‘The Bear’ Season 2 Recap: What To Remember Before Season 3 (2024)

When discussing great television, it might not be the first network to come to mind, but FX has been quietly killing it for the last five years, with hit shows like Dave, Atlanta, Fargo, and Shōgun. FX released The Bear back in 2022, and it quickly became one of its most popular series. The Bear follows chef Carmine Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and his family after their brother's death. Season 1 tells a heartbreaking story of Carmy’s attempts to save the Chicago Beef restaurant while processing Mikey's (Jon Bernthal) death. The Bear Season 1 was an emotional roller-coaster and Season 2 followed suit. When audiences last saw Carmy and his kitchen staff, 'Chicago Beef' was closing down, with the promise of a new restaurant, The Bear, taking its place. While Season 1 follows a group of chefs trying to save a dying business, Season 2 follows their attempts to reinvent that business into something better.

The Bear

Comedy

Drama

Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, a young chef from the fine dining world, returns to Chicago to run his family's sandwich shop after a tragedy. As he navigates the chaotic environment of the small kitchen, Carmy must manage the struggles of turning around the failing business while dealing with his own grief and personal demons. The series dives deep into the intense world of culinary arts, highlighting the challenges of running a restaurant, the bonds formed among staff, and the relentless pursuit of perfection.

Release Date

June 23, 2022

Creator

Cast

Jeremy Allen White , Ebon Moss-Bachrach , Ayo Edebiri , Lionel Boyce , Liza Colón-Zayas , Abby Elliott , Oliver Platt

Main Genre

Drama

Rating

Seasons

3

Season 2 of 'The Bear' Splits Up the Cast

Season 1's main appeal stemmed from a diverse group of personalities clashing together, for better or worse. Season 2 completely abandons this premise early on, instead choosing to separate the characters and focus on telling more intimate, focused stories about each of them individually. While Carmy and Syd (Ayo Edibiri) develop a new menu, they send the rest of the staff to various restaurants across America and Europe to enhance their culinary skills. This decision led to some of the most iconic episodes in the series. Marcus (Lionel Boyce) reluctantly leaves his ailing mother in Chicago, to train at a restaurant in Copenhagen, which is strongly implied to be the world-famous Noma. Marcus trains under Luca (Will Poulter), who shares his story about training to become the "best" in the industry. Luca explains how he struggled to accept he could never compete with an old rival in the kitchen, but accepting that hard truth allowed him to become better than he ever thought possible.

Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) also goes through a particularly memorable emotional journey in Episode 7. Carmy sends Richie to stage at a top Michelin-star restaurant in Chicago. Richie is stuck polishing forks and discovers his ex-wife is getting remarried. During his lowest point, the restaurant forces Richie to overcome his ego and abandon his unhealthy mentality that he’s too old to start over. Richie undergoes the biggest transformation of any character in the show, stepping up to become a great host and server, and learns from Chef Terry (Olivia Colman) that you’re never too old to start again, adopting her mantra that "every second counts." This episode also reveals that Luca's rival chef was actually Carmy, and they worked under Chef Terry, giving more insight into Carmy's origins as a chef. Ebra (Edwin Lee Gibson) and Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) go off to culinary school, but Ebra struggles to adjust to the drastic change. While everyone else seems to have improved their kitchen skills, Ebra will need his own one-off episode in Season 3 to address his conflict.

Things Get Complicated for Carmy and Syd in Season 2 of 'The Bear'

While most of the character conflicts stem from career-related issues, Carmy’s comes in the form of his high-school sweetheart, Claire (Molly Gordon). After spending years punishing himself in high-pressure restaurants and refusing to let anyone into his life, he finds it difficult to let his guard down around someone new. Throughout the season, Carmy’s relationship with Claire flourishes, and he opens up to her about his past. However, his new relationship creates conflict with Syd, as she is left to handle most of the preparations for the new restaurant. During a critical time for the restaurant, Carmy becomes distracted and starts making little mistakes that trickle down to affect everyone’s future at The Bear.

Carmy’s conflict all comes to a head in the season finale. After neglecting to fix a lock on the walk-in freezer, he ends up stuck in the freezer during opening night. The Bear loses its head chef during its most important moment, forcing Carmy to re-examine his priorities. However, because they initially sent the staff out for training, the restaurant handles service without Carmy rather well. Richie steps up, employing all his new skills alongside Syd and the rest of the kitchen, and opening night is a success. Carmy retreats into his old self, deciding that his relationship was a mistake and that he needs to focus on the restaurant. He explains this to Tina while trapped in the walk-in, unaware that Tina has been distracted. Claire enters the kitchen and hears everything he says, abruptly ending their relationship. Once again, Carmy refuses to let himself be happy, a conflict that will likely carry over to Season 3.

Carmy isn’t the only character with relationship problems in Season 2. While it looked like Marcus and Syd were developing a budding romance, when Marcus finally asks her out, Syd abruptly declines. This causes a weird tension between them that affects their performance at the restaurant. Syd and Marcus are in a very awkward place at the end of the season, so it will be interesting to see how they recover from this moving forward.

Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Paulson, and Many More Join the Berzatto Family

Season 2 was chock full of surprising cameos, from Will Poulter and Olivia Colman to Gillian Jacobs to Joel McHale. The overwhelming Christmas episode "Fishes" introduces the star-studded extended Berzatto family. Jamie Lee Curtis played Donna, an alcoholic, emotionally abusive mother and the Berzatto matriarch, along with Sarah Paulson, Gillian Jacobs, John Mulaney, and Bob Odenkirk. Jon Bernthal also returned as Mikey in this episode, which flashes back 5 years to explore the toxic backstory of Sugar (Abby Elliott) and Carmy’s family. Donna returns later in the season, ridden with guilt over how she treated her children, and Stewie (Chris Witaske) shares an emotional moment with her while trying to reconcile their family.

Understanding Sugar’s relationship with her mother may be important for Season 3. Sugar is the emotional anchor holding the family together, and with her baby due soon, she’s likely worried about repeating her mother's mistakes in her own life. Behind-the-scenes photos of Season 3 have shown the cast smoking outside a church, dressed in suits, which could potentially hint at an episode set around a christening for Sugar and Stewie’s newborn baby. On the flip side, it could also hint at a funeral though, likely not someone in the immediate cast since all characters seem present. Time will tell what other surprises will be in store for the staff of The Bear when Season 3 premieres.

All 10 episodes of The Bear Season 3 will be available to stream on Hulu on June 27. Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

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