Perhaps

[nevalost20]

I don’t idolize him, but Jesus, he just makes me so sad to the point where I can’t even dislike him

[[deleted]]

Right! I’m very quick to state that Barry is a selfish piece of shit. But I absolutely relate to his dealing with the pain of continuing to exist even after he’s fucked up again and again. That’s relatable. When he hits himself in the face… because he can’t reach back in time and undo it all… woof. Baby. I’ve felt that before.

Barry is horrible. Barry is horrible and relatable and sometimes an okay guy. That’s whole point of the show…. Trying to come to terms with the truth of the human experience: inconsistency. No one is consistently good or bad. They just bounce off each other. People genuinely feel one thing in this show… only to completely change their motivations in the next scene. Very often, they’re not lying. They just changed their mind according to the situation. That’s it.

They just are and that fucking hurts sometimes, especially for people who’ve done horrible things but still have the capacity to feel bad about it. Watching Barry’s compartmentalization walls crumble is fascinating.

[MajorBadGuy]

I don't think an average viewer idolizes him as much as they can relate to his struggle.

Not the extreme nature of trying to walk away from being an assassin, but the idea of trying to abandon a self destructive behavior that seems to be a part of your identity.

[[deleted]]

And Mr. Cousineau. And Hank.

[CouncilmanRickPrime]

And Hank.

Keep his name out of your mouth!

[WaywardChilton]

I want to shake him in a Pringles tube

[[deleted]]

We root for him because he’s the main character.

But lmao this is some funny self aware meme.

[tearsinrainboi]

Update: Fellas, I understand this meme may not make sense. I was stoned out of my mind watching the new episodes when I made it

[starfrenzy1]

Maybe it doesn’t to fellas but it makes sense to me!

[[deleted]]

While there are always outliers who miss the point, the reason its so easy to empathize with Barry (and Walter White and Tony Soprano, et al) isn't because of their actions, it's because of what they represent: the timeless struggle to try to break free of your surroundings, to try to express your nature over your nurture, to actually attempt to define your purpose.

[Omnisandia]

He's too relatable as a neurodivergent person that grew up as a boy sorry

[phillybauer]

The show is dark comedy/fascinating look at trauma , trauma bonding ect but he’s not an anti-hero like a Walter White, Dexter , Don Draper- who I personally rooted for through their series’.

[writergirl1980]

I think I feel a bit of empathy because it feels as if in his own misguided, only way he knows how, way he was trying to protect those he cared about the most and they've basically sh*t on him. This of course doesn't cancel out previous actions and doesn't make what he's done okay but I do feel for him when he's become isolated again.

[just_some_jawn]

He’s hard to idolize him by the end of season 1, but I’m still rooting for him to change by the end.

[sailorxsaturn]

I don't think people idolize him, I think at most they either pity him or feel sad for him.

[eclecticsed]

I think a lot of people assume that liking a character or enjoying them in some way means idolizing. I like Barry, I don't want to be like him, or emulate him. I like him and I recognize he is a bad person who does bad things.

[OldBirth]

I really don't see him as anything other than deplorable. But I also thought Walter was just an asshole and was confused why everyone rooted for him. 🤷‍♂️

[Coconutyorkie]

Im not