Warning: This story contains spoilers about the plot of The Bear season 2.
The Bear surprised its viewers and cast alike by raising the emotional stakes — and leaving the future of the restaurant in question — during the show’s highly anticipated return.
The comedy-drama, which debuted its entire second season on Thursday, June 22, followed Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and other employees at The Beef as they attempted to open up their new restaurant within three weeks. However, the project took a turn as everyone in the kitchen found themselves juggling unexpected obstacles.
While the team was initially able to rise to the occasion, the first dinner at The Bear for family and friends came with even more challenges. Delivering exceptional service wasn’t the only worry on the staff’s mind, as things quickly began to unravel behind the scenes.
Carmy, who was concerned that he couldn’t balance work and a new relationship with Claire (Molly Gordon), got locked in the walk-in fridge. The mishap caused him to take out his anxiety on those around him, including Claire and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). Sydney, meanwhile, was able to successfully lead her first dinner service as chef — but the stress became too much for her.
Marcus (Lionel Boyce), for his part, found his stride in the kitchen but would soon find out that his mother’s health took a turn for the worst during his big night. Carmy’s sister, Natalie (Abby Elliott), ultimately realized that working at The Bear was her calling — while his husband, Pete (Chris Witaske), conveniently kept her in the dark about her mom bailing on the siblings’ big night.
Before season 2 aired on Hulu, the cast opened up about the challenges that the characters would face. White hinted that Carmy’s personal life would be a central focus — especially his partnership with Sydney as they work together outside of the kitchen.
“You’ve still got this tension, with Carmy and Sydney, and this power balance that they’re still gonna be struggling with. Yes, he apologized, kind of. Yes, she sort of accepted it. Yes, they both have a shared passion for this thing,” he told Collider in July 2022. “But there’s certainly a lot for them to sort out with one another still left.”
Edebiri, for her part, pointed out earlier this year that Carmy and Sydney would need to focus on their professional relationship before acting on any potential romantic connection.
“They got a lot of trauma on both sides. Like, if even that [was explored] — I don’t think that window is open,” the Abbott Elementary star exclusively told Us Weekly in January. “But if it were, there would need to be, like, two seasons where it’s just them doing therapy individually before that would even be an option.”
Edebiri clarified that she and White didn’t initially plan to explore their characters as a couple. “I think when we were making it, neither of us were thinking about that,” she added at the time. “It did feel really nice to get to do something that felt different. There aren’t that many platonic male [and] female relationships.”
Creator Christopher Storer also weighed in on the show’s decision to zero in on the coworkers. “We wanted to make something that was about friendship and a partnership,” he told Variety in January. “It really is so funny that that is one of the things that people took away — of all the heavy s—t that’s going on in the show! It was interesting because Ayo and Jeremy, since they are our friends and are such wonderful people, I think there is this charisma that comes off both of them.”
He added: “From the beginning, it was like, ‘We should just show people being really good at their jobs and pushing each other.’ Selfishly, I hadn’t seen a show without a romantic plot and was like, ‘That could be kind of cool and interesting.’”
Scroll down to find out what questions still need to be answered after the season 2 finale of The Bear: