As published in CLAUDIA

After four seasons in which chaos defined the Berzatto family’s daily life, The Bear chooses to end its story by embracing the opposite: trust.

The series finale doesn’t erase the trauma that shaped Carmy, Sugar, Richie, and Donna. Instead, it shows characters who finally realize that moving forward depends less on forgetting the past than on refusing to let it dictate the future.

That transformation runs through nearly every storyline this season. Carmy learns to share responsibility. Richie finally finds his place in the restaurant. Donna begins rebuilding a relationship that once seemed beyond repair. And Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto faces perhaps her greatest challenge yet: trusting her own daughter to the care of the very woman whose emotional instability shaped her childhood.

“I think they’re all breaking the cycle together,” Abby Elliott tells CLAUDIA. “Carmy is breaking the cycle. Donna is breaking the cycle. Richie is breaking the cycle.”

According to Elliott, trust becomes the emotional heart of the final season.

“Trust is so important because, for the first time, teamwork is really at the forefront. They have to rely on the family they’ve chosen inside that restaurant to make this thing work.”

That evolution includes Carmy. After years of trying to control everything—from the kitchen to everyone around him—he finally learns to share responsibility.

“Carmy graciously hands the restaurant over to them while still remaining part of the team. There’s a real catharsis for all of these characters because they finally learn how to accept support and lean on one another.”

For Elliott, this is also the closest the Berzattos have ever come to happiness, even if it doesn’t come without effort.

“They’re in the most peaceful place they’ve ever been. With Sugar, there’s always going to be a voice in the back of her mind stopping her from completely letting go of control. But the desire to change is there. The effort is there. And that’s what matters.”

When life mirrors fiction

Natalie’s story ended up unfolding alongside Elliott’s own life. During the years she played Sugar, the actress also became a mother—an experience that deeply influenced her performance.

“So many of the conversations I had with Chris Storer ended up making their way into the scripts because they reflected what I was going through in real life.”

She recalls how difficult it was to leave her daughter with a babysitter for the first time, and how that experience echoed Natalie’s journey.

“You immediately think, ‘Can I call my mom? What does that come with?'”

That’s why Natalie’s decision to trust Donna with her baby became one of the season’s most meaningful moments.

“She’s waiting for something to go wrong. She’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it doesn’t. She realizes that’s simply not who Donna is anymore.”

Elliott admits she still wrestles with many of the same questions as her character.

“I completely relate to feeling pulled in a million different directions and questioning my work choices every day. ‘Should I be doing this? Shouldn’t I be home with my baby?’ I think that’s something every working mother experiences.”

Lessons from Jamie Lee Curtis

Much of the emotional power behind that story comes from Elliott’s partnership with Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays Donna. The actress says the Oscar winner became a role model both on and off set.

“She teaches me how to be a better actor simply by watching her work. But she also teaches me how to be a better person. She takes up space without apologizing for it.”

According to Elliott, that’s exactly what Natalie still has to learn.

“I think she could take up a little more space and stop apologizing for existing.”

Despite the years of pain between mother and daughter, Elliott likes to imagine a gentler future for them.

“I like to think that, after everything, they can simply sit together, share a meal, listen to music, dance, and enjoy each other’s company.”

As she says goodbye to The Bear, Elliott admits she’ll miss not only the character but also how closely Natalie’s journey paralleled her own life over the past five years.

“I’ll miss learning from her and growing alongside her. Every time we got a new batch of scripts, it felt like Christmas morning. I’ll miss the cast, the crew, my friends, and all the experiences we shared together. Above all, I just feel incredibly grateful.”

The final season of The Bear is now streaming on Disney+. It’s as intense, emotional, and unpredictable as ever. But this time, it leaves viewers with something different: the feeling that surviving was never enough. They had to learn to trust. And when the final “Yes, Chef!” arrives, it will be hard not to miss it.