“Review” is the seventh episode in the first season of the comedy drama series The Bear. It premiered on June 23, 2022, on FX and Hulu.
Synopsis[]
Tensions rise, and the kitchen's having a bad day.
Plot[]
Sufjan Stevens’s Chicago plays while we see chefs travel to The Beef. We also see archival footage of different events. Carmen walks to work as Ebraheim reads a review about the restaurant. Marcus is busy working on his donut. The writer says he would call The Beef elevated or elegant now and the menu is slightly updated. Carmen yells that it is 20 minutes until the service. He tells Ebra to stop reading that because they open in 20 and to-go starts in 20.
Sydney explains that she is covering Tina’s prep since she isn’t here. The writer says that the standout dish was the risotto with braised beef. Sydney tries to get Ebrah to shut up as Carmen tells him to get back to work too. She tells Carmy that she gave a dish to a customer because she didn’t want it to go to waste. She insists she didn’t know who it was. Sydney wants to make sure everything is fine and not weird or anything. Carmy tells her that it is good although the guy is a hack anyway. Tina finally arrives and explains that Louie (Pedro Henrique) got suspended. She asks Carmy if he can teach Louie to work in the kitchen.
Carmy says okay even though they’re starting a new program today. Tina tells Sydney that she has skills so she can teach Louie too. Richie calls the writer a hack as well before he learns about the dish that Sydney has been working on. He is surprised that Sydney accidentally left it on the writer’s table and doesn’t think they can do risotto. Richie asks her if she is blowing someone at the Telegraph, but she thinks that is stupid. Carmen tries to keep everyone on track while Richie goes on and on about the writer complimenting Sydney. Carmy tells them he is going to turn on the to-go orders in 10 minutes. Richie pulls Sydney aside to congratulate her for getting her dish in the paper and the to-go tablet.
He suggests everything is going according to plan although Sydney acts like she doesn’t have a plan. Richie accuses her of pushing out the working man and replacing them with her people. Sydney says she was hired to work here and bring in new business. She admits he doesn’t have to speak to her at all. Carmen interrupts to say he just turned on the to-go tablet. Sydney tells Carmen that she is worried that they’re not on the same page right now. Then, they find out that she left the pre-order option open and they have a bunch of orders now. They have 78 slices of chocolate cake, 99 French fries, 54 chickens, 38 salads, and 255 beef sandwiches due up in eight minutes. Richie says he told her, but Sydney says he didn’t tell her anything.
Carmen tells them to shut up before telling Sydney that they and the dish weren’t ready. He yells for the chefs to grab everything and get it firing on the grill right now. Richie begins working on fries while Neil Fak tries to find a way to be helpful. Sydney gets upset when she finds out that Marcus is still working on his donuts instead of cakes. Carmen gets mean with Sydney and tells her to get out of his expo right now. Sydney runs into Richie while carrying the cakes causing them to crash to the floor. He reminds her that she didn’t say corner and it was her BS that screwed them today instead of his. Tina checks on Sydney and insists screaming isn’t her, but Sydney says maybe it is. She doesn’t know what Louie is supposed to learn in this crap hole of a place.
Carmen yells for someone to get him a sharpie that works while Tina tells him they’re out of Giardiniera. He tells Sydney to prep it. Richie tries to help Sydney who tells him not to do that because they’re her vegetables. He tells her that there is something broken in her. She is being mean and ugly. They begin arguing about who the loser is. Sydney says everyone knows he is a loser and even his poor daughter probably knows it. When she pulls out a knife, she suggests she might stab him. Marcus tells Carmen that he figured out what he was doing wrong. Carmy gets mad at him, knocks the donut to the ground, and yells at him to get back to work.
Richie tells him to chill before walking back into the knife Sydney is holding. He begins calling for Ebra to tend to the wound. Carmy says he probably deserved it. While Ebra tends to the stab wound, he tells Richie about a Civil War. Marcus takes his donuts into the lobby and throws them onto the table before taking off his apron. Carmen screams at Tina to find more chickens. Sydney sits near the lockers and takes off her shoes because she is quitting. She calls Carmen an excellent chef, but a POS, and leaves. Frustrated, Carmy spots the remainder of Marcus' donut on the floor, eats it, and realizes it's delicious. Richie asks if they’re open or not as Carmen knocks the printer off the shelf and walks away.[1]
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Jeremy Allen White as Carmen Berzatto
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard Jerimovich
- Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu
- Lionel Boyce as Marcus
- Liza Colón-Zayas as Tina
Recurring[]
- Matty Matheson as Neil Fak
- Edwin Lee Gibson as Ebraheim
- Corey Hendrix as Gary Woods
- Richard Esteras as Manny
- Jose M. Cervantes as Angel
Trivia[]
- Aside from a few opening shots, this episode is done entirely in one take.
- The episode was not initially intended to be a one-take but was reworked to include one two or three weeks before filming began.
- According to Jeremy Allen White, the long take contains no 'hidden cuts' and was successfully filmed across four or five takes. The production elected not to choose the "most perfect" version of the episode, instead using the take that was considered the most intense and immersive. Across the different takes, the actors played with their portrayals: Ebon Moss-Bachrach played Richie as progressively more resigned, while Ayo Edebiri played Sydney as more furious.
- During the filming of this scene, a pile of relish was accidentally spilled by one of the camera operators, Gary Malouf, and can be seen on the floor in the scene where Carmy crouches to taste the doughnut.
- The title of this episode 'Review' refers to the positive Telegraph review written by the food critic Sabby after receiving Sydney's Risotto in the previous episode, Ceres. The positive review likely prompted an influx of new customers, which contributes to the chaotic events that unfold in this episode.
Gallery[]
