I have known about Barry for a long time now, but it's a show for some reason that I just ended up completely overlooking. I believe recently the show ended having seen a few reviews around here and there, and some people had even asked if I had seen it. This happens often with me, where I am effectively oblivious to a show or film despite it receiving high praise, to which once all the excitement has settled down over it, I remember it exists and decide to check it out. Perhaps some of this is a result of wanting to wait until a show has finished to know I can watch it. I have mentioned this more recently as well: the fear of show cancellation and time spent. With Barry, I had never really seen anything from it aside from brief mentions of its name here and there. It was never really a show that stood out to me and really got into my face with screenshots, scenes, or even discussion. Again, this is likely my oblivious side just not really noticing things around me.
The other day I finally decided to check this show out, and as a fan of Bill Hader, I sort of struggle to believe this is a show he could make and perform so well in. He is a great actor, but one that's usually bound to the roles of comedy films. Even voicing some ridiculous characters from South Park - there's even a video online of him in the recording studio voicing some lines, and it's hilarious -- and I think this ultimately shows that Bill Hader has gone heavily underappreciated over the years. This has me starting to question: are we to see the true golden era of Bill Hader through Barry? Is this the start of some more serious roles that really show off a hidden talent? Well, aside from getting hooked from the first episode of Barry, it didn't take me long at all to get through the first season of the show. And the second.
It's a little gem of a show that the world desperately needs. I don't think there's much else like it airing with its mixture of more serious themes and dark comedy. And with only a handful of episodes, it's a show that really doesn't stick around while it juggles various narratives and the tension piles up. In a way, I'm already sad at knowing I'm halfway through the show!
Barry
At its core, Barry seems to be a show that is dedicated to the world of acting. Displaying a protagonist that is a former Marine and now hitman-for-hire, he moves to Los Angeles for work and stumbles into an acting class to which his entire life's question comes into play: does Barry have a purpose beyond the senseless killing? Is there a life for him in the world of art? Where he can freely express himself and find community? Barry works alongside an old family friend who runs the hitman side of the business, closely keeping Barry in check and stopping him from doing anything too drastic, but the acting class seems ends up being part of the work to begin with. What's funny is how Barry is just completely horrible at acting, he's terrible at it. But through luck and an accidental monologue, he manages to win the teacher over and secure his place for future classes.
I mentioned a moment ago that Barry seems like a show dedicated to the world of acting. And this is absolutely true. The show looks at acting as a highly complex form of therapy in which individuals don't just act, but become the character by pulling from deep within their past experiences. This means manipulating your emotions and finding your deepest traumas in order to get yourself into that character. An angry character needs to feel the anger. Or a character in love needs to feel the passion in their heart to display it on their faces and mannerisms when performing. The acting world is one that is highly underappreciated, not through any malicious intent, but through a general lack of understanding of just how difficult acting can really be. This show seems to really portray acting as something magical, something that can save a person and make them look deep within themselves and grow from the performances. We often hear of actors pursuing method acting, taking more extreme measures to get into the role or try to understand the character, this is why!
This works very well in Barry because we see a troubled former Marine that wants to make a better life for himself, but is too broken and fragile and lost in his former life that he finds no real manner of getting out of it all. It makes feeling for Barry as a character incredibly easy, and it promotes the question of what makes a person good. While much of this may seem rather heavy, Barry is a show that handles the serious with a lot of dark comedy. The hitman side of his work is often foolish, surrounded by actually very funny and likeable criminals and syndicates that operate seemingly through pure luck. They're Chechen mobsters that actually have some politeness to them, very relaxed but of course very violent. A lot of the comedy comes from their fun interactions with the world around them, putting them into funny situations or conversations that pulls out some of their humanity more rather than making them seem like very serious psychopaths. I think even this adds to that prior idea of what makes a good person; even the criminals seem like they can be good people sometimes.
I'm really excited to see where this show can go. I think it's an incredibly strong introduction to a unique story that actually has some inspiration and meaning behind it. It's evident that there's a love for the world of acting, and a strong love for the way in which we tell stories and create characters. Even going as far as making each character someone you can like and enjoying seeing. It makes each character feel real, with some weight on the story as it navigates between these characters throughout the episodes. Not just focusing on Barry as some saviour hitman capable of saving the world at his own demise. Bill Hader has definitely impressed me so far, in both performance, writing, and directing. I didn't even get to mention how nice the directing is! Sometimes it's slow, atmospheric, following the characters around. It can be a very cinematic show, displaying small parts of Los Angeles here and there. Other times, it is more fixed, up-close and personal with its perspectives. Knowing when to show emotions more clearly, or knowing when to be cinematic and wide for the action.
I have no doubts that I'll end up finishing the show within the next few days, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the characters develop. I suspect the quality will only continue.
