‘The Bear’s Final Season Earns Its Michelin Stars as a Masterpiece

Around this time last year, I made the declaration that The Bear should have ended with Season 4. I felt that the finale, which saw Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) quitting and handing over The Bear to Syd (Ayo Edibiri) and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), was the perfect bow on top of the series, and that the show didn’t need any more seasons. Well, I’m willing to admit that I was wrong.

The Bear Season 5 brings the show back to the beginning, with eight streamlined, high-energy episodes that embody everything fans love. Once again, a chaotic night of service is at the center of it. This time, the series channels The Pitt and 24 by setting the entire season, except the finale, over the course of one day. Without unnecessary frills and over-the-top cameos, showrunner Christopher Storer strips The Bear Season 5 down to the basics and proves that the series has never needed much more than that.

‘The Bear’ Season 5 Was Made To Be Binged

While the intensity of this show, especially during Season 2, has meant that you might need to take a break between episodes, The Bear Season 5 feels designed to be watched all in one night. The frenetic pacing of the episodes flows easily into one another, making the season feel like one big movie. As the kitchen deals with flooding, storm traffic, overbooked tables, and a lack of food, the tempo never lets up, and the crew is forced to keep moving forward, as if stopping will bring all of this to an end.

The audience is given a break from the unending barrage of conflict with small, quiet scenes between characters. It’s a tried-and-true method, one that feels unique to The Bear. Whether it’s Richie talking some sense into Carmy during a smoke break or Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) crafting an artistic dish made out of brussels sprouts in her home kitchen, these little interludes allow the viewer to take a breather before being plunged back into chaos. The pace of the episodes only reaches a true hiccup when we follow Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt), The Computer (Brian Koppelman), and The Computer’s protégée, Cheese (Elsie Fisher).

Jimmy’s storyline this season mainly consists of him scrambling to get back all the money he’s lost after some bad investments and funding the largest money sink known to man: restaurants. It’s not that Platt isn’t good in these scenes; he and Koppelman have witty banter, and Fisher’s Cheese is a wonderful addition as a vaping Zoomer and the upgraded version of her uncle. It’s just that Jimmy’s conflict never feels as pressing as what’s happening at The Bear. Sure, he’s the guy who is financing all this, but it doesn’t feel like there’s any true threat because we know Ebra’s (Edwin Lee Gibson) plan for franchising is always in the distance, ready to swoop in and save the day. In the kitchen, not only are tensions constantly high, but even if Jimmy pulls through with the money, something can always go disastrously wrong, and that’s where the stakes lie.

‘The Bear’ Season 5 Proves Once Again That the Cast Anchors the Show

I’ve praised Ayo Edebiri in the past for her performance on The Bear, and Season 5 proves her immense talent through and through as she takes Syd from her final steps as an uncertain, burgeoning chef into someone who can not only manage a full team but does it far better than Carmy ever could. Edebiri, who is deft at navigating both comedic scenes and drama, is easily the standout of the entire series, and by the end, it almost makes us wish there was more of The Bear coming with Syd fully at the helm.

Alongside Edebiri is Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who has also been one of the show’s best and most reliable performers. Following the emotional standalone episode “Gary”, written by both Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal, Richie has finally reached his final form. Much like Syd, whose journey was also peppered with insecurity and uncertainty, the season finally confirms that Richie is standing on his own two feet — not only surviving working at The Bear, but thriving. If Carmy’s decision to give the restaurant to Syd and Richie felt sudden at the end of Season 4, Season 5 proves that he knew what he was doing.

Speaking of Carmy, White shines in Season 5 in a way he hasn’t since the beginning. After three grueling seasons of seeing him struggle with his anxiety, his grief, and his trauma, The Bear finally lets viewers see the result of Carmy’s slow growth. White is fantastic as a newly evolved Carmy who not only realizes he’s made the right decision but also acknowledges that his attitude and temper have caused their downfall. For the first time in a long time, it doesn’t feel like White is being overshadowed by his co-stars, and his performance reminds us why we’ve been rooting for Carmy this whole time.

Season 5 also allows the rest of the cast to grow and wraps up each story nicely as they fully embrace their roles with a newfound confidence. Colón-Zayas’s Tina has been a brilliant character since day one, but seeing her finally reach her height reminds us of how far everyone’s come. Lionel Boyce’s Marcus, who has had a similar trajectory, deals with his fragile relationship with his father in the season while bouncing off of Will Poulter’s Luca, who is still staging at The Bear. Boyce, who has always had a quietly powerful presence, takes more of the center stage, which only makes us wish we’d gotten more of him in previous seasons.

Poulter is just one example of this show’s ability to turn guest stars into pillars of the series. While there are far fewer cameos to stuff into Season 5 — except for one big party scene at the very end — that doesn’t mean the show lacks in star power. Once again, Jamie Lee Curtis comes sweeping in to stun in every scene she’s in. Though she spends a lot of the season babysitting for Natalie (Abby Elliott), Donna’s arrival at The Bear finally delivers a gut-punch moment that ties everything together for the Berzattos. With so much talent on screen, it’s hard to pick out any weak performances; the cast works perfectly together like a well-oiled machine.

‘The Bear’s Final Season Is Nothing Short of Perfect

The best thing that The Bear has ever done is return to its roots in this final season. No trips to Copenhagen, no Carmy running an errand for a whole episode, no staging at other restaurants. The action centers purely on The Bear. Sometimes, the tension in the show is a little too familiar, with Carmy trying to take control again, Syd still uncertain about her leadership role, and Richie flying off the handle. What used to feel so nerve-wracking feels more like a plot device to move the story forward.

Yet the fate of The Bear has never been as important as the people working there. Through its five seasons, The Bear has not only exposed the pretension of highbrow dining, but it’s also pointed out the abusive and degrading environments these restaurants often become. The series proves that that is not a requirement for greatness, and that clashing egos only cause chaos. When the team collaborates, allows for creativity, and supports one another, everyone is working at their best.

Season 5 also focuses on the passion that these characters have for The Bear. Each character realizes that this job isn’t just a nine-to-five for them; it’s something they love. The show’s main question then becomes: what happens when you love what you do? Does the job get easier, or is the pressure worse? Is happiness worth the sacrifice and pain? In a high-intensity kitchen, it’s easy to see how quickly people can burn out, but it’s the family at the heart of The Bear that keeps it all together. At the end of the day, no matter how bad a fight is, these people will apologize, reconcile, and go back to working with each other as family does.

While the penultimate episode of The Bear is the fireworks show, finishing off a seemingly apocalyptic service, the gentle series finale wraps everything up perfectly. Stripping the show of all the nail-biting anxiety and pretentious trimmings that previously held it back, the episode is saccharine but earned. It’s also hopeful and bright, with a conclusion in which everyone finally finds some sort of peace. I’ve been harsh on this show in the past, but Season 5 proves that I should have trusted the process, because Storer has created nothing less than a masterpiece with The Bear, one that will be sorely missed now that it’s over.

All seasons of The Bear are now available to stream on Hulu.