HBO's Barry May Have Gotten So Dark That It's No Longer Enjoyable

During the first two seasons of Barry, I thought it was the best show on TV. There isn't a false step in the entire first season. The second season had some weaker moments but it also had my favorite episode of television in recent memory (ronny/lily where Barry has to fight Ronny and his daughter Lily who are both Taekwondo experts). It's also done well with critics and Emmys. Bill Hader and Henry Winkler have each won Emmys and after each season, it's been nominated for several awards each year.  

When Barry's world fell apart in season three, it made for interesting television but I also enjoyed it far less than the other seasons. In fairness to the show, his downfall had to happen. Barry Berkman made high-profile mistakes and it was only a matter of time before the walls closed in. I respect the hell out of the show making touch choices.

Last night, HBO premiered the first two episodes of season four. This is the final season and each of the major characters are in horrible situations. This was also true with Breaking Bad but while those were far from carefree viewings, they were substantially more entertaining than Barry was last night. I'm not saying more interesting necessarily but just more entertaining.

The concept of someone like Barry Berkman or Walter White making the lives of everyone around them so much worse is very compelling to me. But watching characters you had rooted for have panic attacks or bash their heads against a wall is not a pleasant way to spend a Sunday night. The fun of Barry for me was when he was in the acting class with Cousineau and the other students. That wasn't sustainable so I don't begrudge Bill Hader at all for shifting the show away from that but it did take quite a bit of life from it.

I'm only being extra critical because I like the show so much. The cast is fantastic with Hader, Winkler, Sarah Goldberg and Stephen Root. Goldberg's character going back home to Missouri was the best part of the first episode. I was really disappointed to see her back in L.A. the next episode. It didn't seem true to Sally that she would visit Barry in jail. Her parent's house did seem like an infantilized hellscape but would it make anyone run back to the murderer they had lived with?

I also didn't care at all about NoHo Hank's sand scheme. I am sure that's just a plot point being used to get Barry and Hank in the same setting again. The ending of the second episode certainly pointed to that. But that's a lot of time wasted in a half hour show at a Dave & Buster's with a bunch of characters I don't care about.

There are only six episodes left and it's tough for any show to finish strong but remain true to itself. For me, Friday Night Lights Breaking Bad and Six Feet Under all did that. They were earned endings. I put Barry right there with those shows. It's a Top 10 all-time show for me. I have to give the show credit for sticking with the truth of these characters even if that truth is hard to watch at times. Seinfeld famously believed in the premise of "no learning, no hugging" and that those people were unable to change. Barry (and the people around him) all seem equally helpless to grow. It's a cynical way to look at humanity. You have to respect a show willing to choose that route. That doesn't mean the final episodes will make for a fun watch.