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Forum namePass The Popcorn
Topic subjectjust really interesting in terms of craft, too
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=6&topic_id=744215&mesg_id=744740
744740, just really interesting in terms of craft, too
Posted by Nodima, Mon May-30-22 05:02 AM
First off, Mitch Beignet is an awesome fucking character. I loved the consistency of the shot, the lighting, the acting, the delivery, the tone of the sentence structure...and then on top of that, dude was ridiculously funny when bringing some longtime service industry conversations to the scenes. There is that guy in every restaurant scene worth its shit across the country and he's always fascinating despite coming off simple to anyone who doesn't get he's been dealing with desperate people (service or entertainment) for a long time and found his peace navigating those circles without ever getting as invested as the rest of us.

Beyond that, from one angle this could've been a new level of blockbuster action for a TV show...but because it's a comedy, and the show is so interested in a super dry yet still exaggerated sense of humor, all that action is shot at such a remove (and with such sudden punchlines) that this was one of the fastest episodes of television I can remember since season 3 or 4 of Breaking Bad which was still a half hour longer. Still, as that highway sequence opened up I was immediately reminded of a couple early set piece missions in Grand Theft Auto V as well as, of course, Matrix Reloaded. It was a really interesting feeling to simultaneously get this rush of excitement while not expecting much to come of it...only to get both shocking stunt shots AND big laughs.

This season has been great and I'd love to see other shows take some pulls from it. Then again, just because I said it already it still feels like the only show with Breaking Bad DNA (granted: avoided Ozark BECAUSE it was initially compared to BB, so...maybe I'm the dummy) is Better Call Saul, and plenty of the other modern, seemingly influential TV seasons/shows don't have long family trees yet so...I just like to savor this.

One of the better things about an episode of Barry is that I can watch it on my own the night it debuts, then have a watch party with a couple friends the day after and still enjoy it just as much as some gags hit harder and I notice other things for the first time.

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"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
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