BARRY Season Three: Five Quick Thoughts on “710N”
Freeway chases, Vanessa Bayer, and a classic rug pull! Let’s talk about Barry Season Three’s “710N”.
The Taylor Chase. No need to bury the lede here. The showcase this week is Barry evading the Taylor motocross stars, to the point that HBO uploaded a whole “making-of” clip to the episode page on HBO Max. And there will be a lot of time for other publications to break it down beat-by-beat, and explain exactly why it works so well. But for tonight, I just want to say how effectively it illustrates Bill Hader’s unique comedic sensibility (and make no mistake, the making-of clip states clearly this was all him).
It’s not so much tense and adrenaline-fueled as it is offbeat and strange, almost like a dream (it feels a lot like last season’s “ronny/lily” fight). Even once you catch on to the conceit that each motorcyclist is going to eventually eat it in a surprising, macabre way, it takes you by surprise every single time (the Ritter household favorite? The one that mishandles the machine gun handoff, then boinks themselves off their bike by running into a car sitting in traffic). Most importantly, the goofiness provides sufficient distraction from other proceedings this week so that the ending twist takes you COMPLETELY by surprise (more on that later), in that way only BARRY can.
Acknowledging the sign from God. There has perhaps been no more defining character moment for Fuches up to this point in the show than him being plucked from the brink of death by almost literally the hand of God, being gifted a beautiful young bride who loves him, and yet another chance at a quiet, peaceful life, then immediately throwing it all away after being reminded by a newspaper headline that he was supposed to be enacting revenge. Classic Fuches!
Vanessa Bayer! Okay! It’s just the SNL fan in me here, but I literally gasped when Bayer first arrived as the BanShe executive that eventually pitches Sally on joining the writer’s room for THE NEW MEDUSAS. And, look, was her entire scene just an excuse to work in that very specific Bayer shtick (making sounds that encapsulate entire moods and personalities)? Yes, absolutely. Do I mind at all? You bet your ass I don’t.
Ben, yay! Adding to the dreamlike quality of “710N” is the magical beignet man from whom every principal character gets some sort of profound life advice over the course of the episode’s thirty minutes. It’s absurd, it’s almost kind of sweet (I hope Hank takes him up on his offer to help run his franchisee plan), and funnily enough…his advice tended to be pretty apt. When he tells Barry to tread lightly as he heads to the supposed marine veteran reunion he’s heading to at Chris’ widow’s home? Shoulda listened to the beignet man, Barry.
Ben, no! I’ll admit, I was completely fooled. The reveal of Janice Moss’ dad as a potential source of Fuches’ schemes (as well as, oh, a ten minute surreal chase scene right before) was sufficient cover for what Fuches was really up to: revealing Chris’ fate to his widow, setting up a whole other revenge scheme that puts Barry in real danger. And as she places Fuches’ Kenneth Goulet business card on the table as he eats his poison beignet, Barry begins foaming at the mouth and collapses.
And once again, I have no idea where the show is going to go. Just the way the show likes it.