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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Alec Berg and Bill Hader’s HBO crime comedy-drama series, Barry, Season 3 has gotten even more intriguing as Kenneth Goulet/ Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root) continues to build his army against Barry Berkman (Bill Hader). The sixth episode is titled, “710N”. It is written by series producer Duffy Boudreau and directed by Hader.
In this review, I will be discussing Barry Season 3 Episode 6. There will be no spoilers here, as the title of this article suggests. Nonetheless, please read ahead at your own discretion to avoid any possible revelations.
Plot Synopsis
According to WarnerMedia’s pressroom, here is the logline for Barry Season 3 Episode 6—“710N”.
What kind of guy wouldn’t want to put a hot tub up there?
WarnerMedia Pressroom
Discussion
NOTE: It should be known that I got to see the first six out of eight episodes of Barry Season 3. This is my second time watching these episodes.
Continuing from last week’s “crazytimeshitshow”, this week’s episode of Barry has the primary characters trying to make up for lost time. At over 29 minutes, “710N” has a sweet three-act plot structure, with the third act centering on the main protagonist. While it starts on a strong note, I found that the episode gets better as it progresses. Much of the narrative deals with the characters learning to either trust their instincts or look to “the signs [that] God gives you”.
My favorite part about the episode deals with Herse’s cinematography combined with Schoonover’s production design and Leitch, Moore, and Scott’s art direction. For example, in one scene, we have Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler) speaking with another character inside a room. Here, we are immediately introduced to a surprise shot as they are trying to make a conversation. It is nothing like a specific scene from Robert Zemeckis’s Contact, but for some reason, it reminded me of that.
In another instance, we have a whole scene focused on Barry, and at one point, Herse makes the character the episode’s central focus. One part of the scene positioned the camera in a way where the protagonist moved from the background to the foreground smoothly and without notice. I felt as if I was watching a playthrough of the Rockstar video game, Grand Theft Auto V. (Although, that may be because the game’s location setting takes inspiration from the Los Angeles area itself.) This scene is something to keep an eye out for. It does not last as long as one of Barry‘s previous episodes which is solely a fight-and-chase scene; however, it is still something worth watching.
The Crew of Barry
Barry is created by Alec Berg and Bill Hader.
Berg, Hader, Aida Rodgers, and Liz Sarnoff serve as the executive producers of the series. Julie Camino and Duffy Boudreau serve as the producers. Emily Heller and Jason Kim serve as the supervising producers. Artūrs Rūsis and Amy Solomon serve as the co-producers.
Sherry Thomas and Sharon Bialy serve as the casting directors of the show. Stacia Kimler is the casting associate. Mindy Rengrudkij and Ashley Albans are the casting assistants, while Rich King and Lou Verdi serve as the extras casting.
Carl Herse serves as the director of photography. Franky Guttman serves as the editor, while Kchris de Gelsey is the assistant editor. Emma Barrie serves as the executive story editor.
Wade Allen serves as the stunt coordinator.
David Wingo composes the music of the series. Liza Richardson serves as the music supervisor. Michael Brake is the music editor.
Eric Schoonover is the production designer. Chrisi Karvonides-Dushenko serves as the costume designer, while Jackie Martinez serves as the assistant costume designer. Meagan Smith serves as the costumer, while Keren Rosenthal serves as the costume production assistant. Andrew Leitch serves as the art director, while Curtis Moore and Rachel Scott are the assistant art directors. Rachael Ferrara is the set decorator.
Leo Corey Castellano serves as the head of the make-up department. Denise Dellavalle is the assistant head, while Ruth Haney serves as the make-up artist.
Katherine Kousakis serves as the head of the hairstyling department. Amanda Bourne is the assistant head, while Sarah Ault serves as the hairstylist.
The Cast of Barry
Bill Hader portrays the titular character, Barry Berkman/ Barry Block.
Stephen Root is credited as Monroe Fuches/ Kenneth Goulet, while Sarah Goldberg portrays Sally Reed. Anthony Carrigan plays NoHo Hank, while Sarah Burns plays Detective Mae Dunn. Henry Winkler portrays Gene Cousineau.
D’Arcy Carden guest stars as Natalie Greer. Michael Irby and Jessy Hodges are credited as Cristobal Sifuentes and Lindsay Mandel, respectively.
Laura San Giacomo plays Annie, while Fred Melamed plays Tom Posorro, Cousineau’s agent. Darrell Britt Gibson and Rightor Doyle play Jermaine Jefrint and Nick Nicholby, Barry and Sally’s respective peers from their acting class.
James Hiroyuki Liao portrays Albert Nguyen. Robert Ray Wisdom also stars. Vanessa Bayer plays Morgan, a woman at BanShe Studios.
Karen David plays Sharon Lucado, the wife of Barry’s late acquaintance, Chris Lucado. Gary Kraus makes an appearance as Police Chief Krauss. Tom Allen and Sal Lopez also make appearances.
Natalia Abelleyra, Parsa Montazer, Ellen D. Williams (How I Met Your Mother), Lupe Carranza, Garvin Funches, Bob Turton, Brick Jackson (How I Met Your Father), Ana Rey, Sarah Waisman, Tony Czech, and Adia Smith-Eriksson also co-star. Jolene Van Vugt, David Castillo, Chris Morrison, Clay Cullen, and Anthony Molinari also make appearances in the episode.
Performances and Character Developments
Two performances that I enjoyed in this episode came from Winkler’s Cousineau and Goldberg’s Reed.
Throughout most of Barry Season 3, Cousineau has made attempts to repair his relationship with figures from the Hollywood industry machine. This happened last week with Joe Mantegna. Now, the character is looking to develop in his career while ensuring that an acquaintance gets their due time as well. I enjoy Winkler’s performances in this series, so I was immediately sold on whatever he has planned for this other character. I am curious to know if this will happen in the final two episodes of the season, if this will happen in Barry Season 4, or not at all. Cousineau is on his way to becoming a better person, and I hope he lives long enough to be praised for these good acts.
One particular scene that I found convincing in regards to Sarah Goldberg’s Sally Reed is the way she goes through laugh-out-loud scenes with a straight face. The entire time that she is in the waiting room of a building and then engaging in a meeting with one or two other characters, Goldberg never breaks character. The first part of her performance in this scene deals with the irony of dialogue, while in the latter half, Sally just sits and watches as brief lines of dialogue oscillate between two characters. This is definitely a test of her character, that is, believing in her own skills as an actor, as she learns at the beginning of the episode.
Final Thoughts on This Week’s Barry
“710N” is a uniquely written episode of the season that can prove excellent on its own. Is it any better than, say, last week’s “crazytimeshitshow”, Episode 304 — “all the sauces”, or even Episode 302 — “limonada”? For all the reasons that I have discussed above, I believe it is somewhere at the top. Plus, with Goulet/ Fuches growing his little anti-Barry community — with new members joining in each new episode, I think we are going to have an exciting action-packed conclusion to Season 3.
As of now, I have only seen up to this current episode, so I am curious as to what Berg, Hader, and the cast and the crew have in store for the final two episodes. Without a doubt, I know that we will not be disappointed, and we will just have to trust in their craft.
Barry Season 3 is now airing on HBO!
Have you seen Alec Berg and Bill Hader’s series? If so, then what are your thoughts on it so far? Let us know! For more dark comedy and drama-related news and reviews visit and follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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