‘The Bear’ is a black comedy series following Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a diner who was forced to return home to take over his family restaurant after the tragic death of his brother. As Carmy faces the death of his brother, he must find a way to turn things around in the restaurant and in life.
In this program, he learns the difficulty of running a small business but is strengthened by the relationships he builds with his naughty employees. However, Carmy’s biggest challenge remains healthy while keeping the business running.
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The Bear Season 1: Recap
‘The Bear’ sees Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto return to his home in Chicago after his brother Michael “Mikey” Berzatto died by suicide. Disappointed by Michael’s death, Carmy hides his feelings and focuses on running their family’s restaurant, Chicagoland’s First Beef, which their father started.
However, Carmy is struggling to raise funds for the site as the business hangs on. Carmy finds it challenging to organize a restaurant according to his high standards and fails to gain the confidence of his staff in the first place. He hires Sidney, a bright and talented chef who quickly proves he brings a great deal to the restaurant.
Carmy’s cousin, Richie, who works at a restaurant, opposes Carmy’s new ideas and insists on sticking to their real ways. Carmy, on the other hand, strives to be consistent. The struggling restaurant reached a new low point after the health inspector awarded the store C points.
However, Carmy is determined to change things. Soon, Carmy’s dedication to his craft and restaurant appeal to other chefs. Marcus begins to explore his love of baking and tries new desserts. Sidney is fully employed and takes on great responsibilities in the kitchen. Tina, Ibra, and Gary are fully committed to their careers.
Carmy also tries to reconnect with various family members, such as his Uncle Jimmy, who had loaned Mike $ 300,000, and his sister, Sugar, who is mentally disturbed by Carmy. With Sugar’s insistence, Carmy attends Al-Anon meetings to recover from his previous trauma.
Nevertheless, Carmy continues to struggle with anxiety. Things are finally starting to look bright in the restaurant, and Carmy’s organization and transformation are benefiting the business. However, after one bad day in the kitchen, Carmy realizes that the restaurant is still hanging on. So, Carmy is forced to face the possibility of closing the restaurant.
The Bear Season 1 Ending, Explained: What Happened At The End?
At the end of the season, Carmy deals with his complex feelings about Michael’s passing. Carmy admits that he cries when he is unable to say goodbye to his brother. At the restaurant, all the other staff members faced the absence of Sidney and Marcus, who left after an argument with Carmy. Carmy is trying to figure out what the KBL is and why Michael was sending him a monthly sum of money.
After Carmy nearly burns down the kitchen during his panic attack, Richie hands him a letter left by Michael. In the book, Michael expresses his love for Carmy with their family spaghetti recipe written on the back. So, Carmy puts the spaghetti back on the menu and puts fresh cans of tomatoes in the refrigerator. Carmy, however, is surprised to learn that the can contains a well-hidden coin inside it.
Immediately, the staff opened all the cans and retrieved the money Michael had kept for Carmy. Marcus and Sidney also returned to the restaurant and resumed their activities. With his dedicated staff behind him and the money left by Michael, Carmy has a bold vision. He closes Original Beef in Chicagoland, a restaurant for his family that he and his brother struggled to keep afloat. However, Carmy’s last message to restaurant buyers marks the forthcoming arrival of “The Bear.”
The verdict states that Michael had hidden the money he had borrowed from Jimmy through the KBL to rebuild the place. As Carmy observes, the brothers often talked about their desire to start their own restaurant. It was also noted that the original restaurant created a toxic family atmosphere for the siblings and led their parents into addiction. Thus, it symbolizes the existing suffering of the brothers.
Michael probably left money for Carmy to create something special in the area and fulfill their dream. In the end, Carmy did just that by closing the restaurant so that it can do bigger and better things without having to worry about Chicagoland’s Original Beef forgetting its roots.
Spaghetti is one of the most popular dishes on Chicagoland’s Original Beef menu. However, after Carmy takes over the restaurant, he removes the meal from the menu, saying that it does not fit the menu and takes too long to prepare. Richie tries to express the feelings behind the bowl, but the busy Carmy ignores his words. However, after finding the recipe is among Michael’s last words to her, Carmy returns the meal to the menu, thus making peace with his brother’s death and continuing to live.
In the last scene, the restaurant staff has their own traditional “family time” meal, probably for the last time inside Chicagoland’s Original Beef. Turbulence in the kitchen, poison, and swearing are set aside as employees share food in a fun and comfortable environment. The party indulges in spaghetti while Carmy thinks Michael is watching with pride in the distance.
Carmy finally realizes that spaghetti means the simple pleasures of feeding people, the joys of sharing food, and nurturing each other’s spirits. So, Carmy’s journey comes full circle as he finally begins to understand the deeper and emotional meaning behind managing the restaurant.
