Three things tend to break my “willing suspension of disbelief” in movies or television.
Ayo Edebiri has an excuse – Sydney also doesn’t smoke, and she’s supposed to look like someone who doesn’t smoke. (Congrats on winning the 2026 Golden Globe, Ayo!)
Compare tha to professional smoker, Jeremy Allen White:
Look at that dragggg. That looks like a man who loves cigarettes.
And what is the occasion for this smoke party? As was revealed in the last episode, Carmy is out. Out of The Bear the restaurant. But is he gone from The Bear (the show)? Well, tbd. (It was announced that a Season 5 is happening, though. So hopefully that’s another Fak-filled summer for me.)
Therefore, this entire episode is mostly Carmy and Syd airing grievances to one another as Syd processes a life in The Bear without her (tor)mentor and finally officially making it her kitchen. But not so fast – first, she needs to feel blindsided and betrayed by his decision. This is typical Carmy selfishness after all! Little boy shit – running away from his problems.
But – not so fast with the aspersions, Syd. Carmy reminds her that he’s known Chef Shapiro for years, and she was the one who was set to accept a job at his new place. She was the one who was about to abandon everyone first!
If the last episode (“Tonnato”) was about grief and shame, this one is about grief and grace. Everyone in the smoking circle needed time to process their grief and then leave space for and accept the divine gift that we call grace. Learning to accept and provide grace for each other, and, most importantly, for themselves. That has been Carmy’s arc for the past two seasons, his path to self-forgiveness and acceptance of love and trust for other people.
The two major leaps he has taken to reach this point are forgiving his mother and allowing some space in his heart to let her back in. And then – there’s Claire. He’s allowed himself to love and be loved, free from all the phantoms and demons that have inhabited him for most of his life – free from the walk-in fridge forever. He said he’s ready to start dealing with the “stuff” that was getting in the way.
“I’m not blocked by it anymore, I’m not scared of it anymore, I’m not sprinting from it anymore.”
But then, he has to deal with Richie, who’s yet to find out about what happened. And when he does, he also accuses Carmy of being Carmy of abandoning everyone, of little boy shit. “Classic escapism!” is what he calls it.
Carmy has to tell Richie something else first – he went to Michael’s funeral, even though everyone close to him had assumed he had not. Richie took that personally for all this time and believed that Carmy blamed him for Michael’s death. Richie carried that shame and grief with him for so long, but Carmy’s finally trying to free him from it. But Richie’s not having it and almost tears the little fucker apart for telling him that after all this time.
But they get it all out – the resentments, the trust, the missed opportunities for closeness. Carmy finally concedes a point: Richie knew Michael better than he did – Richie knows his family better than he does. Everyone smokes some more.
Ridchie accepts Carmy’s leaving, and Syd asks him why he thinks the restaurant will survive.
“We still got you, don’t we? You’re not quitting, right?”
Syd says she won’t, but there needs to be one more update to the partnership agreement. She tells Carmy to change it again: Cicero on one side, her, Nat, and Richie on the other side.
I loved this moment – as cloying as it may be, I’m one of those Richie Jerimovich super-fans who’s been touched and inspired by this character’s growth. (“MICRO BASIL FUCK YEAH!”)
And to think back at that “oner” episode, “Review” from Season 1, when Syd lays into him in the worst way possible. She calls him a loser over and over again – she says his daughter probably knows he’s a loser, which just kills me.
And then she accidentally stabs him after that!
But now, here we are. Richie denies the opportunity as he suspects it’s a hollow gesture from Syd, his insecurity rising to the surface. She convinces him otherwise. He believes her.
Grace.
The team is in place, and so is Carmy. He’s getting out just in time, at the buzzer. But unlike last season, which was filled with uncertainty, we know one thing for sure – The Bear will survive.
QUESTIONS I STILL HAVE: The Bear only works when there are people walking on eggshells and without Carmy to torment everyone with his moodiness and self-destructive tendencies then how will anyone else know that they are truly alive? I mean, Richie can yell and mope with the best of the but can he pop his veins out enough to keep everyone on edge?
MIDDLE-AGED DAD NEEDLE DROP: St. Vincent, “Fast Slow Disco” again. Move over Wilco and Pearl Jam – there’s a new dad in town!
CARMY ARM PORN: The Boss!
Can’t get enough of The Bear Season 4? For more insight, analysis, GIFs, and close-ups of Carmy’s arms, check out some highlights of Decider’s coverage:
A.J. Daulerio is a Los Angeles-based writer and editor. He is also the founder of The Small Bow, a recovery newsletter.