Pratik Handore
HBO’s ‘Barry‘ season 4 follows Barry Berkman, a former US Marine turned assassin who struggles to deal with the trauma of war and his heinous crimes. Through several ups and downs, Barry is guided by two father figures, Gene Cousineau and Monroe Fuches, and his relationship with them forms the show’s emotional core. As a result, it comes as a surprise to viewers when Cousineau betrays Barry, and Barry himself betrays Fuches, forcing viewers to seek an explanation about the betrayals in ‘Barry’ season 4. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Cousineau Gives Up On Barry
In ‘Barry’ season 1, Barry Berkman (Bill Hader), a depressed former US Marine turned hitman, is hired to kill an actor, Ryan Madison, on the order of the Chechen mafia. However, it leads to Barry’s introduction to acting coach Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler), who runs an acting class in Los Angeles, California. In his quest to leave his criminal life behind, Barry convinces Cousineau to let him join the acting class. Soon, Cousineau takes Barry under his wing, and the latter starts reforming himself. However, Cousineau’s girlfriend, Detective Janice Moss, investigates Barry’s crimes and learns the truth about him. As a result, Barry is forced to kill Janice Moss.
Later, Cousineau learns about Barry’s involvement in Janice’s death. However, Barry tries to forcefully reform his relationship with Cousineau, which results in the acting coach fearing Barry. Eventually, Barry threatens Cousineau’s family, which ticks him to go against the former hitman turned actor. In the finale, Cousineau teams up with Janice’s father, Jim Moss. The duo sets up a trap and lures Barry to the acting school, where Barry is arrested for his crimes with Cousineau’s help. Although Barry initially does not accept the truth, the fourth season premiere confirms that Cousineau betrayed him. Ultimately, Cousineau not only wanted justice for Janice’s death but also wanted to get rid of Barry, as the hitman was meddling in his life and threatening his family.
Barry Crosses Fuches
While Cousineau is Barry’s mentor in his acting life, his real mentor and influential father figure is Monroe Fuches. He is a friend of Barry’s father, who roped Barry into the world of crime after returning from his service in the Afghanistan war. Thus, it is safe to say that Fuches is the catalyst behind turning Barry into a killing machine. As Barry starts reforming himself under Cousineau, his relationship with Fuches sours, especially after Fuches tells Cousineau about Barry’s involvement in Janice’s death. Eventually, Barry frames Fuches for Janice’s murder by leaving the Chechen pin given to him by NoHo Hank in Fuches’ car trunk. In the fourth season, Fuches and Barry find themselves in the same prison.
Fuches tries to cut a deal with the FBI and agrees to collect evidence against Barry. However, he quickly changes his mind after Barry apologizes for his actions in the past. Nonetheless, at the end of episode 2, Barry betrays Fuches by accepting the same deal initially offered to Fuches. Ultimately, Barry turns on Fuches, and his decision is foreshadowed by flashbacks in the episode that show Barry’s initial interactions with Fuches as a child. These scenes seemingly suggest that Fuches manipulated Barry into becoming a killer and is responsible for his downfall. Hence, Barry blames Fuches for everything he thinks is wrong with him. As a result, Barry refuses to trust Fuches and his plan to escape from prison. Instead, he seeks redemption by helping the FBI.
Read More: Is HBO’s Barry Based on a True Story?
