THE BEAR SEASON 5 Review

The highly acclaimed FX series The Bear returned to fans' screens on Thursday night, heightening anticipation for its final season. In the series' tradition, all eight episodes were dropped for binge-watching.

Straying from the series organic flow of travelling to new food scenes across Chicago and the globe, season 5 boldly chooses to take on its own rendition of a chamber piece. 

Rather than travelling outside of the restaurant, the majority of the season takes place either inside the kitchen or the dining room. Episodes 1 through 7 all take place within a singular shift. The audience gets to see the prep, the dinner service and the glow of success after all the guests have gone home full. 

Season 5 picks right up from season 4, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) admitting to Syd (Ayo Edebiri) that he needs to leave the restaurant business so he can heal. The tension in the first episode is palpable.

Found in a severe rainstorm, the restaurant is flooding, and the ceiling is caving in. The restaurant is in disarray. There are only a few ingredients available for dinner service, no money and the knowledge that their clock has run out on trying to save the restaurant. However, the crew must persevere. Their plan to recoup costs and pay wages for the shift is to serve as many customers as possible. The pressure is on.

Due to the storm, the reservation app is malfunctioning, and almost every table is triple-booked for the entire evening. Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is tasked with cancelling a handful of reservations to save portion sizes and labour. Unfortunately, Richie does not have the heart to go through with any cancellations, directly against Chef Syd’s orders. Due to Richie’s decision, the crew is in the weeds throughout the dinner service. 

Solutions are thought of on the spot. Card tables are brought up from the basement for guests to dine. The rain stops, allowing the patio to be opened for a party to entertain waiting guests. Despite the chaos, communication is flowing within the team.

The show does touch on many of the characters' self-confidence and mental health throughout the season. I particularly enjoyed diving deep into the pastry chef, Marcus (Lionel Boyce). He has to acknowledge that just because people chase new dreams does not mean they are abandoning you. We see this reflected in his relationship with Luca (Will Poulter), his sous chef, and his father (Harry Lennix).

The final season balances each character's arc with delicate hands. Prying to hit each nerve, but waking the characters up to realise they are good at their craft. After seasons of fear, their passion for creating moments for people to enjoy is right in front of their eyes, succeeding. 

Gary (Corey Hendrix) has the confidence to call himself a sommelier after distinguishing between a ‘97 and a ‘99 bottle of wine. Neil (Matty Matheson) finds his passion for serving and connecting with the guests. Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas) takes charge and helms the dinner rush with one of her dishes. Richie gets on a plane for the first time and travels to Japan for a food conference.

The first half of the final season might start slow, and you wonder why we are adding all the additional stress to our already turbulent kitchen. However, by the end of the season, the emotional payoff allows all the arcs to connect. You understand why this season was constructed in the way it was. The audience gets to see the crew excel under pressure, communicate, mess up, but work as a team. Richie does not cancel the reservations, Marcus might blow up at Luca, and Carmy drops the lamb, but in the end, they put their egos aside and come together.

Earning two Michelin stars for the restaurant, Carmy knows he is leaving the restaurant in the capable hands of Syd. The Original Beef is a family heirloom, and Carmy is passing it on to the next generation. The Berzatto family is not about blood, but passion. Syd is officially a member of the Berzattos.

Knowing the restaurant will be okay without him, Carmy steps away from cooking to begin an internship in architecture. Tracing back his love for the colours and composition of food, Camy seeks a new dream that will allow him to heal. The Bear wants you to see that you can choose uncertainty, push past the fear and come out the other side unscathed.

We do not always have to seek self-destruction, but self-acceptance.

A beautiful way to cap off a 5-season arc. The restaurant's future is uncertain, but with their two Michelin stars and franchising The Original Beef, Syd and her crew have more time on the clock. This might be the end of The Bear, but it is not the end of the passion. The art and craft of cooking will live on, and The Bear wants you to remember that you must go out and seek.

Do not stay trapped, but go out and live your life to the fullest.

🍿SCORE = 80 / 100