WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The Bear season 4.
Richie’s meaningful correction to Carmy about what day it is in FX’s The Bear season 4 highlights a key theme that ends up influencing Carmy’s shocking decision in the finale episode. Carmy, played by Jeremy Allen White, is constantly lost inside his own thoughts throughout The Bear, whether they are productive and inspired or reflective and damaging. Carmy had wrapped himself so much in his professional aspirations and culinary craft as a means to not have to deal with his personal life and family history. The Bear season 4 shows unprecedented growth in Carmy’s character as he finally tries to heal.
Carmy’s healing process, which largely revolves around his relationships with his ex-girlfriend Claire and estranged mom Donna, is sparked once he realizes that he is tired of living a life in which every day feels the same. Even though Carmy’s devotion to making The Bear a success story is admirable and trickles down to every other member of the restaurant crew, it also acts as a way for him to avoid dealing with his personal struggles and mental health. Carmy’s shocking decision to quit The Bear at the end of season 4 makes sense on a human level but is preposterous on a professional one, and Richie’s message early in the season may have led to it.
Richie’s “Today Is Tomorrow” Line Reflects Carmy’s Groundhog Day Problem In Season 4
Richie Didn’t Realize That His Correction Carried A Dual Meaning For Carmy
Carmy had been comparing his life to that of Bill Murray’s character in the classic movie Groundhog Day, believing that new every day feels exactly the same as the last, and that he’s never really reaching “tomorrow.” After Carmy says he’ll see Richie tomorrow after yet another late night at the restaurant, Richie says, “Today. Today is tomorrow,” a profound statement which fits with the themes that Carmy’s days are all blending together, and he’s struggling to find a new “tomorrow.” Richie is merely correcting Carmy who doesn’t know what day it is, but his words quietly carry a double meaning that Carmy is living on a dead-end street.
Carmy is clearly experiencing burnout in The Bear season 4, as if he’s been running a marathon with no finish line and is finally starting to question the point. Perhaps following his dreams of becoming a world-class chef was just a vehicle for Carmy to escape his dysfunctional family life, and now he’s realized that he’s relinquished his passion for the craft and for owning and operating The Bear.
Perhaps following his dreams of becoming a world-class chef was just a vehicle for Carmy to escape his dysfunctional family life, and now he’s realized that he’s relinquished his passion for the craft.
When Carmy came back to run The Bear, it was his way of honoring and feeling close to his lost brother, Mikey. It played a huge part in Carmy processing his grief, and no longer serves a purpose on his healing journey, which is centered on resolving past traumas and wounds, not about his culinary reputation and restaurant prestige.
Carmy’s Groundhog Day Struggles Contribute To His Decision To Leave The Bear
Carmy Only Lived To Get Through Each Day But Is Now Focused On His Future
Image via Hulu
Richie’s words allude to the deeper meaning of why Carmy chooses to put The Bear in his rearview mirror at the end of season 4. He wants a real tomorrow that doesn’t mean he has to be stuck in a kitchen, where all the responsibility falls on him and he remains cut off in other areas of his life, particularly relationships with loved ones. Carmy going to the museum of a world-renowned architect outside Chicago is one of the early ways he starts creating a new tomorrow. Eventually, all of Carmy’s tomorrows will hopefully include Claire, and more of them will feature his mom, Donna, as well.
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It’s certainly ironic that Richie is the one who speaks to Carmy about “tomorrows”, since he is also terrified about his future and is internally more torn up in season 4 than in any previous season. It’s also no coincidence that season 3, episode 1 is titled “Tomorrow” but mostly consists of flashback scenes of Carmy’s culinary evolution.
Everything that Carmy has done as an adult has never been about tomorrows, but todays. He was never trying to build a better tomorrow for himself, but rather trying to get through each day the best way he could.
Everything that Carmy has done as an adult has never been about tomorrows, but todays. He was never trying to build a better tomorrow for himself, but rather trying to get through each day the best way he could. Carmy’s decision to leave The Bear is ultimately the right one for him since, as Tina tells him, he’s got nothing left to prove.
The Bear
9/10
- Release Date
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June 23, 2022
- Network
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Hulu
- Showrunner
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Christopher Storer
