A Portrait of a Sociopath (It's Not Barry) | Video Essay
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 มิ.ย. 2020
- In series full of murders, drug dealers, gangsters, and con men, the real villain can be hard to spot. This video explores who the real bad guy is in Bill Hader's hit HBO show looking at the nuances of morality.
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Sally strikes me as someone who likes to be needed but who also doesn't like the long term leg work of actually helping someone.
You just described Barry
Sally is a manipulative controlling bitch that’s only invested or interested if she believes it will benefit her in some way. Sally really only cares about helping Sally.
@@tayjay1077 care to elaborate
@@tayjay1077 I don't agree. Barry needs a purpose, but that doesn't mean he needs to be needed. He didn't decide upon acting because he needed to be needed. He shows commitment to "helping" Sally and Gene in ways that make sense to him so that doesn't fit "not liking the long term leg work of actually helping someone." Sally, though, this observation about her is worth considering.
she’s the real sociopath
If there’s anyone who could be considered a villain of the show it’s Fuches. He willingly took advantage of Barry’s PTSD and depression after the war, enabled his worst qualities, treated him like shit and constantly tries to undermine his new life. And he has a more emotional hold on Barry due to their past, and being a friend of the latter’s father. Fuches is the only “family” Barry has left, and he uses that to manipulate the latter into throwing away his humanity and be a ruthless killer for his own personal gain.
But Fuchs always reverts back to sacrificing for Barry when he believes they can have a relationship again. The most recent season is a great example of this. Fuchs finally gets to place where he's willing to help Barry no matter what the circumstances, even after Barry betrays him...again.
@@fireant202 You forgot the part where Fuches just finished trying to betray him before Barry did it to him.
Plus, Fuches deserves all of that. Because if he really cared for him, he wouldn't have exploited him in the first place.
100% Agree. Fuches is the villain in most of the show. The fact that he got to live at the end fucking sickened me to be honest.
@@supernintenjoe8911 well in the end they have him a graceful exit. He got to save Barry’s son from the violence all around him which is what he should’ve done the young Barry. A bit of a redemption.
@@fireant202 Violence that he brought onto the Kid by doing business with Noho Hank.
Once again...he only feels bad and tries to redeem himself after his own bullshit causes it. It's nice that he had an epiphany, but it took him being a habitual "line stepper" for it to happen.
Regarding the way Sally pushes Barry to the edge when she wants him to act dramatically, I feel like it's also important to remember that when we first met her, Cousineau did the same to her. He brought her down and humiliated her in front of everybody so that she could "perform better". So it kinda feels like she learned this pattern and thinks it's the best way to act
this!! ^^ this honestly just struck me as an extreme method of acting that so many problematic theatre teachers use to get their students to "be better", rather than deliberate emotional abuse from sally
Thought the same. This was a great video dissection but I think it also should have gone into how the characters have the tendency to rub off on each other. Cousineau doing the dramatic exercise as well as Sally's relationship with her ex boyfriend definitely explains (but not excuses) some of the poor behavior she exudes. The same case can be made about other characters and how they act, with the outlier (of main characters at least) being Fuches since we don't know his background. Then again I could totally believe he's just an asshole for no reason because fuck Fuches.
It's important to state also however, boundaries. Gene would never shove and slap someone like Sally did Barry. That's straight up abusive.
@@ultrabigfella exactly, sally pushed him to a level that gene never did with her, that was already something aggressive
Still abuse. Sally of all people should know not to hit your partner. She never apologized for it either and after the show she was only concerned about what people had to say about HER instead of what Barry felt. Sometimes I wonder if she was even telling the truth about her ex beating her. We never got to hear his side of the story after all and she lied at first about confronting him, having it made up in her head. She might be so about herself and her 'story' that it might not even be true at all. Maybe I'm wrong on the last bit but everything else is solid facts.
I like the overarching theme of the video but there’s absolutely no way sally is the most morally reprehensible character in the show
could not believe my ears with the points she was raising on why sally is the real villain. what a truly bad take
@@mrsiwtv I clicked on this video, after finishing S3 expecting the video to be at Fuches. This is really a surprising take
As a psychologist who watched this show. I have to admit, I agree with her. Infact I came looking for such a video midway s2 hoping that I am not the only one who sees Sally for the villain that she is.
@@disturbed0insane SHES NOT MURDERING A TON OF PEOPLE!?
@@scottp4941 So? How does that absolve her of being a narcissistic sociopath? She is selfish, self absorbed A hole. Sorry that you don't understand human psychology much.
I think a big reason Sally is so "compassionate " to her ex husband is out of fear. Most people have heard of "fight or flight", but there is also "freeze" and "tend and befriend". Many women do this when scared by someone as it is usually the safest option. Women in abusive relationships are often manipulated and gaslighted into thinking everything is their fault. Abusers often prey on people's insecurities anf exploit their perseved weaknesses. Women often return to abusers because they have been psychologically abused into feeling responsible for all of their abuser's issues. Guilt and fear can be powerful weapons that can defy logic. I also want to note that I'm only speaking of some women and this dynamic can most certainly happen to any gender. It tends to occur more frequently with female victims and male perpetrators, but it can happen to anyone in any relationship.
I really like this! I definitely didn't see the depth of Sally's narcissism until now. And it's interesting how you pointed out the similarities between Barry's relationship with Fuches and his relationship with Sally. There's definitely some cool-I mean depressing parallels I never thought about. They're both abusing him for their own gain (although I'd argue manipulating someone to kill people and take a cut of the money is probably worse than emotionally abusing someone because of your own experiences). But Sally's situation is certainly more relatable. Everyone watching the show has definitely met a Sally. I really enjoy Sally as a character, even if she's pretty horrible to people a lot of times. But she is deeply human, like all the characters. And that's definitely one of the reasons I love this show so much. Anyway, great video!
Some of the best characters were created to be disliked!!!
when they both said that they made barry
@@abby3681 just got finished binging season 2 and holy shit you are right!
@@ArianaAlexis Just binge watched Barry while in Covid isolation and I must say…this is by far the most well thought out argument for why she is the antagonist. Especially after her jealousy and lack of empathy manifesting into this newest episode (she yelled at Natalie like a psycho)
Just wait till you see the third season 😏
I think it’s fair to say Neither Sally or Barry are good for each other. But with the context of season 3 it’s also fair to say that Barry’s behaviour is WAY more damaging to people than Sally’s is! Even in s1 & s2 he’s a hit man. I think Barry as a show is more about toxic antagonistic leads in shows like Dexter, 24 etc. justifications aside Barry kills people, most of the time we don’t even know why. He might be relatable but his actions are pretty hard to forgive. Sally is selfish… Barry is a murderer
Then you missed the end when she became a murderer.
Barry doesn’t want to be a murderer. Sally is just fine with the way she acts, and her methods are far more subtle and long term damaging. Also, she did kill a guy.
@@T-Flame in self defence… murder is murder! Sally being bitchy is doesn’t equate
Agreed, this video was made before S3 came out so it makes sense that its a little harder to sympathize with Sally. I still do because at her core, she is relatable.
Something the writers and Sarah Goldberg herself have discussed about her character is that, as far as Sally is concerned, she IS a selfless, good person, who's just trying to do the right thing and speak her own truth. She's generally not fully aware of her own toxic behavior. I feel like one of the reasons this show makes you think so much is that moral ambiguity to its main characters; that a person can be well-intentioned, but if they don't fully back up their ethics with their actions, just how much damage they can cause; that a person doesn't have to be malicious to be destructive.
Based on episode two of season 3, I don’t know. Barry seems pretty psycho.
Barry's psycho shit was kinda isolated to his work life. He's literally a broken man right out of a fucked relationship with Fuchs
Sally literally had a mental breakdown because she wasn't on the front page of Netflix. She's so narcissistic lol
@@llamapartyy her show was completely cancelled.
but she can definitely be narcissistic
He’s not truly psycho, he is just so numb to killing people that he has 0 apathy for human lives. He only kills to get his main objective, not because he wants to (not including personal reasons). But I guess having no “human mercy” for human lives makes you a psycho.
@@meatballsub7536 idk about only kills to get his main objective, he killed a whole building of people he trained due to his uncontrollable rage at the end of season 2. Sally sucks and always has but lets be real, the unremorseful (Barry only cares about not getting caught and keeping out of jail) rage filled killer Barry is the biggest pyscho on the show. I love him but hes pyscho. Sally is just a toxic hollywood girl, not a rampaging murderer.
But the whole point is both of them aren't good for the other, they hooked up because Barry wanted an anchor to a normal life and Sally wanted a nice and non-violent guy to be close to, but they rushed into it. Sally's not good for Barry because she tries to be more controlling (her whole season 2 deal was trying to portray the truth of how she left her abusive husband and that no one in the real world is going to be able to give their abuser's a piece of their mind, but the loss of control in those situations makes the best solution to usually just be to quietly leave. She panics and changes the scene because she can't have that big of an audience see how weak she thinks she is, or else people would assume that victims of abuse will just go along with it). Barry is used to people being more controlling in relationships, so he hasn't seen yet that she does this stuff, and it's not good for him! And on Sally's side, she keeps mentioning that she'll never be with a violent man again, yet there have been so many times in the show where Barry's almost out of control with rage, and because he is Very bad with anger management and is VERY capable of killing, there's a big chance that he'll end up doing something to her (which thank god it hasn't happened yet but the show isn't finished). This was brought up in the video, but everyone in the show is a bad person, but just because Sally hasn't picked up how harmful she's been as of season 2, doesn't mean that she won't also have a realization later on, like how Gene realized that he was a bad father, and how Barry at least knows what he's been doing is bad (which is a whole other topic, but Barry just keeps digging himself into a whole by doing worse and worse things to prove he's a good person). I think it all goes back to a theme of the cycles of abuse that is prevalent during most of the show, both Barry and Sally have done bad things and are still doing bad things because of their circumstances. Anyways the main villain of the show is the US military no I will not take questions.
!!!!!!
Great reading of Sally. I thought this video was going to be about Fuches, and was very surprised to see Sally, of all people, being labelled not only as a SOCIOPATH (!!?), but as *the* sociopath in this show. I mean, she's selfish, and awful to many other characters, but it's how that contrasts with her desires, past and good qualities (and she does have them) that makes her such a complex and real person, and an interesting character to watch.
But on a show with a monster like Barry (and the creators do think of him as a monster), and Fuches, and many other murderers? Sally is just a person you wouldn't want to be around. This video was very over the top.
Barry is also a war criminal! And Fuches probably for sure is too lol
Barry is definitely a villian
He is but so is sally
I mean he's an anti hero really
@@SamanthaLain (discusses season 1 and 2) I think that depends on your definition of "anti-hero". For me at least, it's a character that does villainous things to help others (the others is important to me, cos I think that's where hero applies). All the shitty things Barry does is just for self-preservation and almost every time it's at the expense of other people. He kills Chris due to bad circumstances, that in a way he incidentally caused and it leaves behind his wife and kid, Janice sends Gene into a downward spiral, Ronnie was literally just part of an affair (even if he was "trying not to kill him" he was still trying to upend a man and his daughter's whole life just so he wouldn't get arrested), and at the stash house he killed Hank's guys too who all looked up to him.
I'd say the one time Barry almost killed someone on show that wasn't explicitly for personal gain was when he was going to shoot Sally's ex, Sam.
(This all being said you can totally root for a villain, it is just a fictional show after all so what matters is interesting characters not necessarily morally good characters.)
(breaking bad spoilers) I see him as kind of an accelerated Walter White. Walt was originally an anti-hero but as the show went on his actions became less excusable and more irredeemable (such as letting a young woman OD, I believe. That tends to be most people's breaking point on Walt) which ultimately made the show's main protagonist the villain.
tl;dr (sorry, didn't mean to write so much) Barry can certainly be perceived as an Anti-Hero until you start to think he's crossed the line, at which point he is indeed a protagonist villain.
@@theatregeek299 I thought anti hero kinda just ment like the main character we root for mostly who is also a villain, like doctor horrible I thought of as an anti hero. I do think your right that Barry is turning into the bad guy especially in the new episodes. i think a lot of people who kinda have excepted him as a hitman and when you do that it's easier to rationalize a lot of the worst things he does I think Chris is actually one that people can rationalize a but more because if Chris went to the police it could get a lot more people killed. I think his most selfish kill is actually Janice because he killed her just to keep his status quo. But even then your kinda like well it does seem like he's going to stop killing so it's easier to root for him still even if what he does is awful. That has changed because of what happened at the monastery. he is going full villain for sure
@@SamanthaLain Yeah, words are weird and literary terms are weirder. Anti-hero is a specific character archetype, they're still a hero just willing to do bad things when the situation calls for it. A main character that's also a villain is just a villain (they just also happen to be the protagonist). An anti-hero is still ultimately trying to make the world a better place, but I don't think Barry's doing that. His world maybe, but everyone liking him and him getting whatever he wants seems to be his primary concern. But yeah, the show is very good at giving you a tinge of hope that Barry will make the right decision or recognize his horrific actions (looking at you most recent episode) and then being mortified by what he ends up doing.
You just made a deep show even deeper. I just thought Sally was a bad girlfriend but it's much worse than just that. I need to rewatch this series.
Thank you so much for your kind words! Barry is such an amazing show, I could have written this Sally video in a positive light too. That’s how layered and interesting it is. Highly recommend rewatching it :)
@@ArianaAlexis I just wanted to tell you that I rewatched the series with my wife. She didn't want h it with me the first time and I didn't tell her anything about the show beforehand. She pointed out many things about Sally that you did and that I completely missed the first time around. Then, I showed her your video. It was a lot talking about your observations. Thanks again for posting and keep up the good work, Ariana.
It's funny, my wife took more of a dislike to her than I did initially, though I definitely thought she was being shitty to him at Natalie's party. But she seemed genuinely grateful, not manipulative, when she called him a generous partner when she was playing Macbeth.
I had a girlfriend just like sally. JUST like her. She was a failing actress who got kicked out of her program (even though she WAS quite talented) due to some really shitty behavior. She blamed her roommates. She slapped me in the face twice. She talked the same way, and she even had the same haircut. Barry is obviously a bit of an issue as a person, but I relate to his abuse very personally. She kept me around because I treated her like a movie star.
do you happen to be a hitman by chance
Well I hope you got head on straight and dumped her ass.
Sorry to hear that bro
As Sarah Goldberg said in Gossamer last year "We’re all so ready to forget that Barry literally kills people for a living and still root for him, and yet we’re challenged by an ambitious woman who has some irritating personality traits."
Treating everyone around you like props is not an “irritating personality trait.” Barry at least recognizes what he does is wrong and makes a genuine attempt to get out of the life, but sally doesn’t. Sally’s too much of a narcissist to recognize that she’s in the wrong
@@GigaChadh976 lol no Barry does not make a genuine attempt to get out and he never recognizes what he does as wrong. If he did he would have remorse and he would turn himself in, but he's just as selfish as sally and only wants to not get caught
@@GigaChadh976 Yeah but still, I would rather have someone manipulate and demean me rather than shoot me in the forehead
@@GigaChadh976 he is not taking any responsibility for his own actions. That's the growing the character has to do, he thinks he has to do what he does and that everything is someone else's fault. He kind of feels bad about it but he doesn't think he's to blame. He even said to some of his victims before he kills them that it is their fault. At the moment Barry realizes that he's a bad person, not someone that is trapped in bad circumstances, the show is over. It is like Breaking Bad, by the end Walter sees that he was doing all because of his own ego, that the "taking care of his family" was an excuse.
@@GigaChadh976 she. Doesn’t. Kill. Anyone. And Barry’s attempts to leave his hit man life are pretty pathetic. He fails because he is incapable of sacrificing anything to stop killing people.
really nice essay, although i think youre giving sally a little bit too much credit. while shes an awful girlfriend and a very self centered person, i dont think she realises this, nor the fact that their relationship mimics the one she had with her ex. in hindsight, we can try to blame her for numerous things but honestly she couldnt have known within the show. plus blaming her for being gaslit by her ex is really weird.shes the victim here, not the perpetratror, she does want to leave the hotel! honestly shes no more flawed than the rest of the cast, and barry is far from a good person either, we just sympathise a lot with him and are able to make up excuses for him since hes the main character and we get to see what goes behind the scenes in his head. reminds me with how breaking bad fans hated skyler much more than walt. still a good video with an interesting take though, nice work. im glad more people talk about this show and your essays never disappoint.
It really is the Skylar situation all over again. Skylar is trapped by Walt financially, emotionally, and legally. Walt is a criminal and all people can talk about is how Skylar is holding him back. Barry is literally a mass murderer but Sally is somehow the sociopath here...
@@beemini3374 couldnt agree more dude, exactly!!
Dude season 3 has everyone’s personalities switch and I love it. No better way to say “their worlds are falling apart”
@@shadowthehedgehog7442 dude, your comment just made me realise there IS a season three! Ive been on exams so i had no idea. Cant believe barry and better call saul are realising episodes at the same time. So good
My thoughts exactky
insanely on-point analysis. I love it. Also like that you pull no punches, Sally's character is extremely sympathetic, but you are not wrong, she's just vain at heart, and living through this experience for the first time.
Anyone who thinks Sally is worse than Barry...I just don't know what to say. Like Barry, Sally is a flawed complex character, but she is nowhere near the monster that Barry is. I keep seeing people say they're shocked at Barry's actions in season 3, but he's always been that guy. He will murder just to self preserve himself and his lifestyle. Sure, Sally can be self-absorbed, but she's never threatened a to kill a person's son and grandson like Barry has.
It's cliche to say but this show has a problem with certain fans the same way Breaking Bad did with those who hated Skyler unreasonably. Certain people seem to think that since Barry is the protagonist that means he's ultimately a good guy. Media illiteracy combined with good old fashioned misogyny.
Ok🙄
Reminds me a lot of Skylar's treatment. I get why people feel this way. It's easy to empathize with a murderer when the show wants you to, especially considering the audience is much more likely to have experience with a selfish friend than a hitman. I'm gonna hold off most of my judgement for when the show finishes it's run.
I think skylar was just kinda anoying and i guess she fucked Ted ? Meh nothing compared to any of the other BB charrecters , while Sally actually does have a bunch of toxic traits and is emotionally abusive that being said yes obviously the serial killer barry is worse , he literally mows down like 50 people during the show lol
yeah, it is incredibly dumb that so many people think barry isnt a monster. sally is just a typical narcissist. barry is a naturally violent monster who cares only about self preservation and will kill for it. i like bill hader and all but that doesnt fool me into thinking barry is an ok guy.
@@jayyy1677 "ok"
^ when you have absolutely nothing to say but you just have to say something.
Cool video. Her treatment of Barry can be seen as one of many possible reactions to being in an abusive relationship; essentially, "the best defence is a good offence". If she is the abuser, she won't be the one abused. That's how she could be rationalizing it.
I don't think that any of these things make her the "most reprehensible" character in the show, although it certainly seems that way because the show is about Barry and his relationships with others. Lasting consequences do matter. We have Fuches who uses a hitman to make money and did plenty of harm to Barry so I think it's hard to argue that he actually cares for him. Barry himself, of course, is an actual hitman who killed a police detective doing her job, and his friend, all so his new life won't go up in flames. Plenty of things can be said for other characters.
Hrrm. Interesting take. I hadn't seen it that way before! I need to rewatch the series and look at it through this lens. On my first watchthrough, Sally just struck me as a deeply broken character, who felt wronged, both by her abusive ex-husband, but also the misogynistic industry in which she works in. That scene by the pool where she kinda snaps about Barry potentially getting a role, reads to me more as a breaking point where she feels it's unfair how she, as a woman, had to work harder to get to where she is, and Barry kinda just got it... For free. For being tall? Or something? I think that would mess with anyone's head. But anyway, great analysis!
This breakdown blew my mind. I’ve dated a Sally before and the way you described her was pinpoint. Excellent video.
What an amazing essay. With every episode, I found myself feeling more hate towards Sally. I was able to recognise a lot of these instances you mentioned but I never realised that she was pretty much gaslighting him! Also, it seems like Hank is the only person who actually cares about Barry. The scene where Barry shoots the brightest kid from the Chechnians was so well done. It really shows the dark, violent side that we saw back in his military days.
THISSSS!!!, holy this video is just amazing, after finishing season 3 and getting this as a recommended I took a deep dive on sally's character and my god it hits me harder because I've meet people like Sally, I can't wait to show this video to my sister since she has some nice essays about this show haha.
You like Barry because you like Bill Hader, they kinda work together. But he killed his friend (someone's husband and father) so he continue on with his faux life. And he killed the detective (his friend and mentor's love of his life). Barry is not as nice as you think. Definitely worse than his broken shallow, egotistic girlfriend.
He killed his friend because he was going to rat to the police and get his own family, sally, Barry himself, and his friends at his acting class killed. Barry did I’m a favor
You're with Barry along the ride because he is being lead in a life that's not up to his choosing. He wants to leave the lifestyle behind but keeps getting pulled back at all areas. The girlfriend only makes things worse
@@da835t I feel some empathy for Barry but let’s not pretend like he couldn’t just turn himself in and allow himself to be held accountable rather than killing more and more people including the people who are actually in his life
@@GigaChadh976 Barry brought Chris in on it in the first place. That was his fault. He put Chris and his family in danger. He killed Chris to cover his own ass, not to help Chris. Let’s also not forget he killed Janice rather than be held accountable
@@jacobm6617 right, when Barry opened the door and told Chris to leave, that was Barry inviting him into all of it, not attempting to give him an out. Chris made his own choices as well. Taylor would be the one who brought him in on all of it.
I got to rewatch this now. Some shows are better on the second watch
Hanging out for season 3..I really enjoy seeing other Barrys' being abused by sociopaths..great analysis!
Most anticipated New Season Ever!!!
I think it's a little more nuanced than this but you do make a lot of good points. She's definitely very vain and self-centered. But I also certainly wouldn't consider her an antagonist.
I mean she is constantly making Barry feel worse
@@GigaChadh976 Yeah but that's simplifying a very complex character. She certainly does and says some awful stuff over the course of the series, but narratively speaking, she isn't really an antagonist. I guess you could argue she becomes one closer to the end of season 2 with one scene in particular pushing Barry over the edge. But she's definitely not a predominant obstacle that Barry needs to overcome during the course of the series. She's a deeply flawed and nuanced foil for Barry to play off of for the majority of the series. The actual antagonists of the show would really be Goran and maybe Fuches toward the end of season 2.
Fuches is the primary antagonist and the one character who’s truly sociopathic.
FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT!! I love this show, tbh i’ve been thinking of rewatching it because of how much i love it. But Sally is just such a toxic character that tbh kinda reminds me of people we all know. I just can’t stand her and she is the reason i struggle to rewatch
I mean I don’t think they’re saying she’s a bad character, just an unlikable one. She has an important purpose in how the show is driven.
How many people has Barry killed so far in the show? Yet Sally is the true villain. Yeah that makes sense
...Barry kills people
@@brians185 You have never met a person like Barry. There Is near unanimous agreement that we've all met a Sally. It's about familiarity
Bill hader would absolutely hate this video and he's the co-creator of the show, just so you know
Who's here after that interview with Bill Hader where his response to this video essay is basically "Hey what the fuck, Barry's literally a murderer and you think Sally's worse?"
If that’s his genuine reaction that’s a massive condemnation of his writing
@@GigaChadh976 LOL, no it’s not. It’s a massive condemnation of our society’s bias against assertive women. Sally is deeply flawed but she 1000% a better human being than Barry.
I’m going to look for that interview. Thanks for mentioning it. I’m here because I finished watching the entire series and found this among all the Barry videos on youtube.
Does anyone have the name of this interview or a link to it?
Sarah Goldberg’s performance as Sally (in season 3 *especially*) is - no joke - one of my all time favorite performances ever. It’s so chaotic and also controlled and SO unique. I can’t get over her talent.
Wow between all the comedy i didnt realize how heartbreaking was all the cycle of controlling relationships of Barry.
this was a pretty good analysis, especially how you backed up your argument. i would just like to note that barry was in the marines, not army. might be a small cherry pick, but i think it's still important to distinguish the different cultures between the army and the marines due to the effects on barry.
yeah, the narrator was sounding like the other people in the acting class, calling him 'soldier' when acting out his scene even though he was in the marines.
wow, excellent analysis, my dudette. I look forward to your next videos hopefully about seasons 3 and 4 of Barry
Oh my God, I can completely relate to this type of relationship. This may sound crazy, but I think you just gave me the perspective I needed. Wow.
This was a superb video! I never thought of Sally like that, but now that you mention it... It totally makes sense. While most of us will never become hitman, mobsters, or otherwise, we have dealt with or become "Sallys" in our lives. There is a greater danger to be like her than to be anyone else in the show.
Gosh I needed this!I was like there’s something wrong with Sally and I didn’t know what.I was so intrigued with her and keep thinking about the character. The actress was so good for being able to portray her . Love the show for being this gooooood❤
Very good video, great analysis of one of my absolute favorite shows of all time
Thanks Brandon!!! It's so good to see you here. Thanks for the comment. Keep well!
Ok... Sure Sally is a toxic and a self absorbed person but you are forgetting she also survived an abusive relationship and probably also had PTSD, Barry was a victim of war which caused his PTSD and both of them have issues managing their anger. Sally wasn't a good person or a good girlfriend, I agree with that but you just can't compare that with murdering innocent people and destroying families out of convenience like Barry did. You tend to feel sympathy for Barry because he is trying to scape his life of violence but the fact is that he is a monster, weather he wants it or not, yes he is a victim of war and mental illness but he is also true evil. Sally is a really messed up person who hasn't been able to process her trauma and takes it out on weaker people but she is not a monster, it's not fair to make her the villain of the story just because she is unlikable, this shows you why gender biases are sooo dangerous.
Just watched 3x02 of the new season of Barry and this does not age well, dude ....
I think the point of the show was showing how a sociopath like Barry (who def is a sociopath) can fit in with the Hollywood scene and nobody bats an eye, mostly due to the fact that everyone else there r all only focused on themselves and don’t actually care abt others like they say they do.
As easy as it is to empathize w Barry when he mostly frames himself as somebody who gets used by others, he does at the end of the day do what he does for himself (ex. K*lling his marine best friend, moss, and an entire monastery to get to Hughes) so I’d b careful saying he isn’t a sociopath, or that he’s someone to empathize with. He even gets special treatment in the acting business for just being a cool looking guy. It’s def a genius show that points out the irony in the Hollywood industry.
Sorry long rant all done tho.
Really good points. I agree with all of that.
He’s definitely not a sociopath. Those people feel neither empathy nor remorse. Barry demonstrates both. He’s broken and prone to psychotic breaks and that’s when he kills, but remember that at the start he says he’s killed only “bad guys” and part of his change is that Ryan clearly isn’t a bad guy. A sociopath wouldn’t care.
Fuches is definitely a sociopath though. And Sally isn’t.
@@MDK2_Radio in a way that makes his behaviour worse. Increasingly, he knows it’s wrong but does it anyway. The massacre in the monastery definitely wasn’t a psychotic break, he wasn’t hallucinating. It was rage.
@@sopyleecrypt6899 to me it makes his killing more tragic, because he really knows better but is unable to do the right thing (in particular, he should have cooperated with Moss and allow himself to be arrested, or let Chris turn himself in and face justice then). But I would say he was definitely on a psychotic break during the monastery massacre. It’s why he was able to do so coldly what he couldn’t do when Hank sent him to do that job earlier in the season.
Excellent analysis! I completely agree about Sally.
"Gene, do you love Barry Berkman?"
Barry is a stone killer. The fact he allows himself to be manipulated doesn't make him a victim. Barry's self preservation drive leads him to murder every time, regardless of how emotionally attached he is (think Chris), or how bad he feels afterward. Never lose sight of the callous murder committed because there is no 'forgiving Jeff'. He is the sociopath of the show.
Everyone who encounters him has their own psychologocial issues and those conditions cause them to bond with Barry. All of them are sociopathic, borderline, narcissitic, psychopathic or at least very selfish. They are so in their own heads they don't see the clear signs of distress that Barry constantly telegraphs. These relationships are mutual use situations where unsettling behavior is ignored if you're getting what you want.
You could single out Cousineau and make the exact same case you're making for Sally, maybe more so, because Gene represents the actual pathway to a different future for Barry. Fuches? Probably the worst person on the show for what other commenters have pointed out. And NoHo? He traded family for Barry, for what? But none of them rises to the level of Barry, including Fuches, who is unable to kill. For Barry, killing is instinctual and automatic, without regard for consequences. Not understanding consequences is a hallmark of socio and psychopathic behavior.
If you look at their behavior and not their entertaining quirks, each character is an irredeemable monster in their own right. In the end, this is about Barry and his demons. Like attracts like. His sickness drew in and enabled other's sicknesses. Even the victims are victimized yet again (Sharon, Ryan's dad, the widow). Barry is the black hole at the center of a very dark, evil universe. He represents the amalgumation of all of the evil of all of the main characters of the show, all reflections of each other's failed hopes, darkness, selfishness and, ultimately, decay.
Cousineau is trying to break free and, just like Better Call Saul was really the story of Kim Wexler's redemption, Barry may turn out to be about Cousineau's. We'll see how that goes.
I think the show is positively Shakespherean. It's the television equivalent of 'The Downward Spiral'. Having said that, I think it's fair to ask ourselves why we find it so entertaining.
I LOOOOOOOOVE this video. I love it. It recontextualized everything. Thank you
Well done video. This brought me a new perspective on one of my fav shows, thanks
This video aged like fine wine due to the later seasons, she becomes completely unhinged and abusive to others not just Barry.
Fuches and Hank "tether Barry to a life of crime" (obviously, factually true) but Sally "tethers Barry to feelings of despair and self-doubt"??? I'm sorry, what??? I'm pretty sure the thesis of the show is that being a hitman is Bad, Actually, and that Barry's emotional problems are a combination of 1) the emotional problems that caused him to do such an obviously Bad, Actually thing to begin with, and 2) the emotional repercussions of seeing himself as a person who does things that are Bad, Actually. The first pre-exist the show and Sally has nothing to do with them, and the second are CLEARLY APPROPRIATE EMOTIONAL RESPONSES TO THE REAL SITUATION BARRY IS IN. Sally's only role there is being a "normie" for Barry to fall in love with and cause him to question his previous reality. A person who wants to think of themselves as a good person, but murders people for a living - which Barry is - SHOULD feel despair and self-doubt because this is an inherently contradictory situation to be in. "I want to be a good person but I've killed a bunch of people in a morally bad way in a past I cannot change" is a genuinely desperate situation, and "I've been thinking killing people was compatible with me being a good person but now I'm realizing is not" is a situation that induces the most legitimate, rightful self-doubt you could come up with. The problem with Barry isn't that he feels despair and self-doubt during the show's running, it's that *he didn't feel it before*. And the show is him reconnecting with the morality of his actions and dealing with the resulting emotions.
And like, oh my god the actual evidence for her being "a sociopath". I'm sorry, it is 100% appropriate to be creeped out by someone buying you a laptop after you slept with them once. It's bizarre that you're describing Barry's action as pure kindness, as if 1) Sally should be able to read his mind on this, and 2) if Sally *could* read his mind she wouldn't run screaming because she very explicitly does NOT want to be in a relationship with a person who uses violence to solve their problems, and Barry has deliberately hidden this from her despite her telling him this several times. You know, if we're keeping track of who's being a bad SO here. If Barry moved from one controlling relationship to another, which I don't entirely dispute (although I think Sally's emotional issues are very understandable given her past of abuse and not some sign of sociopathy), his relationship with Sally is clearly the most healthy one he's had so far. You know, at least her ideal of who Barry should be is semi-aligned with who he aspires to be, which isn't the case for the others.
It's also bizarre how you ascribe all this incredible knowledge on Sally's part - how she's attacking "his pain points" in the scene where she's trying to rile him up for the choking scene, how you say she's his only source of comfort "and she knows it". I'm sorry, does she? Sally DOESN'T KNOW BARRY AT ALL. If she did she'd run screaming (see the aforementioned re violent men). The pain points Sally brings up in the choking scene are HER pain points, they're the things she wishes she'd said to her abusive boyfriend... And it's dramatic irony that they happen to be Barry's pain points too. Sally has no reason to know she's Barry's only source of comfort because she knows very little of his life in the military and what she knows is sanitized; she doesn't know his relationship with Fuches; we have no reason to think she knows anything about him that we as the audience aren't privy to, and we aren't privy to much. It's like when she says she doesn't want to be with a violent man, and Barry is like "oops". Obviously Sally didn't say this to manipulate him because she knows he's a hitman, she's just saying a normal thing for a person in her position to say. THE SHOW knows that she said something that was weirdly resonant for Barry but SHE has no reason to know that, and indeed it's kind of the point of her character that she doesn't. Barry is realizing how abnormal his existence is from the dissonant interactions he has with all those normies, who react to his first kill as if it were traumatic (when he actually experienced it as being amazing), who think murder is bad (when he thinks it's at least *acceptable* - like, he does it right? And he's a good person, so there you are)... Sally pushing his buttons is part of that. What does it tell Barry, do you think, that when she says things to him that *look like* she's seeing into his soul, she's actually talking to the abusive boyfriend in her head?
It's like... Is Sally a selfless person who is the perfect partner for Barry? No. She *is* self-interested and psychologically messy and not as compatible with Barry as both would hope, insofar as if she knew Barry's truth it's doubtful she would stay with him. And I agree the ideal partner for Barry *would* be less self-involved and able to be more attentive to him and his emotional state. That doesn't make her a psychopath. Her level of self-interestedness and messiness is above average at worst, and either way is completely within the range of ordinary, morally-acceptable human behavior. Which I wouldn't say of most of the other main characters in the show. The main criticism leveraged towards her is that her actions are self-interested instead of being selfless in favor of Barry, which, OK? Most of those are reasonable - like, yeah, when you're in a very competitive field trying to make a career then prioritizing career moves over a certain percentage of relationship moments is expected - and it's not like Barry is being selfless in her favor. Hey remember how he murdered her acting teacher and mentor's girlfriend while they were all at that lakehouse together, thus traumatizing her and (more practically) rendering said acting teacher/mentor barely functional - was that selfless or in her interest? What did you think of Skyler White I wonder (glances idly at thumbnail) "In defence of Beatrice" from BoJack Horseman oh good grief what is this channel
Brilliant reply. Agree with everything you said. Thank you 🙏
@@sopyleecrypt6899 I've just gotten back into watching Barry after stopping around the end of Season 2, and I'm currently partway through season 3. OMG does the first half of that season beclown this video's take. Even I in season 2 would have said it was ~ironic~ that Sally got out of one violent relationship to get into a relationship with a guy who's a hitman meaning he's violent *on paper* but actually he's cool for her (you know, barring the occasional murder of her mentor's soulmate but that wasn't *directed at her* the way abusive behavior would be - it makes him worse than her as a person but not necessarily worse than her ex as a boyfriend). But season 3 makes it crystal clear that, nope, this isn't a cute "I can save him" ball of violence who directs his violence outside of the relationship, or for that matter a guy who has clarity on his own issues and is currently on a path to self-improvement. Dude actually, like, has problems man.
Wow this is well done. Casts a new light on everything
To give flip some of the spotlight back onto Barry, he does feel sympathetic to us because he's clearly dealing with terrible trauma from the military, plus he seems like he may even have some mental issues besides. But one of Barry's issues besides all that is that he wants to move on past that other life and change, which we sympathize with, but he wants that to just happen without him having to do any work to change.
It’s Alec Berg, not Alex. 🤫 I liked your essay but I think you’re doing Sally wrong. She’s selfish, definitely. She’s the normal LA theater student though. She cares about him and she likes him, her past though makes her distanced. In the end, she never wanted to be with a violent man, yet Barry is a murderer and is putting his needs (he loves her, wants to be with her) over her safety. I don’t like nor dislike Sally. I think she’s a very well-written and honest character. Cousineau is definitely more selfish than any other Character in the show, yet nobody is giving him shit for it. People just don’t like, when the female lead isn’t perfect and your essay is proving that. She’s selfish and can be a bitch, she’s not a horrible person though. Nonetheless I respect your effort and it’s totally fine to have another opinion on that topic! Some things are just wrong though. For example when she changed her text on stage. She didn’t wanted to throw him off to look good. She was scared to tell her story in front of hundreds of people. Bill Hader said that Barrys mood at that moment was so dangerous, that if she wouldn’t have thrown over the table he probably would’ve really choked or probably even killed her. We’ve seen where Barry can go, if he gets angry. She’s not the villain.
i agree, well said.
Agreed 100%. I think her essay is very well made but like you, I disagree with the premise. Sally is flawed and damaged but she is not a villain. For one, she is unaware of the real stakes at play here so a lot of her decisions about Barry are misniformed. Barry does know what is going on and yet he makes one bad choice after another. Sally is selfish and narcissistic (as I’m told so many actors are), but after season 2 you understand so much better where a lot of her insecurities and outbursts are coming from. Like when Barry gives her the laptop in season 1. That’s an inmediate red flag for her, that’s why she reacts the way she does. Anyway it’s always nice to see more essays about this gem of a show, even if I disagree with them.
i understand that sally is very dislikable, but i think the thing that makes us (especially us women) hate her most is because she's human. she's not portrayed as some perfect, glorified, strong female character that we typically see on tv, but rather a reflection of ourselves, and that is why we see her ugly. i do agree that she is rather narcissistic, but that's all she is. she has been hurt before and she doesn't want to be a pushover again, so she stands her ground in certain circumstances (i am not saying that everything she does is right, but they are human choices). she doesn't accept barry's gift cuz it is CREEPY AF. he's a one night stand, not a boyfriend. that choice in the script was actually made by the female writers cuz bill hader and the male writers thought it was a nice move until the female writers pointed out how creepy it was and they ended up changing the script so sally rejected the gift instead of receiving it (as a human woman should). instead of bashing on the only female lead character, we should try to empathize with her, because we are clearly portraying double standards here, calling the narcissistic female character the bad guy out of a sea of murderers (yes barry is a murderer and not your uwu broken human, he killed chris and janice for his own gain) and mobsters (as much as i love noho hank he is a morally corrupted bad person) is just subtle hollywood sexism. men get to be murderous but likeable while women with human flaws are the scum of the earth... i understand the frustration but please reevaluate your feminism if you think sally is the true bad guy of barry
I saw that anecdote about the laptop in an interview and it made me love everyone involved in the show so much more. I actually checked to see how many women worked on the show and I was pleasantly surprised. I don’t know, I just don’t understand how anyone can think she’s a villain, especially after the second season. Your reply was really on point btw.
Thank you! Sally is a narcissist. Her relationships are made up of toxic power dynamics, not just with Barry but also her friends. But that doesn’t mean she’s the villain of the story, and that sure as hell doesn’t mean that she’s a sociopath. So many analyses I’ve seen of the laptop scene paint her as egotistical for not reacting positively, or at the very least passively. The thing is, no matter how unlikeable and manipulative she is, she doesn’t owe Barry a relationship- which is something a lot of video essayist seem to have a problem understanding. Especially when placing her reaction in the broader context of her life, she had a very human response to his gesture. I’m by no means calling her a good person, but her character is always viewed with a very sexist double standard.
@@meganr2869 The thing she misses is also that the people who show sympathy and care to Barry is the people he respects enough to be REAL in front of. To be himself. He is NEVER himself with Sally because he doesn't see her as a person, just a dream, the perfect life, the way things should be. We can see this in his daydreams where she is the "perfect wife" That is not who she is or who she will ever be, but he doesn't care, because he doesn't care about her. He doesn't give one part of himself to her, not one part of who he really IS. He doesn't invest anything into the relationship.
i partly agree that sally is not as evil as the video makes it seem and she is not a sociopath. However, she is a text-book covert narcissist. She lacks empathy, she tends to feel above everyone else and flips out whenever she does not, is abusive, does everything to get what she wants and does not care about anyone else other than herself, these are clearly evident in the show. Yes she might be "relatable" to some people or you and yes she is complex, but thats the main point of the show; every human is, the show perfectly reflects how the abusers or narcissists point of view is justified by their own perspectives and their own "innocent white girl" part of themselves. That everyones wrong doing is somehow caused by their deeper trauma and that what they are doing can bee seen as understanable, but then again, does or should it matter, when the physical effect is as clear and uncaring as a cold water? How far can you go until you focuse on what you do rather than why you do it? Thats the dualistic point of the show; the justifications we tell to ourselves vs the reality of which we know to be the truth, the effects that are caused by your own actions.
THANK YOU! Barry is the bad guy. Not sally. Barry is! And just because Sally rejected his creepy ass gesture, everyone suddenly starts having these frankly really misogynistic takes about Sally being as bad or worse than fucking murders just cause she was mean to her psycho boyfriend a couple times. Honestly
Very unique perspective and analysis. I really enjoyed it and it hit me pretty hard when I realized you were spot on.
thank you so much for this video, i really never understood exactly what was happening whenever sally was on screen but this makes it all so much more clear!
Wow, this is really well done and the point about Barry going from the military, to Fuches, to Sally is super powerful. That's a really really good point, thankyou for making this. Barry is fucking fantastic too!
so glad i'm not the only one thinking this, thanks for putting into words, especially so skillfully. Cheers
I think Sally is an extremely shallow character. And her shallowness is part of her character’s humor. It’s a black comedy, black comedy only works if pretty much every character is completely awful. Also the fact that she scoffs at comedy is very telling about her lack of acting ability.
were acting like barry doesn’t put sally in incredible danger by constantly lying to her and hiding his violent and dangerous side all because he completely relies on her, and unstable person, to uphold his fantasy of having a perfect life………
Barry: lies about his entire identity to sally, never opens up emotionally, expects her love and attention, is a genuinely violent person
Sally: thinks that a stranger giving her a laptop is creepy, is mean sometimes, is just as self serving as every other character
some of y’all: sally is the worst
barry is not a little vulnerable boy who needs saving, he is an adult with agency. every single time he says he’s gonna stop being violent, he chooses violence for the sake of himself. every time sally tries to get him to open up, he shuts her out. maybe it’s PTSD, maybe he knows if he does she won’t want him anymore. the reason she doesn’t do anything big for him, in my opinion, is because he never lets her get the chance. the perspective of this video is lacking a lot of very important details for the sake of misogyny.
and that's that!!
She is clearly a sociopath, you are defending a person who humiliates another woman because she wanted to.
I think they are both shitty humans obviously
I think it’s because Barry knows that his actions are immoral while Sally doesn’t really think about how damaging her actions are. We also know more about Barry and his backstory so we sympathize with him more. Not everything is about gender.
Sallys just fucking annoying its nothing to do with misogyny but more how the show is made to make you sympathize with Barry because hes the main character.
This is great work… this has changed how I view the show completely! In a good way
I've lived and worked in Hollywood for 17 years, and *_what I love about "Barry" is that the show pulls no punches against the acting industry, theater, or the actors and actresses who are struggling to be professionals!_* And I really loved this essay, because from my experience, a lot of who Sally is defines most of the actors and actresses out here to a "T". Although I tend to see them more as _"narcissistic"_ rather than sociopathic. *Sally is the epitome of the LA girlfriend: it's all about optics, control, and convenience.* This character is knocked out of the park in terms of writing and acting because 'she' is EVERYWHERE in this town! We ALL know Sally. We've ALL dated Sally. *_And sadly, I know where this is going for Barry: she's going to dump him for someone who can bring her up the ladder socially or who "meets her needs" better._* That's the LA story: _"The Bigger, Better Deal"._ The writers might try to pull a fast one and give her a "come to Jesus" moment where she gets some self-awareness, or they might pull a Dexter and she ends up killed by one of Barry's enemies, but I think they're going to go with the flow of most LA relationships with a Sally: *she's going to dump him, or cheat on him and **_THEN_** dump him.* That's going to be the ultimate crisis for Barry because he's pinned most of his journey of self-discovery on her, and being rejected on such a fundamental level SUCKS.
Sally is the first person all of us date when we come to LA. It's the good looking predator who seems to be everything our old life wasn't, and we're sucked in by the combination of how new they are to us, how vibrant they feel, and how much they 'need' us. But the show captures the dark side really well. I could tell right after she slept with him exactly who she was going to be, and the prognosis was not good for Barry. These people will leave you a wreck, but worse, after the relationship is over, *_THEY PAINT YOU AS THE VILLAIN._* This is going to be the hardest part on Barry, because he sees her with rose-colored glasses on, and even though her ex truly was abusive, _Barry can't conceive that she will lump him in with her abusive ex after she dumps Barry or cheats on him._
It's what makes the show great in my book. Hollywood loves to love itself, and there are very few shows that hold up the ugly mirror like this one does and show how ridiculous this town actually is! And more importantly, why we shouldn't put actors, actresses, directors, etc. up on pedestals: most of the people who work out here are pretty messed up and many of them are not good people.
Really like this video, even if I don't 100% agree with everything. It does make me wonder if Sally was always like this or if this behavior emerged after her relationship with Sam as some sort of desire to not be controlled or hurt again.
@@ArianaAlexis I agree on the nurture part, at least in this case. That would make Sally one of the sad group of victims who become victimizers. I see Barry as a show about unhealthy, toxic relationships. Barry has NO true peer relationships; the power dynamtic is always stacked against him; now, to a certain degree, I think Barry puts himself relationships where he doesn't have to take responsibility for himself but he also is legitimately naive and passive, which Sally knows. I wonder if Sally specify chose Barry to be what is perhaps her first relationship after her marriage know SHE could do anything she wanted to him without fear.
She likely had a poor enough upbringing in order to be prone to staying in an abusive relationship in the first place. Perhaps not ever being made to feel like she was unconditionally loved or if anything she ever did was good enough. Perhaps her mother was in an abusive relationship when Sally was growing up so that’s all she really knew. Perhaps a crappy homelife was what made the make-believe world of acting appealing to her in the first place. Perhaps it’s why she chickened out and played the woman who stood up to her abuser rather than tell the truth.
Strikes way (like wasaaaay) too close to home with a relationship I had with a woman who wasn't happy unless I did everything she wanted exactly the way she wanted it though of course she was only looking out for my best interests. And when I got the courage to leave, of course I was the one that had used her and she hadn't done anything to deserve such cruel treatment.
Shit man. You hate to hear it, but love is a learning process… you now know better, and can stand up for yourself. Hope you’re doing better now.
Also i really love your videos, really well made, definitely deserves more views. ^^
Thank you so so much! I enjoy making videos, I'm so glad that you like watching them.
It makes me wonder if Sally was always like this or if she became like this after her divorce. I had a friend who was very considerate of others but was in an abusive relationship but after she got out, she wanted to be independent but she was inconsiderate and was very flaky. She’s gotten a lot better now though but there was like a 2 year period she was like that.
I would like to see if your thoughts about Sally have changed now that Season 3 is out. I'd love a follow up. Great video
This is SO well done.
Wow, mind blown, great work!
good video! thanks for making it. barry is one of the best shows I've ever seen.
She's such a good represetation of a toxic theather kid. Specially after season 3.
Great video:)
Thank you!!!
Maybe the real villain was the friends we made along the way
Eh she’s shitty but this is swung a bit too far in the other direction. She’s been abused and damaged and at times she comes off more oblivious than intentionally toxic. Again she’s shitty many times. But if you’re gonna defend a character like Beatrice, it seems a bit silly to paint Sally this way. Sally is traumatized, and pointing to the way she’s vulnerable to being sucked into a cycle of abuse as proof that she doesn’t actually like Barry is disingenuous.
this video is SO GOOD 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
This is unhinged. I’ve lost count of Barry’s kill count. You’re comparing a murderer to a woman who is definitely flawed, but using examples of her setting healthy relationship boundaries (what woman would accept a laptop from a man she went on one date with?) is seriously fucked up. No woman owes her emotional well being or any other type of well being to the character development of a man who clearly exhibits toxic and dangerous behavior. Her lack of emotional intelligence is in no way comptable to what Barry has continued to do .
You might be too emotional to handle this show. lol
@@gbeach85 you might be too media illiterate to watch this show
it's ok though, there are lots of simple bro shows out there that won't tax your poor brain by asking you to understand complex female characters
@@gbeach85 I wonder what Alec Berg and Bill Hader would say about that? Read up on what they say about the show. The op here is on the money with the show’s intent.
@@gbeach85 also: gaslighting.
@@sopyleecrypt6899 I was making him question his own reality by jokingly saying he might be “too emotional for this show”? Riiiiiiight. Awesome YT psychoanalysis there, guy. Sick buzzword.
She's definitely selfish and has unappealing narcissistic traits and Barry has codependency issues so he gets taken advantage of but he also seems to expect more from her than she wants to give. There's a lot of pressure on women to do the heavy lifting in relationships and Sally doesn't do that. She puts herself and her career ambition first. Not sure she owes Barry anything except that society expects her to put a romantic partner first and patriarchy make us judge her for not being "nice" and doing just that.
It's good to be ambitious and not personal. But NOT good to be a selfish self-centered toxic b**ch, who is indifferent to others. These are fucking not the same. People assume that someone has to 'dominate' in a relationship, but people can be two souls, with their own passions, kind to each others, intertwining. And if this little b***h can't succeed without putting others down - maybe she is not so good. Really gifted people don't harm others
Very well made Essay, opened my eyes even more about what a terrible girlfriend Sally is
✖️✌️
Sarah Goldberg is an AMAZING actor and I enjoy watching her character be terrible. Pretty much every main character on the show has some kind of personality disorder and they're all very entertaining to watch. Part of the reason she still tries to sympathize with her ex is that they had a long, abusive relationship, which can tie people together in deeply fucked up ways. She says herself that she is trying to be stronger and more independent, and I think that's part of why she's distant from Barry. She's only been with Barry a few months. Also, Barry buying her a two thousand dollar laptop after they've slept together once and then getting near-violently jealous of someone talking to her at a party is DEEPLY fucked up behavior; her telling him off for that is justified. I think her character will become more abusive to Barry in the next season; the slap before the theater piece was shocking and very telling of what is to come. She's flawed but believable, and we have to remember that Barry isn't always in the right, and in fact, usually isn't. He kills his friends, for crying out loud. Sally putting up some emotional boundaries does not compare.
Yeah, Barry does kill his friends, which is morally wrong, but his friends usually try to kill him as well so its partially justified. 😂
Buying a laptop is not bad behavior.
Your prediction about the direction their relationship took proved wrong. But that’s good. This show is brilliant for many reasons, one being that it’s unpredictable but always plausible.
@@GigaChadh976 it can be.
With the new seasons out, I’d love to see how many more examples of Sally being this horrible you can come up with and how you’d further explore how she’s written as a character now that there’s further context in the story. I know that’s probably not gonna happen but either way you made a lot of great points and a fantastic video.
Im slowly but surely working on the next Barry video. It might not be for a while but it will happen!
season 3 just flipped this on it’s head lmao
Yeah agreed and it seems like the writers trying to make a point with that. Maybe they felt that people were only seeing Sally’s flaws and ignoring Barry’s. I do think the way Sally and Barry are portrayed just feels very different to the previous two seasons. It seems like Sally has just become a total pushover who dotes on Barry even when he’s an asshole and that is just not how she behaved in the first season. I think maybe they made that choice to highlight how awful Barry really is. Regardless it doesn’t feel entirely true to her character.
No. This take was wrong all along. Season 3 made it obvious but it wasn’t true even when you had only the first two seasons to go on.
@@ggr. she’s regressed to being a victim. It’s the cycle of abuse. There are enough clear depictions of this during the first two seasons that it’s not a surprise in season three.
@@MDK2_Radio i mean, that’s what i was saying.
@@MDK2_Radio yeah fair point. Also as the season has gone on I think my initial take after the first few episodes was mostly wrong. I still don’t think there was much in season 2 that showed that showed her falling back into that with Barry. Haven’t seen s2 in ages though so I could be totally wrong. I still feel like the spaghetti thing felt out of nowhere.
it's the "but you'll be there for me?" for me
Well done with everything in this video I feel you were spot on with everything
well goddamn, i need to rewatch season 1 & 2
Fantastic video!! Top marks for sure! I’ve always liked Sally but had this weird, uneasy feeling about her. But this video totally explains it, I’ll definitely look at her through a different lens on my rewatch
this video has me convinced that a lot of people watching Barry do not understand it at all, including the creator. making sally out to be a complete monster is a reductive take that does not do her character, or Barry's character, any justice.
I needed this vídeo so much. I got emocional remembering my First relationship
I had a friend just like that. Now I be spending almost every day regretting why I didn't leave earlier
This was a really well made video
I'm glad you made this, felt like one of the only people who watched the show and saw Sally's particular brand of narcissism.
One thing though, why does Sally sympathize with Sam in the hotel room?
Is it just passionate embers of the relationship, or is it an indication that entering LA's ego circus changed her from who she used to be?
Also, with the show concluded, doesn't it seem like Sally's character grew in odd directions?
I feel like the order of events make sense, mostly, except some of her decisions and some general story beats.
Amazing video.
Great analysis
"gangsters, drama students and con men" *opens clip of cousineau* THEN *pans to fuches* LMAO
“Barry went from being in the Army....”
*Angry noises muffled by a mouth full of crayons*
I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on this topic in the light of season 3 events
I love the writing on this show.
Thanks for putting into words what I’ve felt throughout the show. I find most posts about Sally to be pathologically sympathetic to her behavior, explaining that her toxic narcissism is somehow a reaction to her past relationships with violent “men” while labeling Barry as bad, violent person without reservation.
Nice to see some balance for a change. 👍
a very one-sided take, but an interesting one nevertheless... id say Sally is a little more complex than just being a manipulative, ego-maniacal narcissist.
Yes! throw out the hole show i had this weird feeling in the back of my mind, towards Sally, almost hatred. Thank you for clearing it up, it really does all make sense now.
People trying to use Barry losing his mind in season 3 as somehow disproving anything in this video is funny. I mean her killing that guy (while in self-defense) then abandoning Barry to accept a murder charge proves this video. People seem to think all killers are sociopaths while all nonkillers are not sociopaths. If you want a sociopathic killer to compare Barry to, Taylor Garrett was a great example in the show.
Thank you for this! I'm late to the Barry train (2023), but I've watched the show twice in the span of a month and I could not figure out why I didn't like Sally. It's pretty obvious what the flaws and issues are with all the other characters but I couldn't pin down the issue with Sally was. I knew she wasn't listening to Barry or putting good news first sometimes... but this just blew me away!
Great video.
I'd like you to do another analysis after season 3.
She doesn't have to. It still stands.
@@TheGraemi it didn’t really stand when it was done. Fuches is the only actual sociopath in the main cast.
@@MDK2_Radio
Sally tried to get Barry to gaslight a woman into suicide, you idiot.
This video made me want to watch the show
Get back to me here once you watch it!
Bill Hader literally based Sally off of himself... everytime people see a female character that’s human they freak tf out
Plenty of women characters are human but aren’t nearly as narcissistic and as cunty as sally
Stop saying that harmful traits are 'human'. It's very much possible to be a good person, stop excusing it as 'JUst BEing HuMan'. I am a human, a sentient being, and I do not want to be like that. It shouldn't be normal