So I finally watched all of Barry – and man, I have some thoughts.
Anyone who knows me understands that Barry isn't the typical show I would gravitate towards. I'm a huge fan of fantasy, so I'll watch and enjoy the best fantasy shows, whether rewatching Game of Thrones or checking out something new. I'm also a huge fan of family dramas, so you can believe I love the Succession cast and that show's ending.
But the one type of genre that took me a while to get into was dark comedy, namely because I hadn't had the chance to watch that many that were super good. Then Barry came along, and I quickly binged the first few seasons. While I wrote the guide for Barry Season 4, I didn't have time to watch it with the amount of television releasing physically – because there was so much.
But now, I am finally caught up on Barry Season 4. And oh my goodness, I was captivated from head to toe. Let's talk about it.
Bill Hader's Performance Was Absolutely Amazing
The thing with Bill Hader is that anything the man touches is usually gold. Not only was he famous for his time on Saturday Night Live, Hader has done some incredible movies and shows where he's shown his talent.
But nothing has been better than Barry. No matter what you say or do, I don't think Hader could surpass his work on this show, especially in Season 4. He somehow portrayed the perfect amount of emotion and depth within his eyes while also keeping his face stoic most of the time.
Eventually the cracks form more, especially at the beginning of Season 4. We start to see how Barry's past crimes have caught up to him regarding Janice's murder and how he speaks with people outside of prison. He's losing who he is daily, and he doesn't know if he will be able to bring that back. He attempts to with the last few episodes, but that falls apart as well.
Hader brought that character to the forefront, showing just how impeccable his range is. It's no surprise he's won a Primetime Emmy for his performance. I'd be shocked if he didn't win one for this season, too.
And Somehow Everything Fell Apart At The Perfect Time
The way that everything just seemed to fall apart at the same time was just perfect.
That one episode, "it takes a psycho," was unlike any TV episode I have seen in a long time. Everything was intense and built up so much that everything came crashing down quickly.
Barry's escape from prison directly leads to him arriving at Sally's apartment, leading to them running away. Cristobal's death comes so soon after Hank betrays his trust. Even the way Fuches is beaten up sets up so much.
Everything is explained in the next few episodes, but I was on the edge of my seat for most of this. I couldn't believe the amount of stuff that happened in a half hour.
Also, Cristobal's Death Actually Made Me Cry
This is such a random thing to say, but I will fully say that Cristobal's death made me sob.
I did not expect to cry as much as when Cristobal was shot. I didn't think I was this invested in Hank and Cristobal's relationship. But his death came so suddenly after Hank's betrayal, and everything crashed in a moment of fire.
I think what got to me was Hank's reaction. Yeah Hank is a criminal, but most people on this show are, and to be frank, he was one of the few that I feel had actual human emotions and was a good guy beneath it all. And he truly loved Cristobal. Seeing him realize that his lover would be killed for going against what Hank did was heartbreaking.
Who knew that I would get so involved in the relationship of two crime leaders? You learn something new every day.
That Time Jump Confused The Heck Out Of Me
For the entirety of "tricky legacies," I was dead set on thinking this was all some strange illusion. I didn't believe Sally would ever run away with Barry. But when the episode continued, and there was no sign of stopping, I started to realize this was real. Very real.
I was in shock at first because I couldn't believe the show had skipped eight years, and Barry and Sally seemed to be two completely different people. But at the same time, it honestly did make sense.
Sally said that she felt safe with Barry, somehow. That, and she was also experiencing some bad mental health during the end of Barry Season 3 – we all saw that freaky scene that felt like a horror movie.
It still threw me for a loop, considering how often Barry imagines things in his head. Of course, in the end, one of his visions is real.
But We Need to Talk About The Ending Because Wow
The Barry ending was almost perfect in my eyes. It summed up so many plot points and threads that I needed to see concluded before the very end of the show.
Hank joined Cristobal in death, holding his statue hand as he died at his new business, which he started in honor of Cristobal. And then there was Fuches, who was let go by Barry. He was determined to kill his former partner, but Barry let him live because Fuches let Barry's son, John, live. It was the perfect way to end their story. Even Sally staying at home, working independently, and not dating anyone is an excellent way to end her story.
But the best was Barry's ending, because yes. Yes, he needed to die. I stand by that. I didn't expect it to be so sudden, but Gene being his undoing was the best part of it. This mess started because Barry walked in on Gene's acting class, and everything changed afterward. It was perfect for Gene to take him out.
The next part, however, is when it gets messy.
And That Final Shot Makes Me Feel… Uncomfortable
The final minutes of the Barry series finale feature John growing up as a teenager and watching a movie that was supposedly based on his father's life. But in this movie, Barry is painted as a good man, and Gene is shown to be the murderer.
The film later revealed that Gene went to prison for killing Barry and that investigators wrongly convicted him of Janice's murder after they took him into custody in Season 4. They laid Barry to rest at Arlington Cemetery with full honors. That revelation is insane and makes me uncomfortable because it's nowhere near the truth.
But that's the right way to play it. Even if I'm not super satisfied, that ending shows what happens when society starts to get involved in the lives of murderers and watch glamorized documentaries on them. While this is a dramatized version, it's clear that the story gets twisted in more ways than one, and everything can fall apart quickly because that is the fragility of life.
The fact that John will never know his father's true crimes is sad because I doubt Sally will tell him – which makes this so sad because now, the world sees Barry as the good person and Gene as evil.
But Overall, I Don't Think There Will Ever Be Another Show Like Barry
Even so, there's no other way I would have played out this radical Season 4 of Barry. It was the best way to do it, and I wouldn't change that much aside from John never learning about who his father was. I’m happy Barry ended with Season 4.
This show took me for a ride up and down and sideways until I was shaken up at the very end and spat out with a message about society and how the media glamorizes true crime. It almost made me not want to watch true crime shows anymore because I can't count how many killers I've seen shows about.
The series touched a part of me I didn't expect and was one of the best dark comedies I've seen in years, but it also took a dramatic turn I wasn't expecting – and I seriously enjoyed it. I don't think there could ever be another show like Barry – maybe one day we'll see something similar, but for now, this stands above the rest.
Keeping track is hard with so many TV shows, but I'm happy I could finish this. And now, I can thoroughly recommend the whole series to anyone who still needs to watch it. Truly awesome.
