BARRY 305, written by Emily Heller, has a lot of great stuff in it. Barry's crazy dialogue with Sally about destroying the studio exec who cancelled her show; Mr. Cousineau's arc.
But for me the stand out moment is Barry showing up at Hank and Cristobal's place for counseling. Anthony Carrigan as Hank is always delightful, but this scene is just *chefs kiss*. It's thrilling, too, because it's a rare moment on this show where everyone gets to speak honestly. Hank and Cristobal know who and what Barry is and so Barry doesn't have to hide; and, while of course with Barry there's always danger, Hank feels safe enough to be straight up with him about his rage issues. Really, in this scene and in the scene with Sally, part of what makes it so exciting is precisely the fact that it's the first time Barry is really revealing himself. When it comes to television having a character say or do the thing that they have withheld is a huge source of energy and catharsis for the audience.
But the thing I really want to draw attention to from that scene between Barry, Hank and Cristobal is the choice to place Hank and Cristobal together on the couch facing Barry. Call it a Side by Side. It creates a situation of comparison; that is to say, at every moment we are going to get two different reactions to what's going on, what's being said. Sometimes they react exactly the same, which tells us the ways in which they are on the same page. And other times there are going to be subtle differences that point to where they differ or have problems. So as Hank tells Barry that his problem is that he has a double life, and that is not sustainable, we get Cristobal looking down slightly, and then momentarily away, before coming back to Barry, but his eyes now slightly unfocused. It's a brilliant piece of acting from Michael Irby, and it basically opens up into the rest of the episode for those two characters, as Cristobal's wife shows up and ruins everything.
When you put two things side by side on screen, we will naturally compare and contrast them. And knowing that can be such a useful thing as a writer; it's one of the ways that we the audience will do so much character work for you if you let us.
And here's the other thing: TV shows and movies use this technique so rarely these days, when you can come up with a moment like this where it makes sense, it feels very fresh and original. Just its use becomes another hook for holding the audience.
If you're looking for an exercise to try, maybe take a minute to think about some of your own scripts. Are there any where you think a scene like this could work? If so, why not give it a try? Worst case it gives you a chance to experiment with this technique. Best case you've added something fun to your script.
