The Bear season 5 is officially in crunch time after episode 6. Clearly, this season is taking place over the course of one day, basically, and our heroes, the kitchen staff, are scrambling.
When The Bear season 5 episode 7, "Focaccia," begins, service is going well, but they need to go faster. In the kitchen, they review the tables, and they realize they have 90 minutes per table to get everyone seated. If they go long, they risk not seating everyone.
Finally, Donna comes to The Bear for the first
As they continue Operation Save the Bear, Donna shows up with Sophie. It's the absolute worst time for someone to show up with a baby, but Natalie brings them to the office and tells her to stay put.
This is the first time Donna has been at The Bear since, I believe, Mikey's death. She starts crying and telling Natalie how proud of them she is.
Star Man shows up
Immediately after getting Donna and Sophie situated in the office, the Star Man shows up. The kitchen is ready, and everyone is on their game. Unfortunately, there's no table for them to sit at.
In the kitchen, Carmy puts the fans to work. Remember, those people who are seated in the kitchen? Well, Carmy lets them get in the mess by folding up some napkins for them to cut down on jobs and time. The guests are honored.
After stalling, Richie and his team get the guests to leave and flip the table in time for the Star Man, also known as Dearborn, and his guest to sit down and eat. The weather man, Tom Skilling, is also with him, which is a big deal for everyone in the kitchen.
Outside, the rain has finally stopped. There's a lot going on. The sun would be shining if it weren't the middle of the night. The Faks and Pete are throwing a party sponsored by The Bear to keep people from waiting inside the restaurant while waiting for tables. Cheese loves Ebra's business plan for The Beef franchise opportunities. She thinks it's a good business.
Inside, it's chaos, but controlled. Richie is trying to get people out as fast as possible. Carmy and Sydney are plating quickly and making things happen. In the back, Donna sees Pete, and they hug it out! Donna is learning everyone's names. It's a real nerve-wracking party.
Everything is ticking along, but then Marcus's dad shows up. Richie seats him, but then disaster strikes. Neil thinks that he's supposed to clear the table of Dearborn and Skilling, or something, but then things take a turn. He starts having a conversation with the reviewer and weather man about all of his tattoos. Richie wants to rush in, but Neil does his job? He hypes up Sydney's next dish and then bounces. Honestly, it's kind of iconic.
Neil, I guess, takes over as the server at their table. He brings Sydney's prawn dish, and they love it.
The Bear makes the final turn
Richie rushes into the kitchen and tells them that all the 6:00 tables are done, the 7:30 tables are seated, and the 8:00 tables are arriving. It's the final turn of the night.
The kitchen is humming. They are cranking out dishes. Carmy makes some pea dish that looks delightful, and things are looking good. Could this show end up a good, positive note? We'll see!
In the back, Computer and Uncle Jimmy are smoking, and Computer keeps trying to get him to agree to the franchise deal that Ebra put together. He thinks it's actually a winner.
Meanwhile, Donna looks through all of Carmy's stuff from the French Laundry and his other restaurants. It's a walk through his life at a time when she didn't really know him. We know that, because of their strained relationship, she wasn't really involved in his life.
Then, we get an epic montage of the kitchen rolling out dishes, completing all the courses, and finishing strong.
We also see a flashback of Carmy and Sydney's past, and all the dishes they made that inspired these ones.
Finally, the timer goes off, and Chef Jess says, "Clear, chefs!" They've completed all the dishes for that round.
Carmy drops Star Man's dish
Didn't you think things were going too well for The Bear? Things start to go wrong. They finish the lamb and run out of brioche. They have to move on to the remaining wagyu for the rest of service, but when a pot boils over, the burner shuts off. It can't be overridden for 30 minutes.
Sydney has a solution. She sets up another burner to finish off the last piece of lamb. Then, the lights flicker, and Carmy drops the place. It shatters on the floor, and they have to adapt. Carmy has a panic attack.
Sydney, again, has a solution. She has Tina fire her brussels sprouts that she made to present to Star Man while they find a solution. It's her recipe. Neil takes it to Dearborn and Skilling.
They have another problem, though. They need another protein, but the wagyu is not Syd's recipe. It's Terry's, so they have to think of something else. Carmy asks if Sydney trusts him, and she says yes. Then, he tells her to fire the Coke ribs from the family meal. He tells her it's better than anything he's ever made, and she believes him.
That's what they're going to serve to the Star Man. And, they love it.
Marcus serves his dad dessert
Finally, Marcus's dad finishes his meal, and it's time for dessert. For the final course, Luca and Marcus bring out the raspberries they almost got into a fight over and the banana split. He forgets the caramel sauce, and then he cuts the candle open that they lit earlier in the season for vibes. Inside, there's a caramel sauce that he pours on the sundae. It looks incredible.
Back in the kitchen, the crew finishes up the final dishes of the night, and the dude who Richie brought back to the kitchen is still there trying to help. When he starts counting down the time, Sydney kicks them out of the kitchen.
Carmy works his magic one last time
As they work through their final plates, they realize they are short one sundae, but there's no brioche left.
Carmy uses his skills one last time to whip up a brioche crunch in a matter of a few seconds. It's an incredibly cool move. They finish that, send out the sundae, and then wait for Richie to return. That's the finale plate of the night.
Richie walks back into the kitchen, and officially, their final service, assuming that's what it is, has ended. It's a relief, but there are also tears. They really pulled it off, somehow.
At the end of the night, everyone grabs a drink and a cigarette and celebrates outside.
Later, it's family time. Carmy and Natalie walk back inside to the office, and they find Donna looking through Carmy's photo albums. An unknown number calls Carmy again, but he declines it.
Marcus connects with his dad, who loved the meal. He goes in for a hug at the end, but Marcus shakes his hand instead. They plan to see each other soon.
Back in the kitchen, Sydney cries alone. Then, Richie comes in. He asks her what they do tomorrow. She says, "Do the same again?" and he nods. It looks like The Bear might actually be in business after all.
Only one more episode of The Bear season 5 to go!
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