#john berkman

[scintillatingshortone]

The way Sally sort of got a happy ending on the surface but is clearly very much Not Well

The way John exists as an emotional support for his mother and might never truly unpack any of his trauma because he's living in denial of what his father did and possibly what his mother did as well

The way Gene got his revenge on Barry but because of that spent the rest of his life in prison and with his reputation forever destroyed and nobody to worship him

The way Fuches accepted his own heartlessness and because he's a cockroach will probably die at age 102, but will live out every single one of those years completely devoid of love

The way Hank only ever wanted to be safe but his story ended with him dead and holding the hand of the love of his life whose death Hank helped bring about

The way Barry was finally going to turn himself in and maybe take his first steps toward redemption but then he fucking died

Bonus: the way Jim Moss's greatest desire was justice for his daughter and he ended up getting it completely wrong, and he'll never know the real truth

[rustandruin]

The insane parallels of Barry consciously trying not to expose John to video games the glorify war and combat to the point where he doesn’t know they exist, to Barry then striding through a Walmart where he buys these assault weapons and carries them out in open sight among all these parents and children not even batting an eye at the sight while they continue their shopping, to Fuches shielding John’s eyes and telling him to look away so he does not have to see the horrors of death strewn around him (to perhaps spare him the way someone should have spared Barry himself), only for all of it to be undone in those final moments as that film both frames Barry as a hero on account of his actions (defending his family) and reveals that he’s been given honours while it’s Cousineau who’s in prison and John sits there, falling prey to the glorification of violence that the show has been critiquing all along. That everyone around him tried to avoid for so long.

[seizethedeansofproduction]

[meep-meep-richie]

How it started     vs        How it ended

[dumbbitchawards]

The wild mischaracterisation of Barry and Sally's actions for nothing more than a massive misunderstanding of events and the general glamorisation of Hollywood is almost poetic. Gene wasn't a great person but he wasn't evil. He didn't have Barry's sickness. But he had Barry's anger - an anger that was arguably justified - and in the one moment that he acted on it, he was labelled a murderer. His entire story was twisted to fit a narrative that mischaracterised Barry as some kind of sympathetic war hero. We know what Barry did. We know what Gene didn't. Gene and Sally may not be dead but they are his victims.

[comedymommywhore]

john saying “i don’t drink.” john being scared to leave his mother alone for a night. john shedding a tear for his hero father.

[pyramidofmice]

the way John's growing up with a dad who constantly glorifies himself + exposes John to trauma (physical neglect, graphic videos, etc) + overall treats his son like a walking tape recorder for him to speak into, all so he can control who his son is/will ever be...and the way John has a mom who is reluctant to hold him + is drunk in front of him all the time + generally does what she can to avoid being mentally & emotionally present around her family

the EXCITEMENT i felt when John was literally throwing a ball with another child. A kid who was talking about JOHN! Saying nice things about who John IS!! WOW IMAGINE THAT---

Barry may spend a lot of time with his son but John literally froze in his tracks at the sight of people playing baseball. He knows his father's company but his parents never provide him a mutual back and forth. When he's playing with the kid they both take turns catching and throwing; they're equally important. Where else does John ever get that

[roaldamundsen]

john and barry