The Bear The Bear

Alongside with the rest of the second season, it was released on June 22, 2023, on Hulu. It was directed by series creator Christopher Storer and written by Kelly Galuska.

On family and friends night, Richie runs the front of house while Sydney runs the kitchen. Issues begin to mount: the restaurant runs out of forks, Sydney and Marcus are forced to assist when a line cook disappears, and the walk-in refrigerator handle breaks, trapping Carmy inside. Richie successfully takes over expediting. Pete, Natalie's husband, sees Donna outside, but she refuses to go in, feeling she does not deserve to witness her children's success. Donna begs Pete not to tell her children she showed up to the restaurant. Pete accidentally reveals Natalie's pregnancy to Donna before she leaves. Trapped in the fridge, Carmy spirals into self-loathing and rants about how his relationship with Claire has ruined his focus in the kitchen. Claire overhears him and leaves in tears. Richie sees her leave and has a heated argument with Carmy through the refrigerator door. Carmy is devastated when he plays a missed voicemail that Claire had left earlier in the day, in which she confesses her love for him. Ultimately the service concludes as a hit, Marcus receives a gift from Luca (although he misses numerous panicked calls from his mother's nurse), and Sydney feels stressed yet emboldened by the successful opening night.

Main

• Jeremy Allen White as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard "Richie" Jerimovich
• Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu
• Lionel Boyce as Marcus Brooks
• Liza Colón-Zayas as Tina Marrero
• Abby Elliott as Natalie "Sugar" Rose Berzatto
• Matty Matheson as Neil Fak

Guest appearances

• Jamie Lee Curtis as Donna Berzatto
• Molly Gordon as Claire

Development

The episode was directed by series creator Christopher Storer and written by Kelly Galuska. It was Galuska's first writing credit, and Storer's twelfth directing credit.

Filming

The episode opens with a single continuous long take, a device also used in the season one episode "Review". The episode makes frequent use of the split screen camera angle effect during the period where Carmy is locked in the broken walk-in refrigerator, a plot point that was frequently referenced throughout the second season.

Jeremy Allen White indicated that the filming of the episode mainly occurred in one sitting, with the exception of the dining scenes, typical of the production style that Storer liked to use while filming to create a hectic atmosphere familiar throughout the show.

Molly Gordon revealed that certain aspects of the script were changed during filming. The voicemail that ends the episode was not originally written but was later included on Gordon's suggestion. Storer decided that White, playing Carmy, would only hear the voicemail during the shooting of the scene while alone in the refrigerator.

The season two finale was released to generally positive reviews and praised for its typical style of high pressure and intensity. Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone said, "The Bear ... is already at a level of artistry few of its competitors can touch. It continues to make every second count." Marah Eakin of Vulture praised the show and its continuous intensity. Salon.com critic Melanie McFarland praised the episode, saying: "'The Bear' deserves all the hype poured over it for the usual reasons – its atmospheric directing, writing, awareness of place, and performances collaborate to grant its consumption a sense of urgency and necessity."

Josh Rosenberg of Esquire praised the show while contrasting it with the first season, noting that this season showed more background and displayed more emotion from the characters. James Poniewozik of The New York Times also praised it while noting differences between the first and second season: "'The Bear' is no longer a war story that takes place in a kitchen. It is now a sports story that takes place in a kitchen."

Vanity Fair's Rebecca Ford and David Canfield praised Jamie Lee Curtis's acting for her guest appearances throughout the season as Donna, including the season finale, suggesting she should be in consideration for an Emmy for her work on the show.