Diksha Sundriyal
The final season of FX’s ‘The Bear’ follows yet another tense day for the restaurant. After Carmy’s revelation in the Season 4 finale, things are already a bit tense. And things get worse by the minute as a massive storm hits Chicago, leading the bones of the restaurant to bend and break to the point that it seems, for a minute, that it won’t survive another day. Things get a bit ominous in the opening scene, where we find Richie getting his car ready to head to work. However, his mind is elsewhere, and it’s not Carmy.
We see Richie having flashbacks of himself and Mikey in a car, then of himself hitting Mikey. While the show has previously used stretched-out flashback scenes to give more space to Mikey and his relationships with other characters in ‘The Bear,’ Richie’s flashbacks offer only a brief glimpse. The show doesn’t get into the details because an entire episode has already been dedicated to that storyline. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Richie and Mikey’s Flashback Refers to a Special Episode of The Bear
The first episode of ‘The Bear’ opens with Richie getting in his car while it’s raining cats and dogs as the city is hit with a massive storm. While preoccupied with his thoughts about the empty seat next to him, while remembering Mikey, he gets hit by an oncoming car. Fortunately, it’s a minor accident, and he comes out of it unharmed, though a bit rattled. This scene is a continuation of a special episode of ‘The Bear,’ titled ‘Gary,’ which premiered in May 2026. It is a flashback episode that takes us back to when Mikey was still alive, though perhaps not as well as his family and friends had hoped. It takes place while Tiff and Richie are still together, and she is pregnant with Eva.
Richie and Mikey are tasked by Uncle Jimmy with delivering a package, which requires a trip to Gary, Indiana. Before they leave, Tiff asks Richie to be back by 5:15. She has a superstition that this is when she will give birth. Because the town is only half an hour away and they just have to drop off the package and come back, Richie assures her they will make it in time. Mikey picks him up, and as they head towards their destination, it becomes clear that something is on Mikey’s mind. Richie, who is happier than he has ever been, especially as he looks forward to welcoming his daughter into the world, tries to lighten the mood.
His antics work, and Mikey starts to loosen up. When they reach the town, they discover that the person they are supposed to give the package to will come around in a few hours, so they hang around the town for a bit. They eat, play basketball, and mess around. Things seem to be going rather well. With still no call from the other person, they get cocaine and get high in the car. This is when Richie notices a bar, and he decides to go in, even as Mikey tells him to stay put. Eventually, Mikey comes in as well, prompted by a woman named Sherri, whose group Richie has befriended. The mood remains cheerful as Richie shares embarrassing childhood stories, while Mikey bonds with Sherri.
Mikey’s Harsh Words Poke at Richie’s Insecurities
Mikey talks to Sherri about his mother and how her unpredictable behavior has impacted his mental health. He loses track of time until Richie calls him to come out so they can leave. By now, enough hours have passed for Richie to worry that he may not be able to make it back by 5:15. He is in a rush, especially after he discovers that his friend’s phone has been off this entire time, which means that the person they are supposed to meet may have been calling them. Meanwhile, Mikey seems to have relaxed to the point that he starts to give a speech about his friend, and that’s where things go wrong. Mikey’s speech begins on a congratulatory note for Richie becoming a father.
His words are light and heartfelt, but then he takes a sharp turn as he starts talking about how Richie has a history of messing up every good thing in his life. He says that one day his friend will abandon his daughter, like he abandoned everything else in his life. He tells Richie to just get in the car and drive away now so that he doesn’t disappoint his daughter later. At first, Richie tries to stay calm, but the more Mikey talks, the harder it becomes for him to listen. He slaps Mikey twice before Sherri comes between them, and Richie leaves the bar, followed by Mikey, who also leaves in anger. The duo deliver the package and spend the rest of the ride home in silence.
Richie doesn’t even want to look at Mikey, who seems to be clearheaded now and feels guilty for all the things he said to his friend. The episode ends with Richie in the present day, sitting in his car on his way to the restaurant as the storm rages. He looks at the empty seat next to him, missing Mikey and thinking about how he hit his friend, whom he loved like a brother. Later, in the fifth season, he talks to Carmy about it, who notes that Mikey had it coming, and he shouldn’t beat himself up for raising his hand on him. Richie agrees, but the thought still clings to his mind, and preoccupied with it, he drives on without seeing the car coming from the other side and gets T-boned.
You must be logged in to post a comment.