Bill Hader Got Pushback From Barry Writers For A Season 4 Character Death
One of the reasons that HBO's "Barry" has become such an exceptional television series over the last four seasons is its ability to walk a tightrope between an offbeat comedy and a dark thriller. Co-creator and star Bill Hader has also successfully shifted himself as the leading man on center stage to one of many main characters in his own show. "Barry" has become just as much about examining the underbelly of dysfunctional relationships as it is about exposing the uncaring, ruthless machinations of the criminal underworld.
In season 4, episode 4, "It Takes a Psycho," there aren't a lot of romances to root for any longer. Barry and Sally (Sarah Goldberg) have gone from two innocent theatre nerds to being incredibly toxic for one another. Meanwhile, Cousineau is still heartbroken over the murder of his beloved LAPD detective Janice Moss (Paula Newsome), which really leaves only one couple to champion that might have a shot at actual happiness. NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan) and Cristobal (Michael Irby) have gone from enemies in rival cartels to doting lovers that had almost found a way out of a life of crime. After Hank saved Cristobal from being tortured by electroshock therapy by his x-wife in the season 3 finale, it appeared that both men were ready to settle down and go legit.
Instead, Cristobal finds out in "It Takes a Psycho" that Hank has double-crossed the Chechens to consolidate power in his neverending quest to be L.A.'s most ruthless crime lord. It's the ultimate betrayal to Cristobal, who tries to leave Hank after almost suffocating to death earlier in the episode. In his mind, Hank has no choice but to order his henchmen to kill his lover, thus putting an end to one of the greatest couples currently on television.
Hader and Hank are both responsible
Killing Cristobal was a hard decision for Hank to make, and an even harder one for Bill Hader and the entire "Barry" writers room. "Well, we always knew, I think, that Cristobal had to die," Hader told The Ringer's Prestige TV podcast. He continued:
"I came into the writers room and I said, while we were doing press and episode 3 was coming out, I said 'I think Cristobal is gonna have to die, and I think Hank's gotta be responsible for it.'"
For all of the writers besides Duffy Boudreau, ending Cristobal's life so early in the season may have felt like an injustice for a character who's gone through so much already. His arc just didn't quite seem complete, which makes his death that much more of a shock. The sudden twist to take Cristobal off of the board completely led some of the writers to quickly devise some possible alternatives, none of which rang true for Hader:
"It was one of those things where I left the room, so they could all vent, and I came back in and it was, you know, pitches of 'can't Cristobal be like a kept man? Like he's part of this new regime but he's unhappy?' And I was like, 'Would Cristobal do that?' I don't think Cristobal is that kind of person, he's pretty strong."
And Hader is probably spot on about Cristobal not being willing to join forces with the Chechens and the remaining L.A. street gangs. He was part of the Bolivian mob and had seen enough bloodshed by that point. Additionally, Cristobal's death drives home one of the main themes in "Barry." A happy ending just isn't possible, no matter how much Cristobal or Barry want to believe that they can really have it all.
'We can have both things'
Anthony Carrigan's performance as NoHo Hank had to transition from being somewhat of a bumbling, incompetent gangster to a man willing to exorcise his own good-natured humanity for the chance at becoming an apex predator at the top of the food chain. Barry has been the catalyst for Hank's villainous turn after Hank learns that Barry is working with the FBI. Fearing that Barry will come after him, Hank makes the choice to kill Cristobal and leave his old life behind in order to survive what's coming next.
Hader related Hanks decision to the one Barry is forced to make when he has to murder his former military friend Chris (Chris Marquette) early on in the series, telling The Ringer:
"Hank's trying to be a tough guy, this is what comes with it, like what Barry learned in season 1 when Chris died. I wanna be a badass, I wanna be a strong man, I want to do this, and this whole idea of 'we can have both things' and it's like, you can't."
With Cristobal gone, Hank can stop looking over his shoulder and around every corner. He's eliminated the one thing he was afraid to lose. The series finale of "Barry" looks to be barreling towards a showdown between Barry and Hank, with Sally and Fuches (Stephen Root) potentially stuck in the crosshairs. Cristobal's untimely death in "It Takes a Psycho" sets up a decidedly dark ending that seems to be where Hader sees the show going. Barry can't help but leave a lot of destruction in his wake, a hard truth that his writers room and "Barry" fans everywhere are going to have to accept.
"Barry" airs on HBO and streams on HBO Max on Sundays at 10pm ET.