Worms

For me, it's always a treat when this show focuses on one specific character in an episode. Sydney having the conversation with TJ about what her next step is made her difficulty with it feel very real and honest. Syd has made many sacrifices for Carmy while working with him at The Bear, but still feels like she owes him something, maybe due to his prestige as a chef, even if it's not necessarily true. It begs the question of whether or not a Michelin star for The Bear is worth her happiness and overall well being. Very well done episode, I honestly wished it was longer because I was laughing and enjoyed it so much.

Ayo Edebiri truly did prove her worth to why she fits into the category lead comedy actress. Danielle deadwhyler on the bear was a surprise for me, but she fits so well into this episode. Their banter felt so natural together it made you feel like you were there with them. Literally love the little girl in the episode. It felt like Sydney was looking at her as sort of her inner child trying to tackle the decisions she's facing in her life. I also loved how this episode tackles the micro aggressive challenges that Sydney faces with the people she interacts with. It was too accurate to the point where it was almost triggering. Honestly hope she sweeps this year. Her and Lionel definitely need to be writing more. I couldn't stop laughing.

As someone who cherishes every glimpse we get into Sydney's life outside of the kitchen, this was a delectable episode. I loved watching her dynamic with her cousin and her niece (or second cousin, rather) and hearing more about why she's so torn between The Bear and Shapiro's place. So far, her viewpoint could be gleaned from gestures and expressions and hints, but it was nice to hear it in her own words (even through a sleepover metaphor lol). This episode was funny, it was warm, it was grounded, it was enlightening (in terms of Shapiro's flaws), and for me, personally, it felt familiar in the best way. Kudos to Ayo and Lionel for this one!

She has? Well give her another one because she is kicking ass this season, and this episode she has shown it big time. May be one of the first times I've seen her as credited being the writer the episode too. Total bottle episode and long takes show her range and acting abilities. Side note, the trick about adding tomato paste to hamburger helper is a sneaky good idea. Just give Sydney her own episode every season because they are always fun when she's the main focus.

I'm interested to see where this whole story arc with the partnership agreement finally goes. This season you can tell is doing a lot of healing from the pain they all endured in season 3.

One of the things I love the most about this show is how they take the time to show us a glimpse of the character's lives outside of the restaurant, giving us a chance to see their development. This episode in specific was so good in portraying Syd's internal struggle to choose between the two restaurants, but also in showing a realistic conversation with a kid (that was so sweet and relatable honestly!). The writing was genuinely funny and vulnerable at the same time. Love it.

In a way, I feel like it's important to see that Sydney has a life outside the restaurant, she's just having the same struggle as most of young adults have: little time, too much responsibility and, when we realize, it's been six months since we last saw our friends. It's nice to see that represented on screen.