Pasta – As this episode of The Bear begins, Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) discuss plans just 12 weeks before opening day. Carmen believes it is hard for her dad to be supportive because she is working in a shop that doesn’t pay much and doesn’t amount to anything. She is going to see him today for birthday dinner. Carmen speaks to Natalie (Abby Elliott) about supplies. Sydney asks Natalie if she is okay because she looks a little pale.

Natalie tells Carmy that she needs to speak to him later. Richard ‘Richie’ Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) watches a video with Marcus and Neil to learn how to deal with the walls. Richie says they’ll need to peel the paint before they can complete the deep clean. Neil Fak (Matty Matheson) argues that they should move everything out before scraping, but Richie doesn’t think they should move the lockers. Marcus (Lionel Boyce) agrees that they should move the lockers. Neil gets Natalie involved so Richie tells her that she needs an alpha. She tells Richie to move the lockers. He suspects she might be ill so he checks on her.

Sydney sits down with Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas) and Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) to say they’re going to send them to culinary school. Tina is happy, but Ebraheim says he already knows how to do it. They’ll still be paid because it is built into the budget. Once Ebraheim learns he doesn’t have to wear a uniform, he accepts the offer. Carmy attempts to speak on the phone while Richie and the others try to move the lockers. Carmy gets involved and learns that they’ll have to cut a lock off of Michael’s locker. They find a hat inside that Carmy gives to Richie. Marcus tells Sydney that he needs more inspiration since he has read through all of the books she gave him.

Later, Sydney and Carmy go to his place. When she turns on the oven, Carmy has to quickly remove his pants from inside. Ebraheim and Tina go to the culinary school. Carmy and Sydney try to come up with new recipes. He tells her what it felt like to get the three-star call. Richie notices brown stuff at the top of the wall so he asks Fak about it. Neil has to grab a ladder so he can get a closer look. He admits it is bad because it looks like mold. Richie urges him not to freak out because they’re on cousin’s schedule. They argue back and forth about whether Neil should call mom. Tina and Ebraheim begin their first class with their new instructor.

Ebraheim knocks a bowl onto the floor. Tina gives him encouragement. Carmy asks Sydney if she wants one of these stars. When she says yes, he tells her that she’ll have to worry about everything. Sydney tells him about the last dinner she did and how the mean lady wanted fresh pasta. She explains how she resolved the problem of not having any pasta. That is why she moved in with her dad. Carmen asks if her mom is cool. Sydney unenthusiastically says yes. Meanwhile, Natalie sits in the bathroom and talks to her phone. She admits she hasn’t even told anyone she is pregnant.

Natalie tries to figure out what is wrong with the toilet. She receives a call about an issue. Seconds later, she confronts Richie to ask about the mold issue. He quickly denies it though. Ebraheim seems to be struggling at the culinary school. Later, Sydney hangs out with her father Mr. Adamu (Robert Townsend) who tells her about his date with her mother. They agree that she was the best. Claire (Molly Gordon) runs into Carmy and says it has been forever. They begin talking about life. Marcus and Neil stay behind to help Richie clean up the mess at the restaurant. Richie says Neil did the right thing when he placed the anonymous call to the mold people, but Marcus reveals that he did it.

Sydney talks to her dad about fishing the menu. She admits that her payments will be paused to ensure the other members get paid. Sydney says Carmen is doing it well. Mr. Adamu reminds her that her cousin always has a job for her at Boeing. He reads about restaurants in the papers and knows that many of them don’t work out. Sydney rambles while defending herself and her decisions. She just realized that she is older than her now. Claire tells Carmen that she has six months left of her residency. She is going into emergency medicine. Claire tells him how she got into that. She admits she remembers the name.

She remembers that he is The Bear. Claire takes his contact information.

 

The Bear Review

This episode of The Bear was a mixed bag with some strong scenes and many that were forgettable. This may be one of those shows that should be judged as a whole because they’re trying to cram too much into 30-minute episodes. When the series gets down to the substance, it is very effective. In particular, Carmen’s conversation with Claire showed a lot of promise.

It is good to be introduced to Sydney’s father, but the character should be put on the sideline so Marcus, Tina, Ebraheim, and Sweeps can be showcased a little more. These characters are oozing with charisma and potential, but they’re not being used to the fullest. Instead, they’re quickly becoming props in the background.

It also feels like Carmy is even being pushed to the back of the line and this was a problem last season as well. Certain performances and scenes feel inauthentic. It is hard not to feel like all of this will be wiped away when the restaurant is reopened and the series returns to chaotic kitchen scenes.

With a lack of real substance, the first two episodes have been a little boring. We’ll have to see if it comes together in the end though. The episode scores a 5 out of 10. Recaps of The Bear can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising with us here.