Can ‘The Bear' Avoid Eating Itself Alive in Season 5?
Dining at Regan's restaurant and underground dinners was the second thing I thought of when FX announced, in a mild upset, that The Bear would return for Season 5. We won't make the mistake of labeling this season as a finale. The network surprised us by renewing the show less than a week after Season 4 — strongly suspected to be the last season — dropped. Diabolical!
Beyond game meat, the first thing that Season 5 of The Bear triggered was a throwaway joke from 1987's Spaceballs , the Mel Brooks parody of Star Wars . The gag proposed a fictional sequel, Spaceballs II: The Search for More Money . Though it's a dated reference, the gag still resonates with current moviegoers plagued by soulless superhero sequel syndrome, the kind of flicks that were green-lit without a story in place but with plenty of marketing and merchandising potential. In other news, they're actually making a Spaceballs II .
For The Bear , Season 4's finale provides Jeremy Allen-White an escape route where he can leave the show without worrying about figuring out how to relive the glory days of Seasons 1 and 2. Contractual obligations with the cast didn't make Season 5 a given, but they're going to give it a go even though Season 4 meandered with an uncertainty that suggested the writers and cast also didn't know the series' fate.
Without White's pretty blue eyes, there's more room for the rest of the ensemble to shine, and that was telegraphed in Season 4 when Marcus (Lionel Boyce) was listed in Food & Wine's Best New Chefs. Pastry chefs rarely take leadership roles at restaurants, and there aren't many Black men baking cakes at restaurants. Elevating a likable character like Marcus would give Season 5 the extra zest the show badly needs. Television sometimes needs to take care of viewers, akin to how restaurants take care of diners.
Assuming White's role will be reduced, Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) is also poised for a breakout. Carmy realized he was not only getting in his own way, but also in Syd's. The Bear has been a nostalgia-fueled running of the restaurant gauntlet without the realization of how the industry has changed. The first four seasons we've been treated to countless montages revealing Carmy's tortured soul as he's been victimized by being a Berzatto. Just like Carmy, viewers are burned out in attempting to summon empathy. Those Calvin Klein ads only bought so much goodwill. It's time for Syd to step up and for Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) to see her potential and appreciate greatness. Carmy's journey of self-realization feels like it mirrors the show's evolution. Even in a world where we're told to 'shut up and dribble,' one where more customers feel that restaurants should only focus on the food without attaching a backstory or pulling on the strings of ethical consumption, The Bear appears on the cusp of finally making a point. It's so close .
Elizabeth closed in 2022 after Regan left Chicago in 2019 to open the Milkweed Inn, a bed and breakfast about 400 miles from Chicago, deep within the Hiawatha National Forest. It's the kind of serenity that would appeal to Carmy. With four seasons under its belt, it's unclear what The Bear wants to offer something more than a melange of catch phrases mixed with tributes to Chicago. The most optimistic fan will invest in Season 5, pinning hopes that this is the season where nuance gives way to substance. Perhaps it will reveal a meaningful critique of the industry or a continuation of the non-stop kinetic energy of the first two seasons — television that struck all the right chords of the emotional spectrum.
But given the downward spiral Seasons 3 and 4 took, expectations have once more shifted. Maybe Carmy can take us with him to whatever shelter he finds to escape in Season 5. See More:
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