What I’m Watching: Barry (Season Premiere)

Barry: Season 3, Episode 1 “forgiving jeff” (B+)

I still can’t believe it’s been nearly three years since this show finished its second season. I remember it being delayed even ahead of the pandemic, and now, two years into it, we’re finally getting to see it. Fortunately, this return preserves all its greatness and offers some more, following the same characters along new misadventures. Fuches is far away in Chechnya eating second choice cereal and not having to deal with the mess he left back in the United States. Barry is miserable and has resorted to finding jobs on Craigslist, which isn’t going great but also isn’t helped by his asking a woman who is trying to hire him to kill her husband for advice on which flowers to get Sally. She’s in her own world enmeshed in the theatrical experience, and I’m excited to see Elsie Fisher, who I interviewed a few months ago, as her costar Chloe. Natalie does not seem to be benefiting from her new role, and Sally isn’t likely to realize that she’s pushing her away until she grows very resentful. As always, my favorite scenes involve Noho Hank, who was absolutely thrilled to participate in his first interrogation and did very well, and then returned home to be with Cristobal, only to be interrupted by an unwelcome visit from Barry, who asked another person the wrong question given what he did to him. Cousineau’s crumbling gun nearly led to his death, but I’m very intrigued to see what Barry has in store for him now that there’s no more hiding the truth.