Barry Season 1 Episode 2: Use It Review

If you would like to read my review of the premiere, click here.

Synopsis: In the wake of shocking news, Gene encourages his students to channel their feelings into their work. Resolved to quit his job and put the past behind him, Barry tries not to get pulled back in by Fuches and the Chechens. Sally tries to crack the nut that is Barry. (HBO)

Writers: Alec Berg and Bill Hader

Director: Bill Hader

Rating: TV-MA

Running Time: 26mins

Airs: Sundays at 10:30pm on HBO Canada (Canada)/HBO (United States)

The first episode introduced us to Barry and here we learned more about him as he had to face feelings that he wasn’t used to.

The death of one of their own had left the rest of the acting class reeling. However, Cousineau wanted them to use these feelings towards their work. Meanwhile, the police investigated the homicide. They were definitely inept with the best part about them was a running gag about a detective who lost his wife. They found that the car that Barry shot at had a camera inside but they were having trouble accessing the video.

Sally wanted to hold a memorial. After what happened in the last episode, Fuches was worried about Barry. Barry wanted him to go so he can take on the Chechens on his own but it was really so he can pursue his acting. While he was taking a call from Sally about what to do at the memorial on the balcony, Fuches was getting beat up by gangsters. Pazer and Hank took he and Fuches so they can find the camera and to convince Barry to perform another hit for them. In order to stop Fuches from getting tortured, Barry agreed to the hit despite not wanting to do that type of work anymore.

Barry got the wrong idea when Sally wanted them to perform a scene from Doubt where he would play a child molesting priest. Each of the other students hilariously performed their own tributes. Barry became uncomfortable when the father of the victim spoke. He had never been so close to loss before and it affected him. He and Sally agreed to not do the scene. Then Sally got the wrong idea when Barry took her home. She thought he wanted them to sleep together but he wasn’t thinking of that.

As he left, we saw that both Barry and Sally were being watched.

Overall, this was a decent follow-up to the premiere. It slowed things down a little as we saw Barry distance himself from his hitman career but it wasn’t going to give up easily. However, that part of the story was interrupted by the new feelings he felt after seeing others experience loss in a way that he had never experienced himself. There were a few funny moments in the episode, however, the episode could have found a better balance between comedy and drama. Ultimately, Hader still keeps it interesting.

Score: 7.5/10

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.