Love the song to end episode 2.
Chrissie Hynde might arguably be the coolest “front person” in rock.
The music used on a macro level for The Bear has been fantastic.
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Yeah I almost forgot how good the music is in this show. Everything fits.
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Good god just finished episode 7 and felt like that could have been the finale for the entire show. How are there still 3 episodes left this season?
It was like the entire cast from the Fishes episode…. But people healing (instead of fighting), and confronting their fears. It felt full circle. Everyone had their own cathartic moment. What an episode that was
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Overall I liked this season but for me it’s by far the worst of the 4. It was pretty predictable and I think they could’ve resolved these storylines in a more interesting real way. Ep 7 was very good but the entire season feels rushed for conclusions. It feels like they heard a lot of the audience criticism that S3 was too slow and they tried to fix that rather than committing to their vision. With where everything sits I think committing to a full 10 episodes in season 5 could end up jumping the shark
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I thought Seasons 3 and 4 were filmed back to back
They were shot back to back.
I’m having a hard time figuring out where I stand with The Bear. Seasons 1 and 2 were some of the best TV I’ve seen. Three and four are equally as good from a production standpoint. And there are good episodes to be sure. But it just didn’t hit nearly as close. No episodes came close to touching Forks, Fishes, or basically any of the first season. I posted earlier about how good the wedding episode was going to be when I was a couple of minutes in, and it didn’t deliver as fully as I thought it would.
I’d most definitely watch another season if they make it, but I agree with @duffing_in_detroit that it’d likely jump the shark if they go a full 10.
Also, Marcus and Luca are one of my favorite on-screen work relationships ever.
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Hot take: Ep. 7 Bears was ridiculously good television.
Was it Fishes or Forks?
Nope.
But until I give the entire four seasons a rewatch, it’s #3 on my list with 8/9/10 still to go in. S4.
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I enjoyed it more than Fishes because the screaming in Fishes drove me mad. There were so many sweet and heartfelt moments in Bears.
Forks does remain the masterpiece of all masterpieces, however.
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Richie should be the main character. Much better than Carmie
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Agree. Richie is far more interesting. Carmie just moans.
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So I’m only three episodes into S4 so maybe this changes, but I have to get something off my chest about Carmy. I feel like the show has steered so far into the “tortured genius” idea with him, but it feels like it’s been a long freaking time since he actually did something that was beneficial to the restaurant, and not negative. If you’re an “tortured genius” that still means we should see you contribute some positive aspects along with some of the chaos. Off the top of my head, it might go all the way back to the S2 finale when he was in the freezer on opening night. Or maybe even before. Feels like all he adds these days is confusion, chaos, and uncertainty. Plus a temper.
Now clearly he’s contributing something by the overall quality of the restaurant, but from what we see at least, it almost seems like the team would be better off without him around.
I don’t know where the rest of the season goes but if this trend continues Carmy is quickly turning into a villain for me.
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I just wish they stuck the landing a little better. Like a great gymnastics routine but they stumbled a little on the dismount IMO. Good show but I don’t know that I’ll feel compelled to rewatch it
Bookmarked for your thoughts on Carmy after ep 10.
Ok I’ll let you know. It’ll prob take a few days but appreciate the prompt.
Loved it, binged all of it yesterday.
Biggest observation: what’s with the million and one super close up shots? Nearly every shot was right up their nostrils.
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So many of those floating around, who by their fuck ups require others to work more, shoulder more of the load etc.
Total bs.
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finished Season 4 last night and really enjoyed it - felt like a nice bounce back from Season 3
It’s probably my favorite show on tv, so mixed feelings about saying that I would be perfectly fine if the series ended here. A huge theme of the show is healing, and we had that healing moment of closure for the 3 main characters in that final episode (how about that Jamie Lee Curtis monologue scene in her house btw? Incredible acting).
At most, they would need maybe 2-4 episodes to FULLY close the loop on all story lines, but in my opinion, it’s fine with bits on the margin being left open for interpretation, and I think we were hinted enough to get a sense of how those would go (i.e. - Carmy/Claire, career growth and achievement for Syd and Marcus and even for Tina, Richie’s development as a person and as a professional, and perhaps The Bear expanding with a new backer… and perhaps eventually getting a star).
Also, I do not need another season for them to try to force the character of Marcus’ friend who helped sell his mom’s house even more. Every scene that guy was in felt so forced and overdone. Hard pass.
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I have felt this way about Carmie every season, but it wasn’t until the end of season 4 that I realized its gotta be intentional. Carmie isn’t meant to be a likeable, or even good, main character in this show. He’s incredibly talented and inspires the people around him, but once everyone starts catching up to him in talent and work ethic, he has to keep pushing himself to set himself apart from everyone and convince himself he’s the best. He is the definition of a toxic perfectionist. Without spoiling too much, season 4 is him realizing that him being the best isn’t helping anyone around him, in fact, its hurting everyone. That seems like the transition a lot of people make from being an extremely talented worker to becoming a leader.
Spoiler
For what it’s worth, I think Carmie is being a little bitch and not actually fixing his sickness by just stepping away from the Bear. Both Sydney and Richie hinted at that when Carmine said he need to fix himself by walking away and they were just like “How?”. Again, the guy is not meant to be likeable. Instead of actually making the transition, he’s just walking away.
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The only people I like in the show as I’m a few episodes into season 4 are Syd and Neil
FX Renews The Bear for Season 5
“Widely recognized as one of the best TV series to come out in the past decade, perennial Emmy darling The Bear has been renewed for a fifth go-round. This comes just a week after its fourth season debuted on FX on Hulu to Certified Fresh critical reception. While many felt the season 4 finale could easily have served as a series finale, FX saw fit to continue the series, with chairman John Landgraf stating that it “continues to be a fan favorite worldwide, and their response to this season — as seen through incredibly high viewership — has been as spectacular as any of its previous seasons.” Season 5 is expected to come sometime in 2026, but it’s worth noting that every previous season debuted in late June.“