Barry S2 (2019) Review

 

Barry S2 (2019)

Barry Season 2 again follows Barry, trying to put Detective Moss’ murder behind him and become a serious actor, but the hitman life keeps finding ways to sucking him back in.

This season begins in Barry exiting the darkness and ends with him going back in, a perfect metaphor for the man we see him transform into by the finale. We see a more grizzled and dark Barry now, certainly affected by the events of season 1, but trying to get his life back on track. And at times, that seems the case, with his acting career starting to take off, his relationship with Sarah is going strong, and he finally settles his debt with the Chechen’s. Fuches however, rids himself from his annoying mentor role, and fully accepts the role of villain, framing Gene and sending Barry down a dark path that ends in his season ending murderous rampage.

Aside from the end, this is a much lighter season, not featuring as much grim darkness as before and really standing out as a dark comedy. That said though, once again, when this show goes dark, it is at its very best. Specifically when it touches on Barry’s war trauma or killing Moss, things he uses to pull from when acting. Them focusing on Barry and Sarah’s traumas were excellently done, and the shift towards a more theatre heavy vibe this season was a nice change of pace.

The returning cast was great once again, featuring Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan, Henry Winkler, Michael Irby, and Bill Hader. Hader is phenomenal again, and his pairing with Goldberg is done even better than before, especially with how they made her character less self absorbed and more caring to Barry as a whole. Carrigan somehow made Noho Hank even better this time around too, as he accounts for some of the best bits of the season.

Season 2 of Barry is really all about Barry fighting with the concept of good and evil, and if he himself is the bad guy. It’s a question we get answers to in his dark turn to kill Fuches (who totally deserves it) and is something to look forward to into next season as his two lives quickly start diverging with one another.

9.2/10