Our Verdict
An incredible example of tight, explosive storytelling as Barry season 4 gets blood on its hands while still managing to tickle our funny bone.
Barry returned to our screens last week with a tumultuous double bill, which saw the titular hitman getting to grips with his life in prison while everyone around him comes to terms with the mess they find themselves in. As far as season openers go, Barry season 4 episodes 1-2 set the stage perfectly for this final instalment of the hit comedy series.
The show has established itself as one of the best TV series around right now when it comes to sharp writing, and the electric performances from the Barry cast imbue the dialogue with an incredible balance of realism and comical absurdity.
How Bill Hader and the gang are able to pack so much humour, tension, and character work into just 30 minutes of television each week is simply astounding. When you settle down to watch Barry season 4 episode 3, get ready for lots of laughs, and lots of bloodshed, as things really step up a notch. Beware, spoilers ahead!
This week’s episode begins with a cameo that is sure to bring a smile to the faces of film fans, as one of the best directors in the world, Guillermo del Toro pops up. The acclaimed filmmaker plays the well-connected Toro, a man tasked with helping Hank and Cristobal do some shady work.
Despite the serious nature of their meeting, Hank cannot help himself but get caught up arguing with Toro about the merits of a podcast reviewing gadgets that he cannot see. Hank has regularly been the one to bring the laughs to this show, and he is continuing that trend this season.
However, later in the episode, we do see a slightly darker side to Hank. Barry calls his former associate in the hopes of arranging “a dogcatcher,” but Hank is reluctant to do Barry’s dirty work. In fact, Hank finally confronts Barry about the way he treats people, causing Barry to lose his cool.
We see Barry Berkman’s wild temper surface on more than one occasion this week, and with it, Hader continues to cement his place as one of the most impressive performers in the business. It’s been said before, but his journey from starring in comedy movies, to becoming a leading man, a visionary director, and a storyteller extraordinaire is just unbelievable.
The gravity of everything going on in this drama series should be huge. We have a dangerous man who has killed countless people, and who should be paying for his crimes, and yet the show still manages to make us laugh out loud. This episode in particular contains some great slapstick comedy, most notably involving Gene Cousineau, who is digging himself into quite a mess.
Meanwhile, Sally looks to be getting her life back on track as she begins teaching acting classes. She uses rather extreme methods to get results, taken out of the Cousineau playbook, but this approach doesn’t exactly sit well with her students. She does retain one apprentice, however, as newbie actor Kristen hopes the brutal techniques can help her.
Sarah Goldberg is typically fantastic this week, and she navigates a clever shift in her character as we see her take on more of a mentor role here. There are certainly cracks starting to appear in her psyche, too, and it will be fascinating to see how Sally’s journey develops leading up to the final episodes of Barry season 4.
While the first two episodes of Barry were relatively sanitised, episode 3 ramps things up in terms of violence. Without giving anything away, prepare for gunshots, bloodshed, and absolute carnage. This third episode of Barry is very much a turning point for the rest of the season and promises a thrilling climax for one of our favourite shows.
For more hitman action, check out our guide to the John Wick 5 release date or the Reacher season 2 release date. Alternatively, dive into our lists of the new movies coming this year, and the best movies of all time.