It’s time for The Bear (the show) to end, and it might well be time for The Bear (the restaurant) to end as well. Those two things are what hang over the final season, of which seven of its eight episodes were provided for review. For audiences, it means there’s a bittersweet sense of saying goodbye, but the characters aren’t quite ready to give up just yet. The FX on Hulu series didn’t become one of the decade’s biggest TV phenomena by doing things the easy way, and that’s not how Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Syd (Ayo Edebiri), Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and the rest of the team operate either.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Season 5 being the last one is the right call for several reasons. Firstly, given the talent involved, most of whom have grown into much bigger names thanks to the show’s success, it’d no doubt become difficult to bring everyone back. Secondly, there is a sense of the show having run its course – not that it’s outstayed its welcome, but it is going out at just the right time. And, of course, it arrives when the show’s reputation has declined: the reception from critics and audiences dropped significantly in Season 3, didn’t fully bounce back in Season 4, and the prequel special, Gary, didn’t make much of a splash after its surprise drop.
So, does The Bear Season 5 stick the landing and provide one last memorable meal for viewers? To the latter part, the answer is, so far, “yes, chef!” The first seven episodes are all pretty great, the caveat being that a lot does hinge on the finale. With how it sets things up, I’m confident it will deliver there, too.
Rating: 4/5
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| A back-to-basics approach means the storytelling is the best it’s been in years. | It doesn’t balance every character’s arc. |
| The cast is once again fantastic. | A couple of character beats might be repetitive. |
| It finds the right mix of ingredients: heart, humor, and anxiety levels are well-balanced. | |
| Episode 7 is one of the show’s very best installments. |
The Bear Season 5 Goes Back To Basics – And Is Better For It
There is very much a stripped-back approach to The Bear Season 5, which seems a very conscious decision after things expanded across Seasons 3 and 4. Picking things up the morning after Season 4’s ending, where Carmy told Syd and Richie he’d be leaving the restaurant, it finds the team facing one final service, and while Jimmy (Oliver Platt) may be done, they’re not ready to give up just yet. Aside from the money issues, there are further complications: a Biblical storm hits Chicago, and the s**t hits the fan at the restaurant, with burst pipes, falling Faks, and much more chaos to endure.
The events that follow take place over the course of a single day and night, and are almost entirely confined to the restaurant itself (a couple of fun excursions with Jimmy and his crew aside). The streamlined nature of it means The Bear can focus on what it does best: on the relationships between these characters, and how they deal with the tensions of working in a kitchen together. That gives us some extremely stressful moments, as you’d expect (I didn’t know a bottle of wine could spike my anxiety so much), but also others that are full of joy, humor, and heart.
Knowing it’s the final season adds to this experience: when it’s the last time we’ll see these characters, every second really does count. That gives these last episodes an elegiac quality, while never being self-indulgent. Indeed, the episodes whizz by – perhaps, on occasion, even too quickly (I was surprised when the credits started rolling at one point) – and the pacing means you feel like you’re in the thick of it with them, which is how it should be.
The Bear’s Cast Is Again Fantastic (Though It Doesn’t Balance Everyone’s Story)
The Bear‘s cast is a big reason for the show’s success, and, as mentioned, likely one factor in why it’s wrapping up. Thankfully, for the most part, they’re as good as ever. What’s key here is that it never feels like they’re too comfortable or, five seasons in, allowing their characters to become caricatures. It does occasionally tread some familiar ground in their arcs, which is perhaps inevitable after five seasons, but there’s enough new in there as well.
The chemistry between the key players remains electric, and sometimes touching – there’s a great, tender scene between Carm and Richie that White and Moss-Bachrach play quite beautifully, for instance. Best of all this season, though, is Edibiri, who has to deal with the added pressure of Carm’s impending departure and her stepping into the top job – what’s it like to get something you dreamed of, but to feel unprepared; to suddenly be the one people look to, and who has to call the shots? – and she plays that perfectly.
It does, however, have a lot of characters to service by this point. Some, like Marcus (Lionel Boyce) and Luca (Will Poulter) get moments to shine, and even surprise, and Neil Fak (Matty Matheson) remains as sweet and lovable as ever. However, I found Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) to be a little underserved, and Ebra (Edwin Lee Gibson) even more so.
With the latter, I did even wonder at one point just how long he’d spent waiting off-screen to catch a “spoon thief” in the restaurant, though there is a chance he’ll come to the forefront more in the finale. There are also several recurring figures missing entirely, and it remains to be seen whether they turn up in the last episode – if not, one or two absences may disappoint.
All Signs Point To The Bear’s Ending Being Great
Although I’ve not yet been able to see the finale, and that could change my opinion of the final season, and the entire show, one way or another, the signs do point towards it being a successful ending. This is a strong season overall, and one that seems very assured in what it’s doing and where it’s taking the restaurant and its characters, so something would have to go disastrously wrong for it not to work. This isn’t a Game of Thrones type situation where there are clear warning signs and major issues before the last episode, but rather one where it all feels cohesive.
Further contributing to this is Season 5, Episode 7, “Caramel.” Whereas most episodes of the fifth season are fairly brisk, this is the one where, as we’ve seen in previous seasons, it goes for an expanded runtime, and that helps to elevate it. There’s a lot of room for things to breathe, while simultaneously keeping up the intensity of the season and, in this case, the service.
Things get heated, things get stressful, but they also get very funny and wonderfully sweet. I found it to be a complete triumph from beginning to end, and one of the show’s best, most beautiful episodes that encompasses everything the series does so well. If the finale can deliver something similar, then The Bear will have a fantastic ending.
All eight episodes of The Bear Season 5 are available to stream on Hulu on Thursday, June 25, at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics -
Image Courtesy of Ufotable
