“Every second counts,” is the mantra on the walls of the most stressful kitchen on television. That mantra not only applies to the staff of the tumultuous kitchen of The Bear, but all viewers of the show. If you blink you’ll miss an ode to Chicago food, an inside joke between Fak and Richie, or a fight breaking out over not having enough forks to serve customers. Season 2 of the captivating series brings viewers back into the maddening and invigorating lives of Chicago natives trying to open a new restaurant. Here are some of our favorite episodes so far and yes chef, there are some spoilers ahead.
10. “Pasta” (season 2, episode 2)
Despite the trials and tribulations of opening a new restaurant, the back-of-house staff continues to flourish. Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) enrolls Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) and Ebra (Edwin Lee Gibson) in culinary school and later offers Tina the opportunity to be Sous-Chef once she completes the course. Their relationship has come so far since season one and I think it’s safe to say we all want to see Tina thrive. This episode tells audiences that there will be a lot more growth and development coming for her. There is also a hint of romance on the way for Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) who runs into his old crush Claire (Molly Gordon).
9. “System” (season 1, episode 1)
In the pilot episode, we meet renowned Chicago-born chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto. He has recently returned to his hometown to take over the family business after his brother’s surprise passing. The Original Beef of Chicagoland is an old-school joint, true to one of the city’s popular eats, the Italian beef. We meet an assortment of characters that keep the place running, whom we will soon love and possibly obsess over. This episode captures what will come for the rest of the season—incredible amounts of stress-induced episodes that intrigue you just enough to want some answers about Carmy’s past.
8. “Sheridan” (season 1, episode 5)
Things are chaotic at The Beef—toilets are clogged and the power is out. Watching this one really made you wonder if there was ever going to be a glimmer of hope for the staff. Chef Sydney steps up and leads the team to run a successful outdoor lunch service for customers. Amongst all of the chaos, we see the staff unite and get further proof that they can overcome adversity when the going gets tough.
7. “Ceres” (season 1, episode 6)
Up until this point, Carmy’s brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal) has only been talked about in passing. Just about everyone who is a part of Carmy’s Chicago life has had a connection with Mikey. They have deep adoration for him and we see why in a flashback to the Berzatto kitchen. Carmy, his sister Sugar (Abby Elliott), Richie a.k.a Cousin (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Mikey are cooking and sharing stories. Mikey captivates the kitchen with his storytelling, charming the room while simultaneously cooking and everyone watches—sometimes helping—with awe. This peek into Carmy and Richie’s past validates why everyone is trying so hard to make The Beef successful, they don’t want to let down Mikey and want his legacy to live on.
6. “Honeydew” (season 2, episode 4)
A true highlight of the entire series, this episode dives into Marcus’ (Lionel Boyce) personal life, including his want to grow his career as a pastry chef. We learn that Marcus has been the primary caregiver to his mother, who has been incredibly sick. Carmy decides to set up Marcus with an old friend of his, Chef Luca (Will Poulter), who is a pastry chef at an upscale restaurant in … Copenhagen! It was nice to get a change of scenery in the show but watching Marcus overcome fears and expand his world was monumental for the character and extremely heartwarming. Luca gives him relatable advice, and delivers one of the best lines of the season: “Michael Jordan needed Scottie right? You don’t have to be the best, you just have to know your role.”
5. “Omelette” (season 2, episode 9)
The penultimate episode of season 2 has a little bit of everything. The opening scene shows Carmy and his new girlfriend Claire hooking up while Nine Inch Nails is playing steadily in the background. Moody and angsty, the entire scene was chef’s kiss. Carmy is falling in love and that comes with giving less time to the restaurant, which has its soft opening that night. Soft openings set the tone for what the restaurant will become, it has its first stress test and learns what is working and what is not. Sugar is very pregnant and decides to invite their estranged mother, Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis). Carmy is not thrilled by this, but he understands she needs this validation from her.
4. “The Bear” (season 2, episode 10)
The Bear finally opens to the public and things are falling apart. Tensions are high and so much is going wrong, including running out of forks. Sydney is picking up the slack for Carmy while trying to impress her father (Robert Townsend) during the soft opening and although this is what she was made to do, things still go haywire. To top things off Carmy gets locked in the walk-in cooler, which sets the entire production back even further so Cousin steps in to help change the night around. Carmy has a bit of an epiphany while locked in the cooler and realizes he cannot have his cake and eat it too—he must choose love or work.
3. “Sundae” (season 2, episode 3)
As a Chicago born and bred native myself, this episode was a delight to experience. Sydney and Carmy are trying to settle on the menu for The Bear and after a few fails decide they need some inspiration. Carmy bails on the plan but Sydney ends up eating her way through the city at some of its popular restaurants like Kasama, Lao Peng You, and Pizza Lobo. It was a true love letter to Chicago and the many different styles of food they have readily available. If you haven’t ventured to Chicago yet, please let this episode serve as inspiration and just know, there is something there for everyone.
2. “Forks” (season 2, episode 7)
If you ever wondered what gets a restaurant a Michelin star, this episode is for you. Carmy sets Richie up to stage at one of the most popular restaurants in the world, Ever. Up until this point, we’ve only seen Richie show a few glimmers of hope and it has been getting harder to root for him. He starts the stage polishing forks and hates it. He feels degraded and almost ends up walking out. Eventually, he becomes motivated by the level of excellence each staff member holds themselves to and the pride they have in the restaurant. In a striking scene, he has a conversation with the owner Terry (Olivia Colman), who tells the inspiring story of how she got her success and what keeps her striving for more. The conversation is the catalyst for Richie’s decision to take back the reins of his life.
1. “Fishes” (season 2, episode 6)
One of the most stressful episodes of the series and there is beauty in every corner of this madness. It’s a flashback to a typical Christmas holiday at the dysfunctional Berzatto family home. We meet more of the family including the often talked about but never seen matriarch Donna Berzatto. She is in charge of cooking the traditional family dinner and we learn she has an alcohol problem. Sugar is constantly trying to wean her off by pouring bottles of alcohol down the drain when she is not looking. Donna is the antagonist for many of the Berzatto children and it is painful to watch. We also meet Uncle Lee (Bob Odenkirk) who stirs up drama with Mikey, cousin Michelle (Sarah Paulson) who encourages Carmy to move to NYC, and her boyfriend Stevie (John Mulaney)—so many cameos, so little time.
(featured image: FX)
