Hey all! HBO is being super cool and is offering a handful of shows and movies to stream for free! You don’t even need to have an account. So with that little bit of knowledge, I found that the critically acclaimed show, Barry was available! I have been eager to watch this for quite some time, so now is my opportunity.
Barry is ex-military, who upon his arrival back to Cleveland, is corralled in by a family friend to become a hit-man. Out on assignment in Los Angeles, a Chechen crime family wants Barry to kill a man who’s been sleeping with the boss’s wife. Barry ends up stumbling into an acting class, and finds that he really likes it.
Throughout the coarse of the season, we see Barry try numerous times to get out of the assassination business, but keeps getting roped back in by Fuches. He tries and fails at having a relationship with fellow acting classmate, Sally, and strikes an unlikely bond with Chechen mafia man, NoHo Hank. All the while he is still trying to hone in his acting skills with the blunt help of acting coach, Gene Cousineau, while trying to not get caught by local police.
These first eight episodes were pretty darn entertaining. Equal parts hilarious and dark, this show hits all the right notes. Bill Hader is one of my all-time favorite SNL cast members, so I knew I’d at least be fond of this show. Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank is perhaps the other standout in this show. He’s absolutely hysterical! While most of the characters are likable, Sally has to be my least favorite. She just seems vapid and self-centered, but she’s Barry’s love interest, so sadly she’ll always be around. I can’t wait to see what the second season has in store!