Author Topic: Barry (HBO show)  (Read 6963 times)

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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Barry (HBO show)
« Reply #105 on: May 29, 2023, 08:53:42 AM »
I think it was meant to show how Hollywood can dumb down a story with cliches.  When you think of how well Barry was shot and how good the storytelling was, the shots of the Mask Collector film were very cheesy and not well done, as was the dialogue, which is a total rip on Hollywood, and Hader had already shown that he was fine with taking shots at Hollywood, like with the algorithm/taste clutters talk when Sally's Joplin show was cancelled.  And I thought the ending sequence where we saw the fates of both Gene and Barry (in death) followed by the credits rolling with the military music was surreal.  I loved that.

Offline gmillerdrake

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Re: Barry (HBO show)
« Reply #106 on: May 29, 2023, 09:26:24 AM »
I think it was meant to show how Hollywood can dumb down a story with cliches.  When you think of how well Barry was shot and how good the storytelling was, the shots of the Mask Collector film were very cheesy and not well done, as was the dialogue, which is a total rip on Hollywood, and Hader had already shown that he was fine with taking shots at Hollywood, like with the algorithm/taste clutters talk when Sally's Joplin show was cancelled.  And I thought the ending sequence where we saw the fates of both Gene and Barry (in death) followed by the credits rolling with the military music was surreal.  I loved that.

Yeah.....I can see that being the case for sure.

Anyone else catch the Breaking Bad moment with Fuches and Barry?  Fuches' nod to Barry like, "we're good now," was totally reminiscent of the one Walt gave to Jesse at the end of the last BB right before Jesse got in the El Camino and raced out of the compound.

Noticed that as well. I didn't really correlate it to BB per say....but that....it was a 'nice' moment for those two after all that had happened between their characters. Which, brings up the fact that Fuches received a 'happy' ending when it comes to his character.

I also liked that Barry didn't get an epic death scene.  It was just boom you're dead.  That is all a cold-blooded killer like him deserved.

that was definitely a surprised. I (like many I'm sure) thought that he'd undoubtedly go down in a hail of bullets....or....was totally conditioned at that point that he'd surrender then live his life out in prison and that the post script scene(s) would've been his kid and maybe Sally visiting him there and what not.

Gene's desperation to be a star bit him in the butt. From his one-man show to falling for the fake agent's story and calling Barry a sympathetic character, he unwittingly sealed his own fate.

Not to mention had he just not killed Barry.....he'd have been vindicated with Barry surrendering and coming clean about it all. Gene was a pompous ass and jerk most of the series, but still trying to figure out 'why' they decided to have him get the worst outcome of the surviving characters. (Side Note: I call BS on the head shot from 20ft away with a short barrel revolver from Gene. Hitting center mass on the first shot is believable, hitting him dead center head shot is a helluva shot)


That scene at the end with Sally's character was on point as well. She cared only about the play and HER. She asks John how it was and he said "great like always".....then, he says "I love you mom" and in lieu of saying something like I love you too she ignores him and just asks again about it being really good. Then the affection she shows the flowers in the passenger seat when she was looking at them. She's just as self centered as ever.
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Offline axeman90210

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Re: Barry (HBO show)
« Reply #107 on: May 29, 2023, 10:01:23 AM »
I think it was meant to show how Hollywood can dumb down a story with cliches.  When you think of how well Barry was shot and how good the storytelling was, the shots of the Mask Collector film were very cheesy and not well done, as was the dialogue, which is a total rip on Hollywood, and Hader had already shown that he was fine with taking shots at Hollywood, like with the algorithm/taste clutters talk when Sally's Joplin show was cancelled.  And I thought the ending sequence where we saw the fates of both Gene and Barry (in death) followed by the credits rolling with the military music was surreal.  I loved that.

Yeah, I mean I liked the clips from Mask Collector and Gary's spot on with his observation about Sally in the post script scene, but it just seemed odd to have the focal point of the last scene be older John. He was much more of a prop than a character in the part of the show after the first time leap, and now we've jumped forward a number of years again. We have know idea what he thinks or knows or feels about Barry, how he's processed the events from earlier in the finale, or anything like that, so we have no idea what seeing Mask Collector is meant to be having on him.
« Last Edit: May 29, 2023, 10:23:54 AM by axeman90210 »
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Offline gmillerdrake

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Re: Barry (HBO show)
« Reply #108 on: May 29, 2023, 10:20:29 AM »
Yeah, I mean I liked the clips from Mask Collector and Gary's spot on with his observation about Sally in the post script scene, but it just seemed odd to have the focal point of the last episode be older John. He was much more of a prop than a character in the part of the show after the first time leap, and now we've jumped forward a number of years again. We have know idea what he thinks or knows or feels about Barry, how he's processed the events from earlier in the finale, or anything like that, so we have no idea what seeing Mask Collector is meant to be having on him.

His character was kind of shafted and was always used as a prop.....like you mentioned. In that final scene it 'looked' like they were giving him some sort of peace or something about his Dad....that he was buying in to the movie rather than reality. After all, he knows that Barry didn't storm the compound to save them, but he still seemed to have a smile when it all ended?

That was a pretty disatisfying ending when it comes to his character.
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Offline nick_z

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Re: Barry (HBO show)
« Reply #109 on: May 29, 2023, 10:58:38 AM »
Good comments all around...all in all, I'd say a satisfying ending for the series as a whole, and pretty true to the overall spirit of the show.

Yes, the Mask Collector was weird, but I agree with Kev's take.

It sure was a wild ride  :biggrin:

Offline DoctorAction

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Re: Barry (HBO show)
« Reply #110 on: May 29, 2023, 03:38:14 PM »
I felt that John's thread was showing him being  simultaneously shoved around and misdirected by real life and Hollywood.

Good show. Good finale. Liked it a lot.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Barry (HBO show)
« Reply #111 on: May 29, 2023, 06:15:17 PM »
I feel like the moral of the story was reflected in Fuches' words to Hank: own who you are and don't try to be someone or something you are not.

And that is why Gene's fate feels maybe not deserved, but self-inflicted. He was willing to sell out the memory of his murdered girlfriend for money and a film, all because he couldn't get over never becoming a big star.  He couldn't accept himself for what he always was.

Offline The Realm

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Re: Barry (HBO show)
« Reply #112 on: May 29, 2023, 11:28:52 PM »
Loved the Succession finale, not sure sure about this one. Overall I felt this show crawled to the finish line. The reenactment movie was fine, but I feel this sort of thing has been done many times before in tv shows and movies. It isn't a new concept to make fun of the sensationalism of Hollywood etc..

It also seemed a bit strange to me to have it all put on Gene, so that didn't really work for me.

Overall though loved the show.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Barry (HBO show)
« Reply #113 on: May 30, 2023, 06:11:16 AM »
Loved the Succession finale, not sure sure about this one. Overall I felt this show crawled to the finish line. The reenactment movie was fine, but I feel this sort of thing has been done many times before in tv shows and movies. It isn't a new concept to make fun of the sensationalism of Hollywood etc..

It also seemed a bit strange to me to have it all put on Gene, so that didn't really work for me.

Overall though loved the show.

One thing to question is, how did Barry escape responsibility for the attempted murder of Jim Moss?  I mean, a dozen cops watched him walk up to Moss at the end of Season 3 and point a gun to his head with the intention to kill him, before they made their presence known and stopped him.  Even if the cops deduced that Gene was the mastermind and Barry was doing it under orders from him, that still makes him guilty of attempted murder. 

That is why the story at the end of the Mask Collector could very well not be truthful either, but a case of Hollywood hero-izing Barry by saying he was laid to rest with full honors, when in reality he still went to his grave with the rep as a bad guy (but maybe not as bad as it was before Gene took the fall).

Offline cramx3

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Re: Barry (HBO show)
« Reply #114 on: May 30, 2023, 08:17:21 AM »
I enjoyed the ending including the scene at the end showing the hollywood depiction.  It made a lot of sense to me and while Gene didn't deserve his ending, when the copy tells him his acting is too good, it to me, closes it out for him as that's all he ever wanted and even if he wasn't acting, that's exactly what he wanted all a long.  No shock that Barry died, I feel like it was the only ending that made sense for him.

Other than the time jump episode that felt more like a weird dream sequence, this was a really good final season

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Barry (HBO show)
« Reply #115 on: May 30, 2023, 12:22:05 PM »
I enjoyed the ending including the scene at the end showing the hollywood depiction.  It made a lot of sense to me and while Gene didn't deserve his ending, when the copy tells him his acting is too good, it to me, closes it out for him as that's all he ever wanted and even if he wasn't acting, that's exactly what he wanted all a long. No shock that Barry died, I feel like it was the only ending that made sense for him.

Other than the time jump episode that felt more like a weird dream sequence, this was a really good final season

Agreed.  It was obvious to me from the start that Hader was a fan of Dexter, and he wasn't going to make the mistake of not killing the bad guy main character before the end.