'Barry' Faces its Swan Song with a Hard-Hitting Final Season
"Barry" has always been a bold series, and its fourth and final season carries on this tradition, picking up right where the third season ended: with its assassin-cum-aspiring actor facing arrest. This sets the stage for a darker season that emphasizes the ensemble cast while somewhat overindulging in fantastical elements.
While it may not be the most hyped finale on HBO this spring, the Emmy-nominated "Barry" still packs a punch. The latest episodes may not quite reach the heights of previous seasons, but even a slightly toned-down "Barry" is still highly compelling.
Bill Hader's multifaceted role as director, producer, and star continues to make the series one of the most unpredictable shows on TV. The new season has a distinct "Better Call Saul" feel, spawned by the unavoidable reality that Hader's Barry could not sustain his double life indefinitely.
The repercussions of his arrest ripple through all aspects of his life, impacting his acting coach Gene Cousineau (portrayed by Henry Winkler in an ego-driven and needy performance) and girlfriend Sally (Sarah Goldberg), and even reaching the motley crew of small-time criminals in his circle, including Fuches (Stephen Root) and NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan). The latter has somehow found love on his journey, while also managing to turn "Barry" into a four-syllable moniker.
"Barry" has consistently grappled with the uneasy premise of a murderous protagonist. The challenge of empathizing with its titular character becomes especially sharp in these episodes, where Barry finds himself behind bars. When Barry innocently asks, "Are you mad at me?", it's momentarily easy to overlook his horrific deeds, although the vengeance-seeking Jim Moss (Robert Wisdom) cannot.
Hader, who directed all the episodes, also shines with his darkly humorous visual jokes, further amplified in the new season by amusing appearances from real-life Hollywood figures like director Guillermo del Toro, whose cameos are as random as they are hilarious.
However, the show's dream-like deviations and fantasy-filled detours sometimes become more distracting than engaging, often feeling overly contrived. The redeeming factor remains the cast's performances, even though the prison setting poses hurdles to their interactions.
While not all episodes of the season have been released by HBO, the series effectively keeps viewers on tenterhooks, speculating about the final outcome and how its diverse plotlines will converge.
A fairy-tale ending for all "Barry" characters seems unlikely, but Hader and co-creator Alec Berg are resolved to conclude the series on their own terms, however gratifying or occasionally vexing that may be. It's tough to criticize a show that consistently takes daring creative leaps, even in a season that doesn't quite hit the mark as it has in the past.
The fourth and concluding season of "Barry" premieres on April 14 at 10 p.m. ET on HBO, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery.