The Bear Recap: Bro Trip

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Here’s a special episode of The Bear for those who can’t see Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach perform in Dog Day Afternoon! Titled “Gary,” it focuses on a road trip Richie and Mikey took to Gary, Indiana, years ago, arranged by Uncle Jimmy. But more than a simple story, it’s a chance for Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach to explore the complex and intense friendship between their characters. However, like many flashbacks about Mikey, this episode is difficult to watch, and focuses on his struggles with mental health and how it affected his relationships.

Jon Bernthal excels at portraying Mikey’s intense emotions – his frustration, restlessness, pain, and outbursts of anger. His powerful scene in the bar is both difficult to watch and award-worthy, and his moment of self-reflection with Sherri hints at a depth we haven’t seen before. However, this portrayal largely feels familiar. Each time Bernthal returns to The Bear, it seems the show is challenging our initial positive reaction to his earlier, seemingly heartfelt moment. The series continues to emphasize Mikey’s anger, and it would be beneficial to see Bernthal given more opportunities to explore a wider range of emotions. The writing team, including Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach, should consider a more nuanced approach to the character.

Watching Richie’s story unfold is the best part of this season, honestly. You really see how far he’s come since the beginning of the show. He’s a totally different guy now – he’s learned how to connect with people, he’s gotten his temper under control, and he’s thriving at the restaurant, even if he and Carmy still clash sometimes. He’s a good dad to Eva (did you know Mikey actually suggested the name?), and he’s in a really solid place with Tiffany, even after everything. But this episode takes us back, and it’s like meeting the old Richie again. He’s raw, loud, and still figuring things out. He hasn’t hit that really cynical place he was in right after Mikey died, but he’s definitely a mess. Seeing how broken he was by Mikey is heartbreaking. One minute Mikey’s showing him affection, the next he’s saying the most awful things, tearing Richie down because he’s struggling so much with his own demons. It’s awful to watch. And yet, even after all of that, after everything Mikey put him through, Richie is still grieving him, still missing his ‘cousin’ in the present day. It just hits you how much of the past Richie carries with him, and how hard it is to let go.

The episode opens with Richie getting ready for a job, sporting a very 80s look with a leather jacket, sneakers, and sunglasses – a style choice that feels anachronistic given the show is set in the late 2010s. His home life seems happy; he and his pregnant wife, Tiffany, exchange loving words before he leaves. However, her request that he be home by 5:15 p.m. foreshadows him missing the deadline. Meanwhile, Mikey is already being difficult. He’s impatiently honking the horn outside Richie’s house, berating him for being late, and generally finding fault with everything. (He does have a point, though, about businesses unfairly adding credit card processing fees to customer bills.) Actor Jay Duplass skillfully portrays Mikey’s negativity, bouncing off Jon Bernthal’s performance as Richie, who initially tries to brush off Mikey’s criticism with humor, but shows moments of underlying worry. It quickly becomes clear that Mikey is in a bad mood and something is bothering him about their trip to see Gary. He claims to have spoken with a contact of Jimmy’s who is keeping them waiting, but we don’t see this conversation. He mocks Tiffany’s concern about Richie being home before she goes into labor, and he even joins a pickup basketball game just to trash-talk the teenage players. It’s a lot to take in.

Mikey only truly relaxes when he’s in a restaurant. During a visit to Koney King with Richie, Bernthal beautifully portrays Mikey’s increased curiosity and politeness as he interacts with Alicia, the cashier and cook. It’s after this that Mikey feels comfortable enough to suggest the name Eva to Richie – the name he and Tiffany eventually choose for their daughter. However, the day takes a turn when Mikey buys cocaine, and after he and Richie use some, things begin to fall apart. At a local bar, they join a game of “Fact or Fiction,” where Richie shares a particularly embarrassing story, and Mikey connects with Sherri. She challenges their claim about him being a backup goalie for the Blackhawks but listens intently to everything else he says. Over drinks and coke, they share a deeply personal conversation, the kind you often have with a stranger – someone who doesn’t know your past but gives you space to reveal it. While it’s hard to know how much of Sherri’s life story (her work as an arborist, her sisters) is true, Mikey believes she’s being honest, and he shares his own vulnerabilities in a crowded bathroom stall. He admits people say he doesn’t follow through on things, that he feels abandoned by his mother, who is also struggling with mental health, and that he’s confused by his shifting feelings – sometimes finding comfort in the idea that nothing matters, and other times feeling overwhelmed by that same thought. This is a heartbreaking scene for Bernthal, filmed by Storer from a low angle in a long, continuous shot – a technique the show frequently uses.

What causes Mikey to suddenly lash out at Richie? It starts when Richie gently points out that Mikey hasn’t actually done the things he claimed to have done in Gary – he never called Uncle Jimmy, and his phone was off, leaving everyone waiting. Even if Richie hadn’t called Uncle Jimmy, the outburst still feels shocking. Richie only briefly interrupted a kiss between Mikey and Sherri, and immediately apologized. Despite this, Mikey launches into a brutal attack, twisting a supposed compliment into a harsh condemnation, predicting Richie will be a terrible father because of his past failures. He gets right in Richie’s face, mocks him, spits at him, and calls him a coward. The explosion seems to come from nowhere, and the chilling smile Mikey gives as he says, “Kid’s gonna hate you, Rich,” is truly disturbing. A close-up of a clock at 4:10 p.m. feels pointless, as it’s already clear Richie wouldn’t have made it back in time. The whole reason they were in Gary in the first place was to deliver a box of pump parts because of a FedEx strike – Uncle Jimmy didn’t want to pay for another delivery service. This isn’t some important task or dangerous mission, despite Richie’s attempts to portray it that way. It’s simply Mikey and Richie running errands for Jimmy, and this incident is another painful blow to their already fragile friendship.

The episode ends with a surprising reveal: everything we just watched was a memory playing in Richie’s mind while he was stuck in traffic. He’s wearing his all-black Bear outfit, and actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach perfectly conveys Richie’s exhaustion and pain, suggesting reliving the difficult day with Mikey took a toll on him. Then, another terrible thing happens: Richie is hit by another car running a red light. As the credits roll, Yes’s “Heart of the Sunrise” plays, with lyrics about feeling lost in the city. Before the crash, Richie seemed deeply troubled, leading us to wonder if Carmy is truly gone, as hinted at in season four. We’re also left to question the Bear’s financial stability and if Richie had a strange thought about his ex-wife’s new husband. These questions will hopefully be answered when season five of The Bear returns this summer – it might be the last season, but it’s not certain.

Small Bites

Just a quick note about how it appears online: On Hulu, “Gary” isn’t shown as part of The Bear series. It’s listed as a separate title, and IMDb classifies it as a TV movie.

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2026-05-06 01:56