Wow (Barry)

"wow" is the series finale of the American dark comedy crime drama television series Barry. It is the eighth episode of the fourth season and the 32nd overall episode of the series. The episode was written and directed by series creator Bill Hader, who also serves as lead actor. It was first broadcast on HBO in the United States on May 28, 2023, and also was available on Max on the same date.

The series follows Barry Berkman, a hitman from Cleveland who travels to Los Angeles to kill someone but finds himself joining an acting class taught by Gene Cousineau, where he meets aspiring actress Sally Reed and begins to question his path in life as he deals with his criminal associates such as Monroe Fuches and NoHo Hank. The previous seasons saw Barry try to decide between both lives, which culminated in his arrest, while the final season followed his character's escape from prison, runaway life with Sally and eventual return to LA to tie up loose ends and gain control over his legacy. In the finale, Barry sets out to save Sally and their son John, while the conflict between Hank and Fuches reaches its end, and Gene's impulsivity leads to severe consequences.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.234 million household viewers and gained a 0.05 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The final episode received acclaim from critics, who expressed praise for the directing, performances, cinematography and closure. The final scene, however, polarized critics; while most viewed it as a fitting examination of its series-long themes, some questioned the logic and characterization. For the episode, Bill Hader received nominations for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Hank (Anthony Carrigan) calls Fuches (Stephen Root) to make peace by giving him Barry (Bill Hader), but Fuches is not interested until Hank shows him Sally (Sarah Goldberg) and John (Zachary Golinger).

Buckner (Charles Parnell) and Jim (Robert Wisdom) announce that Janice Moss's murder case has been re-opened with Gene (Henry Winkler) as a suspect. Sally confesses to John that they are fugitives: Barry is an escaped killer, and she killed a man. Hank's henchmen then take Sally to meet Fuches.

Fuches arrives at Nohobal with his gang, demanding to see John, then offers to disappear if Hank takes responsibility for Cristobal's death. Hank tearfully admits his regrets with Cristobal. As John is brought out, Hank angrily changes his mind and reaches for his gun. Fuches shoots Hank and shields John as a shootout erupts, leaving Fuches as the last gangster standing. He escorts John outside, past a dazed Sally. Barry heavily arms himself with guns and prays for redemption through sacrificing himself to save John, but when he arrives at Nohobal, John runs into his arms. Barry exchanges a look with Fuches, who walks away. Hank dies grasping the hand of Cristobal's statue.

At a motel, Sally, concerned that Gene might go to prison, urges Barry to confess the truth, but Barry claims that their survival means God has redeemed him. The next morning, Barry discovers that Sally and John have left. At Gene's home, Gene reads negative articles about him and contemplates suicide, and Tom (Fred Melamed) secretly plans to leave him for good when Barry arrives looking for his family. When Tom assures him he has not seen them and confirms that Gene is being framed for Janice's death, a convinced Barry asks Tom to call the police so he can turn himself in. Before Tom can do so, Barry is suddenly shot in the shoulder. A vengeful Gene enters the living room and shoots Barry dead, then silently awaits his arrest.

Years later, Sally is a respected high school theater teacher. After an Our Town performance, she declines to go on a date with Robert (Ross Partridge), a history teacher. With Sally's permission, a well-adjusted teenage John (Jaeden Martell) visits his friend Eric (Julian Zane Chowdhury), who shows him The Mask Collector, the biopic about Barry that John has waited several years to see, implying that Sally forbade it. Barry (Jim Cummings) is portrayed as a traumatized Marine with no criminal history who moves to Los Angeles and joins Gene's acting class to cope. He becomes suspicious of Gene (Michael Cumpsty), depicted as British, when he finds him and Ryan Madison talking to two Chechens. Gene, an undercover Chechen mafia leader, murders Janice (Kimberly Hébert Gregory) while she is investigating Ryan's death and implicates Barry when he refuses to dispose of the body. Barry escapes from prison and eventually returns to LA, where he rescues Sally (Louisa Krause) and John (Finn Sweeney) from the Chechens before Gene repeatedly shoots him at the theater. The film's epilogue states that Gene was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of Janice and Barry, while Barry was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full honors. John becomes emotional and cracks a faint smile.