Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri on Carmy passing the torch to Sydney

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for season 5 of “The Bear,” now streaming on Hulu.

“The Bear” returns with another race against time in the kitchen, with the entire season taking place over the course of one day, as the restaurant strives to finally earn its long-coveted Michelin star.

But in episode 7, titled “Caramel,” The Bear is filled to the brim with second thoughts on a day that has already seen a flash flood, a ceiling collapse, and personal tensions in the kitchen. And as the clock strikes six minutes, we see Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) do something he’s never done before: drop a plate on the floor.

“It’s a heartbreaking moment when you think all could be lost, or Carmy thinks all could be lost, but the truth is it was such an important moment for Carmy’s growth,” says Jeremy Allen White. Variety. “Right now it’s the end of the world, but ultimately it allows him to really step back with some confidence and accept help and support, which he really hasn’t been able to do for the entire time we’ve known him.”

After being distracted by the flickering lights on the ceiling, Carmy drops the plate of lamb he has carefully prepared. Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) immediately intervenes and reassures Carmy, proclaiming that he “ruined everything”. It’s a difficult moment that Carmy has to work through, putting his full trust in Sydney as a leader to find the best solution.

While filming the scene, Edebiri remembers thinking, “Okay, I have to suppress all the fear I’m feeling because of the practicality of the situation, while also wanting to be there for this person who I know is going to the worst places in his mind and spirit — and at the same time losing all of that and turning to brass tacks.” But the way we have to do this is by being together and in a strange way I think they both [discover this idea of] have the humility to have faith. They both go through different versions of ego death.”

This season, Carmy performs his final act before Sydney steps in to run the kitchen (although the news that broke in an earlier episode only fuels the unease among their colleagues.) White explains that “intellectually” Carmy quitting his job makes sense: “But there’s this muscle memory and this ego of Carmy that has been rewarded and honed over the years.”

Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), who makes waves in this episode after going behind Sydney’s back and not canceling orders to help control the crowd, walks into the kitchen after Carmy drops the lamb. He tells Carmy exactly what he needs to hear: “We got you.”

“One thing I like about that moment is the danger and fragility of the kitchen, and how chaos and mess lurk everywhere,” says Moss-Bachrach. “And the simple act of dropping a plate, which we all do every day, can unleash complete terror.”

Allen says Sydney’s take on Carmy was built “from the beginning” of the series: “In a sense, these people ended up at this point in each other’s lives. Sydney has always seen something in Carmy that he couldn’t really see in himself, and vice versa. There has been a balancing act and a power struggle for a long time. And it felt honest.”

Sydney has been advocating all season for the kitchen to function without people constantly yelling at each other. While she’s doing her own thing, Edebiri says it’s crucial that Sydney is a ‘different’ type of leader: “There’s a certain expectation she has for herself, but I don’t think it’s completely unfounded: She can’t become Carmy for a lot of reasons. For the restaurant, but also for her own growth and her own internal journey. Part of her journey this season is taking into account the fact that she can’t do what Carmy could do in that situation.”

As Allen’s thoughts turn to Carmy’s post-show journey, he doesn’t know “what the step back looks like, or him leaving the kitchen.”

But as someone who’s played Carmy for five seasons now and even won an Emmy along the way, he’s just happy to see someone like Sydney supporting him in a tough moment.

“I remember as someone being relieved that she cared about Carmy, seeing him make this confession and become honest with himself,” White says. “So I support!”