Outstanding Episode... Wow ! Honestly one of the best episodes of the series. You're Charming delivers thrills all over, and then some. The acting is flawless, the tension out of this world, the dialogue completely pierces the screen. What do you want ?
Sally holds her first class, and she appears to be quite brilliant at it. At first, she is nervous, but when people start believing in her, she finds her footing. But she soon starts using some old Gene methods to get the best out of her students. The debate is palpable as you can see both sides of the coin. It is abuse, but without it, this girl wouldn't have gotten that performance out of herself. It's similar to the movie Whiplash in a sense, but on the acting front.
And I guess it is different for each student. I feel like there's different ways you could use. And she could maybe tell her students in advance what her intentions are. Or move to different techniques altogether. I don't know...
You question the habits. It is hard to move on or past these and the characters find themselves stuck. I felt bad for Sally a little bit, but also saw through her method. Trauma keeps creeping in and the struggle is real.
Barry doesn't realize at all what he is doing calling Noho Hank. He can't process what Hank is trying to tell him and oh boy, what a performance. When Hank lays it all out, it is tragically sad, and like the lost of a frienship. They won't be able to come back from that.
Fuches is notified of the intended hit on Barry, and as much as he feels betrayed, he is not in a state of mind where he wants to see his pal die. So he comes forward, and none of the guards take him seriously which added to the tension even more. So frustrating. It seems Jim Moss is unhinged also. The journalist comes out brainwashed or something, and Gene is threatened.
The finale is mindblowing when Barry spots the agent supposed to perform the hit. But the shot backfires and he loses his finger, while his accomplice fires through the roof. The whole room is lit up and the FBI agents are mowed down. Barry gets the guy in the ceiling and escapes. This isn't what Noho Hank planned, but the mission also ends up succesful in the sense where there's no deal anymore. But who knows, maybe there are other FBI agents that will investigate and see right through it all.
Now, with Barry gone, he is probably going to get framed for the murders, unless the ceiling guy was an outsider and not an agent, but then they could also pin Barry as an accomplice for the hit. And if Barry gets out, he is probably gonna try to contact Hank at some point or take his revenge. Or he could do like last season and show up, but step down at the last second and not kill him. Who knows... The myriad of possibilities is absolutely crazy.
And the fact Fuches will end up being the only guy that has Barry's back at the end, mirroring his youth is astonishing. I guess the cycle just repeats itself after all. And after all the boys have been through, maybe they'll end up brothers in arms one last time at the end. Oh boy. Both Barry and Sally have demons in their closets and are trying to escape their past, but glimpses keep pushing through. And bad habits persist. But the struggle is constant and also persisting. What a show...