In this episode, we sit with a gut-wrencher…forced to feel that every character in The Bear is alone. Carmy might take the cake, though. We start with a five-minute opening scene of what used to be Claire and Carmy, talking and holding each other so comfortably under a blue light. This is a color that follows Carmy through the show as a token from the writers to depict his deep melancholia in this period of his life, as he talks and lives around it. He blamed it as the reason for this breakup. In his day-at-night in bed-dream, he goes through their entire conversation. The two of them are both physically describing how they witnessed or felt, feeling so much pain that they feel nothing at all. The colors and conversation are a reflection of where Carmy is emotionally now, numb. He is sleepless and stays up before his 6:30am alarm rings when this dream ends.
There is also a deep character dive into Marcus’s grief of his mom, his routine as he is heading to work, and how exactly the mundanity of the day is so different without somebody around. It is an incredibly slow scene, but it is a poignant one. He sits waiting for the clock to allow him to go on time so that he can still have time to sit in his car and be early. His world is quiet, and much more still. He still listens to the sounds of his mother’s machines after she passes for comfort. But his prognosis is still optimistic. Marcus stays curious. A white violet on the side of the road seemingly inspires him, something that reminds him of his mom. He takes a picture and collects it.
We then see that Richard might be having more of a life change than he thought. In the last season, we saw Richard achieve his purpose, something that he felt he was missing. And this is being reinforced with a “more proper” setting and greater authority role at his job. All of this, however, doesn’t amount to the loss he is feeling for the family he once had. As in this episode, we see Richard speaking to his daughter in one of those great heartfelt ways that make you smile way more than you’d like. Until his daughter reminds him that he is alone in a way that is all too real to him.
He begins to shed the idea of the family he has and takes off the wedding band. His lesson this season, recognize loss and move on.There is a tough, awkward, and frankly unnecessary conversation that is had between the two of them. About how Frank felt he should have asked if Richie was ok with him marrying his ex-wife. Game, set, match. There is a tough, awkward, and frankly unnecessary, conversation between the two of them about how Frank felt he should have asked if Richie was ok with him marrying his ex-wife. There is not a world where this is a customary conversation between ex-husband and new fiance, but the scene encapsulates the patriarchal fight that Richie has now backed down from. He has a role as co-parent now.
Sydney is also alone in this episode except in a different way. A far more relatable way for a millennial. She is moving out, starting a career, and doing it all alone. In the beginning of this episode, she reveals her new apartment to her dad, all for him to shrug a disapproving nod. She tells him that she is going to do this, and is excited about the restaurant. He plants some seeds of doubt here and nudges her to remember who exactly she is getting into business with. She is doubtful also, and we see that in the ways that Carmy has been sidelining her menu ideas continuously this season and in this episode–Carm, use her cherry marmalade! This is even more visible in the conversation that Sydney has with Shapiro, one of the head chefs at Ever. He explains to Syd that he had been to the restaurant and the food was amazing, but lacked her own signature on any of the dishes; “It was very, Carmy”. We all have to agree that he is a control-freak this season. Sydney feels alone in her career. Is the job that she hoped for what she wants anymore, and what does it take or even mean to trust someone in business? In the show, she is demonstrated to be in her early twenties. Maybe this job feels thrust upon her at such an early point in her career. She does not want to take on a lifetime of responsibility at the beginning of her life.
At the very end of this episode, we get a bomb dropped on us. A reviewer has already been to the restaurant. And just as the team had feared, they are merely figuring this out because The Chicago Tribune would like to take photos of the food–they already tasted. This only amps up the pressure in the restaurant. What if the review is bad? If it is, are we prepared to turn this restaurant into something it needs to be? It all hits Carmy.
Rating: 8/10