Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Barry.
Barry season 3, episode 1 “Forgiving Jeff” ends with Barry flashing a disturbing smile after coming up with an impromptu plan to redeem himself for his murderous actions. Along with the fact that no one on Barry has a higher kill count than the protagonist, Barry's plan to earn Gene Cousineau's forgiveness underscores a disturbing truth that fans of the show have always suspected about the true nature of the villain.
The fact that Barry believes that there's something he can do to earn Gene's forgiveness for the murder of Detective Janice Moss confirms that Barry has become delusional. Detective Moss was the love of Gene's life. If Barry even gets Gene to cooperate with his plans, it would be mainly because Gene fears for his life. Should everything go according to Barry's plan, Gene would have to keep reliving Detective Moss' death every time he sees or interacts with Barry. Meanwhile, this would allow Barry to keep hiding his life as a contract killer, not just from the law, but also from his fellow actor and love interest Sally Reed.
All this underscores the fact that the real villain in Barry isn't Monroe Fuches – it's Barry himself. Barry's plan for redemption echoes the fate of other crime drama anti-heroes like Ozark's Wendy Byrde and Breaking Bad's Walter White. In Barry's previous efforts to get out of the game, he mostly succeeds at digging an even deeper hole for himself and earning an even deadlier reputation in the criminal underworld. This can be observed in the last episode of Barry season 2, in which Barry decides but ultimately fails to kill Fuches. Enraged by his former mentor, an emotional Barry massacres nearly the entire Chechen mob in LA, including men that he personally trained himself and look up to Barry as a mentor. Although Fuches is clearly the one responsible for channeling Barry's violent expertise into creating a stone-cold killing machine, Fuches, also known as “The Raven,” isn't the most dangerous person in the show. That honor, along with the show's highest kill count, belongs only to Barry Berkman.
Although Fuches could be considered the main antagonist in Barry seasons 1 and 2, Barry season 3 makes it clear that Barry himself has gone full anti-hero. Indeed, Barry's plan to gain Gene's forgiveness – whatever it is – is bound to be ill-advised, illegal, and reckless, and will likely result in more deaths and cover-ups. Just like how Wendy Byrde and Walter White did what they thought was necessary in order to survive, Barry will end up becoming the most dangerous player on the board. Notably, Barry's evolution as a villain also underscores the effects of PTSD on military veterans, as Barry not only never gets therapy for his time in service, but also relives his trauma with each fresh kill.
Barry season 3 is part of HBO Max's April 2022 series roster – released 3 years after the ending of Barry season 2. Even long-time fans of the show might not remember that, despite Barry's efforts to be a good person, Barry has always been a stone-cold killer. Barry season 3 will reveal what could happen if Barry doesn't get the help he needs and continues to embrace his villainous side.
Barry releases new episodes Sundays on HBO Max.