Can Barry Berkman Be Forgiven?

gamerant.com:

Bill Hader’s groundbreaking hitman comedy Barry is back in full force with its long-awaited third season. When it first premiered, some snarky critics were skeptical that the show’s premise of an assassin pursuing a career as an actor could be stretched to a full half-hour episode, let alone a whole series. But those critics were quickly won over by one of the best shows on television – which manages to be a laugh-out-loud pitch-black comedy, a heart-wrenching drama, and an intense psychological thriller all at once – and have been singing its praises ever since. Three seasons in, Barry is stronger than ever.

The jaw-dropping opening scene of the premiere episode, “forgiving jeff,” introduced both the new season’s theme of forgiveness and the much darker version of Barry Berkman reeling from his blood-drenched breakdown at the monastery. Not only has Barry returned to killing people for money; he’s colder than ever. When one of his clients decides to call off a hit at the last minute because the target’s apology is sincere enough, Barry callously shoots them both dead – not exactly the actions of a man who deserves to be forgiven.

Bill Hader Says Plenty More 'Barry' Is On The Way

As Barry begins to hallucinate gunshot wounds in the foreheads of the people he cares about, the guilt of killing weighs on him once again. He approaches NoHo Hank on his deck in the middle of the night with a casual “Hey, man,” to seek forgiveness for all the bloodshed. Hank tells Barry that forgiveness has to be earned, and this sentiment sticks with him. He repeats this wisdom to Gene Cousineau while holding him at gunpoint in the desert, at which point Gene bluntly (and rightly) tells him to “start f****** earning it!” But he might be too far