Forget The Bloodshed, It's The Friend Breakup That's The Hardest Part Of Barry Season 4 To Watch
This post contains spoilers for the third episode of "Barry" season 4.
There's nothing worse than a friend breakup. Okay, theoretically, I suppose ending up in a prison standoff when your FBI meeting is interrupted by two inept assassins who die horribly in front of you is worse than a friend breakup — but only by a smidge. The most painful-looking part of the latest episode of "Barry" wasn't Fred Armisen's hit man blowing his own hand off or Jim Moss (Robert Wisdom) torturing a Vanity Fair reporter, but a bitter phone call between NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan) and Barry (Bill Hader) that takes place before the real action ramps up.
The call comes as a surprise for Hank, as the Chechen mobster put a hit out on his former ally that was meant to be executed that day. Hank pauses a long time before accepting the charges, and when Barry answers instead of someone else reporting his death, the usually-chipper criminal gets quiet. He stays reserved through the whole conversation, even as Barry works himself into a fury when Hank won't get someone to kill Gene (Henry Winkler). "Barry, I have been nothing but loving and good friend to you, and, like, all you do is you take and you take and you take," Hank says, and there isn't a hint of a joke in the typically comedic character's voice. By the end of the heated phone call, it's clear that this is a point of no return: something's broken between Hank and Barry, and it can't be fixed.
A delightful dynamic from Barry's early days has died
The last two seasons of "Barry" have been full of rock-bottom moments like this one, as Barry steadily alienates every person who ever loved or cared about him. By the time NoHo Hank and Barry call it quits, the last nail in the coffin of Barry's humanity seems to have already been hammered in, and Hank's just throwing dirt on his grave. Still, there's something quietly heartbreaking about the dissolution of the pair's relationship. It feels not only like a loss for these characters (particularly Hank), but also like the show, which by now is more tragic than comic, is finally letting go of one of its funniest and most enduring dynamics.
Barry and Hank have both come a long way since they first met, although it's mostly been for worse. In the early days of the series, before Hank's sexuality was confirmed when he pulled an enemies-to-lovers arc with Cristobal (Michael Irby), his relationship with Barry was more like a starstruck crush than a full-blown friendship. The humor in the pair's relationship came largely from Hank's insistence that Barry was the coolest, best guy ever, all while Barry failed to live up to the hype or even reciprocate Hank's enthusiasm. So much has happened in the intervening years that it's easy to forget that Hank used to seem sweet on Barry, but it all comes back to us now, in this scene where Carrigan plays Hank as deeply hurt.
Barry's loss is Hank's gain
The conversation makes the distance between Barry and Hank's perceptions of their relationship more obvious than ever, as we see Barry get worked up while Hank grows icy and visibly sad. "It's like you're only out for yourself," the mobster says evenly, while Barry starts to ramble. Neither man seems particularly like himself here, but it's a scene that feels like the natural and depressing culmination of the show's evolution into a drama; Barry is deeply hateworthy as he tries to convince Hank his intentions are sincere, while typically kind Hank is stern, with no trace of irony to his words.
"The day you get out of prison is my f***ing birthday, man, okay?" Hank says, and it's the open threat against Barry's life that finally breaks whatever the pair had for good. When Hank hangs up the phone, it's a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, it closes the book on what was once the show's most surefire source of comedy, a delightful and silly partnership that added levity to the series' darker moments. On the other, Hank's goodbye to Barry proves him something of a protagonist in his own right, a fully-developed character whose needs and wants go far beyond goofily fawning over the hitman bestie who keeps leaving him for dead.
"Barry" has been steadily shifting its focus from the titular character to an ensemble of impacted parties, and as the series heads towards its endgame, Hank remains one of the only people worth rooting for. It's hard to watch the last good thing Barry had crumble in one phone call, but his loss is NoHo Hank's gain — at least for now.
"Barry" season 4 is airing on HBO and streaming on HBO Max on Sundays at 10pm ET.