Not every episode of The Bear can be packed with consequence. Some just have to move the story along. That’s the case with “Violet,†which follows Syd, Carmy, Richie, Nat, and the Faks as they move through their restaurant-adjacent lives. Syd gets a too-small apartment that her dad hates. Carm is up at 5:32 a.m. thinking about a horrible story Claire told him about a girl that got all cut up on the Fourth of July, which she told while also getting peppered with kisses. Richie — who calls his daughter “Jabka,†or “apple†in Polish — hangs out with Frank, the super cool (slightly awkward) rich guy who’s marrying his ex, Tiffany (Gillian Jacobs). Marcus is finding inspiration on the way to work, creating something purple inspired by a little white flower he found on a fence. And Natalie is worried about becoming a mom.
Sydney also seems to be trying to talk herself out of any sort of success at the Bear? She hasn’t even opened Carmy and Natalie’s Docusign yet. When she runs into Adam Shapiro from Ever outside the Brown and Purple lines, she’s horrified when she finds out he snuck into the restaurant to eat a few weeks earlier. Despite Richie and Carm fighting in the kitchen, Adam says that the food was phenomenal and singles out the scallop dish. It’s a bit of foreshadowing for the end of the episode when we find out that the Chicago Tribune’s critics have already been in — more than once because that’s how those diners work! — and the crew had no idea. I think they’ll be fine because they’re putting out excellent work even if it’s not Noma serene in there, but I guess we’ll find out.
All of this is to say that the Faks blew it on the mugshot book of restaurant reviewers. More could still be coming, but getting that wall up two months into service was too late, especially since they were already creating buzz. You can only hope he went to the front of the restaurant to eat and the back window because Ebra’s whole station looks disgusting, and that’s before Christopher smokes literally through the window.
Even Richie’s nervous about showing people the restaurant, as we learn earlier in the episode when he rebuffs Frank, played by — surprise! — Josh Hartnett. While Evie, Tiffany and Richie’s daughter, doesn’t seem quite sure what to make of Frank, he does seem good for the family as a whole, even as he awkwardly apologizes to Richie for not asking him before popping the question. (Also, Richie and Evie’s relationship feels very, very real, and I am hyper-impressed. The actress who plays Evie has been on the show before, but still, that’s some actual daddy-daughter shit.)
Tiffany’s worried Richie is lonely, and for good reason. I’d say he should be out dating or at least meeting women at The Bear’s bar, but if he’s just now taking off his wedding ring, maybe he hasn’t been able to move on. I’d love to see Richie find love, as long as he doesn’t tank it like Carmy. I don’t know if my heart could take that! Do we think Richie will end up attending Tiffy and Frank’s wedding? It seems like it would be a total gut punch, though Frank seems into the idea. Donna is going, so that’ll be something.
Speaking of relationships, Carmy and Syd aren’t doing super well, and not just because she hasn’t gotten around to going through the Docusign. Carmy keeps making changes without consulting Sydney or Natalie, despite being “partners,†and he tries to improve her dishes without asking her. They’re bickering like a married couple, and though they eventually come together over cuts sustained during the creation of grapefruit supremes, it still feels a little thin.
Back in the office, Nat is researching Michelin stars, which Richie says he can’t give “a flying fuck into a rolling donut†about. He says Firestone would be a better choice for Chicago winters, and food is either good or not. I get the sense that he’d always rather have a beloved neighborhood Chicago spot than some international culinary destination, but also, he’s going to do whatever his family wants. I don’t know if that’s because he’s just a rock in the middle of an island of swept sand (shout-out William Friedkin!) or what, but it seems like, at the very least, he’s coming to accept the harmony of the universe rather than fighting tooth and nail against it.
Small BitesÂ
• Carmy tells Claire that he got the mark on his hand from a really hot pot, which he touched because he wasn’t paying attention. I’m pretty sure that’s not the whole story, but we’ll see.
• Speaking of, wasn’t Carm in a support group? What happened to that?
• What are these farmers markets Tina is shopping at? One is inside? Does the other appear to be the one in the loop? Get yourself to Lincoln Park or Logan Square, Tina! What grows together goes together, even if fewer and fewer people are growing things. Or, shit, maybe the Bear should get a garden plot. For some reason, I think Marcus would thrive in that environment.
• I agree with Richie that it would be fun to be a fox, though I’d probably opt to be a skunk or a leopard or something if I had to choose from all the animals in the world. Maybe an elephant? Definitely not a Mer-Horse, though. Please.
• Natalie’s worried about becoming a mom because she doesn’t know how to keep all the crazy whirling around inside her head from getting to her daughter. That’s the eternal question, isn’t it, parents? And if you ask me, as long as we’re leaving our kids slightly less fucked up than we are, then that’s really all we can hope for.
Correction: An earlier version of this recap read Nomi instead of Noma. It’s been corrected.