Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Barry.
Barry season 3, episode 2 “Limonada” reveals the worst side of Barry, and sets up a dark ending for Bill Hader and Alec Berg's HBO Max dark comedy. Every time Barry tries to cover up his murders and leave the world of contract killing, Barry almost always ends up just adding more bodies to his still climbing kill count. As Barry's plan to earn Gene Cousineau's forgiveness unfolds, it's becoming more and more apparent that Barry is only digging a deeper and darker hole for himself.
In Barry season 3, episode 2 “Limonada,” Barry executes the first part of his plan by securing acting roles for himself as well as Gene in the upcoming television series "Laws of Humanity". Barry threatens to kill Gene's family should Gene not cooperate with Barry's plan for both of them to get a second chance. The episode ends with Barry telling Gene, “I love you Mr. Cousineau,” and when Barry asks if Gene loves him as well, Gene just nods. Barry asks Gene to say the words, and reluctantly, Gene says “I love you Barry.” Barry then asks Gene, “Can you say it again?” Before Gene can reply, the end credits roll.
Barry's plan to give himself and Gene a second chance is bound to end badly for most of the cast of Barry. In fact, it's likely to result in Gene deciding to kill Barry himself. Although Gene failed to shoot Barry in Barry season 3, episode 1 “Forgiving Jeff,” Gene also showed that he's willing to do it. It's also clear that Gene considers his son and grandson the most important people in his life. Most importantly, it's unlikely that Gene will ever forgive Barry for killing Gene's lover Detective Janice Moss. Every time Gene sees Barry, Gene will be reminded of Detective Moss' murder, which will be frequent, as the two actors will be working more closely and regularly on the set of Laws of Humanity. Gene is also bound to find out more about Barry's contract killings. All of these factors combined will push Gene to realize that there's no escaping from or redeeming Barry, which could ultimately convince Gene to end Barry's life.
Between Barry's violent visions in season 3 and his increasingly erratic actions, there's less and less room for Barry to find genuine redemption. Although Barry has secured an acting role in a television series and has actively tried to stop taking on contract killings, the reality is that Barry's kill count is bound to further increase. Besides, even if Barry's plan does end up reviving Gene's acting career, Gene wouldn't be able to live with the guilt of achieving success at the cost of letting Detective Moss' killer walk, and only killing Barry would satisfy Gene's conscience.
Barry is playing a dangerous game by forcing Gene to cooperate with his plan for self-redemption. The next time Gene pulls a gun on Barry, Gene would know not to use a prop gun from a movie, and could actually pull off killing LA's deadliest assassin. It certainly wouldn't be the ideal ending envisioned by anyone in the cast of Barry. However, by killing Barry, Gene would also be saving dozens if not hundreds of lives.
Barry releases new episodes Sundays on HBO Max.