Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Barry.
Barry season 3, episode 1 ends with the eponymous hitman agreeing to let Gene Cousineau live, provided that he complies with Barry's plan to earn Gene's forgiveness for the murder of Detective Janice Moss. Whatever Barry (Bill Hader) is planning to do, it is the first big cliffhanger dropped by season 3 of HBO's dark crime comedy. Released as part of HBO Max's April 2022 roster of series, Barry season 3 is off to a compelling start.
Barry season 2 ends with Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler) remembering the moment he and Fuches found Detective Moss' dead body in the woods, during which Fuches (Stephen Root) whispers to Gene, “Barry Berkman did this.” In Barry season 3, after Gene's plan to shoot Barry fails spectacularly, Barry takes Gene out to the desert to execute his acting coach. Gene says he forgives Barry, but Barry replies that “forgiveness has to be earned,” prompting Gene to shout “then f**king earn it!”
Echoing the fate of crime drama anti-heroes like Ozark's Wendy Byrde and Breaking Bad's Walter White, Barry seems to be setting off on a more dangerous path in his quest for redemption. Barry's plan will most likely involve appealing to his and Gene's love of theater. Barry could offer to help Gene create an award-winning play or television series inspired by his own real experiences as a killer-for-hire. This would not only allow Gene to revamp his acting career, it would also help establish Barry Block as an actor, allowing Barry to further distance himself from having to kill for a living. Surreal as it may seem, this turn of events would be right at home in Barry, which has made its own unique niche out of being a compelling crime drama that takes comedy very seriously.
A Broadway production or successful series based on Barry's contract killings could help to better shield his true identity from the world. This would also serve as the perfect setup for how Barry's love interest and fellow actor Sally Reed (Sarah Goldberg) can find out that her boyfriend is actually LA and Ohio's most successful assassin. Moreover, Gene could also see this as an opportunity to help himself as well as Barry, who has proven his potential as an actor during his small role in the class' staging of Macbeth. If Barry is indeed planning to stage a popular dramatized account of his double life, Gene would have no choice but to follow Barry's lead, as it would be the best thing that they could do for both their careers.
Barry is a show that seeks to break the genre of dark comedy. This is why it's a standout addition to HBO Max's 2022 release slate, despite the fact that it's been several years since the show first premiered, earning Barry a place among 2018's best new TV shows. Whatever Barry is planning, things are bound to take a turn for the worse, likely in the most dramatic and surreal way possible.
Barry releases new episodes Sundays on HBO Max.