Chapter Eight: Know Your Truth

I realize that many Barry fans went goo-goo over Chapter 7, where Barry delivers his single line as Seyton in "Macbeth" with such emotion that Gene and Emily think he's made a breakthrough as an actor.

Bill Hader won an Emmy for that episode, in fact. However, not to take anything away from Hader's performance in that episode, which was fine, but a lot of the impact in Chapter 7 was due to the editing, inter-mingled with Hader's acting. And overall, it was all-drama and no comedy.

Now we come to the Chapter 8 finale of Season 1. The first half is almost all comedy. Very funny lines but frankly the writers made the right decision with Goran. A little shtick goes a long way.

Then fade-to-black for a few seconds. And a FFW to an idyllic day at Gene's cottage. Is this a dream sequence? I dunno, since I haven't watched Season 2 yet. But the fact Barry goes from lying on his back in bed next to Emily, and the final scene has Barry in exactly the same position makes me believe that may be the case.

Nevertheless, there is heart-stopping drama in those final few minutes of the episode. If that scene is on the level, kudos to the writers for making such a bold choice.

Which brings me to Paula Newsome. Is this woman magical, or what? I am in love with her as Henry Winkler's character.

I can hardly wait to start binge-watching Season 2.

So, when I began watching this show earlier today, I did not expect to end up watching the entirety of the first season in one day. But right from the get-go, I was interested in knowing where the characters would go, and I can honestly say that I did not get disappointed seeing what happened to them. "Barry" has proven to be one of the most infectious shows on TV at the moment, and it became hard for me to turn it off and do something else. Now, I've finished the first season, and it truly ended on a big high note for me personally.

Many people have said that the show changed over time and went away from the dark comedy aspect that it had to begin with. I couldn't disagree more. The satire never left the show, which was especially visible in the show's seventh episode, which did a great job of balancing the heavy drama with the funny comedy, creating a hybrid that offered a lot of dark humor. This episode did that as well. Alec Berg and Bill Hader are very twisted people if we go from what we've seen in the show. Whether it's a mob enforcer making a guillotine instead of just killing his victim, or Barry playing the police by embracing a stereotype, this show is not afraid of being satirical in a way that's very refreshing. Doing that over and over can easily become old, but the show is able to keep it fresh by putting a new spin on it every time. There's never a dull moment when these are characters are involved. Also, the characters have changed a great deal, but it's all growing through the performances that the actors are giving, and I have to give huge credit to Bill Hader. To be as funny as he is and play the character as the most straight person in the whole show is why his character comes across as so funny, so I appreciate Hader for subduing himself here and giving a performance that's really changing his image and showing that he can do everything when it comes to comedy.

"Chapter Eight: Know Your Truth" was a great chapter to close this season. It left off on a huge cliffhanger, but it was mostly dependent on its storytelling to tie up the loose ends left over, and it was all done through great writing and great acting, with Hader just killing it in this episode.

What a season finale wow. Looking forward for season 2

Though "Barry" has been on my radar for a while, it wasn't until the third season came on up the Guardian's Top TV of 2022 that I was inspired to actually start it. Naturally, we went and began with the first season, which actually aired all the way back in 2018.

Formerly a US Marine, but now working as contract killer, Barry Berkman (Bill Hader) arrives in Los Angeles to execute a job for the Chechen mob. He follows his target to his acting class, and inadvertently becomes involved. Despite his poor performance, he finds in acting a satisfaction that isn't coming from other areas of his life and is smitten with fellow student Sally (Sarah Goldberg). He stays in L. A, and begins to attend the class, but his ties to the local gangsters and the bodycount from his real profession constantly threaten to expose him.

I really liked this first season of "Barry". It helps that I like shows and films about filmmaking and those, even tangential, links to other movies and TV productions is a factor I enjoyed here. They're not essential elements, though as "Barry" was, for me, a very funny black comedy, that married its great performances and occasional grim moments with some absolute belly laughs. Hader and Goldberg are both great and I really like that the show is not about a bad, or clumsy, hitman, like it might have been in lesser hands. Barry is reasonably proficient at this job, but it's his desperation to get out and make some proper connections that cause him to make several tactical errors.

The best humour comes from a triumvirate of co-stars though, I really liked Anthony Carrigan in "Gotham" where he was often sardonically funny and given the opportunity to be more traditionally funny here, he's great. Stephen Root, a comedic actor whose never got the recognition he deserves despite the career of brilliance is again...well... brilliant as Barry's handler Fuches. One perhaps stands above all though, Henry Winkler has proved a versatile comedic actor since his days on "Happy Days", but I don't think he's ever been better than he is in this as Gene Cousineau, who runs the acting class that Barry joins. So much great character work, and delivery of excellent lines ("Equal parts loud and wrong"), it very much deserved the Emmy he won.

I understand that I've timed this pretty well, as there are two more seasons to watch before the fourth and final begins this month. Can't wait.

This was such a great finale that both wraps up the arcs and storylines of the season while also promising more by working as a setup for whats to come!

I honestly think Barry and his character-arc was the highlight of the season! Very satisfying to see him go from a guy who didn't know what he wanted or who he was, to realising you have a choice to live the oife you want to live! The previous episode was a turning point for him! He has been killing people for so long and now he rxperiences consequences! He wants to change even if it is difficult!

The show once again balances light stuff with dark stuff very well! You get all kinds of emotions! I am very excited to see where we go from here!