“Napkins” is the sixth episode in the third season of the comedy drama series The Bear. It premiered on June 26, 2024, on FX and Hulu.
Synopsis[]
Tina looks for a new opportunity.
Plot[]
Tina wakes up in the morning and gets ready for her day. She talks to her husband about the rent increase, with him assuring her that it's going to be okay. She doesn't want to lose their home because Louie will have to make new friends, worrying that his bad track record will get in the way. He promises to tell her when to panic.
Tina arrives at her job and chats with two of her co-workers. She is pulled into an office where she's fired from her job as a steward. She heads home and avoids telling David about her firing until they're in bed that night. He holds her as she cries.
In the coming days, Tina begins crafting her resume while being a parent to Louie. She goes in-person to places and soon learns how different things are. David takes an extra job helping a family move, while she continues to struggle to find a job. As the weeks pass, she begins to feel worthless in her role at home. She's frustrated about her lack of work. She begins calling around, but no one is hiring. Through everything, she still puts dinner in the crockpot in the morning. The interview she does land they require a BA which she doesn't have. She did the exact same job for fifteen years, but it doesn't matter. Once home she gets an invitation for an interview.
She talks to David about their situation and he worries that he failed her, but she insists he didn't. Things are hard right now but she knows it will be okay. He wishes her luck on the interview. When she gets to the job, she learns from a distracted and uncaring receptionist that the company already hired someone. She lets out her frustration with an expletive and then leaves.
She cries while walking to the bus stop, only to see it's been delayed. Across the street, is a The Original Beef of Chicagoland. She enters and Richie is working behind the counter for a slammed restaurant. She orders a black coffee and gets it on Richie, then when a customer doesn't pick up his order, she gets a free sandwich. She questions Richie about the type of sandwich and they meet one another officially. They're laughing and having fun behind the counter. She heads into the dining area where Fak is playing video games while Mikey is wiping tables. Richie yells at Fak to get back to work. Tina begins to sob at the table while the guys wrestle over the game. Mikey notices and talks to Richie, learning about the free sandwich. Richie tells him to make the woman stop crying because it will scare the customers. Mikey awkwardly approaches her with a bunch of napkins, asking if the sandwich is that bad. She assures him it's fine and that she's fine. He saw her earlier and it looked like she was crying. After some banter, she admits to having been crying as it's been a bad day. He's having an averagely shitty day. She understands that as it means they're human. He takes a seat and tells her about his problems, including the exploding toilet. The delivery guy changed their terms which sucks because they have to talk about a payment plan. In a macro level, he doesn't have enough employees so the general vibe just sucks which makes him sad. When it's her turn, she tells him about the rent increase, her husband wanting a promotion that won't come, losing her job, and completely unable to find work. Neither one of them feels better after the conversation. He shows her a picture of a platter his baby brother made. His brother always knew what he wanted to do and is good at it. Mikey's father created the business and then ran it into the ground before splitting. Mikey likes the people, but not so much the work. Despite all of that, he does think all the special moments in life are around food. She asks if he has a dream job, and they bond over not being stellar at one singular thing. He knew he would skipped on the dream shit from a young age because he had people to take care of. She worked at her company for 15 years at her other company, and now, it's all kids hiring her. She sees the hunger in their eyes and wonders if she lost that in herself at some point. She could get angry at them for being young, but she's really just jealous. She doesn't need to be impassioned or make magic, she just wants to feed her kid while having a routine. He needs a new line cook and offers her the job. Richie begins shouting from the other room, so Mikey has to leave, but they are both excited for the opportunity. She sits down and takes a bite of her sandwich, smiling as she does.
Once home, Tina tells David that things went great and takes out her new work shirt.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Jeremy Allen White as Carmen Berzatto (Credit Only)
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard Jerimovich
- Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu (Credit Only)
- Lionel Boyce as Marcus (Credit Only)
- Abby Elliott as Natalie Berzatto (Credit Only)
- Matty Matheson as Neil Fak
- Liza Colón-Zayas as Tina
Guest Starring[]
- David Zayas as David Marrero
- Edwin Lee Gibson as Ebraheim
- Jon Bernthal as Michael Berzatto
Co-Starring[]
- Christopher Zucchero as Chi-Chi
- Paulie James as Chuckie
- Jazmin Corona as Alma
- Miguel Lepe Jr. as Shift Manager
- Ben Kass as Hatchet Man
- Sophie Ackerman as Store Clerk
- Calvin Evans as MLM Pitch Man
- Ayssette Muñoz as HR Manager
- Collin Quinn Rice as Clothing Store Manager
- Laura Nelson as Realty Office Manager
- Eddie Heffernan as Young Man
- Otis Fine as Co-Worker
Trivia[]
- This episode marks Ayo Edebiri's directorial debut. She has portrayed Sydney Adamu for three seasons.
Gallery[]