Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Jamie Lee Curtis, Liza Colón-Zayas
Creator: Christopher Storer
Star rating: ★★★.5
We have rooted for Carmy and Syd, poured our frustrations, and stayed right beside them through all the chaos of the previous seasons. So it is especially bittersweet when Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri return one last time to the kitchen and work against the clock. Time's running out fast but these people seem to face the worst possible scenario every single time. Season 5, with its focused, nerve-wracking energy, dials it in too the roots of its first season and that should yield great results… until it doesn't.
The Bear Season 5 delivers one full-blown panic attack but by now, we are used to it.
The premise
Season 5 begins right where the truly outrageous decision of Carmy choosing to leave the restaurant (after revamping it out of its entire shape and structure) set things hanging in the finale of last season. He is still as unreadable, still as passionate but he cannot help himself in this place any longer. Jeremy Allen White gives a lived-in, internal performance this season where in most of the situations he has learnt to hold it back, and see.
This sets a whole range of responsibilities for Syd, who did not ask for it in the first place but is left with no other choice but to lead front and center. And so, she must. Edebiri is the heart and soul of the show still, and she provides the scenes with dollops of steadiness. Season 5 literally begins with a car crash and sets the mood for the episodes that will focus on one single day inside the kitchen, locked-in, as a heavy downpour threatens more crazy scenarios than it already can sustain in that room.
Movie Review
The Bear Season 5
3.5/5
Director
Christopher Storer
Cast
Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Jamie Lee Curtis
Verdict
Season 5 unfolds over the course of one chaotic day inside The Bear. The once-great show tries hard to get back its mojo.
‘Everyone here has a personality disorder,’ is how one of them describe the lot, and I think it fits the bill perfectly. The Bear takes count of each one of them, but if the previous seasons had taken deliberate detours to spread out the stories and concerns of its supporting cast, this time there is no such indulgence. So, Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) plans to sell the building and the staff is hopeful to get through one last service, and maybe this one will get them a Michelin star!
Amid this, we have the mercurial Donna Berzatto (Jamie Lee Curtis) sneak in the kitchen while Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and the Faks desperately try to manage the front desk. There's Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) and Marcus (Lionel Boyce), saving their last bit of hope and sticking till the end despite shortage of materials and frequent setbacks.
What works
The Bear is one show that is boundlessly open to new ideas, trying out a lot of interesting (and not-so interesting) choices to try and locate these bunch of characters. So even when Season 3 and 4 felt slightly smug about these self-indulgent choices, there was always a narrative heft that kept the story going. However, by the time we are in the middle of Season 5, it can only try to send a payoff that can polish over last season's cracks. It can try to an extent, because this season, the show is returning back to its roots, like the way it started off in Season 1. Season 4 really ended in the wrong foot, as Carmy's decision at the end makes this season just an added course to save the last day.
The camera is constantly focused inside the pressure-cooker scenario of the high-end restaurant kitchen, zeroing over the many anxiety attacks that these people will have to endure. Everything that could go wrong, does. The rain, leaking pipes, food shortage, reservation issues, and dropped food. One last time, you sit with them. One last time, you want to hope against hope that everything goes well. As much as it is a full-circle moment of sorts for The Bear, it feels stagnant and repetitive after a point, everyone seems to having a nervous breakdown or is at the verge of having one. Still, there are sporadic bursts of energy that keeps the momentum going and there is catharsis too, as this chosen family come together to save the day.
Verdict
Season 5 might not have earned the extraordinary heights that The Bear touched in Season 2, but this is still a gratifying payoff. The flavours are all over the place even as the aftertaste lingers.
Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’.
A gold medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Santanu completed his postgraduate studies in English from Jadavpur University. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. When not watching films or speaking to celebrities, Santanu can be found reading a book. Some of his favourite films are Aparajito, Ponyo and The Double Life of Veronique. His favourite books include The Corrections, The God of Small Things and A Room of One's Own.
Santanu continues to write passionately about films and celebrity culture. He brings a relatable, as well as critically informed, lens to entertainment and culture for a wide audience.
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