In an opening flashback, Carmen aka Carmy — played by the irrepressible Jeremy Allen White — is seen telling his late brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal) about his vision for a restaurant. He says: “We could make it calm, we could make it delicious, we could play good music, people would want to come in there and celebrate... we could make people happy.”

Carmy’s recipe for a winner of a restaurant pretty much sums up what The Bear has meant to us over the last three seasons — a series that true to its audacious and intense DNA throws its players into the frying pan of adversity, but the fact that they come up trumps at the end, is inspiring. In short, it is an uplifting experience. The Bear has always “made people happy”.

Season 4 of the much-loved and highly feted series is now streaming on JioHotstar, and it hits the ground running, taking off from where the third season had ended. The reason could possibly be that they were shot back-to-back. It is a more confident and calmer season than its immediate predecessor, though the 20-episode arc across the two seasons — with a ‘to be continued’ thrown in — means that they are essentially two sides of the same coin.

Early in the fourth season of The Bear, we see the staff of the eponymous restaurant still ruminating over the Chicago Tribune review they were anticipating throughout much of Season 3. The review isn’t complimentary — adjectives like “dissonant”, "confusing”, “show-offy” abound — and we witness Carmy and his team turning into underdogs once more.

Which is exactly what made The Bear what it is. The primary appeal of the series has been the fact that it is a classic fighting-against-all-odds story, but imbued with a certain charm and chutzpah that immediately made it different from others of its ilk.

This season, the team is put on the clock, with Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) giving the cooks a timeline to get their act together or face shutdown. That means that Carmy has to make a few sacrifices, and Sydney — Ayo Edibiri continues to be a scene stealer — has to contemplate whether she wants to stay back or move forward.

We first met Carmy in the panicked, frenzied first season three years ago. Shifting back to Chicago to build his deceased brother’s sandwich shop from the ground up not only meant adjusting to a whole new way of life but also navigating personal loss and emotional setback.

Season 2 was a worthy follow-up to the first, and in many ways can be counted as its high point, with ‘The Beef’ giving way to ‘The Bear’ with Carmy — aided by his colleagues, particularly Sydney — tearing down his damaged past to forge a new beginning. The familiar push and pull — balancing the old and the new, the chaos of the kitchen with the occasional flashes of pristine peace, the trademark insanity of the show with the quest for some much-needed serenity — kept The Bear ticking, bringing in both praise and prize.

In Season 4, as mentioned earlier, we see them as underdogs once more. Financially, there is a crunch, and unresolved emotional turmoil continues to rear its ugly head. The drama continues to be engaging, but sometimes not as compelling enough. Creator Christopher Storer does well in throwing Carmy back into the line of fire, which becomes the central focus of this season. But there is no denying that the indulgent treatment of this season pulls it back in many ways.

The cast remains exceptional, with showcase scenes for Edebiri, Jamie Lee Curtis (as Carmy’s volatile mom, Donna), and Molly Gordon (playing Carmy’s love, Claire). A few guest cameos — for long the strength of the series — elevate the material.

This show’s sweet spot has always been the chaotic choreography of a busy restaurant kitchen. But the bulk of the new season lacks that punch. Apart from a well-cooked sequence in Episode 3, most of the action this season takes place outside business hours. For those who have loved The Bear, that is a bit of a disappointment. Time to return to the stove and sizzle it up!