CNN
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“Barry” took risks from the start, which is certainly the case for the fourth and final season, which picks up where the third left off with an arrested actor-turned-murderer. This paves the way for an even darker season that highlights the ensemble aspect of the show by leaning too heavily on blurry lines with flights of fancy.
Thanks to The Heir, Barry won’t be the biggest goodbye on HBO this spring, but the Emmy-nominated series isn’t sliced liver either. It’s actually fair to say that while these episodes don’t quite live up to what they used to be, even the less lethal “Barry” is still very, very good.
Bill Hader’s authorial turn as director-producer-star remains one of the most unpredictable series on TV, and the new season has a strong Better Call Saul vibe, fueled by the fallout from the seemingly inevitable fact that Barry Hader couldn’t keep his double life alive. forever.
The fallout from his arrest flares up on both sides of the equation, from his acting teacher Gene Cousino (played by Henry Winkler, who is still a towering mixture of selfishness and neediness) and girlfriend Sally (Sarah Goldberg) to a gallery of petty criminals. in its orbit, including Fuches (Stephen Root) and Noho Hank (Anthony Carrigan), who incredibly found love through his travels, somehow turning “Barry” into a four-syllable name.
“Barry” has always struggled with the discomfort of the main character killing people, and the issue of empathy for his namesake becomes especially acute in these episodes with the character in prison. When Barry asks “Are you mad at me?” with an almost childlike innocence, it’s easy to forget, at least for a moment, some of the terrible things he’s done, even if the vengeful Jim Moss (Robert Wisdom) can’t do it.
Hader (who directed every episode) also thrives on darkly comical visual gags, which in the new season are complemented by several hysterical cameos from real Hollywood figures, director Guillermo del Toro among them, who are made even funnier by how random they seem.
However, the fantasy series’ surreal digressions and detours become more and more distracting, which at times feels too valuable. The saving grace is always the strength of the actors, even if the prison creates obstacles for their interaction.
HBO has made available most, but not all, of the season, and the series effectively keeps audiences on their toes and wondering how it’s going to end and how (or if) its various strands will connect.
The likelihood of a happy ending for everyone in “Barry” country never seemed to be in the cards, but Hader and co-writer Alec Berg seem determined to leave on their own terms, as good (mostly) and at times disappointing as they are. Maybe. be. That’s why it’s hard to get mad at a show that takes such invigorating creative risks, even with a season that isn’t quite the cold-blooded killer it was.
The fourth and final season of Barry begins April 14 at 10 p.m. ET on HBO, which, like CNN, is a division of W*rner Bros. discovery.