This post contains light spoilers for Season 4 of “The Bear.”
Two words ran through my mind as I finished the fourth season of “The Bear”: Yes. Chef. After a rather somber Season 3 that was filled with pretentious swings and aimless plots, I’m happy to report that the award-winning FX series has returned to its most delicious form in the latest season, with the premiere of all 10 episodes on Wednesday.
While last season did some muddled exploring beyond the restaurant as its fate hung in the balance, Season 4 brings everything back into focus as Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and the crew face a more stressful challenge: the 1,440 hours (roughly two months) left on the clock until The Bear runs out of money and Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) and Computer (Brian Koppelman) pull the plug on the whole operation. It seems that Chicago Tribune review did more harm than good for the restaurant’s future — on top of Carmy’s constant, arrogant changes to the menu — so now the chefs must figure out how to not only keep The Bear alive but also take it to the next level.
That means bringing in new hands to lighten the load — hello again to former Ever staff members Jessica (Sarah Ramos), Garrett (Andrew Lopez) and the general manager (Rene Gube), whom you’ll recognize most from Season 2’s “Forks” episode — and making lots of changes to the restaurant’s workflow. Thankfully, all of this means getting back to everything audiences loved about “The Bear” in its first two seasons: the frenzied workplace chaos, more culinary excellence and the occasional shouting match among the beloved crew.
That leads to another big hurdle that “The Bear” tackles in Season 4: Sydney’s (Ayo Edebiri) potential departure. Last season left off with her still in limbo over Chef Shapiro’s (Adam Shapiro) offer to come work at his new restaurant, and that burden carries over as she contemplates her future alongside The Bear’s. From that, we get probably the best Sydney episode thus far co-written by Edebiri (and Lionel Boyce, who plays Marcus!). We also get an extremely tense confrontation between her, Carmy and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) in the finale that actually has me concerned about the show’s future (in a good way, plotwise).
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the best returning guest stars in Season 4, like Robert Townsend, who plays Syd’s dad; Jamie Lee Curtis, who just may snag another Emmy for reprising her role as Carmy’s hot mess of a mom; and John Mulaney and Sarah Paulson, more Berzatto family members who pop up in the most heartwarming episode of the season.
Season 4 ends at another crossroads for The Bear, as a big leadership decision could change everything. Now that the show seems back on track, I’m both anxious and excited to see what will get cooked up next (which reminds me, I need to try Syd’s new scallop dish). Overall, I’m happy this season’s storylines mostly stay inside the restaurant (or in close proximity) to remind us why we fell in love with this show in the first place. And whenever they do venture out, to focus on the backstories of our favorite characters, they are all worthwhile.
Season 4 is proof that the writers room is still cooking with grease. And if that finale cliff-hanger is any sign, “The Bear” is getting ready to turn up the heat on us.
All episodes of “The Bear” Season 4 are streaming now on Hulu.
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