Warning! Spoilers for The Bear season 4 ahead!
The Beartypically has simple but cryptic episode titles, and season 4 is no exception. This most recent installment in the Netflix series picks up after Carmy saw the Chicago Tribune’s review in the finale ofThe Bearseason 3. Since it wasn’t great, all ten episodes of season 4 require the staff at The Bear to give their jobs everything they’ve got to keep the place open. This requires immense personal and technical growth, all of which is reflected by the episodes' titles.
The titles within aseason ofThe Bearare often single words that are mentioned at some point within the dialogue. They typically seem entirely nondecript, and reference only a passing moment for the characters or the titular restaurant. However, the fleeting moment or concept this word represents is often poetic in relation to the overarching theme of that episode. Said and done,we can take a look at the episode titles ofThe Bearand analyze what they meant for Carmy, Sydney, Richie, and the rest of the gang.
Written by Christopher Storer & Directed by Christopher Storer
Image via Hulu
The title forThe Bearseason 4, episode 1, is a bit more straightforward. In the opening of this season, Carmy is seen watching the 1993 movieGroundhog Day, in which Bill Murray is forced to relive the same day over and over, no matter what he does. Later in the episode,Carmy mentions that he feels as if he is suffering the same fate.
Every day inThe Bear, Carmy grinds to make his restaurant a success. Even before he opened The Bear, Carmy spent his days developing his skills as a chef. It’s been the same for his entire adult life. The title of season 4’s first episode ultimately foreshadows Carmy’s newfound desire to escape the monotony by leaving his profession.
2The Bear Season 4, Episode 2: “Soubise”
Written By Catherine Schetina - Directed By Christopher Storer & Duccio Fabbri
The Bearseason 4’s second episode is named after a French sauce. Soubise is made simply from onions, which are cooked down and thickened with a white sauce made of butter, flour, and milk (béchamel sauce). Soubise is versatile and requires few ingredients, which makes it perfect forThe Bear in season 4.
In this episode of the FX series,The Bear really began to suffer because of its limited resources. With minimal funds and a menu that changes daily, the chefs had to get creative with the ingredients that their vendors provided. Soubise was one of the solutions, since onions turned out to be among the easier ingredients they could get their hands on.
Written By Rene Gube - Directed By Christopher Storer
InThe Bearseason 4, episode 3, things finally began to turn around for the staff at the titular restaurant.Sydney came up with a fantastic scallop dish, which everyone seemed to love. Carmy didn’t even give her a hard time about putting it on the menu—a sign that he had begun to settle down after the intensity ofThe Bearseason 3.
The title of thisepisode of The Bearis clearly a reference to Sydney’s scallop dish, but it represents more than that. Sydney’s victory is reflected in the attitudes of those around her, including Richie, who pulls off a spectacular experience for one guest in particular. As all of this happened, someone who looked suspiciously like a food critic sat back and enjoyed the experience.
4The Bear Season 4, Episode 4: “Worms”
Written By Ayo Edebiri & Lionel Boyce - Directed By Janicza Bravo
The Bearseason 4, episode 4, “Worms,” revolved largely around Sydney and her struggle to decide between staying at the Bear or working at Chef Adam Shapiro’s spot. She spent the day at her cousin’s house getting her hair done and eventually headed out to review paperwork with Adam. As she headed out and walked down the street,Sydney was seen snacking on some gummy worms.
Something significant about Sydney’s treat inThe Bearseason 4 is that the sugar ultimately causes pain in her tooth. This doesn’t stop her, however. Sydney goes right back for more gummy worms. This really feels like a call to attention regarding Sydney’s eventual decision. She knows The Bear is chaos and pain, but she chooses to stay anyway.
Written by Karen Joseph Adcock - Directed By Christopher Storer
“Replicants” are bioengineered humans, most notably present in the filmBlade Runner.AI and robots have been a frequent topic of conversation inThe Bear, especially for Richie. Though typically villains, the “Replicants” title forThe Bearseason 4 seems to revolve more around the idea of personal improvement. This is reflected by the characters, who became better versions of themselves.
No, this isn’t a Replicant; it’s just an improved human being.
Though episodes ofThe Beartypically focus on a character or two, episode 5 did a lot of jumping around. Everyone seems to be on some sort of personal ascension as they take time for themselves, practice, and reset their inner chaos. This was especially evident in Carmy, who finally committed to a fixed menu. No, this isn’t a Replicant; it’s just an improved human being.
6The Bear Season 4, Episode 6: “Sophie”
Written by Christopher Storer - Directed By Christopher Storer
The Bearseason 4, episode 6 is named after one of the FX series' newest characters.Little Sophie is Natalie’s daughter, and she spent the entirety of this episode at the titular restaurant. The baby was there for all the big conversations, and Carmy even got to hold her for the first time.
Sophie represents something meaningful inThe Bearseason 4, episode 6. She’s new and pure—a fresh start. At the same time, Sophie is the next generation of Bear—the future. Carmy, holding his niece, showed us a side of this character we hadn’t seen yet. Once again, this ultimately foreshadows this character’s eventual decision to step away from the restaurant industry to experience new avenues of life.
7The Bear Season 4, Episode 7: “Bears”
Written by Joanna Calo - Directed By Christopher Storer
The Bearseason 4, episode 7, “Bears” was the moment everyone had been waiting for. Frank and Tiff finally got married, and their wedding meant a sort of reunion for Carmy’s family. We saw all those characters who were introduced back in theseason 2 episode, “Fishes,“in which Donna drove her car through the house. This time, however, the tone was far more positive.
These people may be chaotic and dysfunctional, but this episode of The Bear season 4 truly demonstrated how much love they share.
This episode ofThe Bearis titled as such because of a sweet pet name often used within this family. Of course,Bears aren’t exclusively Berzatto. Tiff mentions at their wedding that she doesn’t really have her own family, but the Bears showed up for her. These people may be chaotic and dysfunctional, but this episode ofThe Bearseason 4 truly demonstrated how much love they share.
Written by Joanna Calo & Christopher Storer - Directed By Christopher Storer
The Bearseason 4, episode 8 sees Carmy decide to go visit his childhood home and see his mother. Although their actual interaction doesn’t occur until the next episode, the buildup proves to be just as important. While waiting in the car, Carmy called Claire, and they had a heart-to-heart conversation, during whichClaire told Carmy that she had once left a green sweatshirt at Donna’s house.
When Carmy asked Claire what her green sweatshirt looked like, she jokingly answered that it was “green.” This is where this episode ofThe Beargets its title. The idea here is things lost and found (or not found). Marcus grapples with the decision to reconnect with his father, Sydney makes her choice to stay with The Bear official, while Natalie enjoys the newfound peace her family brings. At the same time, Carmy heads home to find that lost relationship with his mother.
9The Bear Season 4, Episode 9: “Tonnato”
The big moment ofThe Bearseason 4, episode 9, “Tonnato,” is Carmy’s sit-down with his mom, Donna. The two had spoken briefly at the wedding two episodes prior, but Carmy hadn’t been able to fully open up. It was tense and guarded, and Donna left not long after. However, their talk in episode 9 was far more honest and constructive.
Though Carmy and his mom got real during their talk inThe Bear, they also spent some time chatting about some lighter things.Donna told a story about having an Italian dish, which she described as being like fishy mayonnaise. Carmy immediately knew she was talking about Tonnato.
Written by Christopher Storer - Directed by Christopher Storer
The finale ofThe Bearseason 4 is fittingly called “Goodbye.” This is a bit more straightforward in the sense that this is a goodbye to this installment of the FX series. However, there’s a bit more to it here also.
This episode ofThe Bearis when Carmy finally admits that he plans on leaving, not just the restaurant, but the industry as a whole. Though he’s not planning on going anywhere until The Bear’s debts are all sorted out,this big revelation is still a premature goodbye to the job and life that Carmy has known so far.
