A restaurant staff stands together in a crowded kitchen. They are almost completely out of money. They are very nearly out of food. Outside, rain pours down fast and heavy. There is a burst pipe in the basement; there is a human-sized hole in the roof. And there are many, many customers on their way.
The group reviews tasks and timing for the overbooked evening ahead of them. A silence consumes the group—faces are somber, daunted but clearly determined. Finally, Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto (played by Abby Elliot) pipes up: “Our Mother of Victory…”
Her call is met by Richie Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), who dutifully replies: “Pray for us.”
In 2023, I wrote an article for America about the use of this prayer and other Catholic references in previous seasons of the hit Hulu show “The Bear.” The show follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a professional chef working in New York City who returns home to Chicago following the death of his brother. Alongside friends and family and the talented young chef Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri), Carmy transforms his family’s sandwich shop “The Beef” into a high-end restaurant called “The Bear.”
Since the show’s initial release in 2022, it has won 21 Emmy Awards and become culturally significant for its touching and humorous exploration of restaurant work. It has also skyrocketed the careers of its talented cast members, including Emmy Award-winning stars Mr. Allen White, Ms. Edebiri, Mr. Moss-Bachrach and Liza Colón-Zayas, who plays restaurant employee Tina Marrero. (Watch Father James Martin’s conversation with Ms. Colón-Zayas on “The Spiritual Life” podcast here.)
With the arrival of the fifth and final season this June, these characters are still praying for victory. But they are also uncovering what it means for their prayers to be answered. (Note: This article will discuss details from the ending of “The Bear.”)
At the start of the fifth season, Carmy has decided to step back from the restaurant, determined to focus on processing his grief and improving his mental health. Under the leadership of Sydney and Richie, The Bear is desperately trying to stay afloat. There is much of what fans have come to expect from the show in this season: cursing, yelling, fiascos in the kitchen. But Season 5 offers a new pace. While big questions about grief, family relationships and financial struggle are still present, the season is primarily about how the characters are able to come together to navigate a single (very stressful) day of work.
It is thrilling to watch the way the characters engage and assist each other as obstacles emerge. Particularly in the last few episodes of the season, the love this group has for each other and for their guests becomes the focus. With so much at stake, the characters are forced to ask themselves: Is this worth it? And they all seem to answer, definitively and collectively: Yes.
While preparing for service, Richie, a fan favorite as one of the most emotionally complex characters in the show, tosses away prepared motivational statements to speak to the group from his heart. He starts describing the only “perfect restaurant” he had ever been to: the Berzatto house.
“It was a restaurant that made me feel less alone,” he said. “It was my friend’s house…Sunday night…. You could stay as long as you wanted…and you didn’t worry about Monday.”
He connects that experience of hospitality and community with their work at the restaurant. In spite of their challenging circumstances, he says, “We have each other. We got each other right now.”
He reminds his friends why they are committed to a project with so much risk involved. It might be easier to let a struggling restaurant die. Instead, they are doing everything in their power to keep it alive. Because like his friend’s home, the restaurant makes them feel loved, and offers them the chance to treat others with love in return.
Richie’s words also remind the audience of why the story of a restaurant is one worth telling. Throughout the show, closed-off characters have opened themselves up to experiences of tremendous generosity—both giving and receiving. This is partly a result of the camaraderie developed among the friends and coworkers. But the show argues that working at a place like The Bear, where people come to celebrate life, enjoy each other, and be physically and emotionally nourished, opens you up to connection and compassion with our broad human family.
Richie himself articulates how he has been changed by the opportunity to serve others. At one point this season he attempts to cancel reservations in anticipation of their overbooked evening. But once he starts calling people and hears their reasons for dining at his restaurant, he finds himself unable to let any of them down. When pressed about his inability to make the cancellations, he tells Sydney: “I used to be a people hater, now I’m a people lover.”
While watching these last few episodes, I was reminded of a quote from Dorothy Day’s The Long Loneliness. She writes, “Heaven is a banquet and life is a banquet, too, even with a crust, where there is companionship.”
Day’s words resonate with me, like I imagine they do for many of us. Don’t our happiest moments so often involve a shared table? What is more satisfying, more fulfilling and sustaining, than enjoying good food in good company? And is heaven not fulfillment and sustenance of the highest kind?
“The Bear” ends with happy conclusions for its beloved ensemble of characters. They have survived their stressful day. Awards have been won; exciting opportunities are on the horizon; a new plan for the financial upkeep of the restaurant has been determined. And beneath all of these wins is the real victory: These people will continue to be able to feast together and put feasts before others who step through their doors, inviting them a little closer to heaven.
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