DISCLAIMER: This recap of the Barry episode “all the sauces” has spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Welcome back, hit people-turned-actors! Barry‘s fourth outing is the best of the season thus far, presenting an action-packed narrative that changes the scope of what’s to come. Sarah Goldberg is a tour de force, infusing Sally with an infectious earnestness that’ll charm the socks off you. Perhaps I’m in the minority (and according to the internet, I am), but I’m Team Sally.
This episode sets a few pieces in motion, from Barry killing Fernando and his crew (which will undoubtedly have repercussions) to Sally breaking up with Barry. George Krempf learns of Barry’s involvement in his son’s murder, and the man from the pilot’s family seeks retribution against Barry for his death. All of this is courtesy of Fuches’ revenge plan, of course.
Ready to dig deep into “all the sauces”? Let’s get to it.
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We open with a woman (Annabeth Gish) entering her home, chatting on the phone with her husband. After they end their conversation, Barry (Bill Hader) quietly and deftly shoots said man in the head. We see it’s the man Barry killed in the opening minutes of the series premiere. I love this callback.
Fast forward to the present, wherein the now-widowed woman sits at the kitchen table, her hair gray from grief. Suddenly, Fuches (Stephen Root) knocks on her door, introducing himself as “Kenneth Goulet,” his alias. Before he reveals why he’s on her doorstep, she orders him to leave.
Fuches hands over his card to the woman’s son (Alexander MacNicoll), claiming to know the man who murdered the latter’s father (a.k.a. Barry).
Meanwhile, Gene (Henry Winkler) informs Leo (Andrew Leeds) that they’re hightailing it out of LA because he angered the wrong person (a.k.a. Barry).
Gene’s manager (Fred Melamed) calls on Gene, revealing that the Laws of Humanity Powers That Be loved his performance so much they want to expand his role. Gene’s manager sits with him in the car while en route to the store. When Gene discloses he pissed off the wrong man, his manager rolls out a laundry list of insults directed at Gene over the years.
Then, the camera quickly cuts to NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan), explaining what he needs Barry to do. He reveals he downloaded a detonator app that Barry can utilize to detonate a bomb he’ll plant under Cristobal’s safe house. But it’s not to kill Cristobal — Barry must ensure that he’s out of the house before the bomb explodes. The real target is Cristobal’s father-in-law, Fernando, and his crew.
Hank tells Barry that the password is “Suddenly Seymour, but the s’s are dollar signs,” verifying one thing I’ve always known: NoHo Hank is a musical theater nerd. On the same note, this reference ties in with the Little Shop of Horrors poster in Gene’s home. I love a good tie-in!
Next, Sally (Goldberg) prepares for her big night. It’s almost Joplin red carpet time! Natalie (D’Arcy Carden) helps Sally prepare her speech for the proceedings. Meanwhile, Gene and his manager encounter Joe Mantegna at the store. Joe has a restraining order against Gene, but he breaches it to invite Gene to dinner at his home. Joe read the article about Gene helping Barry turn his life around.
Gene asserts he’s leaving town with his family that night despite his manager’s insistence he attends the dinner.
Side note: I love that we see Gene’s manager continue to rattle off insults in the store, making us believe he never stopped when the camera cut away in the car. Brilliant.
Later, Fuches has a meeting with George Krempf (Michael Bofshever), Ryan Madison’s father. It’s the dad of Barry’s first LA mark! Fuches gives George his card, vowing to help him bring the man who killed Ryan to justice (a.k.a. not Barry, but Fuches doesn’t care about that).
Then, we see Barry outside Cristobal’s safe house, talking on the phone with Sally. Sally recites her premiere speech to Barry, and he promises to attend the event in support of her. Barry places the bomb underneath the house, opens the app and crouches behind his car while attempting to detonate it. Unfortunately, technology can be finicky, and the detonator fails to carry out its task.
Meanwhile, Sally arrives at the red carpet event of the century. She walks alongside Natalie and Lindsay (Jessy Hodges) and reunites with her costar Katie (Elsie Fisher). Sally glows — she’s luminous.
We see Barry’s still sitting outside Cristobal’s safe house. He’s on the phone with the detonator app’s customer service, attempting to pinpoint the technical difficulty. Cristobal (Michael Irby) strolls by Barry’s window, telling us Barry missed the narrow timeframe of bombing Fernando without harming Cristobal.
Fernando (Miguel Sandoval) confronts Cristobal, accusing the latter of cheating on Elena, his daughter. Fernando unearths the damning texts from Hank, confirming Cristobal’s affair. He gives his son-in-law an ultimatum: Fernando shoots Cristobal, or Cristobal kills Hank. Cristobal defiantly orders Fernando to kill him instead.
After Barry disconnects from the Wi-Fi network, we see an explosion as the bomb finally detonates. Barry attempts to flee the scene but pumps the brakes when he spots Cristobal standing in front of his car.
Sally takes the stage for her speech after discovering Joplin has a 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. She gushes to the audience about her triumph and reminds the crowd that she’s not in the entertainment industry for the glory, glitz and glamour. Goldberg soars in this scene.
Barry brings Cristobal to Hank’s house while Sally and Katie embrace after the premiere. Katie finally expresses her feelings regarding Barry, urging Sally to sever ties with him.
Barry gives Gene the money he received from NoHo Hank and encourages his former acting teacher to give it to Leo. Barry reassures Gene that he won’t harm his family and that they’ll never see each other again (this is doubtful but wishful thinking on Gene’s part). Gene tells Leo they’re staying in Los Angeles.
Later, Barry reunites with Sally well after the premiere screening. He apologizes for missing her biggest night. However, it’s not enough. Sally breaks up with Barry, addressing the day he screamed at her. Sally vowed never to return to that place again after her abusive ex-husband. Barry writes off his tantrum as “having a bad day” and calls after Sally while she walks away.
Next, we see the mother and son purchasing a firearm to take out Barry from the beginning of the episode. If the police don’t bring this killer to justice, they’ll take that justice into their hands.
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“all the sauces” is propulsive, hilarious and dark in equal measure, just the way I like my Barry. The jokes land, and the performances dazzle across the board. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes us, especially with Fuches painting a red target on Barry’s back.
It’s heartbreaking to watch Sally not recognize herself falling into the same patterns with Barry as when she was with Sam. I’m glad she retook control of her story.
Do you think we’ll see our titular character on the chopping block next week? Will he try to win back Sally? Will Fernando’s daughter retaliate against the Chechens post-bombing? Join me next week while I recap Barry, only on Geek Girl Authority.
Barry airs new episodes every Sunday at 10 pm on HBO and HBO Max.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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