Prestige TV has spent the better part of two decades teaching us how to sit comfortably with dangerous men. We’ve followed them into therapy sessions, family dinners, existential spirals — you name it — and somewhere along the way, we got very good at justifying them. Although Barry doesn’t necessarily reject tradition, the series brings you into the fold through the lens of it, only to begin to tug the rug neatly out from under you once you’re comfortably seated at the table. What initially seems to fit the bill for some offbeat comedy/action proves far less humorous as the story unfolds. The humor does not necessarily fade; rather, it becomes less recognizable as humorous as events unfold.
The above reasons contribute greatly to the show having a much deeper impact on a second viewing than on the first. On your first watch, the show unfolds at a relatively fast pace, and on a second viewing, while knowing where the storyline ultimately leads, one begins to catch subtle details and foreshadowing earlier in the storyline that make it clear there is some disconnect or slippage involved. One begins to see rationalizations for Barry’s actions that simply don’t add up. The building discomfort Barry causes between how he sees himself and how he chooses to respond becomes much clearer through a review of how he arrived at these points in time, and will ultimately lead to a horrible result, regardless of whether anyone is prepared to deal with it.
Why ‘Barry’ Is One of HBO’s Most Rewatchable Shows
Barry takes us on the journey of Barry Berkman (Bill Hader), an ex-Marine who becomes a contract killer and travels to Los Angeles for his job, only to inadvertently find himself in an acting class. What seems to be a convenient cover soon becomes more complex than anticipated. Barry soon connects with others in ways he has not before and starts fantasizing about living a life that does not revolve around killing people for money.
Barry is deeply disturbed by the violence he’s experienced and is disturbingly good at what he does. Acting does not redeem him for what he has done; it provides him with another outlet for lying (to other people, yes, but mostly to himself). The longer he tries to juggle both worlds, the more apparent it becomes that there is no opportunity for an exit.
The people around him do not facilitate his attempts to get out of the life of a killer. His handler, Fuches (Stephen Root), continually pulls him back into the world that he professes to detest. His acting coach, Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler), is as genuine in his assistance as he is selfishly eager to reap the benefits of Barry’s success. And then there is Sally (Sarah Goldberg), whose issues of ambition and insecurity reflect Barry’s to the extent that it is almost frighteningly uncanny.
Frodo
Samwise
Aragorn
Gandalf
Legolas
Gimli
Sauron
Gollum
BEGINYOURQUEST→
01
Youarehandedaresponsibilitythatcoulddestroyyou.Whatdoyoudo?
Theweightoftheworldfallsonunlikelyshoulders.
AAcceptit.Someonehasto,andrunningchangesnothing.
BStaybythesideofwhoevercarriesit.Theyshouldn’tgoalone.
CStepforwardandlead.ThisisexactlywhatIwasmadefor.
DIt’sminenow.Iwon’tletanyoneelsehaveit.
NEXTQUESTION→
02
Yourclosestcompanionisheadingintoterribledanger.You:
Trueloyaltyisrevealednotincomfort,butincrisis.
03
Enormouspoweriswithinyourreach.Yourinstinctis:
Powercorrupts—butonlythosewhoreachforit.
04
Whatdoes”home”meantoyou?
Wherewelongtoreturnrevealswhowetrulyare.
< labelNEXTQUESTION→
<section
<div
05
<spanWhenabattleisuponyou,yourapproachis:
<spanWarrevealswhatwearemadeof—whetherwelikeitornot.
< label< spanASurvivebyanymeans.I’mnotafighter—butI’lldowhatImust.
< label< spanBFightforthepersonbesideme,notforgloryorhonour.
< label< spanCLeadthecharge.Nothinginspiresanarmylikeakingatthefront.
< label< spanDStrikefromrange,fastandprecise—neverletthemgetclose.
< labelNEXTQUESTION→
<section
<div
06
<spanSomeonecomestoyouforadviceintheirdarkesthour.You:
<spanWisdomisnotknowingalltheanswers—it’sknowingwhichquestionstoask.
< label< spanAListen,thenofferhonestencouragement.Sometimespeoplesimplyneedbelief.
< label< span<class='' sqoptionletter'' BGivethempracticalhelp—wordsarefine,butactionisbetter.
< labelC< / spanspeakcarefully.Ihaveseenmuch,andIknowwhatcounselcancost.
D
NEXTQUESTION→
<p07
<
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sectionclassname=sq-slideqs8
sectionclassname=sq-slideqs9
sectionclassname=sq-slideqs10
sectionclassname=sq-slideresults
divclassname=sq-resultreveal
spansql-resultlabel>TheFellowshipHasSpoken
spansql-resulttitle>YourPlaceinMiddle-earth
psql-resultintrotext>The scores below reveal your true character. Your highest number is your match. Even a tie tells a story — the Fellowship was never made of simple people.
divclassname=scoresgrid
psql-score-icon
spansql-score-namecolor=#A78BFAFrodo
spansql-score-numsql-score-frodo
psql-score-icon
spansql-score-namecolor=#86EFACSamwise
spansql-score-numsql-score-sam
psql-score-icon
spansql-score-namecolor=#60A5FAAragorn
spansql-score-numsql-score-aragorn
psql-score-icon
spansql-score-namecolor=#FCD34DGandalf
spansql-score-numsql-score-gandalf
psql-score-icon
spansql-score-namecolor=#6EE7B7Legolas
spansql-score-numsql-score-legolas
psql-score-icon
spansql-score-namecolor=#F97316Gimli
spansql-score-numsql-score-gimli
psql-score-icon
spansql-score-namecolor=#E8242ASauron
spansql-score-numsql-score-sauron
psql-score-icon
spansql-score-namecolor=#9CA3AFGollum
spansql-score-numsql-score-gollum
divclassname=resultcards
divclassname=resultcardstyleborder-left-color:#A78BFA;
psresultcardtext>Youcarrysomethingheavy—andyoucarryitalone,eventhenyoudon’thaveto.Youwerenotbornforgreatness,andthatispreciselywhygreatnesschoseyou.Yourcourageisnottheroaring,sword-swingingkind;itisquiet,stubborn,andterrifyinginitsrefusaltoquit.TheRingweighsonyoumorethananyonecansee,andstillyouwalktowardthefire.Thatisnotweakness.Thatisthe rarestkindofstrengththereis.
divclassname=resultcardstyleborder-left-color:#86EFAC;
psresultcardtext>Youare,withoutquestion,thebestofthem.Notthemostpowerful,notthemostcelebrated—butthemostessential.Yourloyaltyisanottrait;itisaforceofnature.Youwouldcarrytheperson youloveuptheslopesofMountDoomifitcame tothat,andwebothknowyou’ddoitwithoutbeingasked.Theworldneedsmorepeoplelikeyou,andtheworldisluckyithasevenone.
divclassname=resultcardstyleborder-left-color:#60A5FA;
psresultcardtext>Youwereborntolead,andyouhavespentyearsrunningfromit.Thecrownyoursbyright,butyouknowbetterthananyonethatrightmeansnothingwithoutthewillandtheworthinessbackitup.Youaretemperedbyloss,shapedbylongroads,anddefinedbyacodeofhonourholdtoevenwhennooneiswatching.Whenyoufinallystepforward,theworldshifts.Becauseitwasalwayswaitingforyou.
divclassname=resultcardstyleborder-left-color:#FCD34D;
psresultcardtext>Youhaveseenmuchmorethan youleton,andyousaylessthan youknow—whichisexactlyas itshouldbe.Youareacatalyst: youdonotfightthebattlesyourself,youignitethepeoplewhocan.Yourwisdomcomesnotfrombooksbutfromanageofwatchingwhathappenswhenitisignored.Youarrivepreciselywhenyoumeanto,andyourpresencealonechangeswhatispossible.Awizardisneverlate.
divclassname=resultcardstyleborder-left-color:#6EE7B7;
psresultcardtext>Graceful,perceptive,andalmostpreternaturallycalmunderpressure—you seethingsothersmissandactbeforeothersreact.Youdonotneedtomakeascenetobremarkable;youpresencespeaksforyourself.Youareloyalto thoseyouchoosetostandbeside,andthatchoiceismade lightly.Youhavelivedlongenoughtoknowthatmostbeautifulthingsinthisworldarealsothemostfragile,andthat iswhyyoufighttoprotectthem.
divclassname=resultcardstyleborder-left-color:#F97316;
psresultcardtext>Youareloud,proud,andabsolutelyformidable—andbeneathallofthatisanoneofthemostfiercelyloyalheartsinMiddle-earth.Youdon’tdoanythingbyhalfmeasures.Yourfriendshipsare forgedlikeiron,yourgrudgesrunasdeepasmines,andyour courageinbattleisthekindthatmakeslegends.Youcameintothisfellowshipsuspiciousofeveryoneandendeditwillingtodieforanelf.Thatisnotsmallthing.Thatiseverything.
divclassname=resultcardstyleborder-left-color:#E8242A;
psresultcardtext>Youthinkincenturiesandactinabsolutes.Order,dominion,control—notbecauseyouarecruelbynature,butbecauseyouhave decidedthattheworldlefttoitselffallsapart,andyouaretheonlyonewiththevisionandwilltoholdittogether.Youwerenotalwaysthis.Somethingwaslost ortakenorbetrayed,andtheversionofyouthatstandsnowistheanswer tothatwound.Thetragedyisyournotentirelywrong—justentirelytoofar gonetocourse-correct.
divclassname=resultcardstyleborder-left-color:#9CA3AF;
psresultcardtext>Youareastudyincontradiction— pitiableanddangerous,cunningandbroken,capableofbothcrueltyandsomethingthatoncere sembledlove.Youaredefinedbyloss:ofinnocence,self,theonethingthatgaveyourexistencemeaning.Twovoiceswarinsideyouconstantly,andthetragedyisthebetteronesometimeswins,jus tnotenough,andneverattherightmoment.Youareawarning,yetalsoamirror.WeareallalittleGollum,giventheright ringandenoughtime.
<label(class)=(sq-btn-restart) (for)(sq-s0)↻ RETAKETHEQUIZ
