And With That, ‘The Bear’ Closes Up Shop

After 5 seasons in Chicago with the team behind the Original Beef of Chicagoland, The Bear closed their doors after one last shift. And it was a perfect send off for a show that was a little past its sell-by date.

Created by Christopher Storer, The Bear started as a “comedy” that featured Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) returning home to Chicago after his brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal) took his own life. It ignited a series long debate over whether or not the show is a comedy or a drama and thus became how people view the hit FX series. And the final season did a good job of keeping that feeling alive.

After a season 4 that really made me question how many times a Michelin Star rating can happen (twist: it never happened? Feels wrong), season 5 was a bit more contained. Set mostly during one shift at the Bear, each episode explored the prep, weather disaster, and the never-ending turns of one night at the restaurant. And even though it meant that the overall character arcs of the season were minimal, it was what the show needed.

Season 1 built on anxiety from a machine mishap, not knowing why Mikey did what he did, and whether or not the restaurant would survive. The rest of the series kept that feeling up including season 5. Don’t worry, Ritchie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) refusing to cancel reservations really gave us the Syd’s (Ayo Edebiri) ticket machine feels.

But overall, The Bear‘s final shift was what the show needed. Because it brought fans back to what made us fall in love with Syd, Carmy, Ritchie, and the team in the first place.

At least the show knew we wanted to see Syd and Carmy kiss

One of the parts of the show that was a little on the nose in season 5 that worked was when Pete (Chris Witaske) and Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis) are looking through images of the staff of the Bear all together. When Donna asks about Syd, Pete says that their relationship had people wondering if it was something more.

Did this mean that a hug at the end of the episode had me holding my breath that they would kiss? Yes. But also I feel like most of the staff of the Bear that isn’t already together is going to end up dying alone but alas. The real “ship” of the season is Ritchie and Jess (Sarah Ramos). Well, and Syd/Carmy and Marcus/Luca if you’re hip.

But it is hilarious to watch this season and realize we really don’t know whether or not anyone who works at the Bear might be happy and in love. Well, except Ritchie and Jess. They are doing just fine.

Still a little self-righteous but a good end

The first two seasons were far less “we’re making great television”-y than the later seasons. That’s not exactly a jab, the show is incredible. But it did use its great moments, like “I love you, let it rip, dude” to carry its entire vibe. But this season took us back to the show’s roots and tied everything up in a greasy sandwich wrapper that feels like home.

Those first few seasons didn’t know that Ritchie would become its best character. Fak (Matty Matheson) was just a random funny character we checked in on and not a waiter at the Bear we want to cheer for. But it wasn’t a perfect journey to get there. The “comedy” felt more like it was trying to fry its audience each and every episode. Luckily, season 5 allowed us to have some fun once again.

Maybe it was Ted (Ricky Staffieri) and his brothers trying to fix the leaks and falling through a ceiling or even the fight between Luca (Will Poulter) and Marcus (Lionel Boyce) being rooted in their love for each other but it all felt lighter. It meant that when The Bear did its “lets stare at each other and just nod” moments, you were okay with them.

Overall, The Bear had high highs and “meh” lows and was a show that fans could easily fall in love with. But we probably should have just let it exist as a dramedy instead of pretending like this is a great comedic show.

(featured image: FX)

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