The Bear season 4 makes every second count
The fourth season of ‘The Bear’ trades its fast-paced formula for emotional depth, guiding viewers through a journey of growth and healing with their beloved characters

After the slower build-up of season three, we gain a deeper understanding of each character, but in season four, 'The Bear' returns its focus to the central themes it has been exploring from the beginning: accepting mistakes, embracing imperfections, and allowing vulnerability.
Season four transports us back to our favourite kitchen at The Beef, and this time around, time is money. The 'Every Second Counts' sign under the digital clock is a prominent theme of the show and is more relevant this season.
However, even amid peak time rush, the fourth season of 'The Bear' takes us on an emotional journey of self-discovery when our cast of chaotic characters reach their breaking points.
The show holds onto its central themes and brings them under a magnifying glass. It steps away from the previous fast-paced formula and decides to sit down and work on the characters themselves–the opposite of the chaos of the previous seasons.
It bravely embraces each character's paths of self-discovery. Sydney must reclaim her role in the kitchen, Richie seeks closure as his ex-wife remarries, Carmy is searching for peace, and even Ebrahim needs to learn how to boost his sandwich sales.
The stakes are higher than ever, yet the screenplay remains emotionally raw and beautiful.
Christopher Storer, the show's creator, is not afraid to let the show slow down and dive deep into what the characters are thinking and feeling. Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) are still battling their biggest demons: emotional isolation and deep anxiety.
The show ensures that the audience feels the fears and emotional burdens of the characters, and stays with them as they untangle their grief. The beloved cast of characters may not have been the best at it, but they do their best, which makes the show relatable yet inspirational.
As fans believe, if the characters can take the time to heal after everything they have been through, why can't anyone else deal with the difficult battles in their life without giving up?
Carmy has spent the past three seasons chasing the thrill, madness and perfection that he believes will fix everything. The notion that somehow, if he keeps running and increasing the pressure, he will land on that perfect spot in life.
But towards the end, he stops running away from everything that has haunted him. He comes to terms with everything that scarred him.
He acknowledges that he let those scars linger for so long that he lost too much— including himself— in a whirlpool of hate, grief, and despair.
Simultaneously, Sydney's path parallels Carmy's character. She needs that rush of success as she doubts her capabilities. If she is not the best, does she even have any worth?
While Carmy seems to be climbing down the rabbit hole of madness, Sydney is only going up. This season, we get to spend time with both of them and see them as real people suffering from indecision and anxiety, not just as fictional characters.
The characters are all chaotic in their own ways. They can not shake off their guilt. Yet, they heal, and that is more enthralling to watch than another fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping season.
The cinematography, editing and sound design are some of the most important storytellers of 'The Bear', which have brilliantly allowed the show to have so much depth.
The juxtaposition of the quick cuts and long tracking shots helps to punctuate the story in every moment. It pushes the audience to the characters without getting bored or feeling lost for a second.
However, the visual language changes this season as it focuses more on long shots that focus on the characters and their bottled chaos.
The composition shifts from wide angles, showcasing the emotional distance between characters or within themselves, to very close face shots when it enunciates the characters' uncomfortable emotional growth.
For camerawork, 'The Bear' uses a combination of high ISO shots and overexposure to create that grainy-film lighting and shadows that have become staples to the look of this show. This often leads to a dreamy, soft look with a sharpness in the eyes that conveys the range of emotions of the characters, connecting us with their grief, misery, passion and happiness.
The sound design is crisp, drawing you into the ambient noises and the excellent background score with immersive clarity.
'The Bear' reinvents itself every season with its spectacular writing, and all we can do is wait in anticipation to see how these characters venture with the changes after that beautiful, chaotic season finale.