Did I walk into an alternate reality where "Barry" is slowly turning into a "John Wick" film? I mean, it feels like he's always been a little inspired by those films with his incredible marksman skills, but this just seems like we're entering that territory where he's a man that everybody wants to get down. It's almost like if the Coen brothers had directed those films. That would be this. And from what I've seen so far during these past three seasons, it's not something that I would have ever turned down seeing. Because "Barry" is staying in that amazing territory that it's been in ever since it first started. It hasn't had a misstep yet. It continues to evolve to places where we don't expect, and now, we've arrived at a place where our main character is in such deep s-t that I'm not sure where he'll be at the end of this season. If they hadn't already announced that a fourth season, I would have been very worried for Barry. However, I feel good in thinking that he's not going to end up in a ditch somewhere at the end of three, so I'm just along for the ride at the moment. And "710N" was another great stop on that ride. With Bill Hader back behind the camera, we get an episode that's equal-parts hilarious and badass, with an incredibly complex chase scene that just ended in the most "Barry"-fashion you could imagine. It pulled out everything and it succeeded at perfection.
First of all, this episode was able to acquire a level of humor that "Barry" has been so good at. It's always bordered on the surreal, but in this episode, it took that to a new level. All from the motivations of these bikers to an incredible running gag with this baker who just spits out gold whenever he opens his mouth. That's where the Coen effect comes in, as they've already been great at writing those great idiotic characters. These writers do that too and I'm so happy they do, because it's an amazing source of pure comedic gold.
Fuches has been a big question mark for me all season. I was confused at to what actually drove him to do all this. This episode made it clear that he has a burning hatred towards Barry for "replacing" him and that's actually quite relatable. Of course, these writers in their brilliance takes it to another level, but it's such a human emotion to feel jealousy over something and I think they've hit a great spot for this character. I mean, he's doing wrong things in his attempt at getting back at him, but who cares, it's just great television.
The big thing that people will talk about is the amazing highway chase scene in this film. And while it may not be the most action-packed shoot of all time, it's such a tense scene. As we constantly follow Barry trying to keep calm and get away, there's a clear sense that the intensity is rising and giving way to a real dread. Of course, Barry takes it with ease and ends the chase in the coolest way possible, not even really having to do anything during the whole thing. Except colliding with a biker head-on and stealing his ride.
I'm also a fan of seeing more of Barry's circle from the military. Now with Albert back as an interesting foil, it's gonna be exciting to see which way they take this. We've already seen how his relationship with his L. A. circle have gone downhill because of his doings as a hitman, so it's only a matter of time before it's going to impact the way his old friends see him. Or maybe they're sympathetic towards the whole thing? It's such an interesting dynamic they all have, so it would be fascinating to see if they made it more layered.
With "710N," the writers have upped the stage in terms of their grounded action and humor, although still not as perfect as "ronny/lily" last season. However, it's on its own and its focus on driving the story onwards while still delivering iconic and standout moments is something that makes me happy to be a fan.
