Barry became an even better show without the comedy - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 06-16-2022, 04:03 AM

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/...review/661284/

"Season 3 has marked a stark shift toward the show’s darker impulses, as well as a move away from leaning on Barry to be its emotional center," says Hannah Giorgis. "That shift has made Barry a better show—and a more interesting one than it would’ve been if it had stuck to its hitman-with-a-heart conceit. (Bill) Hader’s Barry has long embodied the contradictions in the phrase dark comedy: He’s in turns wooden and effortfully chipper, droll and earnest. In Seasons 1 and 2, his attempts to fit in among plucky Millennial thespians showcased Hader’s impressive deadpan and elastic face. Similarly zany were his dealings with the Chechen mob and overzealous fellow ex-Marines, one of whom cheerfully watches pornography on his living-room TV in full view of visitors. Meanwhile, Barry could also be frighteningly blank, a cold executor and manipulator whose full capacity for violence we were only beginning to understand. But as the show progressed, that blankness could sometimes feel so prominent that it left little room for other characters’ inner lives.... In Season 3, the show brings the lives of these supporting characters—and the pain they feel in their relationships with Barry—into sharp focus. By doubling down on its protagonist’s depravity and stripping him of any boyishly charming veneer, the series stops searching for the vulnerability beneath his facade and commits to focusing on Barry’s dangerousness. It’s the strongest season yet for Hader’s acting, which veers between lupine freneticism and existential torpor. But it also takes an unusual risk: It makes us stop empathizing with its protagonist almost entirely."

ALSO:

Barry’s turn toward total surreality is perhaps fitting: "Its characters live in a kind of purgatory, born of a total and devastating lack of self-awareness," says R.E. Hawley. "They long for change — to break from the past, to make something of themselves, to become better people — and, at times, take steps toward breaking the cycles of violence that dominate their lives. But they inevitably slide back, hobbled by their inability to see themselves and their patterns amid the towering self-mythologies they’ve constructed. Only Mr. Cousineau, broken to the point of ego death by Janice’s murder and Barry’s threats against him, is able to rise above and find redemption. Barry, on the other hand, is still psychologically imprisoned on that beach, surrounded by the people he’s killed, with no escape save a vast and open ocean."
Barry cinematographer Carl Herse says Bill Hader is very specific as a director: "A lot of times on TV shows, you have showrunners who have a writing background but are not necessarily as visual, episodic directors who are trying to get many coverage options for the showrunners to decide what direction they want to go with,” says Herse. “On our show, ‘coverage’ is a dirty word. Bill is extremely intentional with the camera. A lot of times, the director and I will not want to move an actor if they want to stand or enter or exit a scene in a specific way. But because Bill is an actor, he can speak to the actors from their perspective, which allows us to design shots ahead of time.”
Bill Hader and his collaborators delve into how Barry created last week's chase scene -- and why he refused to stunt ride the motorcycle
Anthony Carrigan is "champing at the bit" over what he's heard about Barry Season 4: "I’ve heard little things here and there from that little bird, Bill Hader," he says. "But I have to kind of take everything with a grain of salt because I’ve heard so many storylines that I would be so excited about, and then I would see the scripts and I’d be like, 'Wait, what happened to, you know, them going here or this happening?' And they’re like, 'Oh yeah, we scrapped that months ago.' That being said, what I have heard about in terms of next season has got me champing at the bit to get started because it’s so cool. And yeah, it’s yet another example of Bill and Alec painting themselves into a corner and seeing how they’re going to get out of it. I’m continually impressed with what they’re able to do. And they’ve certainly painted themselves into a corner this time."

06-16-2022, 04:03 AM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 125,857	Barry became an even better show without the comedy https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/...review/661284/ "Season 3 has marked a stark shift toward the show’s darker impulses, as well as a move away from leaning on Barry to be its emotional center," says Hannah Giorgis. "That shift has made Barry a better show—and a more interesting one than it would’ve been if it had stuck to its hitman-with-a-heart conceit. (Bill) Hader’s Barry has long embodied the contradictions in the phrase dark comedy: He’s in turns wooden and effortfully chipper, droll and earnest. In Seasons 1 and 2, his attempts to fit in among plucky Millennial thespians showcased Hader’s impressive deadpan and elastic face. Similarly zany were his dealings with the Chechen mob and overzealous fellow ex-Marines, one of whom cheerfully watches pornography on his living-room TV in full view of visitors. Meanwhile, Barry could also be frighteningly blank, a cold executor and manipulator whose full capacity for violence we were only beginning to understand. But as the show progressed, that blankness could sometimes feel so prominent that it left little room for other characters’ inner lives.... In Season 3, the show brings the lives of these supporting characters—and the pain they feel in their relationships with Barry—into sharp focus. By doubling down on its protagonist’s depravity and stripping him of any boyishly charming veneer, the series stops searching for the vulnerability beneath his facade and commits to focusing on Barry’s dangerousness. It’s the strongest season yet for Hader’s acting, which veers between lupine freneticism and existential torpor. But it also takes an unusual risk: It makes us stop empathizing with its protagonist almost entirely." ALSO: Barry’s turn toward total surreality is perhaps fitting: "Its characters live in a kind of purgatory, born of a total and devastating lack of self-awareness," says R.E. Hawley. "They long for change — to break from the past, to make something of themselves, to become better people — and, at times, take steps toward breaking the cycles of violence that dominate their lives. But they inevitably slide back, hobbled by their inability to see themselves and their patterns amid the towering self-mythologies they’ve constructed. Only Mr. Cousineau, broken to the point of ego death by Janice’s murder and Barry’s threats against him, is able to rise above and find redemption. Barry, on the other hand, is still psychologically imprisoned on that beach, surrounded by the people he’s killed, with no escape save a vast and open ocean." Barry cinematographer Carl Herse says Bill Hader is very specific as a director: "A lot of times on TV shows, you have showrunners who have a writing background but are not necessarily as visual, episodic directors who are trying to get many coverage options for the showrunners to decide what direction they want to go with,” says Herse. “On our show, ‘coverage’ is a dirty word. Bill is extremely intentional with the camera. A lot of times, the director and I will not want to move an actor if they want to stand or enter or exit a scene in a specific way. But because Bill is an actor, he can speak to the actors from their perspective, which allows us to design shots ahead of time.” Bill Hader and his collaborators delve into how Barry created last week's chase scene -- and why he refused to stunt ride the motorcycle Anthony Carrigan is "champing at the bit" over what he's heard about Barry Season 4: "I’ve heard little things here and there from that little bird, Bill Hader," he says. "But I have to kind of take everything with a grain of salt because I’ve heard so many storylines that I would be so excited about, and then I would see the scripts and I’d be like, 'Wait, what happened to, you know, them going here or this happening?' And they’re like, 'Oh yeah, we scrapped that months ago.' That being said, what I have heard about in terms of next season has got me champing at the bit to get started because it’s so cool. And yeah, it’s yet another example of Bill and Alec painting themselves into a corner and seeing how they’re going to get out of it. I’m continually impressed with what they’re able to do. And they’ve certainly painted themselves into a corner this time."