Sophie (The Bear)

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"Sophie"
The Bear episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 6
Directed by Christopher Storer
Written byChristopher Storer
Original air dateJune 25, 2025 (2025-06-25)
Running time30 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Replicants"
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"Bears"
The Bear season 4
List of episodes

"Sophie" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy-drama television series The Bear . It is the 34th overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Christopher Storer. It was released on Hulu on June 25, 2025, along with the rest of the season.

Contents

The series follows Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), an award-winning New York City chef de cuisine, who returns to his hometown of Chicago to run his late brother Michael's failing Italian beef sandwich shop. With the financial backing of his uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) and help from his cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), sister Sugar (Abby Elliott), and chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), Carmy attempts to remodel the dingy Beef into a warm and hospitable fine-dining destination called the Bear.

Plot

Sydney arrives at the hospital in a panic, but Claire (Molly Gordon) tells her that her father is recovering. Sydney breaks down in tears over her guilt about making her father (Robert Townsend) worry about her, but Claire comforts her, assuring her that it is a good thing to worry about loved ones. Richie opens up to Jess (Sarah Ramos) about his insecurities over co-parenting his daughter with Tiff's (Gillian Jacobs) fiancé Frank (Josh Hartnett), and his anxiety about attending her wedding. Albert (Rob Reiner) suggests to Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) that he turn the Beef window into a franchise. Neil angers Natalie when he says he invited his sister Franciewhom Natalie despisesto Tiff's wedding. Carmy, who is also hesitating going to Tiff's wedding out of fear of seeing Donna (Jaime Lee Curtis), agrees to go after talking to Natalie.

Context

As Collider writer Ryan Loomey put it, Sydney's hospital monologue is "messy and incoherent by design, and this level of raw emotion is something we've never seen from Sydney before." [1]

Production

Costuming

Sydney arrives at the hospital wearing her Carleen Upcycled Blanket Liner Jacket, previously seen in the season two episode "Pop." [2]

Music

The songs used in this episode are "Walking in the Rain" by the Ronettes, "Remember Me" by Otis Redding, "I'm Always In Love" by Wilco, and "Stay Young" by Oasis. [3]

Critical reviews

The A.V. Club gave the episode a B rating, commending Ayo Edebiri's acting in "an open wound of a monologue that reminds us just how young Syd is; she's so good at projecting cool confidence that it's easy to forget. [4] Vulture rated it four out of five stars, commending the well-developed work family dynamic as a backdrop for Syd's anxiety about her family-family. [5] Decider lamented Sweeps and Tina being "lost in the woods of secondary character plotlessness." [6]

Retrospective reviews

In 2025, Vulture ranked "Bolognese" as 32nd-best out of 38 episodes of The Bear, describing it as a "pretty solid Bear episode all things considered." [7]

References

  1. Looney, Ryan (July 3, 2025). "Ayo Edebiri's Heartbreaking Monologue in 'The Bear' Season 4 Is the Show's All-Time Best Scene, Ever". Collider. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  2. Kirsty (June 15, 2023). "The Bear: Season 2 Episode 5 Sydney's Patchwork Jacket". Shop Your TV. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
  3. Gomez, Dessi (July 2, 2025). "'The Bear' Season 4 Soundtrack: From The Ronettes To Oasis". Deadline. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  4. "The Bear's Ayo Edebiri gives the performance of her career in "Sophie"". AV Club. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  5. Eakin, Marah (June 26, 2025). "The Bear Recap: Family Business". Vulture. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  6. Daulerio, A.J. (July 1, 2025). "'The Bear' Season 4 Episode 6 Recap: "Sophie"" . Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  7. Eakin, Marah (June 27, 2025). "Every Single Episode of The Bear, Ranked". Vulture. Retrieved October 9, 2025.