In season four episode six, “The Wizard,” Barry (Bill Hader) must go back to Los Angeles by himself to kill Gene (Henry Winkler). Barry and Gene have not seen each other in over eight years; however, Barry has learned that Gene is working with Warner Bros. to make a film about Barry’s life. Throughout the episode, Barry continues to have an internal struggle with his decision to kill Gene. Barry spends his journey to Los Angeles listening to a religious podcast, hoping to hear a loophole about killing being a sin. As soon as he hears one, he turns it off. Since this will be the first time in eight years that Barry returns to Los Angeles, this will also be the first time Sally (Sarah Goldberg) will be alone with their son John (Zachary Golinger). Both Sally and Barry run into inconveniences with their tasks.
While Barry makes his way to Los Angeles, Gene meets with a representative from Warner Bros. about the film. After hearing what the studio is planning for the storyline of the film, Gene pulls out of it. Gene feels that making the film would glorify a psychopath and refuses to be a part of it. The representative from Warner Bros. tells Gene that the film will continue with or without him, and Gene implies that he will not make it easy for Warner Bros. to continue with the film. The meeting is cut short when the DA walks in and interrupts the meeting by asking to speak to Gene. After talking with the DA, Gene decides to go visit his son Leo (Andrew Leeds), whom he hasn’t seen since he almost killed him by shooting him and then leaving him outside in the cold to die.
Similar to how Gene and his son Leo have an awkward interaction, Sally struggles to connect with her son John and make him feel better about being alone with her. Not only is this the first time John has ever been alone with Sally, but it’s also the most amount of time they’ve spent together. John is not interested in anything Sally offers him as an activity; instead, he just sits at the kitchen table crying, asking when his dad will be back. Sally cannot handle John anymore, so she makes a horrible decision that affects John for hours. This only becomes an issue for Sally when she wants John to leave the living room and go to his bedroom, but he is still in a deep sleep after sleeping for hours.
The mood of this episode takes a quick turn for the worse when Sally doesn’t realize there is an intruder in the house. The mysterious man follows Sally all around the house however, she doesn’t realize someone is in the house with her and John until the intruder locks her in her bedroom. The stakes rise once Sally remembers John is still sleeping in the living room and actually hears multiple intruders who have noticed John sleeping on the couch. Considering the circumstances, Sally’s reaction is worrisome as she not only has a delayed reaction, but she doesn’t try hard enough to get out of her room.
Rating: 6.5/10