The Bear is back with a new season one final time, and we're going to be recapping the full season on Show Snob.
The Bear season 5 episode 1, "Soda," finally hit FX on Hulu and Disney+ on Thursday, June 25, at 9 p.m. ET.
Fans have been anxiously awaiting the episode since the season 4 finale. Remember, the episode ended with Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) spilling the news to Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) that he was leaving the restaurant.
On top of all that, the gang is officially out of money. Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) placed a literal countdown clock in the kitchen in the fourth season. By the season's end, The Bear is officially broke. Now, Carmy and the team have to either find some extra cash to keep the lights on, or they'll have to sell everything for parts and go their separate ways.
According to the synopsis of the season, The Bear season 5 will begin right after Carmy's big reveal. There's not going to be much of a time jump to start the season. We're getting thrust right back into the story.
"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."
It's going to be really interesting to see how The Bear season 5 navigates the events of the special episode, "Gary," about Richie and Mikey (Jon Bernthal). The episode ends on a major present-day cliffhanger, which has major implications for the final season's story.
"Soda" recap
The Bear season 5 opens with Tina, not Carmy, Sydney, or Richie. Tina is in the kitchen, making brussels sprouts, and they look delicious. She has a conversation with her husband, David, about the future. She knows that her gig isn't going to last forever, and she needs to figure something out. He gives her a bit of a confidence boost and reminds her that she's been working for this.
A huge storm hits Chicago as The Bear prepares for service. Sydney arrives, and there's not a lot to work with. The shelves are basically empty, but they're going to make it happen.
Richie gets in a car accident
Jess calls Richie and tells him the reservation app they use isn't working, so they don't know what to do. Richie gets pissed, and he tries using his techniques to calm himself down while he's stuck in traffic. It doesn't work very well, though.
Then, we see the flashbacks, the memories, of his trip to Gary, Indiana, with Mikey. He pulls forward in the intersection, and that's when it happens, the scene from the special episode. Richie gets t-boned on his way to work, and it looks bad.
In the next scene, Sugar takes her daughter, Sophie, to Donna's. Grandma is watching Sophie for what appears to be the first time. Sugar is worried, but she reminds Donna that she'll be monitoring her and checking in. Then, she leaves.
Back at The Bear, Sydney continues to prepare for service, while the rest of the crew heads to work. Marcus picks up Luca, and Marcus tells him that he needs today to be perfect. Well, it's not going to be. The sink packs up and sprays water everywhere.
Thankfully, Richie is okay, but Sydney calls him to get some help with the sink and the water situation. Richie tells her that it's going to be okay, and he'll be there soon. He's in a cab on the way to work. Sydney asks him if they're insane for doing this, but Richie doesn't think so.
Uncle Jimmy is selling the building The Bear is in
Finally, Carmy shows up, and it's go time. As they get ready for the day, Carmy asks Sydney to keep the secret of him leaving for a little while longer until he has a chance to tell the full team. She says that she will.
Outside, Uncle Jimmy is having some kind of mental breakdown. He's lost three-quarters of his money, and he's selling the building. Richie listens, but he tells Uncle Jimmy that he has to do what he has to do, but they are not going to shut down the restaurant. Richie promises to help Uncle Jimmy this time, instead of letting him do everything.
Ebrahim arrives for service, and he asks Sydney to speak with Carmy. He's ready to clean out his locker, and he tells Sydney that the credit cards have stopped working. He points to the clock and tells her that it looks like they're out of time. Sydney, in a massive symbolic gesture, flips the timer. Instead of counting down, the clock starts counting up.
Luca is leaving to return to Denmark
In the other room, there are some big conversations happening. Sugar tells Sydney that they're short on vendors, and she needs to cut everything by 15%. Unfortunately, that's not the worst of their problems. Luca tells Carmy and Marcus that he's leaving and heading back to Copenhagen.
Ebrahim, though, speaks with Albert, the investor, played by Rob Reiner in the fourth season, and Ebrahim has a plan to save the business. He's going to talk to Carmy about it later that day.
A pipe explodes and floods the restaurant
The plumbing issues start to get worse, but have no fear, the Faks are here to fix it. The pipes next to the Paul Rudd poster start squealing, and everyone seems to know what's going to happen, except for Ted.
As he steps forward with an idea of what it could be, the pipe explodes, spraying what appears to be sewage everywhere.
That's when the episode ends. What a premiere. It's such a short episode, but it packs a major punch. So much happens between Uncle Jimmy selling the building, Richie's car accident, the plumbing explosion, and more.
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