The Bear: Gary Discussion with Alise Chaffins
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Seven-time guest Alise Chaffins joins me to discuss The Bear: Gary, FX’s surprise standalone prequel that appeared on Disney+ and Hulu with no advance press, no reviews, and no warning. We dig into what the episode does for Mikey’s character, Richie’s need to belong, the case for a “Mikey Trilogy” viewing order (Fishes → Gary → Forks), and what that cliffhanger might mean for Season 5.
The first 33 minutes are spoiler-free. Chapters are in the episode description below.
⚠️ Content Warning: The Bear: Gary covers themes of depression, alcoholism, and trauma.
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What’s The Bear: Gary About?
The Bear: Gary is a standalone prequel episode set years before the events of The Bear. The story follows Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Mikey (Jon Bernthal) on a work trip to Gary, Indiana, exploring their friendship, family dynamics, and the emotional baggage that would later shape the events of the series.
Chapters
00:08 – Guest Introduction & Alise's seventh appearance
01:43 – Alise's recommendations: The Great Divide by Noah Kahan and DTF St. Louis
02:36 – My recommendations: Beef Season 2 and Alien: Isolation (skip Alien: Romulus)
05:10 – Initial reactions to the surprise release
07:49 – Is Gary a series or a standalone episode?
08:57 – Comparing Gary's buddy road trip tone to The Bear's kitchen anxiety
10:58 – What Gary does for Mikey's character (and the Fishes parallel)
13:03 – The case for more prequel and backstory episodes
15:55 – Mikey's dual personality, Bernthal's performance, and Emmy eligibility
18:04 – Richie as film snob, service obsessive, and the 39-minute drive
19:56 – Gary's approach to the Berzatto family's mental health struggles
23:03 – The basketball court scene and Mikey's low-stakes antagonism
24:38 – Thoughts on the performances
25:43 – Filming logistics: Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach's packed schedules
26:26 – Alise's rating and the case for cutting 15 minutes
27:23 – My rating, editing style, and performance thoughts
30:02 – Why Gary feels "looser" than the main series
31:41 – Best Emmy clip candidates
⚠️ SPOILERS BEGIN AT 33:15 ⚠️
33:43 – Does Gary, Indiana earn its place as a meaningful setting?
36:15 – Placing Gary in the series timeline
40:13 – The bathroom scene with Sherri
43:16 – Richie's mentality and what it tells us about him
47:41 – The Mikey Trilogy watch order: Fishes → Gary → Forks
49:32 – Wanting more Richie/Mikey/Carmy flashback footage
54:29 – On fan over-analysis: sometimes graffiti is just graffiti
56:10 – Season 5 cliffhanger speculation
58:37 – Wrap-up and where to find us
Where to Watch The Bear: Gary
All four seasons of The Bear are now streaming exclusively on Hulu.
Where to Find Our Recommendations
Alise's recommendations: The Great Divide by Noah Kahan and DTF St. Louis
The Great Divide by Noah Kahan is now streaming wherever you listen to music and DTF St. Louis is now streaming on HBO Max.
My recommendations: Beef Season 2 and Alien: Isolation
Both seasons of Beef are streaming on Netflix and Alien: Isolation is now available to play on your PC or gaming console of choice.
Where to Follow Me
Where to Follow Alise
Until next time!
