Barry Season 2, Episode 8 recap: Berkman, not block
By Dan Girolamo
While Sally prepares for her showcase, Barry faces Fuches in an all-out-war in the Barry Season 2 finale.
Will the truth set you free? The Barry Season 2 finale constantly revolved around the truth and the actions that characters take to either reveal or protect their secrets. The season finale was no different as Sally, Fuches, and Barry all had to face their truths.
In Episode 7, Fuches reveals Janice’s dead body to Gene and makes a false-confession as Gene, saying he killed Janice. In the season finale, Barry is out for vengeance as he declares war against Fuches. Here’s the recap for Barry Season 2, Episode 8 titled, “berkman > block.”
Barry hunts Fuches
Barry arrives in the woods, but it’s too late. He witnesses Fuches leaving the scene, but he’s more concerned for Gene, who is crying next to the car. Barry closes the trunk and Gene is taken into custody. Detective May reveals to Barry that Gene is being charged with the murder of Janice Moss.
Angered and upset, Barry calls Fuches and threatens to kill him. Their friendship is over. While this is going on, Barry still has to prepare for his scene with Sally. Barry cannot pay attention to the performance because all he can think about is what Fuches did to Gene. Right before Barry and Sally walk onstage, Sally slaps Barry across the face. For a moment, it looks as if Barry is going to hit Sally back, but he chooses not to. Instead, his guilt and vengeance get the better of him as he walks off the stage during the scene.
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Soon after, Barry receives a text from NoHo Hank saying that Fuches is with him at the monastery. Enraged, Barry heads straight to the monastery. Upon arrival, Barry is in no mood to talk. He loads up his gun, enters the monastery, and that is when all hell breaks loose. Barry goes on a killing spree, shooting Chechens, Bolivians, and Burmese members left and right including Esther. This violent side of Barry is something the audience has never seen before. When Barry passes Mayrbek’s dead body, he snaps out of his rage despite knowing that Fuches escaped and is still out there.
At a bus stop, Barry calls Gene’s phone but is greeted on the other end by Leo. Leo reveals to Barry that Gene was let off the murder because of a Chechin pin found in the trunk of Janice’s car. It turns out that when Barry closed the trunk, he dropped the pin that Hank gave to him to make it look like the Chechens killed Janice.
Sally’s showcase debuts
The night has finally come. It’s time for Sally’s showcase. Her agent, Lindsay, was able to sell out the theater and even convinced her superiors to attend. Sally is a nervous wreck and thanks to Barry’s lack of focus, she snaps. Right before they walk onstage, Sally slaps Barry in the face to motivate him to a dark place. The scene starts off normally, but as Barry goes to flip the table, Sally flips it instead. Sally unleashes on Barry and pretends to be the heroine in the scene as she stands up to her husband even though it’s not the real, truthful story.
Upset, Sally attempts to leave the theater as her shame and guilt get the best of her. Lindsay stops her and tries to take the blame for Sally’s outburst. When the top agents approach Sally, she is surprised to learn that they loved her performance. More and more audience members approach Sally and congratulate her on the moving and inspiring performance. Sally and Lindsay look at each other in disbelief as they both know that Sally fabricated her story, but it may be the story that takes them to the top.
Fuches seeks help from NoHo Hank
After Barry threatens his life, Fuches needs help because he knows Barry will come after him immediately and kill him. Fuches turns to NoHo Hank, who is in the middle of a war with Cristobal after Hank’s failed attempt to double-cross Cristobal. When Cristobal and his men arrive at the monastery to fight the Chechens, Fuches acts as a liaison to help alleviate the tension. Fuches recites a speech about how despite their fight, Hank and Cristobal will always be a good fit for each other. Sometimes, you just need to give the other person space. This speech mirrors Fuches’s relationship with Barry.
It turns out that the speech worked and Hank and Cristobal bury the hatchet. They decide to throw a party in order to celebrate their reconciliation. As Fuches, Hank, and Cristobal celebrate, Barry infiltrates the monastery and violently shoots the place up, killing everyone in sight. Barry continues to scream for Fuches, but Fuches is able to successfully escape. At the end of the fight, a new Chechen boss arrives, much to the displeasure of Hank.
Gene is set free, but there’s a catch
Throughout most of the finale episode Barry Season 2, Gene is a walking corpse. Despite being charged with murder, all he can think about is Janice and the time they spent together. It is not until after Gene’s acquittal when he snaps out of his trance while lying in bed. As Gene remembers his time with Janice, he also remembers what Fuches told him upon revealing her body in the trunk. Fuches whispers that Barry Berkman killed Janice.
Barry Season 2 was spectacular. Did you enjoy it as a whole? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.