*Warning - contains spoilers for The Bear's surprise episode, Gary.*
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As the team behind The Bear continue to cook up the fifth (and seemingly final) season of the comedy-drama, a surprise one-off prequel episode dropped yesterday (Tuesday 5 May) on Disney+.
The new episode, titled Gary, stars and has been written by Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal, with the duo reprising their roles as Richie and Mikey.
The episode is set before The Bear's first season, as the friends go on a trip to Gary in Indiana, in the lead up to the birth of Richie's child Eva with his then-wife Tiffany, played by Gillian Jacobs.
The trip starts out positively, but Mikey's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic - we know that he will go on to take his own life ahead of The Bear's first season.
Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach in Gary. FX/Disney
After a tense argument in which Mikey says Richie's child is going to hate him, the two drive home. However, what happens next is a moment which could have huge consequences for The Bear's fifth and final season, which is expected to arrive this summer.
The episode appears to transition away from the flashback to the present day, where Richie is sitting along in his car. As he pulls out into an interchange, another car suddenly plows into him.
It is unclear how Richie will come out of this - is he dead? Badly injured? And, whatever the case, how will this play into the fifth season of The Bear, where Richie had just taken over ownership of the restaurant with Sydney, as Carmy has left the business behind?
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FX has yet to officially confirm that The Bear season 5 will be the show's final run, but Donna star Jamie Lee Curtis let the cat out of the bag with a post on Instagram to mark the end of filming.
Curtis posted an image of herself and co-star Abby Elliott on Instagram, along with the caption: "FINISHED STRONG! Surrounded by an extraordinary crew and group of writers and producers and scene partners on the show that Chris Storer created, completing the story of this extraordinary family that we have all fallen in love with. Got to finish it out with my baby Berzatto bear."
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
