As The Bear enters its final season, it’s interesting to see how the show appears to be returning to one of it’s most popular moments from season 1. The Bear has been following the story of the dysfunctional team operating out of The Bear restaurant in Chicago, formerly The Beef, which has transformed from a hole in the wall local hotspot to a fine dining experience in the last four seasons.
However, despite the aesthetic changes and the obvious elevation of skills across the board, the restaurant continues to struggle with money troubles, interpersonal conflicts, and a constant onslaught of issues that make the already stressful kitchen environment into a literal nightmare for staff at times.
Intriguingly, it’s this very drama that is depicted with so much authenticity and intensity that appears to capture audiences’ attention and take the show from being a weird, quirky comedy series and turn it into a series that feels real with real characters and real problems. Which is exactly what shines through in The Bear season 1, episode 7, “Review.”
The Bear Comes Full Circle In Its Final Season
“Review” is one of the most widely praised episodes of the entire series, and for good reason. Just before the start of a service in The Beef, the kitchen appears to be in total disarray with characters like Syd and Richie butting heads, Tina being forced to bring her son to the kitchen despite the hostile environment, and pastry chef Marcus being blissfully unaware of everyone else’s stress as he focuses on experimenting with donuts.
Exponentially adding to the stress of the situation, it’s revealed that Syd made a mistake and left pre-order to-go orders open on the system, and after receiving a glowing review, The Beef is now snowed under with hundreds of orders that the team won’t be able to fulfill.
This entire episode plays out in real-time as the entire episode was made in one take, adding to the complexity and incredible execution that heightens the tension and transforms this episode into something spectacular. And now, season 5 appears to be taking a lesson from that success as the final season focuses entirely on one shift, following the run-up to service, and then leaning into the evening dinner services.
And of course, it wouldn’t be The Bear without a little chaos, and there is an abundance of that as problem after problem pops up, and the team continues to struggle to find a way to communicate and work together effectively.
The Bear Is At Its Best When It Focuses On The Crew
Image via Hulu
All of this comes together perfectly with the series keeping the focus directly on the team in the restaurant, and exploring how they engage with one another. While previous seasons have introduced a great deal of context and insight into the characters outside of the kitchen, seeing them in this environment is what creates the magic of the show.
Of course, while the setting resembles season 1 in terms of the timeline and focus on a single shift, everyone has also grown and changed a lot throughout the last four seasons. No, they aren’t perfect, and the flaws still end up causing issues at times, but they have become more skilled, gotten familiar with one another, and ultimately created something incredibly special that each of them have personal investment in and an attachment to.
With all of that said, The Bear season 5 delivers a compelling narrative that takes the show to new heights. It’s addictive, it;s compelling, and it does not slow down or stop at any point as the series sends these incredibly authentic and realistic characters forge their path forward, and try to transform their difficult situations into the very thing that will help them to keep on growing in the future, beyond the end of the show.
- Release Date
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2022 – 2026-00-00
- Network
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Hulu
- Showrunner
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Christopher Storer
- Directors
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Ramy Youssef
- Writers
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Catherine Schetina, Alex Russell, Karen Joseph Adcock, Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, Stacy Osei-Kuffour