By Edward Brown

The series finale of Barry is a clever culmination of a story about identity, morality, and how those two things affect our ability to foster and maintain fulfilling relationships. Moreover, Barry is a testament to the brilliance of Bill Hader (and Alec Berg). Hader not only plays the show’s titular character, Barry Berkman, but also serves as one of the creators, executive producers, and primary writers of the series. It’s hard to believe that this is same goofy guy that snickered his way through the role of Stefon Meyers on SNL a decade ago. (Google it. You won’t be disappointed!) But after four sterling seasons of Barry, I can confidently endorse Bill Hader’s bone fides and say that he delivers a show and a performance that masterfully blends dark comedy and provocative drama.

Barry’s gravitation towards acting in season 1 might seem serendipitous, but the creative choice is full of intention. The showrunners of Barry make the exploration of self-identification the central theme of the project and use acting as a way to traipse through the topic. It’s an exercise in metanarrative genius that would make Miguel de Cervantes proud. Like Don Quixote, Barry leads a complicated existence. At any given time, he’s an efficient assassin, a loving husband/father, or just another bad actor. The glaring trichotomies between these worlds create tension and drive the Barry narrative, but it’s the way Hader captures the misery of constantly having to keep his lies straight while trying to build a real life that makes the show so powerful.

Another dynamic element of Barry is the way it teases you to think about morality and ethics. I have long asserted that people often conflate these two things. They are not the same! Ethics are simple because they are community-based laws and codes of conduct that clearly lay out what courses of action should be taken in any given situation. Morals are far more complicated because they are individually tailored. They are based on personal experiences, beliefs, and perspectives that don't always neatly apply. I don’t mean to pontificate, but it’s a valuable distinction to learn in general. The feud that brews between NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan) and Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root) is a hilarious and tragic lesson in the subject. 

And season 2 does a great job flushing these ideas out. This is where the series begins to examine the moral implications of nearly every character’s actions and the consequences that follow. It’s impossible to condone any of the show’s criminal or selfish behavior, but Hader and Berg convince you to sympathize with the individual plights sprinkled throughout the entire cast (for a while at least) because many of the choices that come out of them seem predicated on an earnest attempt to do what is best. Think “doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.” As a viewer, you recognize that Barry, specifically, usually means well and is fighting through a great deal of suffering (shout out to Walter White) so you give him a pass much of the time. Eventually, however, the mounting (negative) consequences of his actions seem incongruent with his intentions and basic standards of human decency. 

It all gets very dark! However, Barry never stops being lighthearted and clever. Anthony Carrigan shines as NoHo Hank in season 3 by bringing delightful existential perspective to the series. He spends the season questioning the meaning of life and finding humor in absurd situations with his exaggerated Chechen accent. “This is my first interrogation. I’m like…legit nervous.” The line is funnier when you hear him say it, but quips like this make it evident that the purpose of season 3 is to delve into the psychology of the show’s characters. Season 3 is less about Barry and more about how the machinations of the first two seasons color how the Barry players see each other and themselves.

This build up feels a bit hyperbolic at times, but the setup is a cunning segue into the final season. Season 4 feels a bit confined and subdued compared to the previous three seasons and I was starting to become a bit disillusioned with the show. There are countless productions that have gone on one or two seasons too many, and I thought that Barry might be making the same mistake. However, the series finale rewarded my patience. Bill Hader, Alec Berg, and the entire crew of Barry have churned out some really intellectually engaging stuff from a show that initially seemed to start out as a joke.

Barry is currently streaming on Max.