Spoilers ahead for The Bear season 4.
The Bear’s season 4 served up one of the series' most touching and powerful episodes, and it didn’t involve any of its core characters stepping a foot in the kitchen. Created by Christopher Stoner and showrun by him and Joanna Calo, the series follows young chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto as an acclaimed chef who assumes leadership of his recently deceased brother’s sandwich shop. All ofTheBear’s seasonsearned acclaim for their explorations of personal and mature themes, alongside a fascinating glimpse into the restaurant industry.
Carmy has dedicated himself to turning the establishment around, grappling with his struggling relationship, ambitious but unsustainable plans, and how the public would ultimately receive their collected efforts. Despite managing to renovate and establish the restaurant,The Bearseason 3’s endingsaw the staff attempt to grapple with the public perception of the business when they learn a review had been discreetly written that could make-or-break its future, straining the staff’s relationships. This set up a very different fourth season.
The Bear’s Season 4 Finale Is One Of The Show’s Best Episodes Yet
The Season 4 Finale Dared To Take The Cast Out Of The Main Setting
In “Goodbye”, Sydney faces Carmy over his decision to remove his name from the ownership of the restaurant by naming her and Natalie co-owners. In this moment, Carmy admits that he was not cut out for this goal, and had lost his passion for cooking in the process, but had also seen that Sydney could succeed where he failed. As such,Carmy names Sydney “The Bear”, telling her that he believes that she has everything necessary to help the restaurant reach its full potential under her and Natalie’s leadership.
While Richie intervenes and he and Carmy once more come to a head, the young chef is also able to reveal his presence and shame over how he handled Mikey’s passing, leading to the pair finally being able to address the growing rift between them. As the tw Berzattos enjoy a new perspective on their bond, Carmy states that leaving The Bear behind could allow him to learn who he is outside of cooking. As such, ownership passes to Sydney, on the condition that Richie becomes the owner, as Cicero’s countdown comes to a close, leaving the future open-ended.
“Goodbye” Forces The Cast To Reflect
Image via Hulu
Throughout the events ofThe Bearseason 4, The Bear’s staff have been pushed to their limits, facing the potential closure of the restaurant due to Carmy’s mistakes if they can’t turn things around within a two-month window. Despite the uncertainty, however, the staff of the Bear are not only able to turn the restaurant’s prospects around, but also find closure with their stresses by the events of the ninth episode, “Tonnato”. Because of this, much of the ongoing narrative is resolved by the final episode.
The Beartakes advantage of this development to take every other obstacle off the board, leaving Carmy, Sydney, Richie, and Nat with nothing else to focus on, and pushing them to have long-delayed discussions. This allows the characters to come to focus, and as the series had become well-known for placing its cast into grueling, stressful ordeals, it places them in a calmer situation that they rarely get a chance to enjoy. As such, the cast are able to step back and look at things with a different perspective, allowing them to make major decisions.
The Bear’s Season 4 Finale Harks Back To The Intensity & Anxiety Of “Fishes”
The Finale Adds A New Twist To A Previous Episode’s Format
“Goodbye” also evokes one ofThe Bear’s other standout episodes. In season 2, episode 6, “Fishes”, the series took a step back to before the events of the show, as the Berzatto family came together to celebrate Christmas at the family’s home. However, per the series' usual chaotic standards, the rifts between them cause tensions to rise to surprising levels as they attempt to avoid the elephant in the room.
Despite their best efforts to keep the family happy and their mother, Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis), content and at peace, the Berzattos do their best to uphold their mother’s wishes, but the event quickly spirals into chaos, culminating in Donna crashing her car into the family’s living room. While each interaction may seem small, the series of events is a masterclass in building tension, setting up Donna’s fragile state and building up to it, while shining a light on the Berzatto’s formative experiences.
“Goodbye” heals the rifts between Carmy’s found family and lets them move forward in life.
While its focus on character makes “Goodbye” comparable to “Fishes”, the finale also complements the season 2 episode by reversing the chaos. The episode begins with the cast at odds with one another as they are heated over the future of the restaurant without Carmy, but soon come to understand one another’s perspectives, and realise that they can all move beyond their pain and fears. As such, while the events of “Fishes” pushed the Berzattos further apart, “Goodbye” heals the rifts between Carmy’s found family and lets them move forward in life.
The Bear’s Season 4 Finale Confirms Who The Show’s Main Characters Really Are
If The Series Isn’t Renewed, It Has Given Its Protagonists Satisfying Endings
Finally, “Goodbye” stands out as not only one of the best episodes ofThe Bearbut also one of the most important episodes of the series. As the show has progressed, the cast has grown, expanding to include not only the other kitchen staff and their loved ones, creating a larger, developed ensemble. However, by isolating and focusing largely on Carmy, Sydney, Richie, and Nat, the series has emphasized their place as the true core cast of the series.
Furthermore, with the series' future uncertain due to potential production difficulties, honing in on the four characters was important in caseThe Bearisn’t renewed for season 5. “Goodbye” set the core cast on paths which could be considered a good point to leave their characters, as Sydney and Richie inherit the responsibilities of running the restaurant, while Carmy sets out to finally conquer his demons, realising that his leadership was harming his own life. As such,The Bearhas given its central characters a fate that offers some closure to their journeys.
