The bear’s “napkins” highlight the series’ secret ingredient

The bear has always been about the culture of food and, more importantly, the people who make the food. As Carmy and Sydney race against time and a tight budget to run the eponymous restaurant, the supporting cast sweats it out in the kitchen to bring their recipes to life. Season 3, Episode 6, “Napkins,” is a tribute to a beloved chef and the true heart of The bear. Tina has undergone one of the most significant transformations from a reluctant cook to one who welcomes change and has quickly become a popular character among both her fans and her colleagues.

“Napkins” interrupts the main plot to focus on Tina’s past, subtly revealing what the spooky third season has been missing all along. Unlike the previous two seasons of The bearPraised by critics and fans alike, Season 3 is a problematic installment. There is little direction, the focus is overwhelming, and almost no plot threads are resolved in the finale. A surprising exception, however, is “Napkins” (and also episode 8, “Ice Chips”), directed by Ayo Edebiri. Here, the emotional resonance of Tina’s struggle for a job draws attention to the smaller characters who The bear the character drama that it is.

“Napkins” is a tribute to the supporting actors

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Carmy has finally managed to turn the beef into a bear, but the personal and professional problems for him and his team are only just beginning.

The story of Carmy and Sydney’s determination to turn a family business into an upscale restaurant is the focus of The bear on the surface. But “Napkins” shows that there are other stories of outsiders for whom we can root. Before becoming a chef in the family business Berzatto, Tina was a self-made woman who was barely getting by with her husband David. They have a son together, Louie, who has no idea that his parents are struggling financially. Despite working for decades at a candy company, Tina is laid off. She spends all her time walking around Chicago, looking for her next career move.

The whole experience is humiliating and sad. Tina is confronted with the reality that she is competing against a younger generation that is hungrier and knows the job market better than she does. She is dismissed in condescending tones by people half her age who talk down to her as if she hasn’t worked since they were in diapers. A delayed bus takes her to The Original Beef of Chicagoland, which is usually chaotic. Tina is stunned by Richie’s kindness when he offers her a free coffee and sandwich, and has a candid conversation with Mikey Berzatto, the original owner who took his own life before the series. Tina feels discouraged by her job search, but refuses to give up just because she’s a middle-aged woman.

Mikey is in deep trouble with the restaurant and is apparently jealous because his little brother at least has a dream. One thing leads to another: Mikey offers Tina a job as an assistant cook. “Napkins” helps viewers understand why Tina was so against The Beef’s transformation into a Michelin-starred restaurant. Mikey gave her a chance when no one else did, and Carmy’s new initiative felt like a disruption to what his brother stood for: family and a safe place. Tina felt safe in the post-COVID job market at Mikey’s restaurant because they were like family. But in Season 2, Carmy and Sydney give Tina the reassurance that she can change and still be safe, allowing her to grow both as a chef and as a person.

The beef still has potential on the bear

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“Napkins” elevates Tina’s character to a commendable level, which opens up more opportunities for the restaurant’s original employees. There’s still a lot to learn about Ebraheim, who still works in the small part of the restaurant that sells sandwiches like in the old days. Sweeps talked about his failed baseball career in Season 3, but he’s still a neglected character. Episodes like “Napkins” with Tina or “Forks” with Richie only underscore the importance of The Beef’s presence in their lives.

Ever since Carmy transformed The Beef into an upscale restaurant, there has been a debate about the show’s portrayal of gentrification. The fear of “replacing the old with the new” in the restaurant industry has been present since the show’s first season – both in The Beef and in the supporting characters. The bearThe case of the restaurant’s improvement for the worse is not so clear-cut. On the one hand, all the employees in the restaurant are employed and have benefited from learning new skills.

On the other hand, the financial problems in season 3 make it pretty clear that the only thing bringing in money is the walk-up window that Ebraheim manages. One of the most joyful moments of season 3 was seeing Ebraheim smile after finally getting help with the window, because viewers know how hard he’s worked to keep up with the changes. It’s not that easy to kick The Beef out of this show for good. Its impact on the lives of the supporting characters is just as important as Carmy’s desire to turn the family business into a high-end experience.

The bear has to take a step back by Carmy

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Just as Carmy was in the freezer at the end of the second season, The bear is stuck in his current storyline. There has been virtually no progress since Season 2, and that’s because Season 3 largely focused on Carmy. This is not to say that Carmy is an uninteresting character. His confrontation with his abusive ex-boss in The bear The season 3 finale was a poignant moment for the show’s commentary on trauma. But season 3 puts so much focus on its damaging flaws that it destroys any potential for moving forward. The bear should not just be a one-man show, but behave like the ensemble series that it is.

The series has found itself stuck in a weird position, but what can push the boat forward is right here in “Napkins.” Fans delight in the emotional origins of each character. The staff was chaotic and loud, but they provided each other with stability when other aspects of their lives couldn’t. That doesn’t mean Carmy has to undo all of his progress to get his restaurant up and running. There’s a way to bring the magic back while still achieving his goals.

The answer lies right in front of Carmy and the authors of The bear: the supporting characters who work in the restaurant not just for a dream, but to pay the bills and have a fixed daily routine. “Napkins” proves that simply being offered a job in a family business can be just as life-changing and entertaining as working in a Michelin-starred restaurant. Perhaps more characters can get the “Napkins” treatment in the future so that this ensemble can finally complete the story.

Season 3 of The Bear is available to stream on Hulu.

The bear

Release date

23 June 2022

Pour

Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott

Seasons

2

Studio

FX on Hulu

Creator

Christopher Storer

Distributor

Disney Platform Distribution

Production company

FX productions

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