July 24, 2025

Maybe it was “The Bear is not a comedy” discourse. Or the fact that being alive right now is stressful enough without Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach screaming at each other. But the show that introduced “Yes, chef” to the vernacular and scooped up a whole lot of Emmys for FX did not light the cultural conversation on fire when its fourth season premiered late last month. It’s a shame, really, because the mid-season episode “Worms” is one of the best the series has produced, as critic Roxana Hadadi shows us today in her story documenting how it all came together. While agonizing over whether to take a role at a competing restaurant or remain at the Bear, Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) heads to her cousin’s home for a last-minute hair appointment but finds herself tasked with babysitting (and feeding!) a prickly 11-year-old. Written by Edebiri and her co-starLionel Boyce, directed by Janicza Bravo, and with guest appearances from the great Danielle Deadwyler and impressive newcomer Arion King, “Worms” offers a reminder that, actually, The Bear deserved a lot of those accolades in the first place.
—Julie Kosin, senior editor, Vulture

By Roxana Hadadi

Photo: Hulu

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