Note: This story contains spoilers from “The Bear” Season 5, Episode 8.
“The Bear” wrapped up its final service in heartwarming fashion, with a triumphant series finale that served as an emotional epilogue to a particularly chaotic day at the titular Chicago restaurant.
After four seasons of inventive storytelling and big-name guest stars, Season 5 hyperfocused on the efforts of the Bear staff to get through one busy service, brought upon by a glitch in the reservation system that overbooked the restaurant after a massive rainstorm — with the chefs not having enough food and having to ration portion sizes to make it work. This was all happening while Cicero (Oliver Platt) decided whether to sell the building that housed the restaurant and close it down for good, and after Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) decided to leave his post but was still sticking around in the transition.
The penultimate episode saw as the team barreled through the reservations, along with impressing a Michelin star critic and his local celebrity guest Tom Skilling; a show of tremendous growth for everyone on the staff built under Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), Sugar (Abby Elliott) and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach).
Below, read how “The Bear” ended its run after five seasons:
End of service
Episode 8, titled “The Original Beef of Chicagoland,” began the morning after that difficult day of service, as the characters prepared to do it all over again with the promise of changes looming large in the kitchen. Sugar and Richie celebrated making payroll and making enough to buy supplies and do repairs after the storm — but there was no money left to count as profits this time.
Sydney and Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) reflected on how the stress of the night before led to their best work yet. “We’re going to fight all together,” Tina said, as the crew arrived for a new day.
Sydney also spoke with Carmy, asking him what he was planning to do when he finally let go of the Bear. He said he had an idea in his mind, but refused to share any details. That led to her playfully messing with him for having no real skills for the job market.
Later, Sugar asked Carmy about a man who called asking about the restaurant and noting that he had been trying to reach the chef directly. He likely was behind the unidentified caller Carmy ignored in Episode 7. He assured her of his plans to leave, while she maintained no one was telling him to go anywhere.
Sugar made sure to praise Sydney for her leadership the night before, noting that she wasn’t worried about looking at the restaurant’s numbers because the Bear finally had a proper “captain” to guide them through the chaos. Sydney admitted that despite going through hell the night before, it felt like they were all exactly where they were meant to be.
The man looking for Carmy, named Peter Clark, finally got ahold of him and shared something that left him in shock. Sydney pressed him for information and he eventually relented. Turns out the man who tested the Bear for a Michelin star hadn’t shown up the night before as they had thought, but two months prior on a night they had not clocked him. He called the food “truly exceptional and creative” and all kinds of other compliments.
He gave the Bear two Michelin stars, officially cementing the restaurant as a bona fide hit. Sydney and Carmy celebrated their triumph with a silent hug, opting not to share the great news with the rest of the staff until after service.
Beef supremacy
Ebra (Edwin Lee Gibson) spent most of the season working up the courage to pitch his idea to franchise the Beef to Carmy — a pitch that ended up landing just right with Cicero’s confidante Cheese (Elsie Fisher). At the start of the series finale he was still practicing his pitch, unaware that Cicero was already coming to his nephew with his decision.
Cicero encouraged Carmy not to give up on his dreams just because things got hard. He then spilled the beans on the franchise idea, which Carmy immediately accepted as a smart move for the business. But he was still set on leaving the restaurant to Sydney, admitting that Lee (Bob Odenkirk) was right when he said he had to “break patterns” so he could find what truly makes him happy.
Later, Ebra shared the pitch with the other Beef employees, who gave him their support. Carmy quickly came in and Ebra started to share his long-winded pitch; but Carmy stopped him almost immediately and gave him the green light. We later saw Ebra and team check out a new location for the first Beef franchise — setting the stage for its success.
The Bears are alright
As the finale unfolded, some on staff looked into new opportunities. Richie was invited to a professional seminar in Japan — which after some hesitation he decided to accept despite his fear of flying, thanks to a heartwarming heart-to-heart with Carmy.
He also took things to the next level with Jess (Sarah Ramos), sharing a flirty moment before the start of the new day’s service — which included an engagement reservation. Jess ended up going with him to Japan, solidifying the new couple before series’ end.
Before going into the restaurant, Marcus (Lionel Boyce) said goodbye to Chef Luca (Will Poulter), who was heading back to Copenhagen following his short tenure at the Bear. After some tension the day before, they ended their partnership with an “I Love You” and the promise to see each other again soon.
As for Tina, she celebrated her promotion to Chef de Cuisine with a warm conversation with her husband, who assured she was more than ready to take on the demanding role. Sydney also reunited with her dad, who made sure to tell her how proud he was of all her accomplishments.
Stevie (John Mulaney) got Carmy a meeting with a woman named Sue (special guest star Bonnie Hunt), and encouraged him to go in ready to share all his pain and trauma. In a passionate monologue, and an incredible performance from White, he opened up about the danger and nerve-wracking nature of restaurants, and his desire to bring the passion at the center of the profession to light through art.
Sue turned out to be an architect interviewing him for an intern position — so who knows why Stevie gave him that advice. But the talk made him realize his rightful place was back with his fellow Bears at the restaurant. He’s not going anywhere after all!
The episode ended with Richie finally bringing his daughter Eva (Annabelle Toomey) to the Bear, which turned out to be hosting a surprise birthday party full of her friends and loved ones — including Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis), ex-wife Tiff (Gillian Jacobs), Claire Bear (Molly Gordon) and many other members of the family. Carmy also texted his late brother, telling him “All’s good” after all this time.
Even the Faks got a couple of silly moments out of their system before the end of the series — all is right in Chicagoland.
“The Bear” Season 5 is now streaming on Hulu.
The post How ‘The Bear’ Ended After 5 Seasons appeared first on TheWrap.
