Barry – Season 3 Episode 7 “Candy Asses” Recap & Review

candy asses

Although we were very sure about Barry living after the poisoning incident, Hader and Berg tried to play around with us. They almost led us into believing that he had died with the opening scene of episode 7 of Barry Season 3. He wakes up near a beach, where the cars parked on the other side of the road hug the ocean line. On the beach, he sits in silence for a while, not deciding to join the crowd of people at a distance, looking away towards the sky.

There is also a brief sketch about another broken soul wandering the streets. The stranger turns out to be Ryan Madison’s father, whom Fuches had also contacted to take revenge on Barry. We will come to him later because the heartbreak is too overwhelming. For now, let us focus on Fuches, the devil incarnate himself. He drives to Moss’ house and goes on a drive with him. Unbeknownst to him, Moss suspects that it was Fuches who killed Janice and was now trying to pass on the blame to someone else.

He drives him straight to the police, where he is arrested. Despite everything going against him, there is always some divine intervention that saves his behind. This time, Nguyen and Moss both doubt Barry as the killer. Nguyen’s fears are even confirmed by Fuches off the cameras, sending him into a shock-like condition. But as far as I can foresee, Nguyen still remains unconvinced about Barry and will try to protect him. We will see how this “auguring” holds next week.

Sally sinks further down the black hole that she found herself in after BanShe canceled her show. She confronts Natalie, her assistant, for “stealing” her show and her ideas to make a show of her own that BanShe is now producing. But, her angry shouting is recorded by Natalie and posted on the internet. Sally is so shattered and untrusting, that in a moment of fit, she also spoils her relationship with Lindsay, her agent. Now, she does not have anyone by her side and I certainly hope that she does not do something rash to hurt herself.

Gene’s star is shining as his new show is an instant hit. The producer goes gaga over his performance and Annie’s work, which is purely a stroke of luck for her after admitting that she had no idea what she was doing. This is how life is. It is unfair to those who cannot catch a break. Contrast Sally and Annie’s trajectories, for instance. There is a moment of fretting for Gene as Moss reaches his studios and questions him about Janice’s death and Barry. Moss successfully spots a patch of sweat on Gene’s forehead, despite him saying that Barry could not have killed Janice.

This is going to be very bad for Barry, if he is alive, that is. And finally, it is confirmed. He lives – just barely. And it is Ryan’s father who saves him. The beach, here, is a metaphorical place for limbo, maybe, where he went as he was on the cusp of doing, or was simply hallucinating because of the shock to his nervous system. His unclear and guilt-ridden conscience is for all to see and pity. In another sad instance that will add to his misery, Ryan’s father commits suicide and leaves him in front of a hospital to get treatment. How are we supposed to process that? A difficult one to figure out.

Lastly, an update on Hank. The poor soul had everything taken away from him. In one fell swoop, his life became estranged. To search for some purpose, he goes in search of Cristobal in Bolivia but gets kidnapped by Elena’s men. It is my guess that he will be able to escape or reach some kind of conclusion because it does not make sense for him to wander around like a dead soul. He is the only character who has defied the horribleness that has happened in Barry’s cinematic universe.

The Episode Review

‘Barry’ keeps oscillating between its newer, stranger territory and the familiar terrain on which we see it function so well. Hader and Berg spring another surprise upon us with this delightfully twisted and strangely dark think-piece.

Barry’s arc has moved from seeking/measuring forgiveness to being in a state that demands him to do so. The copious guilt that he carries on his back, which reflects in his bleak, weary face, was presented in full view in this episode.

The imagining of the beach was the highlight of the episode but the peak truly was the idea that Barry was not aware of his own crimes for a second. I mean who waves to the spirit of your best friend when you are the one to have killed them? It is moments like these that truly mark the HBO original in a league of its own.

We are now left with just one episode for this season and if the teaser is to be believed, it will be something similarly altruistic along the lines of “candy asses”.