Ty Watches "The Bear" Final Season

After five wonderful seasons, "The Bear" has come to an end.

I really enjoyed this show. I liked every season. Each season had an episode or two or three that really stuck with me. I, like a bunch of other people, truly love "Forks" and "Fishes". But there are some other gems in there. The one shot in season one during a super rush is great. I appreciate the whole back and forth with Carmy and Claire. The wedding episode where Richie's ex gets remarried is pretty solid. I even like the third and fourth seasons, which some people were lukewarm on. When the final season was released, I tried to put it off as long as I could. I didn't want the show to end. This has been one of my favorite shows since the pandemic.

I do want to say, "The Bear" has won a ton of awards, but it is not a comedy. There are comedic elements, but this show is a drama. Full stop. Anyway, my family had a four hour flight to Seattle a few weeks back, so I decided this was the best time for me to start this final season. I know that the creators never intended for people to watch their show on an iphone while flying to another city, but here we are. I ripped through the first four episodes on the flight out there.

I truly loved that they had the final season focus on one dinner service. As with most shows, things happened that were outrageous. From burst pipes to people falling through the roof, shit really hits the fan. Throughout the final season there are many ups and downs. But this service is also going to make or break the restaurant. They believe a big time reviewer is coming in that night. The storm has not stopped people from making reservations. They are overbooked, but Richie wants to see it all through. Oliver Platt and The Computer are trying to find ways to keep the store afloat. Ebra has his idea to franchise the sandwich portion of the restaurant, he is just biding his time before pitching his idea to Carmy. It is revealed that not only Carmy is leaving, but the other dessert chef, played by Will Poulter, is heading back to Copenhagen. Lionel Boyce's dad is coming in to have a meal. Sydney is stressed and feels overworked. The wait staff is unprepared. It is all the typical sitcom type stuff, but "The Bear" finds a way to make it great and incredibly watchable. I know people always seem to have some kind of gripe about finales, and while I'm sure there are people out there that are complaining right now, I thought they wrapped it up kind of perfectly. I watched the final four episodes the week after we got back, and I was very pleased with what they did. We didn't get any "Five years later" stuff. I'm growing weary of that simply because it always works out for the people on the show. The finale took place the day after the hectic service, and we got a look at how everyone felt going into work the next day. We did get a mild time jump, but it was just to see Carmy give a monologue, and to watch Richie throw a surprise party for his daughter. There was no, so and so went on to do this, or Sydney ended up as the world's greatest chef, or Richie and his new girlfriend got married. We are left to make our own conclusions, and I appreciate that. We don't need to be force fed happy endings all the time.

While "The Bear" ended on a high note, we don't know where they all ended up a month after this service. I like to imagine that Sydney is running a successful, but nerve wracking restaurant. I imagine Carmy is trying to be an architect. I believe Richie has found his way as a host and GM of the restaurant, and has his staff humming along. I, as boring as it may sound, like the fact that, in my mind, they are all just living regular, normal lives. That is what I took away most from this show.

"The Bear" had one hell of a run. It came and went and never really overstayed its welcome. I believe that it will be remembered as one of the better shows of the 2020's. And while it may win some more Emmys for comedy, I still fully believe it is a drama. But that is a topic for another day.

Go watch and rewatch this final season. "The Bear" went out on a very good, very high note. Thank you for five great seasons of television. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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