However, that is not the sad part. Sally’s arc is quietly heartbreaking because while she seems ready to end her abusive relationship with Hollywood, she is eager to return to an even more dangerous relationship: with Barry. When Kristen tells Sally that her ex broke out of jail, the drone of a helicopter drowns out any other words of support she may be offering. Sally doesn’t look scared, more dazed, then contemplative. She leans over a bit as she stands up, like she’s going to fall, but then she says, “Uh, I’ll be fine!” We don’t see Sally for about the next ten minutes of the episode, but when we do, she runs into her apartment, anxious to find out that Barry has broken in.
Sally’s decision here is made quietly and quickly. There’s no begging like in Hank and Christopher’s goodbye. There’s no beautifully choreographed action scene or sudden violence to signal to viewers that shit has gotten real. We’re given just a few seconds of Goldberg’s face to show that even as he’s reeling from the news of Barry’s prison break, he’s welcoming it. She wasn’t lying when she said she felt safe with him, or if she was, at least she still feels better with him than on set or her parents’ stifling judgment. “Barry” has spent four seasons crafting a story about Sally’s status as a survivor of abuse, and within minutes, the show sees Sally blow up her life to be with a dangerous and angry man. In any other series, we’d be rooting for the long-time love interest to pick the lead; this time, we would be forgiven for crying.
