"The Bear": Season 4: To Thine Own Self Be True
I just completed binge watching Season 4 of The Bear. 10 episodes over 48 hours. ALL IN WFM! The Bear won a host of Emmys for Season 1-2 and is expected to receive multiple nominations for Season 3. The program has the “it” factor. However, not unlike other American success stories, there has been a growing critical backlash against the show. Universal praise for Seasons 1-2 turned into critical slings and arrows for Season 3. There is a predictable mass instinct to build something up to unrealistic levels and then proceed with a systematic campaign to tear it down. I prefer to make my own judgements. I reviewed Seasons 1-3 in a July 3, 2024 posting. I recommend you re-read that entry for context. I found Season 1 to be interesting, intriguing and unsettling. Season 2 was world class television with compelling characters, an energetic narrative and great writing. Season 3 was a puzzle. It was ambitious, unfocused, uneven and frustrating. There were 2-3 outstanding episodes and some great bio features of supporting characters. There was some self parody- it appeared the creators had read some of their own press clippings so they took clever to a new level. There were too many celebrity drop ins. The restaurant scenes were stressful, chaotic and unnerving. The pluses still outweighed the minuses, but I was concerned the concept may have run out of steam. I was hopeful Season 4 would re-engage with greater focus and clarity- perhaps some character breakthroughs. Season 3 ended with an upset, tormented and insecure group so I was praying for some sunshine and joy. Perhaps, the triumphant return of Claire, a spectacular young lady in Season 2.
Well, my dreams of perfection were unfulfilled but I conditionally give Season 4 a “thumbs up.” In certain aspects, it returned to its roots. There were several strong episodes featuring the lives of key characters outside the restaurant. One compelling episode was a day with Sydney and her hairdresser friend and child. Good stuff. Ayo Edibiri excels the entire season. There were reintroductions of compelling characters from earlier seasons, including Claire, Luka and Leo (Bob Odenkirk.) The kitchen scenes are marvelous. The time pressures, the team dynamic, the nuances of plating, the demands on the servers, the need for speed and efficiency, the challenges of menu selections and the long shadow cast by the never ending concerns about profits and finances - are on the money. The collision between idealistic dreams and hard practical choices is a continuing message. The curb appeal of the program is undermined by the poor production values of HULU. It is awful. There are commercials, moments when the stream was inaccessible and the video was compromised. If there is a Season, 5 please identify another platform.
The cast is strong and resilient, but the dialogue quality is uneven. There are too many sessions with people talking over one another, interrupting one another or simply be unable to express a coherent thought. Sentences fade and disappear into the great beyond. There are too many pregnant pauses, unforced grimaces, pained expressions and closeups of watering or darting eyes. There is an overabundance of stuttering and stammering. The characters display intelligence and depth at times but their inability to articulate thoughts or express emotions as mature adults was frustrating. The discordant communication style made for uncomfortable viewing at times, although the frequency of these exchanges varied from episode to episode. Finally, the show is “dark.” There is drama, angst, bitterness, anxiety and anger and how the Emmy’s classifies The Bear as a “comedy” for award show purposes is mind boggling and weird. There are some “giggle” moments, generally provided by the “Fak Brothers”, but they are tertiary characters and the comic relief is minimal. Ayo is pretty centered and normal, but Carmen and Richie are poster boys for therapy. The relationships are fascinating, complex, frequently admirable and occasionally amusing, but this is not a fun loving group of chums.
Season 3 ended with the Chicago Tribune publishing its review of The Bear. We don’t see then whether the review is positive or negative. The harsh reality of the culinary universe is that reviews from major newspapers or food magazines can make or break a new restaurant. Season 4 opens with the answer- the review is “mixed”, certainly not good enough to propel The Bear to the top of the Chicago fine dining scene. The food is described as “promising”, but the overall dining experience falls short of the mark. It is “chaotic”, “dissonant”. “pretentious” and “unfocused.” OUCH! The review depresses Carmen and his team. The crisis is magnified when “Uncle” and “The Computer” guy advise Carmen that the numbers are gloomy and they are only willing to fund the operation and its losses for another 60 days. Without drastic improvement, The Bear will go to culinary heaven with all the other restaurants who aspired to greatness and failed. Season 4 is therefore about saving a restaurant. The stakes are high and the narrative is devoted to spotlighting how each of the main characters- Carmen, Sydney, Richie, Natalie, Ebraheim- respond to the challenge. The show creators don’t hit a home run, but there are enough singles and doubles to conclude it was a successful effort. It is erratic, but there enough good things to hope there is a Season 5.
The restaurant itself is a diva character here. The radical physical changes to the space since Season 1 are astounding and impressive. The dining room is beautiful, classy and comfortable. The food preparation kitchen area is pristine, organised and well equipped. The claustrophobia and sheer mess of Seasons 1-3 are absent. The operation, particularly after Richie hires professional staff from Ever, another high end restaurant is smooth, professional and integrated. As Carmen says in the final episode- “The Bear has jelled!” It is orderly and the incessant swearing and screaming have left the building. “Yes Chef” and seamless teamwork are the calling cards of the place. The food prep is shown with affection. Marco attending to every detail on dessert, Tina working to improve the prep time on the Cavatelli and Sydney unruffled in every crisis. Richie is a competent maitre de and excels at special moments of customer service. All good- but running a great shop and making a good living don’t always march hand in hand.
The characters are the heart of the show. Richie, the most irritating character in the history of television in Season 1 has come full circle. He is calm, handles his anxieties and demons with greater restraint and navigates the stress of his wife remarrying and the relationship with his daughter with aplomb. He is good at his job. Season 4 would have been stronger with more emphasis on Richie’s journey. Ebon Moss Bachrach will win an Emmy. Natalie has evolved into a loving mother who has grown to appreciate her good guy husband. Sydney struggles with a decision whether to leave for a better opportunity and her father’s sudden heart attack. She is a winner. Marco moves on from his mother’s passing and sells her home. He makes great leaps in the pastry kitchen and resurrects his relationship with his mentor Luka who mysteriously returns from Copenhagen and works at The Bear gratis. Tina, a highlight of season 3 gets lost in the shuffle in Season 4 which was unfortunate because Liza Colon Zara’s won an Emmy and her marital relationship is interesting. It is difficulty to channel all these characters. Jamie Lee Curtis dominates two episodes and her relationship- or lack thereof with Carmy- is a key plot component. Bob Odenkirk, Josh Hartnett, Brie Larson and John Mulaney are great in supporting roles. Oliver Platt shines and Rob Reiner as a street savvy consultant to Ebrahiam and The Mr Beef sandwich part of the business is outstanding. Interestingly, the sandwich storefront is the only part of the operation that makes money and franchising it may be a survival tactic. A great potential story for Season 5.
Jeremy Allen White as Carmen Berzatto is the straw the stirs the drink in this show. Everything revolves around him. He has already won the Best Actor Emmy twice. As he goes, the show goes. Unfortunately, Carmen is essentially miserable for 10 episodes. The angst, insecurity , temper and anxiety of Season1-3 has matured into a full depression. He is an unhappy dude. He blames himself for the restaurant’s problematic review. He was responsible for the daily menu changes, the frenetic pace, the chaos, the disruption and the borderline abuse of employees. He torpedoed a promising relationship with the angelic Claire, a lifetime neighbour and now a beautiful caring physician. He despises his mother and his memories of his father are not positive. He blames himself for not being there for his older brother’s decline and suicide. He remains a gifted and driven chef, but is a dreary soul. I believe he cracked one or two half smiles in 10 episodes. His conversations are arguments, raised voices or stony silences. Season 4 is a litany of his efforts to repair himself. A worthy goal, but painful television at times. He simplifies the menu, gives Sydney more authority, agrees to the efficiency expert cleaning up the operation and, in fits and starts, attempts to reconcile with Claire and his mother. He attends grief counseling, visits Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Oak Park and commits to engaging with the world outside the restaurant. He has always seen the real world as a distraction or obstacle to his goal of being a culinary superstar. He recognises that he has missed out- is out of balance and is not good at normal human interaction. Without issuing a spoiler, Episode 10 reveals his decision on how he can best reconcile his struggles as a restaurant guy with the goal of being a functioning human being. The ending is ambiguous. It is also one of the stronger episodes of the season. The Bear could conclude now, but there are multiple plot opportunities to carry forward to Season 5. I hope they give it a shot. If they do, please bring back Season 2 Claire. She was effervescent. Season 4 Claire was boring- competing with Carmen in the “Woe is Me” bowl.
Many of the professional critics reviews of Season 4 are now appearing and they are a mixed bag. I had doubts while I was watching the show, but this review has been therapeutic. On reflection, they covered a lot of ground- ambitious, complex and challenging. Stick with it!
