Winter be Bingeing 26' - The Bear - Season Five/Series Finale + Gary (prequel) episode

The fifth and final season of FX’s The Bear picks up the morning after Sydney, Richie and Sugar discover that Carmy has quit the food industry, leaving the restaurant to them. With no money, the threat of a sale and a storm in their way, the team must band together to achieve one last service. Ultimately, they learn that what makes a restaurant perfect might not be the food, but the people.

The final season of The Bear premiered after a standalone prequel episode Gary. 

Gary was a special episode written by and starring cast members Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal.

Gary is a flashback to early 2019, when Richie's pregnant wife Tiff (Gillian Jacobs) is close to her due date. Richie (Moss-Bachrach) and Mikey (Bernthal) get a job from Jimmy and take an emotionally charged road trip from Chicago to Gary, Indiana.

The 39th episode of The Bear was released as a surprise drop on May 5.

Delivered on Hulu and FX (Disney+ in Australia), streaming separately from the rest of the show's catalogue. Gary, received largely positive reviews from critics, who praised its tone, direction, and naturalism, while other reviewers found the episode meandering and self-indulgent. 

Jon Bernthal also had a standalone Punisher episode, The Punisher: One Last Kill. Which also landed in May. So it was a busy month on Disney+ for Bernthal. That said, I think the Punisher also arrives in the new Spiderman film. Well according to the trailer.

Back to The Bear's final season, with all eight episodes dropping late June. OG ratboy, Jeremy Allen White reprises his role as Carmy Berzatto, an award-winning New York City chef de cuisine, who returns to his hometown of Chicago to run his deceased brother Michael's failing sandwich shop.

The season features an original score composed by Christian Lundberg for Bleeding Fingers Music and produced by Hans Zimmer, eschewing the series' previous trend of using popular music for its soundtrack.

The season was met with critical acclaim, with reviewers praising it as a return to form for the series after the third and fourth seasons, and a fitting conclusion for the series.

Watch out spoilers ahead for the hour long finale.

Yes the first few episodes are short, then it gets long. But in all honestly, this season flew by!

The morning after the restaurant's successful service, Natalie reveals that the restaurant has enough money to continue operating, while Richie is invited to attend an international hospitality seminar in Japan. 

Cicero apologises to Carmy and endorses Ebraheim's franchising proposal, which Carmy immediately approves. 

After Richie experiences a panic attack over traveling abroad, Carmy reassures him. Carmy receives a call from the actual Michelin Guide representative—Peter Clark, who dined at The Bear months prior—that the restaurant has earned two Michelin stars, and he shares the news with a stunned Sydney. 

Weeks later, Luca returns to Copenhagen and bids farewell to Marcus, while Ebraheim begins developing the franchise. 

Carmy interviews for an internship at an architectural firm and gets emotional when recounting what The Bear meant to him. 

The Bear staff and their loved ones celebrate the birthday of Richie's daughter Eva at the restaurant. Richie leaves for Japan with Jess, the two now in a relationship.

It's a fitting finale, to one of Hulu's most celebrated series of recent times. The Bear has been a huge success. Jeremy Allen White has always been great. Now he is GOAT status.

Go ahead, give the last eight (plus Gary episodes) a go on Disney+. As always Disney+ are smashing the winter (or Summer in the US) releases. A new Ryan Murphy series, The Shards is coming next month. Adults also returns late next month (following another sneaky prequel episode) and American Horror Story returns for its 13th (possibly last) season.

See you next time! When it might be another Disney+ title. UK comedy, Alice & Steve!