It might be time to say, “Goodbye, chef.”
(Warning: Spoilers ahead.)
In the season four finale of The Bear, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) drops a bomb.
He tells his kitchen staff know he’s leaving their restaurant. It’s a shocking twist for viewers, who, until now, feared that Syd (Ayo Edebiri) would be the one quitting after receiving a high-paying job offer in season three to work in a different restaurant.
Just when she decides to stay, Syd learns Carmy’s altered the contract, removing himself as a partner to make Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt), Sugar (Abby Elliot), and herself as the main owners of The Bear.
As the episode begins, Syd’s devastation is palpable. She’s resting her head on the fence in the alleyway behind the restaurant, looking as if the world is on her shoulders. Suddenly, Carmy walks through the back door, demanding to know why Syd ignored him during the dinner service.
And so, she confronts him, accusing Carmy of quitting and abandoning the staff.
“It’s the best thing for the restaurant,” he responds, explaining he will help The Bear clear its debts before leaving. “We have to put the restaurant first.”
After four years of putting his all into the restaurant, Carmy finally realized he was just using the job to avoid confronting his trauma over Mikey, his brother’s death by suicide, or his failed relationships. He couldn’t face it, so he let the restaurant become his life.
When Syd reminds him that he loves cooking, Carmy isn’t so sure that he does, at least not anymore.
This revelation pushes Syd to her breaking point, causing her to explode with everything she has been forcing down. She confesses to Carmy the truth about her job offer, her anger at him for acting like a “f***ing maniac” in the kitchen, and how his behavior put all the pressure on her to keep things together.
Carmy agrees, which is why he wants to leave.
“You’re everything I’m never gonna be,” he says. “You are considerate. You allow yourself to feel things, right? You allow yourself to care. You are a natural leader and teacher. And you’re doing all this stuff for every right f***ing reason… Any chance of any good in this building—it started when you walked in, and any possibility of it surviving, it’s with you… You’re The Bear.”
It’s a heartbreaking yet bittersweet moment for Syd, but also for The Bear fans, who feel conflicted over Carmy leaving the restaurant and, by extension, the show for good.
Although some may not want to admit it, the parallels between Syd’s first day on the job and this finale make it feel like it really is Carmy’s final goodbye. And they aren’t exactly happy about it.
One viewer quickly pointed out the similarities in Syd’s costuming from the first episode on X.
“The Bear is sick and twisted for having Syd wear the same scarf when she’s arguing with Carmy over his quitting in the season 4 finale that she wore on her first day and when she made the risotto,” they wrote.
i think the last episode is just called Goodbye cause Carmy’s leaving pic.twitter.com/QQq0NDviD9
— THE BEAR SPOILERS!! g 🧚🏾♀️ 🫐 (@edebiriii) June 26, 2025
Another viewer compiled the parallels in Syd and Carmy’s character arcs.
“Sydney and Carmy mirrors til the end and I’m kinda pissed off at this finale.”
Sydney and Carmy mirrors til the end and I’m kinda pissed off at this finalepic.twitter.com/ybGrGfZx6H#TheBear
— 𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑧𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑧𝑜𝑠🐇 (@AmeliaXCV) June 26, 2025
Outside of the parallels, some viewers just didn’t enjoy the season. A common complaint was that the show is treading familiar water.
just finished it. didn’t love itThe Bear just keeps trying to hit the same beats with the same characters and I can only take so many intense emotional zoomed-in close-up conversations before they lose impactdidn’t help season ends feeling like there should be two more eps https://t.co/iPASYk4kjQ
— Paul Tassi (@PaulTassi) June 27, 2025
However, not everyone agreed with this complaint, feeling like the show returned to peak form after a somewhat lukewarm season three.
“Jeremy, Ayo, and Ebon in this scene, aka basically the whole season finale, in #thebear. genuinely think this show has one of the best ensembles, and it starts with these three,” a fan said.
jeremy, ayo, and ebon in this scene, aka basically the whole season finale, in #thebear. genuinely think this show has one of the best ensembles, and it starts with these three pic.twitter.com/wYKA1nQMK5
— Nora Dominick (@noradominick) June 27, 2025
It’s hard to imagine what The Bear without Carmy will look like. But after hearing his explanation, who knows? Maybe he’s right after all—maybe it’s for the best.
The post The Shocking Finale of ‘The Bear’ Leaves Fans Speechless appeared first on The Daily Beast.
