"Green" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy-drama television series The Bear. It is the 36th overall episode of the series and was written by Joanna Calo & Christopher Storer and directed by series creator Christopher Storer. It was released on Hulu on June 25, 2025, along with the rest of the season.
Sydney calls Shapiro (Adam Shapiro) to decline his job offer; he reacts negatively, telling Sydney she is doing herself a disservice by staying at the Bear. Richie tells Jess (Sarah Ramos) about Mikey. Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas), who has been struggling to meet the goal of preparing pasta within three minutes, goes to Luca (Will Poulter) for help; he tells her to harness rather than fear the pressure she feels. Natalie and Computer (Brian Koppelman) go over the Bear's finances, which are still in jeopardy despite the cost cuts; Computer asks whether the restaurant is worth saving. Carmy reluctantly goes to Donna's (Jamie Lee Curtis) to drop off their family photo album.
Context: Carmy's emotional-support spoon
For much of seasons one, two, and three, Carmy often seems to "stim" in the kitchen with an "emotional-support spoon" he carries around with him.[1] Camera operator Gary Malouf stated in an interview: "[Our job is] find those textures that the actors are so good at bringing. [In season one], Jeremy would just be waiting to go while they reset all the food, but he'd keep tapping that spoon like crazy—someone shoot that. We were constantly trying to find these little details that could help build the world around us without ever feeling like we were in anybody's way."[1] In the season two episode "Sundae," while Sydney is developing a ravioli dish in the borrowed Elske kitchen, one shot of Syd at work indicates that she had temporarily adopted Carmy's habit of keeping a spoon at the small of his back. In the season three premiere episode "Tomorrow," the origin story of the spoon is told: once upon a time, mentor Chef Terry (Olivia Colman) ceded control of saucing a dish, tacitly acknowledging Carmy as a worthy successor, at which time she quietly told him, "keep the spoon." In "Green," Carmy, in turn, passes the torch to Sydney, handing her his "emotional-support spoon" as a gesture of love and trust in anticipation of his forthcoming departure from day-to-day management of the Bear.
Production
Writing
Richie and Jess (Sarah Ramos) immediately connected when they first met in "Forks." By the time of "Green," Richie's personal growth is on full display as he "pauses to ask Jessica if he's oversharing, showing a level of emotional awareness," leading a Collider writer to comment that "at this considerable, slow-burning pace, it's safe to say they might hold real romantic potential that neither feels forced nor rushed."[2]
Filming: Sydney's nightmare
The episode begins with a dream sequence where Sydney appears as an Ina Garten-esque television-host version of herself.[3] The beginning of the dream is similar to Carmy's cooking show nightmare from "Braciole."[4] The title sequence of Sydney's televised kitchen nightmare features a Barefoot Contessa-inspired Hamptons beach romp.[3] Syd channels Garten with a bob-cut hairstyle, a "tendency to overestimate her viewer's time and resource availability," and "off-the-cuff references to high-end materials and ingredients."[3] According to the show's sound producer "the wind and water flooding the set, cabinets banging open and shut, and general mayhem, [were] all...actual on-set effects, as opposed to CGI."[5] The sound team thus needed to accommodate "a Ritter fan off to the side that's blowing stuff all over. There are water effects. There's hydraulics slapping the cabinet doors open and closed."[6] The sound team suggested having an overhead boom mic drop into the Barefoot Contessa dream sequence, a nod to the use of such microphones on an actual cooking show.[6] The sound for Sydney's one-shot monologue was recorded on a Sennheiser MKH415 microphone on a Fisher Model 2 boom, along with a body microphone placed on Edebiri, two microphones "rigged above the table," and another microphone "hidden in the tabletop."[5] According to Scott D. Smith, head of The Bear sound recording department, "Somehow, the post sound crew was able to extract something usable from all these sources, without resorting to ADR."[5]
After the Ina Garten sequence, Sydney's dream continues in another setting, with her finding herself standing alone and exposed on the stage of either the Music Box Theatre,[7][8] or the Chicago Theatre.[9]
Filming: Other scenes
Marcus (Lionel Boyce) arrived at Lou Mitchell's, a landmark diner on Jackson Boulevard, for a planned meeting with his dad but ultimately he does not go inside the restaurant to meet him.[10] An exterior shot of Lou Mitchell's had previously appeared in a season three montage.[10]
The songs used in this episode are "Song of the Barefoot Contessa" by Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra, "I Got You Babe" by Sonny & Cher, "Baby, I Love You" by the Ronettes, "Square One" by Tom Petty, "Long Ride Home" by Patty Griffin, "Strange Currencies" by R.E.M., and "Western Ford Getaway" by Elton John.[16] "I Got You Babe" is reprised from "Groundhogs," but here it plays "over a montage of beautifully plated dishes, stamped 'paid' invoices, ingredient order lists, clock countdowns, and crisp produce being expertly prepped. The sequence is bright and buoyant, perfectly matching the song's playful optimism."[17]
Food (and wine)
Sweeps appears to have mastered wine pairings. One wine website described them as "perfect,"[18] another called them "spot on."[19] According to Molly Harris of the website TastingTable.com, on the last day of service before Computer's doomsday clock runs out:[18]
"...the show's wine list includes one white wine, one rosé, and two robust reds...Starting with the lightest wines on the menu, Sweeps mentions two, the white and rosé, by the Napa, California-based winery, Hourglass. These include their sauvignon blanc, a blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon, and their rosé, which is not currently available as it's a limited release. Next up is a cerrati barolo, also called cerrati nebbiolo, by Tenuta Cucco, a winery in the Piedmont region of Italy. Both Sydney and Sweeps call this a 'heavy' wine, while the resident sommelier explains that it's a 'beautiful' wine as well. Last mentioned is the Pastourelle de Clerc Milon bottle, a Pauillac Bordeaux that blends cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot, and carmenère. These wines are so perfect because of their range. In his prep rundown with Sydney, he names the white and rosé wines with the caviar component, topped with lilacs, that the chef mentions. These wines are light enough to work well with lighter dishes like fish, Sydney's popular scallop dish, and the delicate caviar and lilac ingredients. Meanwhile, the red wines are heavier options that can stand up to dishes like steak and lamb."[18]
The episode shows Sweeps shelving two bottles, dated 1988 and 2001, of Serego Alighieri 'Vaio Armaron' Amarone della Valpolicella on the shelf, one dated 1988 and the other 2001.[19] Sweeps is also working, with encouragement from Ted and Neil Fak, on distinguishing aged wines, which "aren't generally on a beginning sommelier's radar."[19]Wine Enthusiast criticized the "blind" taste tasting as a gaffe, because examining a wine's color is often key to determining vintage.[19]
"Imposter syndrome is a recurring theme all season. Carmy realizes that he's being outshined by his prodigal sous and pastry chefs. Tina struggles to break the three-minute pasta barrier. Richie searches for some elegant monologue to motivate his front-of-house team. ('On my signal, unleash hell!') Or, as comic relief goon Neil Fak puts it in a rare moment of introspection: 'This place is fancy. The people that come in here are fancy. I’m not fancy.'...Imposter syndrome may be at play for Sweeps and other characters in this season's The Bear, but so is over-delivery—like a great value $50 wine—all of them punching above their weight class in the quest to protect a restaurant that they believe is worth fighting for."[19]
Critical reviews
The A.V. Club gave "Green" a B grade, noting "The Bear has one more night of service before the doomsday clock ticks down to zero. But no one's acting like it's an ending—and not because they're in denial. It's because after all the hell they've been through, the Bears are finally seeing things with clear eyes."[9] Vulture rated it four out of five stars, saluting Syd's decision to reject Shapiro as a key moment, especially because her choice triggers Shapiro to criticize her for "'choosing to stay on a ship that's literally sinking,' and while the latter might technically be true, he can fuck right off with that noise. Syd made the decision that was right in her heart and she made it without knowing whatever other sexier, extenuating terms might be in that Docusign. That's how you know she's a ride-or-die Bear, period."[20]
Decider.com declared Richie "toast" in regard to his feelings for Chef Jess, marveled that Sydney has not had more nightmares considering her emotional investment in the Bear, and wondered "Why did I enjoy this episode?" speculating that it was a lower-key relief after the spectacle of the wedding.[4]
Hello Beautiful columnist Keyaira Boone found the Sydney–Shapiro scene pivotal, writing, "Shapiro promised Sydney autonomy, but his actions prove he isn't capable of seeing her as his professional equal. His performative allyship shadows his every good intention...Shapiro pretended to value Sydney more than he did...Sometimes, a well-meaning white person can be more dangerous than an outwardly hateful one. That said, the Berzattos are broke, and it is truly awful that Sydney has to choose between sustainable income and emotional security."[21]
Washington Post's Sonia Rao commented "The Barefoot Contessa theme music sets off some sort of Pavlovian response in me. I'm actually also listening to the audiobook of Ina Garten's memoir right now, so that might have been my favorite moment of the entire season. It reminded me of how funny Edebiri can be, too, given her actual background in comedy. Let Sydney be happy!"[22]
Retrospective reviews
In 2025, Vulture ranked "Green" as 25th-best out of 38 episodes of The Bear.[23]
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