Barry Season 4 Episode 2 Recap: “bestest place on the earth”

Recap: Barry recalls first meeting Fuches as a child, Sally gets dropped by her agent, and Cristobal & Hank set up a gang retreat at Dave & Busters. The “bestest place on earth”.

This Barry Season 4 Episode 2 recap contains spoilers for the “bestest place on the earth”.

The return of The Raven and Barry Berkman

The episode opens with a bruised and battered Barry engaging in an episode of lucid dreaming about the first time he met Monroe Fuches. Barry’s father John introduces him to Fuches when he’s a small child, and Barry won’t say a word to him at first.

Fuches tells Barry’s father not to put pressure on him and comments, “I hear you like playing army, you know your dad and I used to like playing army. Maybe one of these days, you’ll let me play army with you.”

We then flash forward back to the present, where Fuches rejects the deal he negoiated for himself. Refusing to wear a wire any longer and calls trying to turn two best buds against each other a “d**k move.”

Stephen Root as Monroe Fuches. Barry Season 4 Episode 2 Recap “bestest place on the earth”. Photograph by Merrick Morton/HBO

Fuches declares himself The Raven once again to a packed prison main hall, alongside his associate Barry Berkman. Who waves back when introduced. Fuches mentions having Chechen contacts on the outside and wanting a few strong workers for the time comes when they all leave.

He nicknames two prisoners LiveWire and GrooveTube (who’s renamed to Jason when he declines the name). Barry is impressed by Fuches speech and tells him so. Seeing the speech as an extension of acting, instead of the reality side of it.

“I feel safe with you” – Sally Reed

Sarah Goldberg as Sally Reed. Barry Season 4 Episode 2 Recap “bestest place on the earth”. Photograph by Merrick Morton/HBO

Barry has an unexpected visitor in prison… Sally Reed, who speaks in double talk over an in-house prison glass phone call about their dog “Muffins” finding a new home. Barry assures her she has nothing to worry about, then asks if that’s all she came there for. Sally says “Yes” but does not get up, which Barry notices.

Sally suddenly rants about how terrible it’s been back home with her parents. Barry tells Sally he didn’t lie to her, “He just didn’t tell her the parts he didn’t want to be true” and that Sally’s affection toward him made him feel human.

Then the magic words come, Sally tells Barry, “I feel safe with you.” A game-changer. Barry asks Sally to repeat it but she just stares back in realization of what she just said.

Barry tells Sally she will always feel safe with him and how much he loves her. Sally says nothing back but realizes the admission on her part was honest.

Cristobal & Hank, the sand business, and Dave & Busters

Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank and Michael Irby as Cristobal Sifuentes. Barry Season 4 Episode 2 Recap “bestest place on the earth”. Photograph by Merrick Morton/HBO

Cristobal & Hank gather two rival gangs together in the “bestest place on the earth”, Dave & Busters. Both give an impassioned and hilarious speech about how they all need to let go of past transgressions to become rich together… ‘But there must be zero bloodshed!’ over an order of Jalapeño poppers.

Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank and Michael Irby as Cristobal Sifuentes. Barry Season 4 Episode 2 Recap “bestest place on the earth”. Photograph by Merrick Morton/HBO

In essence, the pair convince the 2 rival gangs that if the Bolivians and Chechens can set aside their differences to make money… They can too. Everyone at the table is moved and listens to Cristobal’s sand business scheming until NoHo Hank brings up “Prison Break 2023”.

Hank wants to break out “top assassin” Barry Berkman out of prison, which leads to an off mic argument between Hank & Cristobal.

Sally’s acting career hits infamy levels, in a tailspin

Sarah Goldberg as Sally Reed, Jessy Hodges as Lindsay Mandel. Barry Season 4 Episode 2 Recap “bestest place on the earth”. Photograph by Merrick Morton/HBO

Sally Reed is dropped by her agent Lindsay Mandel due to social media viral infamy as Barry’s girlfriend. Sally’s agent comments that her career isn’t necessarily over, she could star in a reality show or start a podcast and make more money than anyone… ‘Even in the heavens above’.

She cites “integrity” as the last fatal flaw that makes Sally have to be dropped as a client.

Gene Cousineau confronted by Sally Reed

Henry Winkler as Gene Cousineau. Barry Season 4 Episode 2 Recap “bestest place on the earth”. Photograph by Merrick Morton/HBO

Gene dishing the goods onstage to Vanity Fair magazine leads him to be confronted backstage by an uninvited guest, Sally Reed. Sally demands to know why Gene Cousineau didn’t tell her anything about Barry when she was living with him. Gene questions at first how she didn’t notice any signs about Barry. But eventually gives a powerful self-analysis on himself and all actors.

“Sally, we’re both victims here. He was obessed with us, he treated us like superstars. As actors that’s really hard to resist.”

He then suggests Sally begin teaching.

Fuches finds out Barry has been moved to special housing

Stephen Root as Monroe Fuches. Barry Season 4 Episode 2 Recap “bestest place on the earth”. Photograph by Merrick Morton/HBO

Fuches goes to visit Barry’s cell and finds an unfamiliar face ‘Tomas’ (actor Roman Arabia), who tells Fuches that Barry’s been moved to special housing. This crushes Fuches, who realizes Barry must have taken the sweetheart witness protection program deal that he originally wanted. But not because Barry would get to leave prison before him…

Rather, it’s because he was honest with Barry that he “loved him” and feels betrayed. Fuches calls NoHo Hank to tell him about Barry ‘singing’ for a deal. Which leads Hank to change courses entirely on breaking Barry out of prison.

Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank. Barry Season 4 Episode 2 Recap “bestest place on the earth”. Photograph by Merrick Morton/HBO

Where to watch the Barry Season 4 Premiere Episodes?

Michael Irby as Cristobal Sifuentes. Barry Season 4 Episode 2 Recap “bestest place on the earth”. Photograph by Merrick Morton/HBO

Barry fans can now stream the first two episodes of Barry Season 4 on HBO with a cable provider login.

You can watch Barry Season 4 Episode 3 on HBO tonight at 10:02 pm ET or stream it on HBO Max the next morning.

More reviews and recaps of HBO’s Barry

Sarah Goldberg as Sally Reed. Barry Season 4 Episode 2 Recap “bestest place on the earth”. Photograph by Merrick Morton/HBO

Be sure to read:

– Barry Season 4 Episode 1 Non-Spoiler Review: Sublime Acting

– Et tu, Gene Cousineau? The final act of Barry Berkman

– Sarah Goldberg’s raw breakdown on Barry is acting’s future

– Monroe Fuches’ epic fake out on Barry HBO Season 3 Episode 6

– Barry Season 3 Early Review: Bill Hader’s best acting work ever

– HBO’s Barry Season 2 Finale recap: ‘berkman > block’ is darkest episode yet

Visit our Barry category section for more reviews, recaps, and news relating to the critical acclaimed hit series. We’ll have ongoing coverage of the fourth and final season building up to the series finale.