"forgiving jeff" is the first episode of the third season of the American dark comedy crime drama television series Barry.
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.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.249 million household viewers and gained a 0.04 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
Gene (Henry Winkler) has closed the acting class and tells police that Barry was involved in all the recent tragic events, but is not believed.
Gene schedules a meeting with Barry and bids farewell to Leo (Andrew Leeds) and his grandson, the former of which is suspicious of his demeanor.
"[3] Henry Winkler said that the scene was intended to portray Gene in complete control even when his plan falls apart, further adding that "if push came to shove, I would definitely have killed Barry.
The scene would have taken place in a gas station parking lot, with Barry meeting with a man who wanted his wife murdered.
By the end of the final screener HBO gave critics, I could not imagine how the show would attempt to keep the story going for a potential fourth season, let alone beyond that.
"[9] Miles Surrey of The Ringer wrote, "Killing for hire and show business seems like an odd pairing, but Barry has expertly wedded these professions and the self-delusion required to navigate them successfully.
"[10] Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "'Forgiving Jeff' is a packed half-hour that runs the gamut of emotions and effectively catches the audience up after a three-year hiatus.
There's no telling what Barry has planned, or what's going to happen with Fuches, who's been living off the grid in the Chechen Mountains, but this series moves with such confidence at every turn that I can rest assured that every reveal will be unexpected yet earned.
Barry is clearly going for a darker tone this year, and the titular character's violent past will be rearing its head more often, but its admirable that the show can still find ways to deliver out-loud laughs.