Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the HBO show Barry and discussions of gun violence and suicide.
The highly-anticipated finale of Barry’s third season has already premiered, and it unsurprisingly featured more violent scenes and some brutal deaths. The dark comedy-drama series hasn’t shied away from getting rid of its characters in gruesome ways, with some of these deaths being incredibly upsetting.
The most heartbreaking deaths on the show so far are those that happen to characters who really don’t deserve to die. They often just, unfortunately, get in Barry’s way or risk exposing his crimes. While it’s predictably the hitman who’s responsible for most of the deaths, there are a few fascinating exceptions.
10 Taylor Garrett
From the moment he’s first introduced, it’s clear that Taylor is meant to be an annoying character who jeopardizes Barry’s safety. This is why Fuches is so insistent on getting rid of him, but the protagonist doesn’t have the heart to do so after Taylor saves his life during the stash house raid.
It turns out Barry doesn’t have to kill him after all, as he does that on his own quite well. After suggesting they “bum-rush” Cristobal and his armed guards, Taylor puts everyone at risk by charging at them out in the open. Naturally, he’s shot and killed by the Bolivian guards who were armed with automatic rifles. He’s an immature, violent, and dim-witted character who will not be missed.
9 Goran Pazar
It seems so long ago that Pazar hired Barry to kill his wife’s lover, Ryan Madison. As the head of the Chechen mafia in Los Angeles, Pazar is depicted as a tough guy who pretends to know what’s best for the gang, even though in reality, he’s not very smart.
Pazar blames others like Fuches for his own bad decisions, and he enjoys commanding his goons to hurt and torture people. The way he’s taken out by Barry is sudden and disgusting, but it’s far better than the slow and painful deaths he has probably caused during his time as a mafia leader. The only redeeming quality he has is his funniness, but even that isn’t enough to elicit any feeling of sadness after his death.
8 Ryan Madison
Ryan had the potential to be one of the most likable characters in Barry, but the titular hitman ensured that would never happen. He was just as clueless and self-absorbed as anyone else in Gene’s class, but that also made his personality endearing in a way.
That said, Ryan’s character is used more as a tool to progress the plot and show Barry’s human side. Not enough time is spent on him, as the show quickly moves on to Barry’s next targets. His actual death isn’t even shown, as Barry finds his already lifeless body in his car after the Chechens decide to assassinate him without the hitman’s help.
7 John Loach
If there could be one representative who embodies the comical incompetence of the LAPD on the show, it would be Detective Loach. When it seems as if he may finally be doing something worthwhile by trying to trap Barry and supposedly get justice for Janice’s death, he subverts expectations and blackmails the hitman for his own purposes.
Detective Loach is as rotten and corrupt as they come and he forces Barry right back into the profession he’s trying to leave. It becomes even worse when Loach intervenes at the last second during the grocery store debacle and almost kills Barry to cover his tracks. The only reason anyone would feel bad for his bloody death is if they could still recall how sad he was over his wife’s affair.
6 Ronny Proxin
Ronny is an unforgettable side character from the series, mostly thanks to his part in the best action sequence in Barry. It’s easy to see that he doesn’t want to die through the fight scene at his home where he uses his taekwondo skills to injure the protagonist. The fact that he has a daughter who’s just as fierce makes it even harder to accept his impending death.
Then, the grocery store confrontation further underscores his determination to stay alive, which is why it’s saddening to see him finally shot down by the vengeful Loach. He may have only appeared in the series briefly, but he leaves a lasting impression for all the right reasons.
5 Stovka
The way the Chechens built up Stovka through their stories made his actual introduction a tad awkward. Instead of being a killing machine, Stovka turns out to be a very old and tired character who wants nothing to do with the mafia.
During the few minutes he spends with Fuches, he explains how he has known nothing but death his whole life. He’s sad and knows that there’s no other way to escape his profession except to die by suicide, which is what he ends up doing as Fuches yaps away in the background. While it’s easy to feel bad for him because of his surprisingly profound speech, his death is heartbreaking because of how his words and experiences apply to Barry’s life as well.
4 George Krempf
George first appears during the show Gene’s class puts on after his son Ryan’s death. No one probably expected him to come back, much less in the way that he did when he found Barry in a catatonic state after being poisoned by Sharon.
As he’s driving Barry to an unknown destination, it seems like he’ll finally kill the hitman. That’s not what happens at all, though, as George explains that he still wants to be with Ryan, implying that murdering Barry would send him to hell. His suicide in the hospital driveway is one of the genuinely jarring moments in the series, as it underscores how good of a person he is and the pain Ryan’s death has caused him.
3 Mayrbek
When Barry uses his fighting abilities to train the Chechen mafia, one student, Mayrbek, stands out for being better than everyone else. Mayrbek begins to idolize Barry, even though it’s clear that the hitman doesn’t really care much for him or any other member of the gang.
Mayrbek even says a heartfelt speech for Barry at the end of their training, expressing how grateful he is for his newfound purpose. Barry doesn’t seem to recognize him or remember any of this at all during his homicidal rampage at the stash house, as when Mayrbek’s face lights up after he sees Barry, he’s shot dead just a few seconds later. A brief moment of disbelief shows on his face at the time of his death, making it even more tragic.
2 Chris Lucado
It’s tempting to blame Chris for his lack of courage that forced Barry’s hand. However, he had no idea what he was getting into with Taylor and his friends, believing that they were only scaring someone from afar. On top of the horrific events in the car, Chris ends up shooting someone to save Barry, which isn’t something he did as a desk-based worker during the war.
He’s understandably shaken when he meets up with Barry in an unfortunate remote location later on. It becomes obvious what’s about to happen when Chris starts talking about going to the police. His heartbreaking death represents the first innocent life Barry takes, but it won’t be the last.
1 Janice Moss
Without a doubt, the most upsetting death in the series so far is Detective Moss’. Just when things are going perfectly for her and Gene, she finally connects the dots and realizes that Barry is responsible for Ryan’s murder. There’s a twisted moment during the confrontation where Barry tries to say that they’re the same, even though that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Janice is one of the few truly good people in the series. As a homicide detective, she’s perseverant and intelligent, often spotting things her incompetent coworkers miss. Of course, her relationship with Gene brought out even more great qualities in the well-written character. Even though her death happened off-screen, it’s the most heartbreaking one that reminds fans just how evil Barry really is.
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