Top 6 The Bear Episodes Ranked: From Kitchen Chaos to Emotional Core. (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Hulu’s hit series The Bear has garnered so many things even before the release of its third season: plenty of award nominations and wins, critical acclaim, a perfect cast, and a binge-watching favourite. One of the most anxiety-inducing series portrayed the culinary world simplistically yet delivered a plot that displays the lasting effects of trauma, family, grief, and the hospitality industry.
The show, which recently released its third season, centres around a young chef, Carmen, played by Jeremy Allen White. After the sudden death of his brother, Carmen returns to Chicago to take over his family’s sandwich shop, which he later turns into a fine-dining restaurant. Alongside White, the show features Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richie, Ayo Edebiri as Sydney, Abby Elliott as Natalie, Lionel Boyce as Marcus, and other actors.
While the dramedy has less than 30 episodes, it has been deemed worthy of a Top 10 list and claimed its own class. The show became popular immediately after its debut in 2022, and with the recent release of another season, here are the top 6 episodes of The Bear that represent the best capture as per IMDb.
6. The Bear Season 2 Episode 7, Forks (IMDb 9.7/10)
The episode focuses on Richie, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who undergoes a significant transformation as he struggles with his role as a father and how he fits in at The Bear. Although he was the most disliked character in the show initially, he is given a challenge in the episode, Forks, which shifts his understanding of Carmen’s vision for turning The Beef into The Bear. The title reflects that Richie’s initial reluctance to take up the mundane task of cleaning forks eventually teaches him the value of attention to detail in running a top-tier restaurant. This episode proves to be a turning point for Richie, and his arc is arguably the best one in the entire show, given he spent the beginning of the season without any purpose.
5. The Bear Season 2 Episode 6, Fishes (IMDb 9.6/10)
This episode centres on a traumatic Christmas dinner five years ago before the show’s events. Fishes starred big names like Jamie Lee-Curtis, Bob Odekirk, John Mullaney, Gillian Jacobs, and more, and was the only episode that showcased the time when Mike was alive. It connected many dots from the previous episodes, including the identity of Richie’s ex, the relationship of Mike, Carmen, and Natalie with their mother, Donna, Carmy’s anxiety due to toxic family life, and more. This episode focused on Donna’s toxic behaviour with her family and how it deeply affected them, especially Carmy.
4. The Bear Season 1 Episode 7, Review (IMDb 9.5/10)
The Bear comprehensively displays the high-pressure working environment and how each character deals with it. Carmy’s handling of stressful situations is put to the ultimate test in this episode. When Sydney accidentally mishandles the new to-go system, Carmy struggles to get orders out on time while managing an increasingly chaotic staff, resulting in a gruelling, intense eighteen-minute scene shot in one continuous take, capturing the frenetic energy of the kitchen. In Review, each character is pushed to their breaking point. Because of this episode, The Bear shines in its portrayal of the high-pressure environment of a restaurant kitchen.
3. The Bear Season 2 Episode 10, The Bear (IMDb 9.4 /10)
One of the amazing closures till now, the finale of The Bear season 2 displays the opening night of The Bear and Carmy getting stuck in the walk-in fridge. While everyone is focused on churning orders as quickly as possible, Carmy is frustratingly furious and accidentally confesses his second thoughts about Claire, who’s listening to everything on the other side. On the other hand, Natalie invites her mother, and they run out of forks. Sydney and Marcus are butt-headed, but everything is a resounding success except Carmy, who is at his lowest in the entire season.
2. The Bear Season 1 Episode 8, Braciole (IMDb 9.2/10)
In the finale of the first season of The Bear, Carmy experiences three separate breakdowns, and his mental state is at its worst. This episode showcased Carmy opening up about his relationship with his brother at the Al-Anon meeting, which ran for 7 minutes. The important event of the entire episode is when Richie gives Carmy a letter from Mike containing a spaghetti recipe and a short message. When Carmy prepares the sauce, he finds a bag of money inside a tomato sauce can, leading everyone to stop working and open all the cans to find more cash. This unexpected event ends with Carmy putting a notice on the shop door that reads, “The Bear is coming.” On the other hand, Carmy apologises to Marcus and Sydney for his terrible behaviour, and the season ends with depicting what the show is all about.
1. The Bear Season 2 Episode 4, Honeydew (IMDb 8.8/10)
Marcus is among the funniest characters who finally get the attention his character needs to shine in the show. In the episode Honeydew, Marcus is tasked to make three unique desserts, for which he travels to Copenhagen to train with Chef Luca, a patient teacher who helps Marcus with the pastry-making details. While working with the brilliant chef, Marcus enjoys his experience, while on the other side, he develops feelings for Sydney. But the most interesting scene of the entire episode was when Marcus heard someone scream for help. A local biker who is stuck underneath a collapsed fence asks for Marcus’ help, but they’re unable to communicate verbally due to the stranger being a Danish person. As Marcus helps him, the local guy hugs him, demonstrating that Marcus is in the right place at the right time.
