’The Bear’ Season 5 Ending, Explained

For a show that filled our screens with a lot of yelling and chaos, The Bear (2022) Season 5 leaves us with a hushed whisper. A flight toward the future and an open ending that doesn't exactly close doors, but rather opens a few of them. It's not a ride off into the sunset, but I don't think that's what any die-hard viewers wanted in the first place. Still, it might be quieter than what people expected.

The season takes an interesting approach with its final arc as it gives us eight episodes that span across a single day, allowing the tension of an endgame to consistently linger. The roof is falling, characters are on edge, and there's hard rain coming down the streets of Chicago. In the Season 4 finale, appropriately titled "Goodbye," Jeremy Allen White's Carmy Berzatto reveals that he's setting his apron down and leaving the business for good. And his last day at the restaurant is a doozy, but is it actually the last time? That's what The Bear's Season 5 finale, "The Original Beef of Chicagoland," answers. 

Does The Titular Restaurant Finally Get A Michelin Star In 'The Bear' Season 5? 

In a lot of ways, the restaurant's success is the one thing most fans have been waiting for. Since turning The Beef into The Bear and dabbling with everything Carmy learned in culinary school, the staff has been working toward the infamous Michelin star, and in the series finale, it finally happens.

In an emotionally profound scene featuring Carmy and Sydney sitting alone, we get some of the most quietly riveting performances from White and Ayo Edebiri. He tells her about how he got off the phone with Peter Clark, and how he wasn't at the restaurant last night, but rather the day Richie made it snow in "Scallop." The sheer disbelief on his face appears to be ambiguity at first as he notes that Peter said, "The food overall was truly exceptional. And creative. The talent here is undeniable. There's a scallop dish he hasn't stopped thinking about. The hospitality is beautiful. The room felt alive without being precious or try-hard." 

But when Sydney waits for a "but," then asks if they got the star, he somberly shakes his head. It's there that White does something so exemplary with his performance, eyes glittering before he declares, "You got two." 

That success after everything they've been through is the kind of ending we could expect from a show like The Bear. Interestingly, despite the fact that the show has always made a point about being a comedy, it never quite felt like anything other than a drama. However, a happier ending like this allows it to sit in a compelling in-between space where it gains respect for taking grief and heartache and allowing its characters to heal in the process.

And that's the thing about The Bear. It's always been a show about grief and family. It's been messy and wild and unruly at times, so the decision to not only give them two Michelin stars but also to end with a birthday party for Richie's daughter Eva with everyone in attendance and nothing bad happening is, in short, lovely.

What Comes Next In 'The Bear?'

Part of what makes The Bear's series finale captivating is the fact that everyone's well and truly okay. With a dark reminder of how things could've been with its inclusion of the single prequel episode, Gary, things were questionable for a beat. Yet, not only will the restaurant prevail, but Edwin Lee Gibson's Ebra, even got Carmy's approval to franchise The Beef, spreading the chaos and heart of this found family even farther to expand their culinary gifts throughout Chicago. 

Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Richie is no longer stuck and fighting through all the demons in his head, but he's taking a flight to Japan for a seminar with Sarah Ramos' Jess. Will Poulter's Chef Luca is going back to Copenhagen, and Liza Colón-Zayas' Tina is promoted to Chef de Cuisine. But interestingly, it's the unclear path that Carmy's on that's the most riveting path of the finale. Not only does Uncle Jimmy essentially plead with him not to quit, but in an interview for an internship at an architectural firm, he opens his heart and breaks down his love for art with a woman named Sue, guest starring Bonnie Hunt.

There, in that moment, it becomes abundantly clear that, really, there's no way Carmy could leave behind the restaurant business for good. He might leave the kitchen for a beat, but a final shot of him surrounding images of food reminds viewers that this man's love for the culinary world isn't something that can be dimmed by all the pain that's also present there. So, ultimately, while his choice is ambiguous, the decision to leave his future up to the viewers for debate seems fitting for the Christopher Storer show.