Where 'The Bear's Surprise Prequel Episode 'Gary' Fits In The Watch Order
When we were last left at the titular restaurant's alleyway at the end of The Bear's (2022) quietly explosive season finale, Jeremy Allen White's Carmy Berzatto dropped a gutting revelation on us. He not only confessed to being at his older brother Mikey's funeral, but he also revealed that he can't keep working at the restaurant. He put everything on the line, declaring that the best thing that's come from all the pain was Ayo Edebiri's Sydney walking through the door.
That aching tension in those final few moments, and the grief that perpetually lingers in every corner of the restaurant, is exactly what makes The Bear such a gut-wrenching comedy. There's a darkness in the lives of these characters that never leaves them, and that heaviness plays a crucial role in the show's relatability.
In a surprising turn of events, on Tuesday, May 5, Hulu dropped a surprise episode of The Bear, titled "Gary." There's very little information about whether we'll get more episodes like this in the future or if this is something to keep us occupied until The Bear returns for its final season on June 25, but its timeline is still significant. It'll likely be even more meaningful when the show resumes because showrunner Christopher Storer has always been intentional about every little detail, including the flashback episodes, which have often been fan favorites.
What Is 'Gary'?
"Gary" is a standalone, hour-long prequel episode of The Bear, developed by stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal, as their characters embark on a road trip to Gary, Indiana. Mikey is on edge, fractured more than ever, and Richie is just hours or days from becoming a father as he leaves a pregnant Tiffany (Gillian Jacobs), promising that he's going to be back soon. It's an honest, poignantly heartbreaking episode that effectively showcases where both men are at, and what it means for the future we know in The Bear.
It's rough and a little reckless, while simultaneously being just as stressful as an episode of The Bear, resulting in a solid flashback. The way that Moss-Bachrach and Bernthal play off one another has always been one of the strengths in the show, allowing their complicated dynamic to fuel the series' heart. While the episode can come off as something casual on the surface, it supplies us with layers to their friendship that can undoubtedly ensure that The Bear's next season is even more emotionally complex.
As a father, Richie's arc is relatively tragic—while simultaneously a bit more hopeful given Season 4—but we get some gratifying details in "Gary" that demonstrate just how fulfilled he is with his new role coming closer by the hour. The hope and fire in him are evocative before Mikey breaks everything by the end. Still, it's all so riveting in the grand scheme of things to explore how these heartrending emotions are catalysts at the restaurant.
Where Does 'Gary' Fall In 'The Bear's Timeline?
Season 5 is confirmed to be the end of The Bear, and the events of the Season 4 finale have been tipping us toward that last leg even before we knew it would be the penultimate season. If Carmy leaves the restaurant and, by extension, Chicago, there could be ramifications for everyone's lives.
With "Gary" out now, it's the perfect time to start a rewatch from Season 1 to build up hype and try to gather more context clues you might've missed the first time around. But as far as exact timelines are concerned for the Jerimovich and Berzatto family, the first "Gary" can be viewed after The Bear's most renowned flashback episode, Season 2, Episode 6, "Fishes." There, Tiff isn't as far along in her pregnancy, whereas in "Gary," she's due any minute. Watch "Fishes," pause, then start "Gary," and it can be a riveting transition to Richie's best episode, "Forks."
Does The End Of 'Gary' Hint Anything About 'The Bear' Season 5?
Considering there's very little we know about the premise of the new season, in the last few moments of "Gary," Richie seems deep in thought while driving at a point that feels like the present day. At the last second, he's t-boned by another car, and the episode fades to black.
This accident could be a segue into the new season with his arc in a place that's completely uncertain. It's hard to imagine that the series would kill off Richie or any of the main characters, but a dangerous accident could add tension and stakes in a season that's already got immense heartache built into its foundation.
