Doors – The episode opens at the funeral of Marcus’ (Lionel Boyce) mother. Marcus’ co-workers, friends, and family arrive. Marcus honors his mother with a heartfelt speech. He describes her as funny, smart, loving, and dedicated to him.
Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) put the finishing touches on tonight’s menu. Richard “Richie” Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) announces the restaurant is open. He takes an order and delivers it to Sydney. Gary “Sweeps” Woods (Corey Hendrix) struggles to open a bottle of wine. The orders keep coming in and going out. Richie complains about a table waiting for 30 minutes and no order. Tina Marrero (Liza Colon-Zayas) delivers a dish to Carmy. Assessing the food, he orders her to refire it. Richie intervenes and tells her to put it on a plate. Carmy dumps the food in the trash bin and says it is not to be served unless it is perfect. Richie calls him an “a*s hole” and accuses them of screwing him. Sydney suggests drinks on the house. Tiny apologizes to Carmy. He urges her to continue working.
Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) complains about a $11k invoice from Old Major Butter Farms. He warns Carmy that such an expense will ruin them. Carmy says it is Orwellian butter produced in Orwell, Vermont. Uncle Jimmy sarcastically tells him that he will cut Old Major a check for $20k. Carmy claims it is the best butter. Uncle Jimmy angrily throws an insult at him as he walks away. Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto (Abby Elliott) stresses because there are no clean teaspoons. After the restaurant closes, Carmy finds an irate Richie writing a “Nonnegotiable” list. Carmy argues that they already have a list. A short time later, Richie reads his nonnegotiables out loud. Carmy says it is a waste of time and demands he give the list to Sugar. Richie calls him a “b**ch” while walking away.
Neil Fak (Matty Mattheson) is pushing a table with a piñata through the kitchen when Carmy sees him. He says it is a birthday surprise. Carmy says no way. Richie overrules him and holds the door for Neil to push the piñata into the dining room. A short time later, Richie is delivering a dish to the dining room when it slips out of his hand. Sydney assists Tina prepare pasta with a bit of encouragement.
It’s Tuesday and the restaurant is open for business. Carmy calls for a server. Neil offers to serve the mirepoix broth. Carmy hesitates before letting him take the dish to the dining room. Neil delivers it to the table, fills two bowls, and takes it back to the kitchen. Upset, Carmy asks why he brought it back. Richie hurriedly takes the tray, staves off Carmy’s angry tirade, and orders Neil to never serve again.
Sydney calls out orders from the dining room. Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) struggles to read orders that he previously wrote. He haphazardly fills orders and serves them to the customers. Sugar and Richie discuss the reservations and determine the best way to do the “turns.” He complains about the constant menu changes. She assures him that the most influential restaurants alter their menus. Carmy requires the kitchen to be thoroughly cleaned every night.
Tina becomes flustered and stressed while preparing pasta. Sydney leads her through the process while keeping her calm. Carmy preps the pasta and calls for servers. Richie informs the staff that a seating will be added at 9:30pm nightly. The employees complain but he assures them that they can do it.
A group is waiting for a table. He walks through the dining room until he sees patrons who have finished their meal. He offers the patrons a tour of the kitchen. They readily accept. Neil races to clear the table. Being himself, Carmy instantly goes quiet when he sees Richie escort the patrons into the kitchen. Carmy repeatedly pops nicotine gum out of the pack and into his mouth.
Monday, the restaurant opens. Uncle Jimmy complains about their expenses. Sugar asks if the restaurant is making any money. He says yes but it goes right back out. She assures him that it is a packed house every night. Stressed, he asks where’s the money. In the kitchen, Carmy is upset because the bowls are different sizes. Richie tries to assure him that it is ok but Carmy isn’t having it. Sydney gets flustered because the orders aren’t being filled fast enough. She is unable to cook and expo simultaneously. Carmy agrees to do it. It only gets worse when Richie tells her to hold the mushrooms on the rib. She asks if it is an allergy or a modification. Carmy says it makes no difference, the customer doesn’t like mushrooms. Richie says it is about the customer, not her. Carmy and Richie get into a physical altercation. Marcus intervenes. The orders scatter across the floor. Carmy orders Richie to pick the orders up but he refuses. Marcus physically removes Richie from the kitchen.
Thursday, the restaurant opens. Sugar tells Carmy that the menu expense is out of control. He says the ingredients are of the highest quality. She complains about the waste. Uncle Jimmy asks who ordered Super Soakers. Carmy claims it was Richie.
Carmy repeated calls for servers and when they don’t come, he gets stressed. Sydney urges to calm down. The kitchen becomes more disastrous by the hour. At 11pm, Sydney stares at an order with a footprint on the floor. The episode ends.
The Bear Review
The highlight of the episode is Marcus’ mother’s funeral. The remaining airtime is wasted on Richie and Carmy’s verbal disagreements that become physical. Richie’s constant berating of Carmy is over-the-top. The portrayal of Carmy is unfair and does nothing but portray Sydney as meek and calm.
The cinematography is subpar. The fast camera movement and up-close shots are dizzying.
It is a failed opportunity to show the real struggles of a restaurateur and restaurant staff. It skims over the finances in an overaggressive manner. The episode is mostly filmed in one area of the kitchen. The shot of the outside of the restaurant doesn’t do the show any justice. It looks like a meager diner surrounded by multi-story buildings. The episode deserves a 5.8 out of 10.
Get more The Bear recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating. Learn how advertising with us can help build brand awareness. Join our newly established forum to discuss the latest TV shows and movies.
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
