Content Warning: This article contains references to violence and drug misuse
Season 3 of HBO's hit dark comedy series Barry is currently earning critical acclaim. The show has a terrific cast of talented actors playing bizarre and hilarious characters. Amongst them, there have been some very funny quotes.
Each character has a distinct personality and bit, and their funniest moments remain consistent with that. NoHo Hank is the loveable gangster, Fuches is devoid of morals, and Barry's acting instructor Gene Cousineau often recounts his volatile career in the film industry. There are also some memorable quotes that will be remembered in the years to come.
Gene Cousineau
"It's Usually About A Three-Hour Play"
Gene Cousineau is brilliant in the show, as his warped perception of the film industry constantly causes him to deliver ridiculous anecdotes about his experiences. In this one, he hilariously describes his experience putting on the play Long Day's Journey into Night while he was high.
He says "It’s usually about a three-hour play. We could bring it in at just under thirty-seven minutes. We thought we were great! Apparently, we were unintelligible." His stories of the film industry often speak to why he is the way he is in the present day, and this one opens up a world of hilarious imagery.
NoHo Hank Making A Joke With Barry
"Go To John Wick Assassin Hotel With Help Wanted Sign"
This quote by NoHo Hank shows one bizarre fictional assassin clowning another. Barry suggests that Hank should hire a new assassin instead of using him, and Hank jokes about how difficult it would be to find a trained one, suggesting he should go to the hotel from the John Wick films with a help wanted sign, looking to hire.
The meta Hollywood references are part of what makes the show so funny, since fans of the industry love it when their favorite properties connect. In episode three of the most recent season, Hank again refers to Barry as the "Greek Freak of Assassins," making another basketball analogy about his abilities.
Sally To Barry About The Other Performers In Their Acting Class
"It's Like Competitive Grief"
The melodramatic nature of Barry's acting class is one of the running jokes in the show, as many of them seem to take themselves and their careers more seriously than they deserve credit for. After Barry gives a tense, terrifically acted monologue about his tour in Afghanistan, the other actors in the group return the next session with similar performances.
“Everyone was so jealous of your performance last class, that they wanted to share their own pain. It's like competitive grief" Sally says to Barry, after he enters the acting class to see his peers performing scenes of their own on stage. The scene that follows is absolutely ridiculous, including a grown man playing a newborn child.
NoHo Hank Dishing Out A "Compliment"
"He Is Being Modest. He Is Air Jordan Of Assassins"
In response to Barry saying he isn't the best assassin in the US, NoHo Hank has this lovely compliment for him, once again making a witty pop culture reference to joke about the events of the show. It's not exactly the behavior a person might expect of real-world crime lords to be calling their hired hitmen the "Air Jordan of Assassins."
The unexpected softness of NoHo Hank is what makes his character such a joy to watch, as he has a lot of admiration for Barry. His plotline in season 3 involving his romance with Cristobal is one of the more intriguing developments, as Hank is one of the most compassionate characters in the show.
Akmal Insulting NoHo Hank
"You Are King Of Suck Balls Mountain"
In a hilarious encounter with Akhmal and NoHo Hank, the two attempt to kill Barry when he gets the first shot off on Akhmal's arm. The two have a great back and forth banter, again showing the incompetence of the Chechen mob when it comes to the use of weapons.
The quote comes after NoHo Hank expresses to Barry how bad his hitmen are, saying "my guys suck balls." Akhmal replies, in agony, "If I suck balls you are the king of suck balls mountain." The moment perfectly captures the petty and childish behavior of the criminals in the series.
NoHo Hank Talking About Cristobal
“Teaching us all the powerful way of getting s**t done and ruling the world while being totally chill.”
In NoHo Hank's opening monologue in season 2, the beloved character shows his first affections for his new ally, Cristobal, in the most NoHo Hank way possible. Once again, showing that he's the exact opposite of a typical fiction crime boss, NoHo Hank describes Cristobal while watching over the crime community.
The entire season is a lot less dramatic, particularly since the audience watches the two crime organizations laughing and flirting while playing volleyball together (instead of fighting). The scene is as goofy as the show gets, setting the tone for season 2's crime storyline by showing the lack of seriousness and, at times, competence the criminals have.
Janice Moss To Gene Cousineau
"I Could Drop Kick You In The Middle Of The Restaurant"
Detective Janice Moss was one of the key characters in season 1, as she led the investigation of the murders that had been committed. But her romance with Gene Cousineau is a twist no one saw coming, as she starts off seeming entirely uninterested in him.
In their first meeting, she expresses herself, saying "I could drop kick you in the middle of the restaurant. Everybody would applaud and then I'd beat the f*** out of you." The quote makes it even more surprising how the two ended up, while also displaying fully the powerful personality she has that makes Gene so interested in her.
Barry To Fuches About His Injuries
"She Was Like A Feral Mongoose"
One of the funniest sequences in the whole series is in season 2 when Barry's attempt at mercy goes horribly wrong and he ends up in a death battle with a small child. The little girl injures Barry, and he returns to the car and has to explain to Fuches what the source of his injury was, referring to her as a "feral mongoose."
The dry, deadpan descriptions he and Fuches have about the girl are hilarious, especially in the scene when the girl later climbs up a tree to jump on top of the roof of a house and he says "I really don't think she's of this world." The episode was a classic, with so many great moments and lines.
NoHo Hank To His Cre
"Like A Good Leader, I'm Gonna Get Us Some Ubers"
Another great line from NoHo Hank was his statement about getting his team of drug dealers and criminals Ubers. Like many of the hilarious lines on the show, it gives the audience some hilarious imagery, imagining the entire group of Russian gangsters packed into Ubers on their way to commit crimes.
Hank is so loveable, and this quote is one of the many that show that NoHo Hank is actually a good guy. Hank has probably done some terrible things, like Barry, but his cadence and goodwill make him more of an empathetic character, and fans are hoping for his survival in the tense storyline he's found himself in.
Fuches To Barry
"Don't Be Afraid To Sell Yourself"
Barry and Fuches' relationship is very complicated, deriving from Fuches' manipulation and control. This is one of the earliest clever quotes of the show, as Fuches assigns Barry a hit, he tells him to sell himself to their client, suggesting that Barry should show off his more gruesome side to the client to pique their interest.
"When you meet Goran, don't be afraid to sell yourself. Remember that liquor distributor in Canton you stabbed in the nut? I think Goran's the kind of man who would find something like that intriguing." The whole line is ridiculous, and definitely not what most people would think of in terms of a job interview pitch.