In the previous episode of FX’s The Bear, the restaurant passed the fire suppression test. They had ten days left until they would open and everyone was under big amounts of stress, especially Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri). Ebra (Edwin Lee Gibson) came back to The Bear to give it another shot, missing everyone and missing his job. Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Sugar (Abby Elliot) had a special moment as cousins, with Richie apologizing for things he’s done in the past and present. Everything has been finished regarding construction and new appliances, along with new hires being welcomed and trained by Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas).
Now, in the ninth episode of the season, “Omelette”, the opening scene is Carmy and Claire (Molly Gordon), who are smitten with each other. They share a romantic moment. After the short scene, Sydney puts on her chef uniform, but she has a stain on it, with no way to fix it. Sydney’s father Emmanuel (Robert Townsend) is excited for her. That is a big growth moment for him because he thought she wouldn’t succeed as a chef there, and now they’re going to be opening it up with a brand new look and name.
In the next scene, at the back of the restaurant, Carmy is having a mental breakdown. His thoughts are all over the place, with Claire, his brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal), the last family Christmas, and Sydney. Why would Carmy be thinking about her? Does he have feelings for her that are completely unknown to him?
Carmy is now inside The Bear, sitting down as Sugar comes to him. The dining area looks completely different, having a modern and casual style to it. She tells him that she invited their mom, Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis) to the opening. After they open for regular hours, they will have their friends and family come and eat with them.
Sydney and Carmy are in the kitchen, going over the menu. While Carmy is stressed, Sydney is a little bit more relaxed. As they’re going over things, he asks her what her relationship with her mom is like. Carmy was nervous about Donna coming there. They didn’t have the best relationship. Sydney’s mom died when she was four of Lupus. It’s an awkward moment as she tells him that.
As they’re talking, Richie is looking over some things in the office and Sugar comes in, hugging him from behind. Through their interaction, it’s clear that they’ve gotten much better with their communication and within their work relationship. She tells him that she’s panicking and nervous, but he tells her that she’ll be okay and that it’ll all be fine. In the background, a timer goes off, which means that it’s time for everyone to get to work.
Things don’t start too great for the chefs in the kitchen, with Carmy not answering phone calls through the whole process of reconstruction and check-ups and tension running high with everyone. They have two hours to open. Marcus (L-Boy) shows Sydney and Carmy the desserts he worked on. He has “Mom’s Honeybun”, which is packed in a plastic bag with The Bear label. He also made a sundae, but it’s the “Copenhagen Sundae”, which is very different than a regular sundae. Number three on desserts is “Sydney’s Donut.” The fourth item is “The Michael”, which is named after Carmy and Sugar’s brother, Mikey.
Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) visits the restaurant and discusses some things with Carmy. He gives Carmy the business certificate for the State of Illinois, which officially means that The Bear is a business. Carmy tells his uncle that he’s been dating someone and Jimmy basically tells him good luck because he’s gonna have to focus on the restaurant practically 24/7 for the rest of his career now. While they’re talking, Sydney makes Sugar an omelette. Ebra watches a YouTube video on cleaning kitchen appliances. After Jimmy and Carmy are done talking, Carmy goes to the kitchen and he’s about to call the fridge guy, but Claire calls and he stares at his phone, struggling to decide whether to answer it or not. Before he can make the decision, Marcus has him try a dessert, which he likes.
They now have thirty minutes until they open. Everyone is gathered in the dining area, with their uniforms on, and standing in front of them are Richie, Carmy, Sugar, Fak (Matty Matheson), and Gary “Sweeps” (Corey Hendrix). Richie gives them a speech before they open. Sweeps and Fak are wearing suits, which most likely was suggested by Richie. After Richie’s speech, it’s Carmy’s turn. Tonight is a dress rehearsal with nine courses. Sugar reminds them about the motto ABC which is “Always Be Communicating.”
After their speeches, the chefs and cooks go into the kitchen to get things started. Carmy gets fixated on a table, noticing it’s not in the perfect position. He starts to fix it and he has Sydney help him. Carmy tells her, “You deserve my full focus,” while apologizing. He’s been distracted and hasn’t communicated with her the way he should. He tells her that he wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without her and that she makes him better at what he does. She says the same about him.
This episode was pretty good, leaving viewers with questions and some of those from the previous episode were answered. Getting to see more of Sydney and Carmy was a plus in this episode, since there haven’t really been much one-on-one conversations with just the two of them. Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri coming together as their characters, and having a serious talk about their relationship as work partners shows a close view of how good their chemistry is both on and off the screen, working on this show. Anticipation comes as Sugar, Richie, Carmy, and Sydney go to the front, ready to open the doors. What will happen the moment those doors open with their guests?
Rating: 9/10