Barry Season 4 Offers Its First Major Surprise With Fuches, Of All People
This post contains spoilers for "Barry" season 4, episode 1, "yikes," and episode 2, "bestest place on the earth."
One of the most important relationships in "Barry" is between the eponymous hitman turned actor (Bill Hader) and his handler/honorary uncle, Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root). Fuches is the one who turned Barry into a hitman (he was already a killer from his military service in Afghanistan). So when Barry wants to try a new vocation and join the acting class of Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler), Fuches objects, knowing that spells the end of his gravy train. Their partnership falls apart over season 1, and they've now tried to kill each other multiple times.
Season 3 of "Barry" ended with a sense of comeuppance. After entrapment by Cousineau, Barry was finally arrested for killing Detective Janice Moss (Paula Newsome) — Cousineau's girlfriend — back in the season 1 finale. Fuches was arrested too, courtesy of Janice's father Jim (Robert Wisdom). The vengeful Fuches was trying to get Jim to kill Barry for him, but Jim instead delivered him to the police.
In season 4, it turns out Barry and Fuches are both being held in the same prison. When Fuches sees Barry walk past him in the cafeteria, he turns white with fear. He goes to the FBI, offering to wear a wire to further incriminate Barry in exchange for witness protection. When Fuches springs his trap, the despondent Barry surprises him. Instead of attacking Fuches, Barry tells him, "You were right about Mr. Cousineau [...] If I hadn't tried to understand myself, we wouldn't be here." As Barry walks away, Fuches' face trembles.
After Barry is beaten by a guard, Fuches rushes to his side, throwing away the wire and giving his own apology for taking advantage of Barry. He finally acts like the surrogate father he's always claimed to be.
Why Fuches reacted the way he did
This isn't the first time Fuches has worn a wire. Back in season 2, he was arrested in a hit gone wrong. Janice's partner, Detective John Loach (John Pirruccello), offered to keep him free if he entrapped Barry. In the season's fourth episode, "what?", Fuches had second thoughts but an unknowing Barry still spilled secrets. They only escaped because Loach tries to blackmail Barry instead of arresting him (see the next episode, "ronny/lily" for how that turns out).
Fuches' betrayal stung and Barry again cut him out. So, Fuches tracked down Janice's body. Posing as the private investigator "Kenneth Goulet," Fuches brought Cousineau out to the body. He intended to stage a murder-suicide; call the police with Cousineau's phone and "confess" to killing Janice, then kill Cousineau in front of the body. But when the time came to shoot Cousineau, Fuches hesitated. With the police moments away, he told Gene the truth about Barry instead, then ran.
Understanding why Fuches tried to take his revenge this way will contextualize his actions in "yikes." Over the course of season 2, Barry began to see Cousineau as a father figure. In "what?", he opened up to him about the incident that got him discharged (he killed a civilian in Korengal). Cousineau, though stunned, didn't condemn Barry and told him he believed in his better self. Cousineau would later talk about Barry to a seething "Goulet," claiming he was the one who turned Barry's life around. Fuches was so jealous of Cousineau's relationship with Barry that he decided to destroy it — one way or another. Barry disavowing Cousineau and saying he should've listened to Fuches must've hit the old bastard right in the heart.
Short-lived amends
The surprises don't end there. Even after "yikes," viewers probably weren't inclined to trust Fuches. After all, "Barry" is generally cynical about people's ability to change. In season 3, Fuches squandered two chances at a new life so he could continue his vengeance against Barry.
So, was he lying? Would the FBI agents pressure him into honoring their deal? As it turns out in "bestest place on the earth," no. Fuches was being sincere; he throws away his deal with the FBI, declaring he won't sell out a friend. While talking with Barry, Fuches tells an (exaggerated) version of what happened and how he chose Barry over a new life. That's what does him in.
Barry soon gets a visit from his ex-girlfriend Sally Reed (Sarah Goldberg) and is convinced there's still hope for a future with her. So, he goes to the FBI, offering to inform on the Los Angeles gangs he worked for in exchange for Witness Protection — with Sally as his plus one.
Barry misses a meeting with Fuches' newly-retained lawyer (Matt Servitto) and when Fuches goes to see Barry, he finds someone else in his cell. When told Barry has been moved to "Special Housing," he realizes what's happened. So, he calls Chechen gangster NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan) to bemoan this sad twist: "Love will lead you to ruin." Hank brushes Fuches off but decides Barry has to be silenced.
Barry and Fuches' rekindled friendship was never going to last, but this quick turnaround managed to be surprising and consistent with both their characters and the themes of "Barry."
"Barry" airs on HBO and streams on HBO Max every Sunday at 10 p.m. EST.