The Bear – Season 3 Episode 2 Recap & Review

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Episode 2 of The Bear Season 3 begins with Sydney and her father having a tiff over whose turn it is for the bathroom. She then leaves for work. At The Bear, Carmy has made a list of non-negotiables for the restaurant. Natalie arrives and mentions that she’s worried about bringing a child into the world. She sees the list and is sceptical about it but Carmy insists that all the best restaurants have these qualities.

Sydney arrives and is naturally taken aback by the array of dishes Carmy has made, essentially editing her menu. She’s not happy about the fact that the non-negotiables include a different menu every day. Carmy informs her that he’s sent her a partnership contract, shared between him, Natalie and Sydney. She doesn’t seem as happy about this as she should.

Richie arrives and gives his own sarcastic take on the non-negotiables list. He’s still not accepted Carmy’s apology and the two get into a fight. Simultaneously, the Fak brothers are charging a tube light and Gary is told he’s being sent to wine school. After everybody argues over whether a changing menu is crazy or not, Richie ends up mentioning Claire. Since everyone is curious, Carmy reveals that he basically told Claire their relationship was a waste of time.

Just then, Marcus enters the kitchen. He says he wants to work and not think about anything else, which works well with everyone. Everybody splits up into different chores although, Carmy does go up to Marcus and tries to convince him not to avoid dealing with the issue at all. Which is what he did after Michael died.

But Marcus says it was good he was in the kitchen when his mother died, she would have wanted him to be here. He says this place is it. He asks Carmy to make sure The Bear gets to where it needs to be at the end of Season 3 Episode 2.

The Episode Review

Episode 2 of The Bear Season 3 returns to the more usual format of episodes, taking place entirely during the kitchen’s opening hour. Everything we saw take place in episode 1, all of Carmy’s newfound resolution on moving forward, is now introduced to the rest of the staff.

The episode offers a good look at where all the other characters stand, such as Sydney’s obvious hesitations, even at the prospect of the partnership, Natalie’s worries, Marcus’s grief and more. As always, the writing and editing are crisp and to the point, not lingering on anyone more than necessary.

It’s great to see the varied, hilarious reactions to Carmy’s pursuit of perfection — from Natalie’s concern to Richie and Sydney’s sarcasm and even to Marcus’s total acceptance. It will also be interesting to see how this fares up in the episodes to come and whether the others can hop on Carmy’s train to get a Michelin star or not.