Barry Season 3 is available to stream now! Barry makes its belated return to the screen without missing a step, retaining its edge as one of television's funniest and most unsettling offerings. HBO's hitman comedy is a legitimate thrillfest, part of the show's busted-nerve tension is that you never know where the next shot is coming from — and whether you'll laugh or gasp.
When “Barry” first began (four years ago), it felt like we were meeting Bill Hader’s depleted hitman at rock bottom. Bored with a dangerous profession glamorized by the movies, Barry Berkman has no family, no friends, and no passion. His only contact is his boss, Fuches (Stephen Root), and their only conversations are about the job Barry wants to quit. Then Hollywood comes calling, and as Barry walks under the bright spotlight of Gene Cousineau’s (Henry Winkler) acting school, a light clicks on behind his eyes. Finally, a passion. A purpose. Surely, things have to get better from here.
They do not. If the Season 3 tagline — “You can’t bury your past” — isn’t clear enough, the prior two seasons push Barry to a breaking point. Killing isn’t a habit Barry can simply shake off, and the show’s first two seasons ask if violence is intrinsic to his identity; whether he can change his ways with the right escape, or if there’s no running away from aspects of himself he’s afraid to examine.