Over four seasons, BARRY slowly became a more accessible successor to BREAKING BAD or BETTER CALL SAUL. It had the same elements of expert pacing with quiet moments, award-worthy performances, and protagonists that think they are helping when they are simply making things worse. Yet, comedic timing separated BARRY from the other two shows.
For a show that reinvented itself by not being “safe” each season, it was inevitable that it would take a chance at something big, and that payoff might not work. In season four, that big chance was the time jump, and it only worked to moderate success over the last several episodes. I wanted to yell, “Oh, wow,” as the series concluded, but instead, I merely went, “Oh, Okay. ” And there are some drop-dead unforgettable moments in the series finale that barely make it a 🤩:
Those are:
- The standoff to end all standoffs
- Sally’s mom moment
- Barry buying guns
With the ending of BARRY and SUCCESSION, it will be challenging to see what HBO… I mean, “Max” creates next in prestige drama. Regardless of how BARRY stuck the inevitable landing, it is superb television that deserves audiences’ time. The series finale may not have blown me away, but I have nothing but respect for the original story that Bill Hader, Alec Berg, and the rest of the team created.
The entire series is available on HBO Max.
