Gene began “Barry” season 2 in a dour mood; his girlfriend Detective Janice Moss (Paula Newsome) was murdered by Barry in the season 1 finale after she discovered the truth about him. Thus, Gene doesn’t want to act or teach anymore and has to be cajoled into reopening his theater by a stirring performance from Barry. Even with the dramatic circumstances, this was unusual behavior for a spotlight hog like Gene.
In the aforementioned Variety interview, Winkler reiterated that he’s learned to enjoy the ride Hader and Berg plot out:
“What I think is that they keep painting themselves into a corner. I’ve now turned the man in. I’ve lost the love of my life. Where does it go from here? I’ve learned not to question. I’ve learned to go where they take us.”
The penultimate “Barry” episode, “a nice meal,” ended with Gene backed into the worst corner yet; he’s been arrested and accused of being the mastermind behind Janice’s murder. With only one episode to go, can he get out of this one?
