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Episode 1x1

Episode 4x10

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Moments on Film: The Bear and Normal People

“I’ll go.”

“And I’ll stay. And we’ll be ok.”

If you are interested in the parallels I found between Carmy/Sydney in The Bear and Connell/Marianne in Normal People, here’s a link to a character analysis I wrote a few years back.

🔗 Moments on Film: Carmen Berzatto and Connell Waldron - Character Analysis

©️moments-on-film 2025

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The Bear S5

It’s starting to feel like we are getting played. Between the miscommunication on if S4 is the final season, the numerous examples of “cut” scenes from the S4 promo and trailers, and now this “announcement” days after the premiere.

Typically shows sign actors and creatives for 5 plus seasons. That’s why so many regulars “leave” a show after a set amount of seasons. They didn’t want to renew under a new contract and they had an option to opt out because their original one came to an end.

My guess is there was always a S5, they likely shot at least part of it already, which is why we have seen clips of content that haven’t aired yet, but they couldn’t announce it because that’s not how the industry works. The actors hopefully got the chance to negotiate more favorable contracts in the midst of all of this.

The miscommunication and lack of transparency, combined with the bizarre way S4 and its screeners were handled this year with reviewers and the press just feels a little weird at this point. Additionally, they abruptly cancelled a press junket/FYC campaign before the premiere that would have featured Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. It feels like they knew S4 would be polarizing and were trying to avoid negative comments/reviews so people would renew their Disney/Hulu subscriptions——and/or keep them to watch.

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Missing Scenes (cont’d)

While I’m at it, what happened to:

Saying “CORNER”? No one says it in the kitchen anymore. Think back to S1, Carmy would yell “corner” when no one was even around. He taught it to the staff. You don’t just drop that ingrained habit. Prior seasons made such a big deal about it and now it’s just not a thing?

“BEHIND.” Same thing. Why did this vocabulary vanish from the script?

Family meal. We see pre shift all hands meetings in the dining room, but when and where is family meal, and who is cooking it? What are they eating? Why did we lose this daily, essential aspect of restaurant life that was highlighted so beautifully in S1?

My thoughts about this season are coming to me in angry bursts. There was a lot lacking and it’s glaring to me how they’ve sacrificed characters/elements/dynamics that made the show interesting to begin with to give more airtime to nonsense.

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Missing Scenes

Did I miss something? Where were these scenes from the S4 trailer?

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Moments on Film: Sydney De-escalating the Carmy/Richie Fight

Hello friends. After a few days of distance to process the wakness that was S4, I’m back to share my thoughts on a few select moments that touched me the most.

One moment that instantly brought me to tears and hasn’t left my thoughts since, is the moment in episode 10, where Sydney directs a highly charged emotional plea to Richie to get him to stop antagonizing Carmy in the fever of their argument.

Gif source: @mavericks

Emotions are running high. Carmy and Sydney were in the midst of the most intense interaction in their relationship. Richie enters, is brought up to speed and things accelerate when Carmy confesses he was present at Michael’s funeral. This is a fact that Richie was completely unaware of, because Carmy has never told him. This sets Richie off and he charges at Carmy. It’s so intense, and unclear if they are going to get physical.

Sydney practically begs Richie to “please, please, please stop.” Her tone and manner in this little moment brought me to tears. She is desperate to get them to de-escalate and calm down before one or both of them gets hurt.

I loved this moment because in a flash of raw, vulnerable unabashed instinct, it really shows just how much she cares for and loves both Carmy and Richie. She wants to protect Richie from doing something he will regret, and knowing everything she learned about Carmy’s past, she comes to his aid to protect him from any further harm.

It works. It also shows how much Carmy and Richie love and revere Sydney. Neither of them wants to do anything that will make her this upset. Richie backs off and Carmy drops his hands. They both instantly respect her wishes and stop.

Ayo Edebiri’s character work as Sydney Adamu this season was remarkable. There are more that I may or may not write about but I wanted to share my thoughts on this brief but impactful moment.

©️moments-on-film 2025

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Moments on Film: The Bear S4 - Initial Thoughts

Out of respect to where folks might be in their viewing journey, spoilers, under the cut.

I’m still very much processing. Here are my initial thoughts.

The bad:

Up until the last few moments, this season irritated me so much, I almost turned it off. It has been excruciating to watch Carmy not give Sydney the time and attention she deserves, and to witness stilted, clipped dialogue where he seems to be relying on telepathy or mind meld to get his point across. I know the last scene of ep. 10 attempts to explain that, but nevertheless, it has been painful to watch.

I was really put off by a lot of the dialogue this season. If F-bombs were removed, I know this season would be 1 hour shorter. Everyone was swearing so much, especially in the first 7 episodes, that many of the conversations felt completely immature, infantile, and not in service of the characters or the story. It felt like a crutch to make scenes feel more “real”, but I’ll be honest, it’s lazy, filler and quite frankly, boring. Why was Natalie and everyone else swearing so much in front of her baby? The swearing in this show has always grated on me, but this season in particular it was excessive, wasted a lot of time and really bothered me to the point where I almost stopped watching.

I really wish Carmy and Natalie could have had a better scene the first time he meets the baby. She had to ask him to hold her. It didn’t seem true to their relationship. I can’t believe he had not seen the baby until that moment.

The Francie Fak situation at the wedding made me want to turn off my TV. It was so immature and unfunny. These are grown adults. They were acting like cartoon characters. I need less Fak action, less faction, if you will.

Claire.

Carmy telling everyone about Syd’s dad when she said not to. I was yelling at him through the screen.

It felt like there was story enough for about 2 episodes this season and they stretched it to the max to get to the final 15 mins of episode 10.

I was really hoping for more focus on Gary. I also really wanted to see more of Manny and Angel, but we only got glimpses of them.

The good:

Ayo Edebiri served it up. I really enjoyed watching her performance this season. She had some really complex moments to act and she brought a lot of nuance.

Also for those who might not be entirely familiar with her work, the actress who plays Sydney’s cousin Chantal, Danielle Deadwyler, is 100% one of the best actresses working right now. Her performance in the movie Till blew me away. She was completely robbed of an Academy Award nomination, which she should have won, let alone be nominated. I am still moved and haunted by that performance.

Chef Luca! When he showed up I literally cheered. He was a total joy to watch every second he was in frame and brings such a feeling of comfort and safety to each moment he is in. I treasure his presence in this show.

Ebrahim and his mentor. I loved this component.

Marcus getting his flowers made me emotional. What a beautiful arc.

Carmy texting Michael’s phone with little updates that he will never receive made me tear up. This was so sweet and so sad.

I am so glad Carmy finally came to terms with and verbalized the fact that he does not know who he is outside of the kitchen, and that it’s time for him to leave. I predicted this and have written about it extensively, (🔗: Carmy Doesn’t Know Who He Is Yet), (🔗: Carmy and Just Keep Going), and is setting everyone up for success, which I have written about as well (🔗: Carmy’s True Purpose), and how his dream in the pilot is a metaphor for how the restaurant is a toxic trap for him and only he can set himself free (🔗: Opening Scene Analysis: Carmy IS The Bear). However, I’m still contemplating the manner in which he had it out with both Sydney and Richie in the finale.

I’m not sure if I’ll write more about this show. Every second does count and I’m not sure it deserves my precious time.

©️moments-on-film 2025

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Thoughts on The Bear S4 Trailer

What is this big event where seemingly Carmy, Sydney, Richie, Natalie, Pete, Uncle Jimmy and Donna are all in attendance? Tiffany’s wedding? We know it’s coming, and yet, at the moment, I’m having trouble imagining why it would make sense for them all to be there.

It dawned on me that maybe it’s a celebration or after party following the christening of Natalie and Pete’s baby. That would make much more sense to me at this point. But we shall see.

Also, I cannot stop thinking about that moment that shows Gary “Sweeps” hitting a baseball in the batting cages. We have never gotten a deep dive into his back story, apart from the fact that used to play professional baseball, he was homeless, and his baseball career ended badly. I’m so hoping we learn more about him this season. He needs his moment!

More to come but for now these two thoughts have stayed with me.

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The Bear S4 Full Trailer

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Jess at The Bear

(in the S4 teaser)

That’s Jess, (from Ever), on Carmy’s left. Hopefully we will see more of her in the full trailer, which has yet to be released. I’m really hoping she and Richie are joining forces this season.

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New poster and series description for season 4 of The Bear. Dropping June 25th.

Table's Set, Clock is Ticking.

Season four of FX's The Bear finds Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) and Richard "Richie" Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) pushing forward, determined not only to survive, but also to take The Bear to the next level. With new challenges around every corner, the team must adapt, adjust and overcome.

This season, the pursuit of excellence isn't just about getting better - it's about deciding what's worth holding on to.

The half-hour series also stars Abby Elliott, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas and Matty Matheson, with Oliver Platt and Molly Gordon in recurring roles.

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Hello Friends,

It’s been far too long but I needed to come on here after watching the teaser for S4 of The Bear to say that Donna better stay the HECK away from Sydney. She does not need more toxicity and stress in her life.

More to come….

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Moments on Film: The Bear Season 3

Now that I have had a few days to process and fully…..digest S3, I am back with my most visceral thoughts.

I must say, distance did not do anything to ameliorate how I felt about this season. There were some beautiful moments, I really enjoyed episode 1, for example, and I truly appreciated the opportunity to learn more about how Sydney comports herself as a leader, Marcus‘s beautifully inspired and fresh creativity as a chef, Tina’s journey, Natalie’s inner struggles, and more backstory on chef Luca.

What I am having so much trouble with this season, is Carmy. I knew this would happen. I knew S3 would be the belly of the beast, as I predicted 🔗 here , but it was still so hard to take in.

Those of you that have read my work know how much empathy I have felt for Carmy. I have rooted for him. I see how much help he desperately needs and I am always hoping he will find a way to course correct when he gets off track. Carmy ditching Sydney in S2 and lashing out at Richie in the finale felt like a punch to my gut. I was so hoping those two relationships would be nurtured this season but in fact they got worse.

I want to be clear, I have had so much compassion and empathy for Carmy and his emotional problems, due to the cycles of abuse he has had to endure. What I absolutely cannot excuse or reconcile this season is how his behavior and actions are hurting, stifling, and traumatizing those around him.

Another thing I really want to uplift is that yes, this is a show that emphasizes found family. But at the end of the day, this is a business, he is in a leadership position, and everyone who works there is an at-will-employee. In my opinion, Carmy has completely failed as a leader, on all fronts. He has never exhibited leadership skills, with consistency. And as supportive member of the “family”, real or otherwise, he is nowhere to be found. Carmy has actually created a hostile work environment that is legally actionable and litigious with his mood swings, verbal and physical abuse and erratic behavior.

It is a stone cold fact.

I was rooting so hard for Sydney and staff to walk out the door this season. That’s how bad his behavior is. Sydney deserves better, plain and simple. Everyone working at The Bear does. Another point I want to uplift is that while Christopher Storer created the show, it is his sister, Courtney, “Coco” Storer who is the chef on whom he based much of the plot. Courtney has also moved from Culinary Producer in seasons past of The Bear to Co-Executive Producer and even “Story By” credit on this season of the show.

There is something Courtney said a few years ago on a podcast that has stayed in the back of my mind because I always wondered if it would be used as a plot point for Sydney. She shared a story of a restaurant she worked at in Los Angeles. She was promoted to CDC, loved her team and really enjoyed working there. However, it was not all perfect. She was constantly burnt out and at a physical and emotional deficit due to the stress. She suffered panic attacks. She also shared that she was not officially a partner with a stake in the restaurant, and she felt like she needed to have her own back because at the end of the day, no one else did. Although it was a difficult life decision—-she quit.

Forget Michelin stars. If Carmy cannot create and maintain an environment people want to work in, with him, he will end up completely alone. It also may already be too late.

I understand this season is apparently in two parts, I understand that everything happens for a reason. What I can’t understand is how I am meant to root for a character that has contributed to Sydney having panic attacks, has hit Richie, has yelled at Marcus during what must be the worst time in his life and who was about to lose it on Tina if Sydney hadn’t stepped in, saved her, and saved him from himself. Completely unacceptable behavior.

Carmy needs professional help. I have said this many, many times before and I am going to say it again. Carmy. Needs. Professional. Help. He cannot continue to let his triggers and emotions be his master. He is in a leadership position and people’s jobs are depending on him. He cannot offer any more hollow apologies, he has to back them up with consistent action, or I will continue rooting for the staff to leave or for him to step down.

If he doesn’t make the time, energy, and effort to stop the madness, slow down, take a beat, remember all of the gentle and beautiful mentorship he actually did receive through his rise as a chef, lead with his heart, build trust and repair his relationships, especially with Sydney, with Richie, with his sister and her new baby, he will lose it all, because he will have lost the one thing that truly matters, the people he is supposed to care about and the people who care about him.

Does he have it in him to turn this all around? At this point I am not sure. And if he doesn’t, I believe what “grows together”, and they really did, all grow—-will in fact, go together.

©️moments-on-film 2024

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The Bear S3 E9 dialogue spoiler below:

…………………………………………………………………………

After a completely unhinged night of service wherein Carmy behaved like a total nightmare, screaming at everyone and everything:

Sydney: “It’s hard to keep up with you sometimes.”

Carmy: “Yeah, well I’ve been doing this longer.”

Sydney: “I didn’t mean on a skill level.”

Really Carmy, REALLY? REALLY? Bridgerton voice: “Are you quite serious?” This is one of the many, many reasons I am still so mad. Carmy was giving death by a thousand cuts this season. I will elaborate later once I’ve processed further because Carmy can really shove it right now. This madness needs to STOP. I was literally yelling at my tv for Syd to quit, get out, leave. She doesn’t need this toxicity in her life. None of them do.

📸 source: @ayoarticulate

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I will write more when I come to terms with what the heck I just witnessed. Or maybe I won’t. Furious at the moment with this massive fumble.

That was not it. That was so not it, in any way at all.

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ICYMI. The Bear S3 will now drop this Wednesday, June 26th at 9pm est, rather than midnight est on the 27th.

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Hi! Can you get the script of when Carmy and Syd meet? You know, the: “What’s UPS? / I know who you are, you’re the most excellent CDC…” moment.

I’d love to know how Storer framed it.

Hello there!

Yes! When Carmy and Sydney first meet, their interaction is 2 pages in the pilot script. Script below: