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HBO's Barry follows the story of Barry Berkman as he attempts to disassociate from his past. The life of a hitman has left Barry feeling depressed, so when he happens upon Gene Cousineau's acting class he leaps at the opportunity for a new purpose. Though he decides to pursue acting as his new career, the world of crime maintains its grip on him.
The series Barry operates under a strange mix of drama, suspense, and comedy. These themes are implemented through the excellent dialogue written for its unique characters. Many of the most iconic lines in Barry are out of place, but their unusual placements often add to their charm.
10 "I Just Like Broth."
Barry decides to pursue acting as a means of distancing himself from his treacherous past. Upon enrolling in Gene Cousineau's acting class, he is tasked with improvising a scene. When asked what he sees, he responds with "Soup."
Cousineau attempts to draw more information out of Barry by asking what type of soup he sees, to which Barry replies "I just like broth." This line implies how foreign the world of acting is to Barry. Unlike the job he is good at, the job he wants requires him to step out of his comfort zone, a challenge he is not ready to conquer.
9 "That's Toxic Masculinity."
In an attempt to better himself, Barry begins to quote those who live the life he longs for. While trying to leave his life of crime behind, Fuches informs Barry about a series of murders he needs Barry to commit.
Barry informs Fuches that killing people who merely get in someone's way is a form of "toxic masculinity," a term Fuches seems oblivious to. Barry may not believe what he says, but his goals in saying them are concrete. This line reveals that Barry will try anything to escape the clutches of the criminal world.
8 "She Was Like A Feral Mongoose."
When tasked to kill a young child, an injured Fuches and Barry wait impatiently in their car as they ponder their next best move. Barry, now developing a conscience, insists that he will not kill the child, angering Fuches in the process.
Suddenly, the young girl leaps onto the car and quietly slips inside through the window. She takes a bite out of Fuches' face before swiftly fleeing the car. Before she vanishes into the night, she lets out a piercing scream with a mouth full of blood. Barry, seemingly unphased by the encounter, states "She was like a feral mongoose," one of the most iconic lines in the series.
7 "I Know There's More To Me Than That."
Barry spends the majority of the series fighting an inner battle with himself in which he is only seldom the victor. Though his life seems to spiral out of control regularly, Barry insists that there is more to him than his murderous lifestyle.
It may be difficult to see it, but there is more to Barry than what he thinks. He claims that he knows he is better than what he once was, but sadly he only gets to display his traits of redemption for brief moments as his past consistently drags him back to the gutter.
6 "Why Did You Say That?"
After an old friend discovers Barry's questionable lifestyle, Barry does everything within his power to ensure he does not go to the police. Chris' introduction sees him telling Barry stories about his new life and family, to which Barry responds with forced interest, but when it is time for Barry to do what he does best, he struggles greatly.
When Chris informs Barry that he intends to tell the police everything, Barry quietly mutters "Why would you say that?" By admitting this, Chris seals his fate, leaving Barry with no other option but to kill him. Barry is trapped in a life he no longer wants.
5 "My Lord, The Queen Is Dead."
Barry is given the role of Seyton during the performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Though Seyton has very little impact on the plot of Macbeth, Barry's delivery of his line "My lord, the Queen is dead," is perhaps the most powerful line delivered throughout the entire series.
Having been forced to kill his former friend, Barry battles with himself backstage. He imagines Chris' wife discovering the news of her husband's demise and the grief she would feel, rendering Barry an emotional mess. Upon entering the stage, the guilt he feels reverberates through the Shakespearian line, allowing him to convey his innermost feelings in secret.
4 "I Didn't Feel Like I Deserved A Good Life."
With Barry believing himself to be a product of his past, he feels that the action of taking someone's life is what defines him. Though he is perpetually seeking a better life than the one he is stuck in, his subconscious is constantly reminding him of his past mistakes.
The line "I didn't feel like I deserved a good life" implies that, although Barry spends the duration of the show trying to better himself, he believes that he will never deserve the life he wants.
3 "You Know I Take No Pleasure In Killing People?"
While attempting to live a peaceful life, Barry rejects any ideas that would dismantle his supposed ideals. As he attempts to discover who he is, he asks Hank if he thinks he is an evil person, though his response surprises him.
Hank perceives Barry as evil incarnate, informing him that he is "the most evil guy" he knows. Barry responds by saying he takes "no pleasure in killing people," but this is untrue. Barry became a hitman because he was good at it and eventually grew to love it. He always enjoyed the act of murder, so his denials reveal that he is not yet ready to leave it behind.
2 "Can You Say It? Can You Say It Again?"
Upon discovering that Barry murdered Detective Janice Moss, Cousineau plans to kill him to avenge his former lover. When his plans fall apart, Barry is placed in a situation where he must kill Cousineau to secure his safety but decides against it. Instead, Barry locks Cousineau in the trunk of his car and drives him around town in the hope of getting him an acting role.
Though he succeeds, Cousineau cannot forget what Barry did and tries to flee. Barry tracks him down and threatens to kill his family, but not before informing him that he loves him. Cousineau remains silent, so Barry asks him to say he loves him too. Barry believes no one in his life loves him, so merely hearing the phrase will grant him a moment of peace in his restless life.
1 "If You Actually Felt That Way, You Do Something About It, But You're Not Doing Anything About It, So Now I Have To Do Something About It."
Though it seems Barry has achieved the life of his dreams, he is beginning to lose his patience. Tasked with balancing his life as a killer with his life as an amateur actor, the lines begin to blur, allowing different sides of his life to spill into one another.
Once enamored with Sally Reed, Barry lashes out at her when she refuses to give Cousineau a part on her show. She insists that it is out of her control, to which Barry begins screaming at her to stop hiding behind her empty words. His love for those he once held dear is slowly fading as his life becomes more unstable.