Could “The Bear” exist without…the bear? If “Groundhogs” showed Carmy’s passion lit to the hottest embers, “Soubise” is the restaurant and its dream matriarch at one of its lowest points. You can’t shake the overall dourness that permeates throughout this entire episode. Budget cuts have extremely limited what The Bear can do. They are in a deficit with the farms to which they are paying the same amount, but getting half the produce they need. Richie is having trouble finding a Vince Lombardi-like speech to rally the troops.
The vibes are indeed terrible, and the building has been stripped of any excitability whatsoever. There are no fights, no calling out plates, no extreme amount of orders coming through – it’s just still melancholy. “Soubise” continues Carmy’s walk through the forest of regret when considering things he could have done differently – “mistakes.” He’s unable to contextualize his “falling out of love” with his craft to Richie, but somewhat does to Natalie at the end of the episode. (She has to pull it out of him.) One can only hope a Richie/Carmy heart-to-heart talk is coming because they not only have things to heal within their relationship, but Carmy can perhaps learn a little about how Richie has arrived at this new place in his life.
“The Bear” — “Soubise” — Season 4 Episode 2 (Streams Thursday, June 26th) Pictured: (l-r) Sarah Ramos as Jessica, Donnie Madia, Christopher Zucchero as Chi-Chi, Brian Koppelman as Nicholas “The Computer” Marshall, Oliver Platt as Uncle Jimmy, Matty Matheson as Neil Fak, Corey Hendrix as Sweeps, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard “Richie” Jerimovich, Paulie James as Chuckie, Ricky Staffieri as Ted Fak. CR: FX.
That’s not to say Richie is perfect; he’s a work in progress. However, Carmy hasn’t gotten to his “Forks” moment yet. Maybe he needs somebody to show him the way. To rectify his past mistakes of being overly zealous or harsh with people, Carmy has adopted a more gentle approach. Tina is having a hard time making her three-minute timer. He encourages her to take a break. Syd is trying to figure out the conundrum of having fewer ingredients to play around with. Carmy encourages her to try something new with food prep (and it works). Ebra explained that he wasn’t really into culinary school. Carmy apologizes and says he can’t wait to see his new business plan.
“The Bear” — “Soubise” — Season 4 Episode 2 (Streams Thursday, June 26th) Pictured: Jeremy Allen White as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto. CR: FX.
Carmy’s new evolution as a person may not be able to save The Bear. However, it might be able to save him and provide a new lease of life outside of being a cook. When he makes his heartfelt plea to Mikey in the first episode of season four, it is based on the belief that drive can conquer all. Sure, bad things will happen. As long as you have the will to succeed, you will. In his struggles with the restaurant, Carmy is finding that not to be the case.
This all comes to a head in the conversation with Natalie, and he feels bad that he hasn’t seen Sophie yet. It’s telling Natalie that at first, thinks he’s talking about the menu. Towards the end, she tells him, “It’s okay if you don’t love it anymore.” Writer Catherine Schetina continues to set Carmy on a course where he will have to make a decision. It’s hard to imagine a world that has him not in a kitchen crafting something, but Carmy is at least trying to dip his toe in that pool. Perhaps having a robust personal life and a thriving restaurant with a Michelin star is not possible to have all at once.
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The problem is that many people rely on him to keep the job. Can Carmy save himself at the expense of the entire ecosystem and the community they’ve built? He’s not a person who is resigned to just throwing in the towel. It’s interesting to note that when it comes to Sydney and her gaining the authority she’s always wanted. She still hasn’t signed the partnership agreement, but her ingenuity got them under the three minutes. On the flip side, Syd hasn’t talked to her father in a while. Is she starting to become enthralled in The Bear like Carmy was, and how is this changing dynamic going to work?
“Soubise” is another episode with a simplistic formula, which sets the show on a succession plan. Even if there’s a role reversal between Carmy and Sydney, is everything destined to shake out with burnouts, epiphanies, and a closing?
