Contains spoilers for The Bear Season 4.

At the beginning of The Bear Season 4, chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) watches the cult classic Groundhog Day.

“What would you do if you found yourself stuck in one spot?” asks Bill Murray’s character Phil Connor, as Carmy observes. “And each day was precisely the same, and none of your actions had any consequence?”

This notion strikes a chord with Carmy, who spent much of The Bear’s lackluster Season 3 ensnared in a cycle of self-sabotage. He fixated on his career woes, his breakup with Claire (Molly Gordon), his chaotic family dynamics, and the sorrow of losing his brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal). To make matters worse, The Bear garnered a tepid review in the Chicago Tribune—a possible death sentence for the restaurant. Given all of this, it’s understandable to feel, like Phil, that nothing he does holds significance.

Nonetheless, the review drives Carmy toward bettering himself, with much of Season 4 centering on him attempting to reconcile with Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), Claire, and others.

Regrettably, while Carmy aims to glean insights from his past, The Bear finds itself in its own Groundhog Day-type cycle. Season 4 reverts to the traps of Season 3—and then some. The most significant issue is a lack of urgency, which clashes with the season’s countdown structure.

The Bear Season 4’s primary issue is that cursed clock.

In Season 4, episode 1, Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) and his numbers expert, “Computer” (Brian Koppelman), introduce a prominent countdown clock in The Bear’s kitchen. It’s set for 1440 hours, or 60 days, symbolizing the restaurant’s safety net as it hemorrhages money. When it reaches zero, The Bear will need to cease operations. (Unless it achieves a Michelin star, which could potentially rectify the situation.)

The clock is intended to function as both an apocalyptic countdown and an inspiration for The Bear’s crew. In actuality, it emphasizes The Bear‘s vexing pacing issues, which have persisted since Season 3.

To summarize: In Season 3, episode 2, Carmy informs Sydney that she must sign a partnership agreement to officially become a restaurant partner. By the conclusion of Season 3, she still hadn’t signed it. In Season 3, episode 7, Sydney received an employment offer from former Ever chef Adam (Adam Shapiro). Similar to the partnership agreement, Sydney did not respond by the end of Season 3.

These are significant plot points with the ability to alter The Bear‘s