gene, and then it all ends. And yet, I still cant bring myself to hate Barry. Whats the matter with me? 

How is it that in a show filled with murderers, criminals, and narcissists that I still hate Fuches the most? Because he is a combination of all three? Of course he manages to still slime away, living to be a dick another day. At least Barry punched him in the face and told him where to shove it, even if he still didnt want him to die. Might have cheered a little bit. 

It was a quick bit, but I laughed when Sally was telling Barry how she never tells anyone about her marriage...except for like half the class and Gene. 

Hope this show cleans up at the awards show, even if its another one of those weird dramadys that are kind of in an awards category no mans land. 

NoHo is alive! Yes! I love that guy, he is just the nicest, most lovable gangster ever. 

[atlantaloves]

Oh I am with you about NoHo.....I adore him, why, because he is polite! And he lived to be in season II....... 

[scrb]

Barry was feeling blah before he went to LA.

He was wading through life, not trying to cause a stir but also, not stirred up by life.

Does he get the acting bug or does acting open him up in ways he hadn't imagined before?

I can kind of see the comparison to Dexter when he falls for what's her name.  He'd been repressed overall because he was hiding deep trauma.  Barry the show hasn't really explored Barry the character's backstory in depth.  Maybe it will or maybe PTSD from his military service will serve as shorthand for the dysfunction.

Seemed like Barry was prepared to slink back into the shadows when Sally convinced him into staying, which he really wanted to do  because going back to his previous life was a bleak prospect.

So he wasn't going to give up his new life.  He wasn't as anguished about it as having to kill Chris but he really hoped he could convince Janice -- he could have ambushed her without pleading with her.

In the inside the episode, Berg says they filmed the camping scene like a dream, with the way they did the sound design and the idyllic dream.  Of course Barry was going to do whatever he could to continue living that dream.

I  wonder if they could even make most of next season about this new life he aspires to, with minimal encroachment.  They kept Noho around so that probably won't happen because it would be a dramatic change from this first season.

Ultimately the show could be heading towards a bittersweet ending.  So far the viewers don't want him caught, no more than they wanted Tony Soprano caught or killed.  Same with Dexter to an extent, though they seemed to want Walter White to get his just desserts.

[MaryWebGirl]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Holy shit, until the dinner scene, I thought that was all just one of Barry's fantasies! I thought Barry killing Chris would be the dark crescendo of the season, but this might be even worse.

Oh I think it's way worse. With Chris Barry could at least tell himself that he was doing it to protect Chris's wife and son. Killing Janice was pure self preservation for Barry.

[Blakeston]

5 hours ago, cardigirl said:

He had hung a gun, hand height, on a tree, in case he had to take her out. 

But wouldn't she have fired at him before he had a chance to reach for a gun, aim it and pull the trigger? I can buy that Barry is a quick shot, but not that quick.

[scrb]

I think we're suppose to give some dramatic license that Barry is lethal and in this case, triumphed to keep his secret hidden.

 

Obviously if Barry is arrested or if Janice kills him reaching for the gun, there is no more show.

 

This was just the eighth episode of the series.  They obviously plan to produce several more seasons, if the ratings hold up.

[atlantaloves]

I hope the ratings are good, I love it, Anybody know how the ratings are doing, I know the critics adore it.

[Sparger Springs]

Was this the series finale?

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

Was this the series finale?

No, it was the season finale. It has already been renewed by HBO for a second season.

[Dev F]

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

But wouldn't she have fired at him before he had a chance to reach for a gun, aim it and pull the trigger? I can buy that Barry is a quick shot, but not that quick.

I'm guessing he also jumped behind the tree for cover. That would've given him a few extra seconds in which he knows what he has to do to Janice but she doesn't know how to react to him. 

[Nordly Beaumont]

18 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

I want to see NoHo in charge!

I want to see a half hour sitcom called NoHo In Charge! I loved when Goran grabbed him by the collar, pulled him up and asked "Are you in love with Barry?" NoHo's hanging there but still puts his hands on his hips and tries to strike a casual pose! And I don't know why but it cracked me up after he listened to the sirens for awhile then "Okay, that's definitely for us. That's not good. Hey, fellas?" I'm happy he's happy with the Bolivians. They're small but they're friendly.

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, Blakeston said:

But wouldn't she have fired at him before he had a chance to reach for a gun, aim it and pull the trigger? I can buy that Barry is a quick shot, but not that quick.

I think he has the element of surprise.  As long as he's not reaching in a pocket or his clothing, she probably isn't considering that he's reaching for a gun behind a tree.  And by the time her brain caught up, he's shooting.

Plus, he shoots to kill more often than she would. 

[Milburn Stone]

8 hours ago, MaryWebGirl said:

Oh I think it's way worse. With Chris Barry could at least tell himself that he was doing it to protect Chris's wife and son. Killing Janice was pure self preservation for Barry.

Me, I don't think there was one moment when Barry didn't realize he was killing Chris to save himself. That's why he was so ripped up by guilt afterwards. The "save the wife and son" rationale was for Chris' benefit, to try to persuade him to keep quiet.

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

8 hours ago, Blakeston said:

But wouldn't she have fired at him before he had a chance to reach for a gun, aim it and pull the trigger? I can buy that Barry is a quick shot, but not that quick.

Plus, he shoots to kill more often than she would. 

Yes.
Janice may have been a good detective with a necessary degree of skill with a gun, but Barry was a really good hitman. I'm sure that gun was suspended in such a way that it would effortlessly (for Barry) slide into his hand in the precisely perfect position to be fired instantaneously with his unerring, reflexive aim.
I'm not sure (7" wide screen), but I think the gun was suspended at the same height his hands would be when held in the air at her request. And Janice would be expecting Barry to reach for an object on his person—not on a tree trunk.

[Ottis]

On 5/13/2018 at 9:54 PM, Nordly Beaumont said:

I kept thinking it was one of Barry's daydreams (and I did watch the behind the scenes that tells us that was intentional). I kept thinking Barry would be back in reality before it went too far. And then it went too far. I

I don't think it happened.

Barry was awfully "normal" in those scenes, socially. That alone is a major shift for his character. Also, what was the meaning at the end of Barry saying to himself, "Begins ... now?" That seemed to signify something ending or something beginning, in his head or his dreams. Maybe he read that book that the Bolivian and the nice Chechnyan recommended. It was a self-help book, wasn't it?

Maybe most importantly, it is very rare for shows to take that kind of jump forward, especially intimate shows like Barry with such a small scope and character set. We would have to believe that Barry has progressed so far in his acting that he and his actor girlfriend and their acting coach are all planning future shows and building on some kind of success. Barry? The guy who only acted well once, and that was after he killed his long-time friend? Are we supposed to believe that Barry changed his personality AND his acting ability that quickly? 

I don't buy it.

Also, what was the significance of the one police saying that whoever shot the Chechnyans was either short or crouching? Was that just Barry thinking ahead and shooting in such a way that would be the belief? I kept wondering if he used his sniper rifle at an angle and that meant something, but maybe it was just Barry being clever.

[Milburn Stone]

42 minutes ago, Ottis said:

Also, what was the meaning at the end of Barry saying to himself, "Begins ... now?"

Earlier in the episode, he'd told Fuches when storming out that his new murder-free life "begins now." (Or words very much like those.) So since that didn't work very well, he resolves to start the murder-free life now.

If we're voting, I vote that everything we saw was real. Don't think Barry's arc makes much sense if it wasn't.

[Ottis]

24 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

Earlier in the episode, he'd told Fuches when storming out that his new murder-free life "begins now." (Or words very much like those.) So since that didn't work very well, he resolves to start the murder-free life now.

Thank you. I somehow missed the first reference.

24 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

If we're voting, I vote that everything we saw was real. Don't think Barry's arc makes much sense if it wasn't.

I agree, my issue is that the show is asking us to believe too much happened, too quickly. If what we saw happened, say, a season from now, I would be on board. If it truly did happen in reality as we saw it, that's a damn gutsy move. Also, I think it wants us to believe Barry's ability to change from what he has been all season, to what was basically a social and personal maestro, happened in what ... a few weeks? A month or two? If so, IMO that's a misstep, because it goes against everything we have seen about Barry.  He wasn't awkward and stifled because he was a hit man. It was the other way around, and it started well before he became a hit man (at least while in the military). Ending his career as a hit man for a few months wouldn't change who he is to that degree.

[grawlix]

1 hour ago, Ottis said:

Also, what was the significance of the one police saying that whoever shot the Chechnyans was either short or crouching? Was that just Barry thinking ahead and shooting in such a way that would be the belief? I kept wondering if he used his sniper rifle at an angle and that meant something, but maybe it was just Barry being clever.

Being shot by someone at that angle gave the police a reason to believe that it was the Bolivians responsible for the hit.  It refers to the established fact that all Bolivians are very short in the "Barry" world.  Also distance wise, it would make more sense for Barry to use a handgun when saving Fuches.

 

I believe that everything at the cabin was in Barry's head.  Just a dreamy scenario of how his life would be spurned on by Sally's wanting to partner up for another scene.  But subconsciously, he ruins it because he knows it will never end well.

[Portia]

It's both horrifying and hilarious that Goran conducted his business in the suburban home where his family lived.  In addition to the kiddie car in the garage, I'm pretty sure I spotted an American flag which I'm sure he put out on the 4th.

I think poor Janet is sooo dead.  I knew she was dead as soon as Barry began begging her to not make him kill her. He made the same plea to Chris.

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

 

Being shot by someone at that angle gave the police a reason to believe that it was the Bolivians responsible for the hit.  It refers to the established fact that all Bolivians are very short in the "Barry" world.

 

I know not all Bolivians are short, but this little bit of show mythology amuses me because as a 5'7" human, I did often like a $*#&@ giant when I was in Bolivia.

Bolivia really is a lovely place. Not everyone is in a gang and/or short! Go visit!

[Ottis]

2 hours ago, grawlix said:

Being shot by someone at that angle gave the police a reason to believe that it was the Bolivians responsible for the hit.  It refers to the established fact that all Bolivians are very short in the "Barry" world.  Also distance wise, it would make more sense for Barry to use a handgun when saving Fuches.

So it was Barry being clever. Interesting. Most shows would belabor that point more. One reason why I am liking this one is that it doesn't.

[Blakeston]

13 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Yes.
Janice may have been a good detective with a necessary degree of skill with a gun, but Barry was a really good hitman. I'm sure that gun was suspended in such a way that it would effortlessly (for Barry) slide into his hand in the precisely perfect position to be fired instantaneously with his unerring, reflexive aim.
I'm not sure (7" wide screen), but I think the gun was suspended at the same height his hands would be when held in the air at her request. And Janice would be expecting Barry to reach for an object on his person—not on a tree trunk.

Barry has been shown to be an extremely competent hit man, but everything he's done (prior to this episode) struck me as being plausible in real life.

Planting a gun in a tree in the perfect position to fire at someone, when you don't even know where the person is going to be standing (just the general direction they'll probably be coming from) strikes me more as something from a comic book. YMMV.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Blakeston said:

Barry has been shown to be an extremely competent hit man, but everything he's done (prior to this episode) struck me as being plausible in real life.

Planting a gun in a tree in the perfect position to fire at someone, when you don't even know where the person is going to be standing (just the general direction they'll probably be coming from) strikes me more as something from a comic book. YMMV.

Or maybe from a dream? (still keeping my mind open to that possibility, however unlikely)

[Dev F]

7 hours ago, Blakeston said:

Planting a gun in a tree in the perfect position to fire at someone, when you don't even know where the person is going to be standing (just the general direction they'll probably be coming from) strikes me more as something from a comic book. YMMV.

Why would he not know that? He planted the gun in anticipation of Janice taking him into custody, and when that happened what else would she do except march him directly back up toward the house? It's not like she might take him into the woods instead, or tell him to go back to the house but not follow him closely to make sure he goes.

Edited May 16, 2018 by Dev F

[ChipBach]

On 5/14/2018 at 10:40 AM, Blakeston said:

That said, if the scenes at Gene's country house were real, I have a hard time believing that Barry would be able to take down the cop. What could he have done, reached for a hidden gun? She would have blown him away before he had a chance. It's not like she was a shaky civilian who didn't know her way around a weapon.

I assume Barry jumped behind the tree for cover (while she was in the open) and fired from behind the tree.  Probably totally took her by surprise.

[arc]

On 5/7/2018 at 4:30 PM, scrb said:

Hader and Berg in the Inside the Episode related how they discovered Barry would have to kill Chris in the writers room.  Barry couldn't kill Taylor, the worse version of himself.  Instead he ended up killing Chris, who had the life he wanted, who was the best version of himself.

Also, both times, Barry was saved on a raid by a guy he didn't want there. Now, the first time it was a well-planned raid that Taylor botched by going all Leeroy Jenkins, whereas the second one was a well-planned raid that Taylor scrapped entirely before even starting to go all Leeroy Jenkins instead, but it's still not great for his karma.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Inside the episode:

[Soobs]

I love this show! It does however take a lot of suspension of disbelief to enjoy it. Why would Janet not just wait until she got home to check Facebook? Why didn't Barry have a decent back story ready to account for the hit man monologue? Why didn't he delete his Facebook account once he decided to stick around? Why does Gene have a mountain cabin when he is so worried about the students paying cash and paying for cancelled classes? It's best to just enjoy the ride and not think too much about it because the ride is pretty fun. Glad Noho Hank and Fuches made it. Looking forward to seeing those guys again.

It is getting harder to find Barry sympathetic as he is now killing to not get caught. You could argue that by killing Chris he saved Chris's wife and kid but with Janice, it was just to save his ass with no regard for poor Gene. That seemed particularly cruel. I can't imagine a homicide detective being shot to death or even just disappearing is going to be overlooked or go unsolved. Maybe they'll pin it on Gene. Every Dateline episode it's usually the boyfriend or husband.

[TVbitch]

Dammit Janice, why did you have to go down to the lake to look at your laptop, could you not just find a quiet corner of the house to check Facebook?! 

The dinner scene with Barry trying to read Janice's reaction but not get caught looking at her, and Janice trying to play it off, and Barry's eyes showing the exact moment he knew that she knew and the jig was up was awesome. 

I almost wish shows like this would only be one season, because I feel kind of complete with it, and it will most likely only get preposterous next season as Barry continues to elude the law. 

[shapeshifter]

50 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

The dinner scene with Barry trying to read Janice's reaction but not get caught looking at her, and Janice trying to play it off, and Barry's eyes showing the exact moment he knew that she knew and the jig was up was awesome

Yes. Real life drama classes would do well to show this clip as an example of when the writing, acting, directing, and filming (and lighting and all that other stuff) come together perfectly.

 

54 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

I almost wish shows like this would only be one season, because I feel kind of complete with it, and it will most likely only get preposterous next season as Barry continues to elude the law. 

I'm glad you said "almost," @TVbitch, because I still have faith in this show to be done right just like Breaking Bad was.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 5/14/2018 at 6:06 AM, 100Proof said:

I must've missed where Fonzie had acquired some nest egg as a child star or something to afford that big california country house.

 

On 5/14/2018 at 7:11 AM, MrWhyt said:

I don't recall the show ever saying he didn't have money. He may be reduced to auditioning for "guy in line" and running a acting class but it doesn't mean that he didn't once have an actual acting career.

It would actually make a lot of sense if he has a bunch of money (either from acting residuals or through his family) because it would explain how he can keep not booking any of the acting jobs we've seen him audition for and somehow be financially comfortable with just the income from teaching this ONE drama class.

If you get a role on a series that gets syndicated, it can set you up pretty well. Mila Kunis said that she made so much money from That 70s Show (which wrapped when she was only 22) that afterward she could afford to be very picky about what projects she wanted to do. If you don't blow all your money MC Hammer style then you can live off of that income very comfortably for the rest of your life.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

 

It would actually make a lot of sense if he has a bunch of money (either from acting residuals or through his family) because it would explain how he can keep not booking any of the acting jobs we've seen him audition for and somehow be financially comfortable with just the income from teaching this ONE drama class.

If you get a role on a series that gets syndicated, it can set you up pretty well. Mila Kunis said that she made so much money from That 70s Show (which wrapped when she was only 22) that afterward she could afford to be very picky about what projects she wanted to do. If you don't blow all your money MC Hammer style then you can live off of that income very comfortably for the rest of your life.

Seeing Cousineau's million dollar home for the first time in that scene contributed to the sense of it all being a dream to me, much like that scene of Mr. Robot in which Elliot and his family were seen on a 1950s road trip, which turned out to be the fantasy/psychotic break Elliot was experiencing while he was being mercilessly beaten. Barry's fantasies are also motivated by violence, although not physical violence endured by himself.

But for me (and likely others) Cousineau's expensive digs seemed unreal primarily because Cousineau was so adamant that everyone must pay (cash, I think) for the class meeting in the scene in the early episode when the class was being called off for the day due to the death of classmate Ryan Madison. IIRC, there was another scene later in the series when Cousineau also made a point of students needing to pay him even if they missed most of a class. Those bits of dialogue, plus Cousineau having to audition for a bit part that he might not even get, added up to the conclusion that his luxurious home was a fantasy of Barry's imagination—perhaps also representing a home actors Barry and Sally would some day own. 

But then, it is revealed to be a real home. So Cousineau might be just barely able to maintain his lifestyle, or perhaps he is just still in the habit of being careful with money having spent his formative years on the edge of hunger, and/or reminding students that they must pay for acting classes could be a method of keeping them from becoming too friendly and encroaching on his life.

[MrWhyt]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Seeing Cousineau's million dollar home for the first time in that scene contributed to the sense of it all being a dream to me, much like that scene of Mr. Robot in which Elliot and his family were seen on a 1950s road trip, which turned out to be the fantasy/psychotic break Elliot was experiencing while he was being mercilessly beaten. Barry's fantasies are also motivated by violence, although not physical violence endured by himself.

But for me (and likely others) Cousineau's expensive digs seemed unreal primarily because Cousineau was so adamant that everyone must pay (cash, I think) for the class meeting in the scene in the early episode when the class was being called off for the day due to the death of classmate Ryan Madison. IIRC, there was another scene later in the series when Cousineau also made a point of students needing to pay him even if they missed most of a class. Those bits of dialogue, plus Cousineau having to audition for a bit part that he might not even get, added up to the conclusion that his luxurious home was a fantasy of Barry's imagination—perhaps also representing a home actors Barry and Sally would some day own. 

But then, it is revealed to be a real home. So Cousineau might be just barely able to maintain his lifestyle, or perhaps he is just still in the habit of being careful with money having spent his formative years on the edge of hunger, and/or reminding students that they must pay for acting classes could be a method of keeping them from becoming too friendly and encroaching on his life.

If you're good at something never do it for free.

[shapeshifter]

12 minutes ago, MrWhyt said:

If you're good at something never do it for free.

Sure, but are we supposed to think Cousineau is good at teaching acting?
Or, @MrWhyt, did you just mean the Cousineau thinks he's a good acting teacher?

[atlantaloves]

Oh he thinks he is a great acting teacher, and know what, he isn't. But, it is so frigging funny. Well, maybe it all was a fantasy, could be, the killing, the dream house, I kinda hope so because I adored that lady cop. But, folks, I DON'T THINK SO....that big ole Barry, he is really really good at killing.  Very good theory though guys.