THE ROAD TO HELL (THE BEAR: GARY)

THE BEAR: GARY (SPECIAL EPISODE)

For a TV show about the restaurant business, it seems fitting that the creators of 'The Bear' have given us an appetiser for the final season.

'Gary' is a prequel of sorts for the Chicago based drama about a sandwich joint that becomes a fine dining restaurant.

How consequential the appetiser is will only really be understood once the final season of 'The Bear' is devoured by fans on FX, Hulu and Disney+.

But how does 'Gary' fare as a standalone episode of the show?

'Gary' centres on a road trip from Chicago to Gary, Indiana by Ebon Moss-Bacharach's Richie Jerimovich and Jon Bernthal's Mikey Berzatto.

Set in the days when Mikey ran The Bear before taking his own life, it fills in some of the blanks about the big brother of Jeremy Allen White's Carmy Berzatto.

Asked by Oliver Platt's Uncle Jimmy to deliver to Gary a box whose contents are not disclosed to them, we see Richie pack a handgun just in case it's needed.

Kissing his then heavily pregnant wife, Gillian Jacobs' Tiffany "Tiff" Jerimovich goodbye, Richie is giddy with excitement as Mikey arrives in a pick up truck.

He's so enthusiastic, he's even made a mixtape CD to play for the journey which Mikey is less excited about.

Both of them banter along the journey.

They stop at a roadside hot dog cafe for a bite and later on join in an impromptu basketball court game after spotting it once they have crossed over into Indiana.

Mikey and Richie come up with possible names for the latter's soon to be born baby.

Frequent phone calls with Tiff reveal she is experiencing labour symptoms, with Richie trying to keep her calm.

Arriving in Gary, the two friends are forced to kill time there when the recipient of Jimmy's mystery box is unable to immediately meet them.

Richie finds a bar which he's keen to go to but Mikey is initially reluctant.

Eventually he is coaxed inside by Marin Ireland's customer Sherri who strikes a chord with him 

While Richie charms the other clientele with bar games and regaling them with outlandish anecdotes, Sherri and Mikey do drugs in the bathroom.

Over the course of their time in the bar, events shine an uncomfortable light on Mikey and Richie's friendship.

A sudden switch to the present at the very end of the surprise episode will also jolt fans of the show.

Co-written by Moss-Bachrach and Bernthal, 'Gary,' as you'd expect, fits very easily into the mould previously set by Christopher Storer, the creator of 'The Bear'.

It has the same David Mamet-style rough, pacy, scene chewing dialogue.

It has the same gritty sense of humour mixed with large dollops of melancholy.

It is also revelatory - showing the personal problems that may well have driven Mikey to suicide.

Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach are excellent in this bonus episode which is no real surprise.

Jacobs and Ireland fit perfectly into proceedings too.

It also undoubtedly helps that Storer is in the director's chair, giving us smart needle drops from the lines of Jack White, The Slickers, Erik B and Rakim, Arthur Alexander, Wilbert Harrison and Scotty.

Is it in the top 10 episodes of 'The Bear?'

No but being in the show's top 25 would be a high recommendation.

And this one-off comes highly recommended.

('Gary' was released as a surprise episode of 'The Bear' on Hulu and Disney+ on May 5, 2026)