The Bear season 5 review:
The word 'purpose' has many different iterations. Google provides one definition as “a meaning or reason that is important to you". But if we want to attempt to understand the truest definition of ‘purpose’ presented to us in an audiovisual form, touching the depths of our emotions, then the final season of The Bear is the perfectly cooked dish. With season 4 ending with Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) announcing his departure from the much-loved restaurant he opened, purpose takes over as every single character tries to find and define their own. Season 5, which requires a little more seasoning every now and then, sure does its best, offering you, the audience, and them, the characters, as much closure as possible.
A USP and perhaps the drawback of the final season is that seven out of the eight episodes simmer over one dreaded day. The very first episode of the season brings back the pressure-cooker feeling, with shots of incessant rain, water washing down a drain clogged with cigarette butts, and a callback to ‘Forks’ with Richie T-boned by another car on the road. As any fan of The Bear would, the first two episodes are enough for us to brace for anxiety and panic attacks with a warm cup of soup. But just like Marcus (Lionel Boyce) and Luca’s (Will Poulter) familiar yet novel banana split sundae with caramel sauce, this season embraces the audience like comfort food.
Showrunners: Christopher Storer and Joanna Calo
Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson
Streaming on JioHotstar
The fifth season starts with Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) discussing the closing of The Bear after Uncle Jimmy’s (Oliver Platt) clock runs out. Her husband reassures her that it will not be like last time, taking us back to the ‘Napkins’ episode, which showed the ordeal she went through when she lost her job before being placed at The Original Beef of Chicagoland by Mikey (Jon Bernthal). She ponders her purpose, just like Sugar (Abby Elliot), who rants about the number of hours she has dedicated to The Bear and why she can’t see it come to an end. Somehow, as Marcus, Ebra (Edwin Lee Gibson), Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and everybody else come to terms with their purpose, it ignites a flame within us, leaving us wondering about our own ambitions.
The Bear’s much-loved feature over four seasons is its decision to dedicate episodes to telling the backstories of its characters or a day in their life, giving us a better understanding of who they are and where they come from. Season 5 of The Bear is undercooked in that area, with the first few episodes being extremely short, covering the story of the day after Carmy announces his departure. It is pretty evident that the makers barely had enough ingredients, like the characters themselves, who barely manage to serve three turns' worth of guests by reducing portions and give us a conclusion that’s more bite-sized than overfull. Yet, those smaller plates still manage to satiate, like the fennel seeds offered after an Indian meal.
The makers of The Bear decided to focus more on relationships this season. For instance, after a confrontation between Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and Carmy, Sugar asks them, “You two good?” To which Sydney says, "No", and Carmy says, "Yes", and Sugar replies with, "So, normal", summarising how bonds have always been in the kitchen. After Sydney’s takeover, Carmy’s decision to step down starts making more sense. Chefs no longer speak to each other like mustard being tempered in oil. They wait for their emotions to internally boil over before piecing their thoughts together and plating them as conversations, making the series come full circle even in terms of character evolution.
The Bear season 5, was also smartly self-aware in places where comic relief becomes as necessary as salt in a recipe. When Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis) picks up a photo of Syd and Carmy and asks if they’re dating, Pete (Chris Witaske) tells her, “I don’t think so, but there are some theories,” hinting at audience theories wanting their relationship to take a romantic turn. Thankfully, the makers do not give in to it until the very end. Similarly, in the final episode, a new character, Sue, describes her experience of watching cooking shows to Carmy by saying, “Every time I watch one of those cooking shows on TV, I yell at it, saying everybody shut the hell up and listen to each other...” summarising our experience watching the show. It is in these brief moments of humour and self-reflection that The Bear remembers to take the pan off the heat before the intensity burns out.
Despite all these wholesome moments, callbacks, and tying of knots, the final season still leaves us feeling like there’s so much more to tell. While the stories do come to a meaningful conclusion, we still feel like there’s potential to make 10 more seasons or spin-offs on Tina, Marcus, Ebra, or even Uncle Jimmy. However, the makers’ decision to turn the heat off on the series at the right time has to perhaps be the best one. While season 4 itself had more to do with emotions and mental health than actual storyline progression, season 5 had even less. And so, bidding adieu to the series ends up being the best choice, thereby ensuring The Bear does not join the long list of underwhelming finales like Game of Thrones, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Stranger Things, or The Boys. In doing so, The Bear doesn’t leave us hungry; it simply reminds us that even the best meals must end. So as Richie puts it: “Mangia, baby.”
