Chris Connor reviews season 5 of The Bear…
The Bear burst on to screens with ferocious, fizzling energy in 2022, earning accolades galore for its first two seasons. The pressure cooker was unlike anything else on TV, as we followed Carmie (Jeremy Allen White) and his chaotic crew at Original Beef of Chicagoland. Across the show’s four seasons the temperature has dropped slightly as we’ve spent time with the crew away from the restaurant. Seasons 3 and 4 were less warmly received, although not without fans. It felt like the slower pacing and cameo fests were diluting the show’s momentum with the storytelling building towards its fifth and final season.
Fresh off the surprise standalone episode Gary which centred on Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Michael (Jon Bernthal), we now pick up in the immediate aftermath of the surprise ending of season 4 with Carmie deciding to walk away from the restaurant to the surprise of Sydney. With their life support cut off by Uncle Jimmy and a hellish storm hitting Chicago, the odds against the restaurant and its chosen family look bleaker than ever. Even if they’re not at loggerheads 24/7 like when the show started, it certainly looks like a challenge too far.
Pacing- and tone-wise, this is the tightest the show has been since the first two seasons, far less self-indulgent and overstuffed. For all the impressive characters and performances, one of the major obstacles facing the past two seasons has been filler episodes, characters, and celebrity cameos, from Brie Larson to John Cena. Some are more fun than others, but it got to the point where it was often distracting and added little beyond a slightly amusing side plot. At eight episodes rather than ten and over a more concise period, the show feels a lot more dialled in and focused narrative-wise. It builds slowly and steadily but keeps its focus, going out more in keeping with how the show started.
There is a lingering tension over everyone’s future, with the weather and the restaurant’s financial situation adding to the disquiet. For a show that was such a melting pot of stress and emotion in its infancy, it feels fitting that this sense of uncertainty returns. Even so its clear to see the growth of the characters since the show began. If this is to be the final entrée, it’s a fitting way for the show to bow out, going full circle and reclaiming its status as one of the finest shows of the 2020s.
Chris Connor
