The Bear Season 4 Reviews: Critics Have A Lot Of Feelings About The New Episodes

Yahoo

2 days ago

Critics have been having their say on the much-hyped fourth season of The Bear.
Reviews for the new episodes of the US comedy-drama were unveiled on Thursday morning, around the same time that season four premiered on Disney+, and the general consensus is… well… actually, there is no general consensus, with the new season evidently splitting critics right down the middle.
While some are saying The Bear's latest iteration is a 'return to form' for the hit show, others were less impressed, describing it as 'burnt out' and even 'boring', although most critics are in agreement that it's an improvement on the third run last year.
So, before you tuck into the next course The Bear is serving up, here's a quick smorgasbord of what's being said…
'[The Bear is] finally becoming the show it was always destined to be [...] The show is outgrowing its premise, leaving behind 'yes, chef!', lingering closeups of seared beef and screaming matches in the pantry in favour of a different intensity, one that draws even more deeply on the characters and how they fit together. Indulge it – and you will have to indulge it, in a few ways – and you will find this experience just as rich.'
'The good news is that [season four] marks an improvement over its predecessor [...] but just like a restaurant that goes from losing money hand over fist to barely breaking even, 'better' isn't quite the same as 'enough to make the payoff worth the slog'.'
'Where The Bear once seemed almost too restless – exploding with stress and thriving on turmoil, eager to subvert and surprise – the latest run has the feel of a show burnt out from the effort of trying to outdo itself.'
'[Season four] exacerbates the stagnation that set in during [season three] that it's bound to make all but the least demanding fans impatient. The show still looks scrumptious. But it has, quite literally, lost the plot.'
'Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri keep finding new levels of rawness and vulnerability as Carmy and Sydney [...] We're not quite back at the Hall of Fame level of the second season, mind you. Several storylines fizzle by the end – even the ticking clock proves to not be as big a deal as promised – or feel like wastes of the performers and characters.'
'Good restaurants serve a reliable version of familiar food, food anyone can like. Great ones do something peculiar that won't be to everyone's taste, won't even make sense, but might inspire love. So it is with television shows.'
'When did The Bear become this boring? The signs were there in the last season […] but now, here we are back at The Bear and nothing much is changing.'
'A return to form. Every character and major storyline gets their due as Carmy finally faces his demons and allows his restaurant to achieve its full potential. The stakes are both financial and emotional, which creates a much better balance of plot and progression. It could be an ending, or a new beginning.'
'The Bear operates best when it is painfully sincere and strips away its own gimmickry to focus on making a good meal. The show still lacks the balance its first two seasons were able to find [...] but compared to its predecessor, this season is the better, more appealing, and more confident version of The Bear.'
'If this is indeed the final season of The Bear, it will have ended on a high note. The finale, in particular, is a masterclass in acting and has none of the fancy cuts or chaotic music that made the first season so iconic, but it does boast the heart that allows the show to really speak to its audience.'
'The heart and soul of The Bear and its return-to-form fourth season – the meat and potatoes, if you will – are the people. The characters keep you coming back for more.'
'Seen one way, [season four] is still pretty fun; an emotionally rich restaurant drama with great food, a few laughs, and lots of heart. Seen another way, though, and it's our second straight disappointment; a prolonged story propped up by its talented cast and dragged out for reasons that remain unclear.'
All four seasons of The Bear are now streaming on Disney+.
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