The Bear Season 4 Review: Better Together

In season 4 of The Bear, the characters must race against a literal clock to save the restaurant while confronting some of their greatest fears.

From the start, there is a different vibe connected to The Bear season 4, something that has been true of each season as the show has progressed. Gone (or at least, nearly gone) are the chaotic, profanity-laced rants that made the first season so stressful to watch. No more anticipation as the restaurant is being built through the second season. And where last season was uneven and unfocused, season 4 settles into a solid rhythm and narrative flow for its 10-episode run. 

Time is marked in season 4 by a clock counting down the 1440 hours until the money runs out. As Carmy and Sydney attempt to save money, they agree to a set menu. Marcus (Lionel Boyce) asks for more firepower so that he’s able to perform at a higher level, and Carmy provides this with a new stage, Chef Luca (Will Poulter). To help make the service flow more evenly, Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) is asked to prepare her course in just three minutes, down from the five minutes where she begins. 

The kitchen isn’t the only place where changes are happening. To help improve the service in the front of the house, Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) brings on former Ever employees, Jess (Sarah Ramos), Garrett (Andrew Lopez), and Rene (Rene Gube). Meanwhile, Natalie (Abby Elliott) spends her time trying to mollify Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) and The Computer (Brian Koppelman), tracking every dollar spent and figuring out how to lower costs.

While the ticking clock adds a low undercurrent of tension, season 4 of The Bear is a much more measured version of the show. Episode 7, “Bears”, is a kind of inverse of the much-lauded season 2 episode, “Fishes.” The Berzatto clan is back together for the wedding of Richie’s ex, Tiff (Gillian Jacobs), and Frank (Josh Hartnett). But rather than a car being driven through a dining room, we instead see the family coming together to discuss some of their biggest fears. 

The main thing I noticed watching this season of The Bear is that it felt like the second half of season 3. Given that much of season 4 was filmed at the same time as the previous season, it makes sense that there would be some level of continuity. However, what it ultimately felt like was that the two would have made one fantastic 20-episode season, rather than two 10-episode seasons. 

Showrunner Chris Storer has imbued each season of The Bear with a distinct theme, and Season 4 is no exception. The heavily underlined concept this season is that of a community; how, when you’re in a restaurant, you’re never alone. It is highlighted several times directly, but it is what ties much of this season together. Carmy, who spent so much of the previous season cut off from those around him, seeks to repair relationships. We see this with the return of his former girlfriend Claire (Molly Gordon) and his mother, Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis). 

It also reveals itself in the beautiful episode “Worms”, co-written by Ayo Edebiri and Lionel Boyce, in which Syd makes Hamburger Helper for her niece while she tries to game out whether or not she wants to stay at The Bear or work with Adam Shapiro at the new restaurant that he’s opening. It is a beautiful reflection on choosing the community that you know and love, or opting for something more stable but disconnected.

At this point, there is no word on whether or not The Bear will continue past season 4, and honestly, it could go either way. Much of this season feels like an end, but it allows for the potential of one more season to wrap things up fully. The final episode doesn’t quite have the feel of a series finale, but there are aspects of this season that seem as though dragging them on might become tedious. 

One of the first images we see in this season of The Bear is Carmy waking up to the movie Groundhog Day, a story in which a man who is stuck reliving his worst day has to better himself in order to move on. Carmy states that he wants to be better, and in order to do that, he needs to repair his relationships and find his place in the community that surrounds him. When he begins to do that, he begins to experience calm in the chaos. If we’re to learn anything from this show, I think that’s it. There can be peace in community.

Season 4 of The Bear is now available to watch on FX and Hulu in the U.S., and on Disney+ in Canada, the U.K. & Ireland, and more countries worldwide.