Sometimes it takes a person you love to pull you aside and offer you some simple words of wisdom for things to fall into place. Carmy has been trying to set himself free from the extreme expectations he’s placed upon himself. If it’s not chasing that Michelin star, the menu always has to change. When you are a driven person, it’s easy to become tunnel-visioned. Carmy’s stress became everyone else’s burden, and the restaurant was an amalgamation of all of it. But there’s a slow, calm transformation afoot (well, with most of the staff). 

While quick, the central high point of “Replicants” is the conversation between Carmy and Tina. Even with Carmy taking a step back and helping to guide people towards their sense of purpose, a part of him still wants validation. In part, it’s tangled up in all the trauma that Chef David’s tutelage has instilled within him (and the realization that he will never gain closure from that) and the loss of Mikey. 

Tina has been there from The Beef to Carmy’s new incarnation. She has insight that nobody else in the restaurant has. Carmy, as of right now, doesn’t have that parental figure in his life. When Tina tells him, “you da s–t, you don’t have to prove anything,” it feels like the words he’s always been waiting for. Sure, Sydney or Richie can say it, but it means a lot for her to be the person. 

‘The Bear — “Replicants” — Season 4 Episode 5 (Streams Thursday, June 26th) Pictured: (l-r) Jeremy Allen White as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, Will Poulter as Luca, Lionel Boyce as Marcus. CR: FX.

With the dwindling budget, it’s damn near impossible to keep the rotating menu going. Not only does Carmy tell Sydney they are going to a static menu, but he also apologizes. That was all rooted in ego and selfishness. By putting her scallop dish out on the floor and this interaction of apologizing, Carmy is becoming the person Syd wanted. But there’s still something missing, and that’s the flipside to this episode. While Carmy is realizing his worth and exploring other interests, such as being a tourist in his own city, Sydney is surrounded by her troubles. Her bank account is low, her credit score is bad, and she misplaced her cleaver. 

There’s an even bigger issue that temporarily trumps all the things listed above, which occurs at the episode’s end. For one, it’s unfortunate that Sydney’s dedication to her work has kept her away from her father. He’s great and supports what she’s doing, unlike Carmy and Marcus’s matriarchal figures. In trying to decide if she should stay in this found family, Sydney might lose the best part of her actual one. It’s a cruel flip of irony. 

“The Bear”— “Episode 5” — Season 4 Episode 5 (Streams Thursday, June 26th) Pictured: Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard “Richie” Jerimovich. CR: FX.

Speaking of family, Richie has yet to come to grips with how his is changing. He experiences a panic attack at the beginning of the episode due to a combination of Tiff’s upcoming wedding, his role as a father concerning Frank, and the loss of Mikey (which he has never dealt with). You wish he and Carmy finally have the talk they need to. It feels like one of the last big puzzle pieces that point towards what the fourth season is moving towards. 

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A good start is Richie talking to Jess, and the guarded, yet playful, banter they have. While it’s been great to see things shaking out for each person through the last five episodes (Ebra, start that small franchise), you can’t help but think things are getting in the way of prolonging the agreement reveal. 

But it comes in the subtlety of Carmy’s exchange with Sydney at the end. Is he really prepared to have a new relationship with his workspace? Sydney insists he stay and man The Bear, but they have capable people to get the potatoes in the oven. Any best friend would drop whatever they were doing and go. Carmy has a slight hesitation on what to do, and that shows he still has some growing to do.

“Replicants” perhaps has coasted into a lull, where parts of the episode restate what we’ve learned in the past four episodes. With the tables turning in Carmy and Syd’s relationship, they must learn how to be friends with one another in their current state. That last note is a decent punctuation, but we need to know more about the biggest things at play to feel like the stakes are worth it.