I remember the first time I knew BARRY was from a friend that never disappointed me when I asked about movies and TV series. Four years ago was the first introduction for me to this dark comedy crime TV series that aired exclusively on HBO. Bill Hader is one of my favorite Saturday Night Live comedians, owning subversive and quirky styles that I enjoy, and BARRY is his masterpiece.
Rated 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, BARRY tells the story of a low-level hitman, Barry who's been feeling stuck in an emotionless yet problematic life he's been piling even after discharging from the Marine. When he stumbled upon an acting class led by Gene Cousineau, an eccentric senior actor, Barry finally found a sense of purpose when he joined the class while hoping that he could change his life completely.
Joining the class, he has to hide his identity from other aspiring actors that are surprisingly drawn by his story and courage to begin something very different from his "suppress-his-feeling" way of living in the Marine. Well, of course, he never told them about the hitman job he has most nights. But things get messier after he caught himself in love with his classmate, Sally Reed, and his incorporation with a Russian drug dealer and the police. He has to live in the duality of killing more and more people until both of his lives crossover.
The third season premiered last month, and after a cliff-hanging pandemic hiatus, I was extremely anticipating it. Reaching the 5th episode, I can say that the season burns slower than the previous seasons, where they made me feel a bit angry with Barry because he seemed couldn't get it all together.
In the span of 4 years, BARRY has been granted 18 awards and countless nominations ranging from Best Actor in Comedy Series, Best Supporting Actor in Comedy Series, Best Comedy Series, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series, and many more from Emmy Awards, Critic's Choice Awards, Writers Guild Awards, etc.
For me, BARRY is just nothing but greatness; it is out of the box, creative, funny, has great acting, thrilling, and honest. Something that I can imagine really happens inside the realm of Hollywood's cruelness and realness. And it will be renewed for the fourth season (yay!) and please just watch it already!
