The Bear Recap: Unforced Errors

There’s something about The Bear that makes it so hard to believe things can go right. I realize that’s antithetical to what we’ve learned about the show — there was magical money in cans of tomatoes, for crying out loud — but I always feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop no matter what Claire said to Carmy last episode.

Maybe that’s because I know it’s a TV show, so I know there has to be conflict because how can there be a Bear season three if the restaurant is booked, blessed, and thriving? In “Omelette,” we begin to see the path toward that goal become more clear as the restaurant prepares for its friends-and-family night. The Bear has always been about personal development and clearing out all the mess left over from years of neglect, be it greasy oven hoods or childhood trauma. Perhaps The Bear’s future lies not just in further excavation of that idea but also in figuring out how to use those old bricks to build something new, whether it’s functional adulthood, a thriving career, or a successful relationship.

It certainly seems like Carmy’s headed for some hot water on that last one, dodging Claire’s calls and hearing resounding “uh-ohs” from Uncle Cicero. Everyone loves Claire, including Carmy, and everyone wants them to be together, but is this the right time? I would argue that maybe, just maybe, she should have some say in the discussion. After all, she’s carried a torch for him for so long — and vice versa — and just because it’s hard to give a relationship your full attention around opening day doesn’t mean it’s a total wash. Maybe they take a step back for three months and date only on Sundays or something. If anyone can understand being neck-deep in shit, it’s an ER resident. She’s already had to do a lot of emotional heavy lifting for Carmy, a lot of hand-holding and reassuring, so if he can get to a better place, it would serve her as well. (And, of course, they’re welcome to have as much blue-tinged, Nine Inch Nails–scored, “Is that your leg or mine?” sex as they’d like in the meantime.)

Sydney could also use a little R&R. Everyone sees it, including her dad, who’s trying his damnedest to be supportive and understand her goals even if they’re entirely foreign to him. She’s popping Tums like they’re going out of style and complaining about freeloading, and he’s happy to just say “I love you very much. I’m very proud of you, and if you have to live here forever, I want you to live here forever.” “Have to” and “want to” are, of course, two very different things, but it’s nice for Sydney not to have to worry about at least that aspect of her life. That is, assuming she can’t worry about it, which I’m not sure is in her nature.

Apparently, it’s in Natalie’s nature to keep believing they should give their mom one more chance, meaning she’s on the list for the friends-and-family night. I guess she’ll be in their space, so they can always cut off her drinks or kick her out if things go awry, but I’d be more worried about cutting remarks and needling digs. I understand why Natalie did it and why Carmy feels like he has to be okay with it, but she’s going to need a minder or something. Richie? Maybe Claire can sit there and take the brunt? If that’s what happens, Carmy should just go ahead and marry her.

Later in the episode, we get a little more mom talk between Carmy and Syd when Carmy reveals how he always expects a disaster and Syd reveals that her mom actually died when she was 4, from lupus. It’s weird that Carmy never really knew that, but he entered his relationship with Sydney from an uneven place; she knew the whole history of his business and his brother and his career, and he basically knew she was a hard worker who could cook and who’d had a catering-business flameout. He never really asked her anything about her life, to his detriment. When they do talk as they’re fixing a table together, it’s quite revealing and emotional, all that “say more about that” chatter smoothing down Syd’s catastrophizing. They both admit they wouldn’t want to or be able to open the Bear without the other, and they reassure each other that they’re not alone, no matter what.

Richie’s newfound confidence and knowledge of Siddhartha is slightly off-putting, but in a way that’s entirely on-brand for him. He has enlisted Fak and Gary into the front-of-house team, which seems about right for a rough-around-the-edges Chicago fine-dining experience, and I love how genuinely excited Fak is about the whole thing, with his cowboy tie and ill-fitting brown suit. His little braid, too! What a guy.

Also, can I just say I kind of agree with Richie that it’s okay for the tables to be a little empty two weeks out? There are so many great places to eat in Chicago that people sometimes understandably take a bit of a wait-and-see approach with new spots. Once those Eater stories, Infatuation links, and Tribune reviews come out, people will go. Beyond that, is there even a press team in place for this joint? You’d think they would want national press, reviewers, tastemakers, and so on to come through, but Carmy seems like the type to want to let the buzz build, rather than generate it inorganically. Then again, Cicero’s timeline is pretty rough!

At least the restaurant has Marcus’s desserts, including “Mom’s honey bun,” which comes in a cute little package; Sydney’s doughnut; and whatever that Danish thing is with the melon and caviar. There’s also “the Michael,” the cannoli they collectively dreamed up, which Marcus says comes from “everything we all know about each other.” Carmy gets choked up at that, and so did I.

You know who else chokes this episode? Sydney, when she straight-up doesn’t realize Marcus was asking her out. While I agree that it’s probably not a great idea to get involved with a co-worker on day one of a new venture that lives or dies by how well you can work together, it was still pretty sad to see her just kind of ignore what he was doing there. Hang in there, buddy, you two will get your shot someday. Maybe in season three?

That is, assuming the restaurant continues to operate. Uncle Jimmy hits Carmy with a fairly interesting, fairly confusing story about Chicago Cub Alex Gonzalez’s big Game 6 fuckup, which no one remembers because of the Steve Bartman incident that happened a few innings earlier. While I agree with the sentiment — blaming one single fuckup is ridiculous when there were so many others — it’s hard to see how it applies to this situation, other than threatening Carmy and reminding him to keep his head in the game. But when has simply telling someone to pay attention ever worked? Cicero would undoubtedly earn a good chunk of money earlier on if the restaurant tanks, but couldn’t he make even more if it succeeds? I guess he’ll find out along with us at friends-and-family night in the finale. Here’s hoping it’s smoother sailing than “Fishes,” which still has me so worked up that even Our Mother of Victory hasn’t calmed me down.

• R.E.M.’s “Strange Currencies” rears its lovely head once again, along with that very amped-up Refused track. Love a musical callback.

• Verdana French Bistro, where Sydney met with that supercool chef earlier this season, is being forced to close. Hire their staff, Syd! Make lemonade out of those lemons!

• I would argue that “tipping versus not tipping” should probably have been a conversation the restaurant had before hiring all those servers, since telling them they’ll make a living wage is much different from telling them they’ll live or die (or even thrive) by high-end-dining tips. But hey, I’ve never opened a restaurant, so what do I know?

• Gotta love Ebra taking his ServSafe licensing class like cleaning vegetables and shit is all-new information. Yeesh.

• Carmy says the “mother-father” painting hanging in the dining room is “unlike me.” What kind of painting or art would be like Carmy? It’s hard to know since there’s literally nothing on the walls of his home.

• Are those built-in purse hooks on the tables? Hummina hummina! I’m in love. And an omelette with sour-cream–and–onion chips? Let’s do this shit. And that Thom Browne chef’s jacket? Wow!

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