In the Stacks with Barry & LaToya

They’re back for another season, and LaToya notes that given the shows recorded without her, she considered not coming back. But who could stay away from this show? Barry refers to an actor solely by their last name despite there being a two acting brother dynasty. He considers changing his writing genre. LaToya agrees to take part in a challenge, and T’Challa again joins the show. Soon it’ll be In the Stacks with Barry, LaToya & T’Challa.

Again, where’s LaToya? Still, on hiatus, Barry records the show without her. T’Challa’s back and he and Barry take over the show. Barry schools T’Challa on how licensing works, and they both share what they’re currently reading and watching on television. Barry is saddened that the fruit of his loins doesn’t know all of The Avengers, and they both debate the evolution of the movie theater.

Where’s LaToya? During their hiatus, Barry opts to do the show without her. T’Challa’s home and he and Barry take over the show. They both provide commentary as a student and a teacher on what it’s like to be sheltered at home during COVID-19. Microsoft Teams? Extra-Extra Credit? Technology Challenges? Zoom? Plus, Barry shares his detox after reading a Hitler-based book. Star Trek. Also, is Barry a liar?

A season-ender has never been so political. In last week’s episode, Barry tasked LaToya with coming up with something special. What does she do? She over prepares for the show and turns it into “LaToya’s Stacks with LaToya featuring Barry.” If you haven’t gotten enough real-life COVID and Trump-driven dose of reality, you’ll get it here. It’s a lot to pack in before their two-week hiatus.

It’s clear how utterly boring LaToya is. She does virtually nothing in preparation for the episode. Barry must skillfully carry the show on his own back. Or, that’s what he’d have you believe. Despite the collective quasi-prep, the episode explores some darker themes, including bipolar disorder and self-harm. Plus, Barry talks about his harrowing two-mile journey.

Barry provides an update on the family emergency that caused the one-week hiatus of the show. And how could we not talk about the coronavirus?! It’s impossible to escape, just like Tiger King. If you haven’t seen the salacious series the hosts give you reasons why you need to stop everything and watch. We learn that the Class of 2020 is at a disadvantage and we rank our modern-day Doctor Who doctors.

Did you hear about the coronavirus?! If you haven’t, you’re not living on planet Earth. For some, this and the locusts are a sign of end times. LaToya doesn’t understand why Social Distancing is a big deal since that’s how she lives her everyday life. Barry is now teaching from home and doing some major Netflix streaming. In this episode, he walks us through the plot of a recent straight-to-DVD movie he watched while LaToya lists the many shows she’s viewed in the past week.

My Corona! It’s the Coronavirus episode of the show as all talks turn to the pandemic. Seasons are being suspended (not ours), and industries are putting into place contingency plans. There’s even a run on toilet paper! The hosts wonder, when will the topic not be one you can joke about? LaToya is about to see her workload and income shift while Barry feels he’s superhuman and can repel the virus. Both avid soccer fans and cinephiles, they are saddened by the avalanche effect of COVID-19 and the escapism entertainment they love.

In a reverse of last week’s episode, LaToya plays the role of SPOILER this time around, ruining Barry’s evening. The hosts finally come to an agreement about the merits of the various 911 shows, and LaToya claims that she is now “cooking.” Finally, it’s the end of an era as Judge Judy walks away from her legendary courtroom show, and there’s a shocking new guinea pig announcement.

T’Challa graces us with his presence this episode, and as they say, out of the mouths of babes… Barry puts everyone on spoiler alert. He’s in his feelings about teaching The Great Gatsby and about what’s been done to Jean-Luc Picard. LaToya has more grandma-sitting in her near future and she purchased some grocery items from Amazon. Assimilation complete. When we say Birdman, what do you think of? Let’s just say that neither of the hosts are on the same page. And yes, that’s nothing new.