Yes, Chef!

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MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, July 24th.

Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: one of television's most acclaimed dramas returns for its final season.

Four years ago, a show called The Bear captivated critics and audiences alike with its high-intensity drama about the challenges of opening an elite restaurant in downtown Chicago.

BROWN: In 2024, the series set a record for the most Emmy nominations for a comedy series. This summer, the show’s final season features a record-breaking storm that threatens to wash away all that the restaurant staff members have worked so hard to create.

Here’s WORLD reviewer Steve Limkeman.

STEVE LIMKEMAN: When it rains, it pours. The final season of The Bear unleashes a massive rainstorm upon the city of Chicago. That opens the floodgates to a host of obstacles as the restaurant staff realize that a busted water line is the least of their problems. On top of budget cuts and an impending sense of doom, the staff are blindsided by devastating news. World-class visionary Carmen Berzatto, better known as Carmy, is stepping down as head chef of the restaurant.

CARMY: This isn’t what I wanna do anymore. You know, this – this isn’t what makes me happy anymore.

Longtime fans of the show, on the other hand, will be quite satisfied with the overall focus of the final season. Since its critically acclaimed debut in 2022, The Bear has been driven by one animating principle: the relentless pursuit of perfection in a community that deeply cares for one another. For years, Carmy has been dedicated to the transformation of his family’s scrappy sandwich shop into a prestigious establishment.

CARMY: Look, we could do this. Right? We could take care of people. We could make it calm. We could make it delicious. We could play good music. We could make people happy.

Carmy has mentored and cared for his kitchen crew as if they were all a part of the beloved Berzatto family. Becoming part of the Bear clan feels like entering into a dysfunctional maelstrom, but the charismatic love that is shared between the Bears eventually overpowers outsiders’ apprehension. For new hires and new viewers alike, the Berzattos take a little getting used to.

STEVIE: Here’s one way to look at it. It’s really fun. Genuinely. It’s um… Claire?

CLAIRE: It’s a lot of people with very specific and unique personalities that feel things very strongly.

STEVIE: Feel things deeply. And experience life intensely.

Past seasons have felt a bit stretched thin at times, much like the courses that must be improvised this season as the restaurant runs low on supplies. But The Bear’s final run experiments with a new recipe for success, shaving minutes off of its episodes’ average run times to ensure that every second counts. The secret ingredient: nearly the whole season locks in on the chaotic intensity of the most important, most challenging day the restaurant has ever faced. Excellent editing amplifies the staff’s frenetic energy as they confront crises and race through prep to maximize efficiency. Every moment is packed with flavor as they pursue the coveted Michelin star that could save their business from financial ruin.

SYDNEY: Our game has to be the tightest it has ever been or we are not gonna make it. I want us to have each other’s backs and speak to each other cleanly, clearly, kindly, and watching our language.

ALL: Chef!

It’s important to note that profanity in The Bear is pervasive, especially whenever the heat rises in the kitchen. Though tempers flare, one of the consistent pleasures of the show is the characters’ initiative in taking responsibility for ruptured relationships as well as their desire to make amends. As ever, Carmy’s cousins provide comic relief as they desperately try to fix the restaurant's structural issues before they open for service in the evening.

RICHIE: Can you hear this? Over.

TED: I can’t hear that. I think I’m going off rope.

RICHIE: What rope? Over.

TED: I’m going Days of Thunder, Rich. I gotta do this. I’m going off rope, buddy.

RICHIE: No! Do not go off rope! That is a direct order! Do not go off rope.

Though Carmy’s disillusionment with his vocation is a bit distracting and disappointing, it hardly detracts from a pulse-pounding community-driven finale. None of the characters are particularly religious, but the series consistently reminds me of the small but vital roles we play in the body of Christ. The restaurant is filled with flawed human beings making an effort to cultivate the gifts and talents that they’ve been given. When they are encouraging and empowering one another, it is amazing to see what they are able to accomplish. As Carmy humbly says of another restaurant he once served:

CARMY: It’s a miracle these places exist.

That humility is evident in nearly all of the staff’s interactions, embedded in their core communications. Brief acknowledgements like “Heard” and “Understood” and the ever-present “Yes, Chef!” are exchanged in relational dynamics that are deeply rooted in mutual trust and respect. The only question remains whether the restaurant’s collaborative spirit can withstand the mounting pressures of their most trying moment.

SYDNEY: This is how we keep this place alive. This is how we operate moving forward and we can do this. This is The Bear.

ALL: Chef!

The Bear’s finale is stuffed with satisfying character arcs, tender moments between long-estranged family members, and the occasional miraculous deliverance from disaster, rendering viewers’ ultimate experience worthy of a star of its own.

I’m Steve Limkeman.

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