The Mick season 1 finale: Thomas Barbusca dishes on that insane cliffhanger

Photo Credit: The Mick/Fox Image Acquired from Fox Flash

Gunshots. Shocking cameos. A game changing cliffhanger. The Mick season 1 finale had it all. And star Thomas Barbusca gave us the scoop on how it all went down.

The clever cliffhanger in The Mick Season 1 finale will certainly go down in history as one of the best of 2017. Caution: Spoilers follow.

As the three Pemberton kids stood in front of their mansion, watching it burn to ashes alongside both Alba (Carla Jimenez) and Mickey (Kaitlin Olson), a reset button was giddily pressed on the series. Season 2 of The Mick won’t be more of the same with characters tootling around tony Greenwich, cushioned by a soft protective pillow of money and privilege. Nope. Roles have been reversed, and the three Pemberton kiddos are in for a rude awakening. They’ll have a lot of learning to do once The Mick gears back up for a second season. Good thing Mickey is a pretty decent teacher.

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Chip, played by actor Thomas Barbusca, was at the center of the action in The Mick season 1 finale as he stepped up and (kind of) became the man of the house. He got to shoot his dad (!) just before we learned that he’s actually not a Pemberton (!!). Whether or not Chip will learn the truth himself is yet to be seen and, quite frankly, unimportant. He’s going to have a lot more on his mind when he’s left to fend for himself in the real world.

Prior to the finale, we chatted with Barbusca about the bonkers cliffhanger in the episode, what it was like to shoot a gun on screen, and how Chip might adjust to his new life post-mansion.

Hidden Remote: The show wrapped a little over a month ago, but how would you say your experience has been filming season 1 of The Mick?

Thomas Barbusca: “It’s been awesome. Working on the show with the talent has been a dream come true. I’m excited for the future. Kaitlin Olson is my favorite, and Scott MacArthur is one of the funniest dudes I’ve ever met. Carla [Jimenez] is great, Sofia [Black-D’Elia] is great, Jack [Stanton] is great, so just being able to work with all those people is amazing.”

Photo Credit: The Mick/Fox Image Acquired from Fox Flash

HR: In the past few episodes, you’ve gotten to work a lot with Scott McArthur, and – since he was originally a writer on the show – he’s pretty new to this whole acting thing. How is it working with him?

Thomas Barbusca: “Well, at one of the table reads, we didn’t have an actor at that point to play Jimmy so he just read for him, and he was perfect for the role. Everything he said was just hilarious, and I think they made the decision right there that he should be Jimmy. He’s literally the funniest person I’ve ever met, so every time he talks I cannot keep a straight face. I’m surprised they’re still putting me in episodes with him!”

HR: Do you think Chip has learned anything during this time living with Mickey?

Thomas Barbusca: “I think when he started he was still a little distraught about his parents leaving, and taking the role of man of the house, even though he isn’t. The thing about Chip is that he’s not very street smart. That’s where Mickey comes in. She obviously doesn’t live in the same area as the Pembertons, and she teaches Chip a lot, like in “The Wolf” episode, and Mickey’s definitely left a good mark on him. They bump heads a lot, but they definitely love each other!”

HR: In the finale, there’s a little of those street smarts coming in, because Chip shoots an intruder. It does turn out to be his dad, but he’s definitely taking more initiative! What was it like prepping for that scene?

Thomas Barbusca: “One day, Matt the director came by with the props guy with the gun, and they wanted to make sure I was comfortable with it, and I tested out how it looked and felt. The next day they let me shoot it and train with it for a couple hours so I got the feel for it. Then, when we got into the scene and I shot the gun, it was so loud! [laughs] I didn’t know what to do with myself! I have a video of myself after the first take and my head just popped back completely!”

HR: It was definitely a big moment for Chip because he’s learning to stand up for himself, and it’s even crazier because he’s actually shooting his dad!

Thomas Barbusca: “I know, right?! We were at the table read for that, and it kind of blew everyone’s minds in the room, and it turned out to be a pretty cool episode.”

HR: It’s funny because I don’t think people are usually prepared for the finale of a sitcom to be a huge event, but The Mick went really big. Chip’s parents come back, there’s a bunch of drama, and then Ben burns down the mansion! So what did the cast think when that plot twist was revealed?

Thomas Barbusca: “Well, earlier in the season, in the pilot episode, you can tell that Ben has an obsession with fire, and we all knew that something like that was going to happen with Ben and the house and the fire. Then, at the end of the table read for the last episode, it was definitely a little emotional for everyone since it was our last table read for the first season, and just going through it there was a lot of laughter, and emotion. Then, when we saw that Ben burned down the house, we didn’t know what to do! Jack [the actor who plays Ben] loved it! He was laughing so hard! And that last scene where we’re looking at the house was the last scene that we shot.”

HR: Oh, wow. Usually TV shows shoot a bit out of order, but the last scene for you guys was actually the last scene of the finale?

Thomas Barbusca: “It was definitely right for that to be the last scene. Emotions were running through everyone, and I think it worked out really well.”

HR: Since the season 1 cliffhanger is such a game changer for season 2, and you’re in the mind of Chip, how do you think he might survive without any money?

Thomas Barbusca: “I’m really excited to see what happens in the future for the family after the events of the season finale. It’s gonna be interesting to see where they end up. I don’t know what Chip is going to do without money. He’s probably going to try and take a loan out! [laughs] I’m sure it’s gonna be really funny though!”

HR: Well, season 2 of The Mick is on the horizon, but where can fans find you until the show comes back next season?

Thomas Barbusca: “I just filmed an indie called Search with one of my favorite directors named Aneesh Chaganty. He actually directed one of the first movies I was in. And you can also find me on social media!”

All episodes of ‘The Mick’ Season 1 are currently available on Hulu. Season 2 will return to Fox at some point in 2018.

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