wow

Barry has always been a show that avoids conventional approaches. After the finale, we can safely say they stuck to that technique until the end.

I don't think anyone was expecting a happy ending to this show, even before season 4 came out, but the conclusion we did receive was even more chaotic than I expected. Once again, Barry keeps me on my toes for the better part of an hour and keeps me guessing until the last second.

Although I am obviously disappointed with how things went, I have to think that that's the point. The seedy world of Hollywood has always played a part in this show, and I'm not surprised it's twisted the ending into its favor. I was wonderfully sad- because that's what this show has always done best: tragedy. This is a no spoiler review, so I won't go into specifics, but almost nothing worked out the way I wanted. And I wouldn't have the show gone any other way.

The cinematography is as always top notch and expertly done. Look for symbolism everywhere and you'll probably find it. I'm sad to see it go, as this was one of the tensest and most creatively produced shows I've ever watched. Farewell, Barry! We loved ya!

Barry leaves with narrative satisfaction. Strong acting & writing from start to finish. You walk away asking the question that has lingered on the subconscious throughout the show: who was I rooting for & why? A show that never once became predictable or subject to cheap tricks. Raw, messed up, dark, ominous, funny, goofy. NoHo Hank remains an all-time character on tv. Bill Hader should be able to get any acting/writing/directing job he wants from here on it. Dude crushes it. Henry Winkler's best role. It feels designed for him. All things considered, a gripping & earned finale to tie a bow on a consistently fresh & unique show.

This episode is a masterful conclusion to one of the most original and daring shows of the decade. Bill Hader and Alec Berg have crafted a finale that is both satisfying and surprising, delivering a mix of comedy and tragedy that is rare and remarkable. The episode manages to tie up the loose ends of the story while also leaving room for interpretation and imagination. The flash-forward sequence is especially brilliant, showing how Barry's legacy is distorted by the Hollywood machine and how his son struggles to make sense of his father's actions. The performances are outstanding, with Hader, Winkler, Goldberg and Carrigan giving their best in their final roles. The episode also features some of the most hilarious and shocking moments in the series, such as the bloody shootout between Hank and Fuches' men and the movie version of Barry's life. This episode is a must-watch for fans of the show and anyone who appreciates smart and dark humour.

When it was announced that this was going to be the final season for "Barry," and that it would premiere on the same day as the finale of "Succession," I immediately prepared myself for a day that would come with a lot of force. "Barry" is a show that didn't initially catch my interest, but which quickly became one of the most entertaining parts of my week, especially as the season's grew stronger and stronger. This hasn't been the strongest season, but this was exciting. And it went out like it began; as a show that subverts expectations to make the best result it could.

If there was any doubt that this was the finale, it was erased pretty quickly. While the real meat of what happens doesn't come before later in, the silhouette of Barry walking out of a department store with two guns on his back in a sign that something is definitely coming. He's at the point-of-no-return and everything has lead him to this place, and the brilliant thing is that his climactic fight never happens. Instead, his character is offered an opportunity of redemption in this episode, but whether he's able to take it or whether he'll continue in his ways is something that's not so easily answered. But the episode attempts anyway and it leads to a very cathartic answer for Barry. The ending to his arc felt very deserved and earned, especially considering that the events of the season had been starting to paint him as a martyr, which may or may not still have been the case by the end. A lot has also been made about the final moments of the episode, and while I do see both perspectives, it felt like a weirdly satisfying way to finish off this show and it puts Barry in the light that he has always wanted to be seen in. However, there is an argument to be made that it doesn't feel all that earned and that it puts the entire show in a weird perspective, but for whatever reason, it worked for me and felt like a satisfying conclusion to an absolutely great show.

"wow" is an episode that is in tune with the rest of the show, continuously subverting our expectations and sending off our hero with style. It's certainly not without its criticism and the ending is a big point of division, but for me, it landed quite well and proved what the show has always been about.

My reading on the Barry series is it's a deeply critical observation of the shallow self obsessed nature of the industry that made this series.

It accurately depicts the players who create fiction from reality at the expense of those around them.

Gene and Sally personifying this and the final movie twisting the details for 'entertainment' value as so many real films have done (Argo, King in the Carpark, Zero Dark 30, etc etc), it's self critical and self referential. Barry's religiousness and how he selectively chooses his inspiration and truth was a welcome late arrival parting shot critique that also delivered insight and laughs.

The crime stuff is played for laughs and mostly delivers.

How do you end a complex series like Barry? This episode and the last4 did feel rushed. Ultimately I'm not blown away by it but it was not disappointing in a Game of Thrones way. It did land and the series as a whole was outstanding tv comedy drama.

The cinematography was next level. Well done Team Barry.