The Bear gets a solid send-off in final season after overstaying its welcome: review

Yes, chef, one last time. The fifth and final season of “The Bear” takes inspiration from “The Pitt,” as the whole story takes place over the course of just one day. This makes it the best season in several years.That’s not saying much; this show has always been more mediocre than its Emmys would have you believe.

But, it’s not a disastrous finale (like “Euphoria”).It’s a solid send-off. Similar to past seasons, Season 5 of the Chicago-based workplace drama follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and the rest of their ragtag team of restaurant staffers, as they scramble to avoid falling apart (both emotionally and literally), and achieve culinary excellence. This time, they’re doing all that as a wicked storm wreaks havoc. And, there’s Carmy’s looming departure from the restaurant, which he announced at the end of Season 4, because the job no longer makes him happy. The first few episodes of Season 5 follow the team as they try to salvage the place enough to provide dinner service after the storm causes damage.Meanwhile, Jimmy (Oliver Platt) is in a last ditch effort to see if they can sell the “air rights” above the building, as a final push to keep the lights on. Of course, Neil Fak (Matty Matheson) gets involved in the repair work.

The show continues to think that he’s ten times more hilarious than he really is. The time constraint gives the season a “ticking time bomb” sense of pressure.So does the question of if they’ll have the funds to keep the place running (although, that’s been a repetitive issue in every season). Setting the final season all in one day is the best idea that creator Christopher Storer and his writers have had in years.

It gives the story more momentum and more narrative flow than previous seasons had. “The Bear” has always pretended to be more character-driven than plot focused, without having enough character develop...