Bill Hader Explains Why Barry Season 3 Took A Dark Tonal Shift
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While viewers would hardly disagree that Barry was still an excellent show during its third season, they would also agree that the show definitely veered into a whole new direction in season 3. Bill Hader recently reflected on why the show had a much darker tone in its latest season compared to its first two seasons.
Hader said that just because the HBO show was labeled under the comedy genre does not mean it couldn’t venture into darker territory. That’s why he is proud of what they put out there for Barry season 3.
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In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, when asked if the tonal shift Barry took was something he had in mind from when the show started, Hader replied, “It was always that way from the beginning, especially after the way season two ended. You never want to make a decision when you’re telling a story based on what your genre is, where you go, ‘Here’s what the characters would do, but it’s a comedy, so it has to be funny.’ I really wanted to stay true to the characters.” Hader further added that he has no regrets about where the show went because it’s the story he wants to tell. “’Barry is not really a comedy anymore’ is something I hear a lot, but to me, it’s just about telling the story correctly. HBO has allowed us to do that, which I’m really grateful for.”
As Hader alluded, with season 2’s finale as a reference, the show makes it a point that things can’t get back to where they were before no matter how hard the main character tries because of his internal and external demons. Because Barry is a killer who would prefer not to kill yet would get rid of anyone who’s a threat to the life he wants, he’s not permitted to put what he’s done behind him completely, especially with his former handler having an unhealthy obsession with him, and hence, will do anything to make sure he never gets the life he wants.
Barry was always a little dark. He had to deal with the PTSD of killing his friend and his mentor’s girlfriend, then went on a killing spree all before season 3. The third season just embraced its darkness to keep the show’s quality. If it kept up the light-hearted comedy after Barry killed all those people in the monastery, viewers may not have bought that. In a show where people get killed from the very beginning, it shouldn’t shock audiences that the show would only get darker as it continued its progression. Other shows have faltered in the past because they didn’t up the stakes when it was clear that doing so would have kept viewers invested in knowing what happened next.
Of course, the one difference is the show’s darkness is not relegated to just Barry and Fuches. Cousineau has to deal with knowing that arguably his greatest student was the one who ruined his life. Sally viciously murdered someone out of self-defence, but also because she’s unhealthily obsessed with accomplishing her goals and suffered from PTSD. NoHo Hank is now seeing what happens when you’re in the wrong business, as he was almost killed by the Bolivian cartel. The show’s darkness becoming more widespread among the characters kept the quality up. Viewers will see if they do more of the same in its next season.
Barry can currently be streamed on HBO Max.
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Source: The Hollywood Reporter