‘The Bear' Season 4 Twist Ending Explained—Is This The End For Carmy And The Show?

Forbes

9 hours ago

THE BEAR — 'Groundhogs"— Season 4 Episode 1 (Streams Thursday, June 26th) Pictured: Jeremy Allen ... More White as Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Bear Season 4.
The Bear is back, and all 10 episodes of Season 4 are now streaming on Hulu. If you've watched the new season and are still processing that cliffhanger, you likely have quite a few questions. Is Carmy leaving The Bear for good? What will happen to the restaurant? And most importantly, what does the future of the series look like amidst all the uncertainty?
Season 4 picks up in the aftermath of the disappointing Chicago Tribune review. While the article described the restaurant as chaotic, it did highlight some positives, including the success of The Beef's takeout window. Uncle and Computer proceed to set up an actual timer in the kitchen that's counting down the days, hours and minutes until The Bear is forced to shut down for good.
Carmy has made significant strides this season toward being less controlling. He's begun letting go of some of his non-negotiables, like changing the menu every night, in an effort to make everyone's lives easier, especially Sydney. He also finally reaches out to Claire after the refrigerator debacle in Season 2 and apologizes to her (it's about time!). Although they're not back together, they remain friends and are in a much better place than before.
As for Sydney, she finally makes the difficult decision to stay at The Bear rather than join Shapiro (who responds in a way that's rude but realistic). The job offer had been weighing on her all season. She hadn't been spending time with her father and was ignoring his calls, but her demeanor toward him changes after he suffers a heart attack. He's thankfully okay, and his health scare ultimately brings them closer than ever.
Episode 7 saw members of The Bear crew, the Berzatto family, the Faks, and more come together to attend Tiffany and Frank's wedding, including guest stars Donna Berzatto (Jamie Lee Curtis), Stevie (John Mulaney), Michelle Berzatto (Sarah Paulson), Francie Fak (Brie Larson), Uncle Lee (Bob Odenkirk), and others.
By Episode 9, time is quickly running out as The Bear's two-month parachute nears its end. At this point, the restaurant basically needs a miracle (aka a Michelin star) to stay afloat. But things are looking better than before; The Bear is on its way to becoming profitable after much-needed changes. Marcus also made Food & Wine Magazine's list of Best New Chefs.
Is Carmy Leaving The Bear?
THE BEAR — 'Groundhogs"— Season 4 Episode 1 (Streams Thursday, June 26th) Pictured: Ayo Edebiri as ... More Sydney Adamu.
In the final moments of Episode 9, Pete informs Sydney that Carmy made a strange change to the partnership agreement. The agreement is split in two: 50% goes to Uncle, while the other 50% belongs to The Bear. But The Bear's half is further divided between Natalie (25%) and Sydney (25%). Carmy's name is shockingly no longer on it.
The Season 4 finale takes place entirely in the alley behind the restaurant. In the opening scene, Sydney confronts Carmy about their agreement. 'You're leaving,' Sydney says, but Carmy assures her he isn't. 'I'm not leaving… that's not how it is.' (Spoiler alert, he is leaving, but he definitely has an interesting way of expressing it).
He explains that the change is the best thing for The Bear and that he wants to put the restaurant first. When she says she'll need more of an explanation than that — and that he's leaving her with a dying restaurant — he clarifies that he's going to get The Bear in the clear before he goes.
Why Is Carmy Leaving The Bear?
Ultimately, Carmy comes to the realization that he doesn't love what he does anymore. 'I think I put a lot of things in the way of dealing with very real things, and I'm aware of that. I think I was trying to put hurdles in the way.'
He also reveals to Sydney that he knows she was thinking about leaving The Bear. She apologizes for not telling him about Shapiro's offer and says she's sorry he and his family have had to endure so many things, but now, he's taking everything out on the restaurant.
Carmy then says the only way the restaurant can go on is with him gone and Sydney at the helm.
'Syd, you're everything I'm never going to be,' Carmy says. 'You're considerate. You allow yourself to feel things. You allow yourself to care. You are a natural leader and teacher and you're doing all this stuff for' the right reasons.
He continues, 'Any chance of any kind of good in the building, it started when you walk in. And any possibility of it surviving, it's with you… Because you're The Bear.'
Richie then walks in on their argument, and to his disbelief, Carmy tells him he's done with restaurants entirely.
'No, just, of course, take off, that's just what you're good at,' Richie responds. 'We're down, we're getting the sh*t kicked out of us… so take off.' Carmy tries to apologize, but Richie doesn't want to hear it.
Did Carmy Actually Attend Mikey's Funeral?
THE BEAR — 'Groundhogs"— Season 4 Episode 1 (Streams Thursday, June 26th) — Pictured: (l-r) Ebon ... More Moss-Bachrach as Richard 'Richie' Jerimovich, Jeremy Allen White as Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto.
As Richie was about to head inside, Carmy drops the bombshell that he actually attended his brother's funeral. He explains that he walked into the funeral for a second, walked out and then sat in his car.
Carmy says that when he came back, he didn't know how to process Mikey's death, so he returned home angry and scared. He apologizes for not realizing that Richie had lost someone important to him, too. 'I didn't know him like you did,' Carmy says.
Richie reveals that he tried to get Mikey to talk to someone and thought that maybe, if he could save The Beef, he could keep an eye on his friend. 'I failed,' he says, but Carmy assures him he didn't. Richie says he thought that was the reason Carmy didn't go to the funeral.
'I love your family, and they love you. He f*cking loved you," Richie says, adding that Carmy's family's love for him is different because he's 'the cousin.' Richie also says that he missed Carmy and often thought about where he was and all the experiences he was having.
Richie then describes going on a road trip with Mikey, where they had to drop something off for Jimmy. They were cruising down the lake, listening to good tunes, and for like half an hour, everything felt perfect — and he thought that was what Carmy's life must be like. Richie admits he was jealous and even bought The French Laundry cookbook to see what 'the big deal was.'
Richie asks Carmy to reconsider walking away from everything he's worked so hard for. Carmy replies that he doesn't know who he is outside the kitchen. Once again, he says the restaurant's going to be fine — but do they really believe him?
'You in?' Sydney asks Richie.
"I appreciate the gesture but, like, this is my home. I'm not going anywhere… This is real?' Richie asks. His friend tells him that it is.
How Does The Bear Season 4 End?
THE BEAR — 'Groundhogs"— Season 4 Episode 1 (Streams Thursday, June 26th) Pictured: Jeremy Allen ... More White as Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto.
Natalie eventually steps outside the restaurant and joins Carmy, Sydney, and Richie. She learns that Carmy is planning to leave the restaurant and that he did, in fact, attend Mikey's funeral. Overcome with emotion, Nat hugs Carmy and begins to cry.
In the final scene, Uncle and Computer's alarm goes off. The countdown finally hits zero, signaling that time has officially run out for The Bear. Will they be able to save the restaurant in Season 5, and how will things go without Carmy there?
FX has not yet renewed The Bear for a fifth season, so the future of both the restaurant and the show are up in the air. The cliffhanger ending suggests there's more story to tell, but whether they'll get the chance to tell it remains unknown.
Sources told Variety that although no scripts currently exist for a fifth installment, series creator Christopher Storer has a 'clear direction in mind' if the show is able to return. However, the biggest challenge could be coordinating a filming schedule for the show's high-profile actors — Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach — who have been tapped for new and bigger opportunities.
All 10 episodes of The Bear are streaming on Hulu. Check out the official trailer below.