The Bear season 2 ending explained: Carmy self-destructs in the finale

The Bear season 2 is all about growth professionally and personally. Each chef and employee at the transformed locale that was once The Beef has opened their hearts to the idea that the restaurant is turning the page. They’re on the precipice of good, but it’s also dangling on the knife’s edge because it’s contingent upon the eatery being successful. Carmy, Syd, and Nat brought Cicero in as a partner, but if they can’t turn a profit in 18 months, he’ll get to recoup his losses by taking the restaurant and selling the lot.

In the season 2 finale, “The Bear,” it’s Friends and Family night at the restaurant. It’s the first time this well-oiled but yet to be challenged team are presenting their new and improved dining experience. While this isn’t the same thing as opening their doors to the public and critics, it’s still stressful because it’s a dress rehearsal. In episode 9, “Omelette,” Carmy refers to it as a dry run designed to help them identify what needs to be ironed out in their service for both front of house and the kitchen. He assuaged concerns by reminding the staff that this is the window to make mistakes and that it’s fine if they do.

Well mistakes were certainly made but none nearly as potentially ruinous as Carmy’s. Here’s what happened.

The Bear season 2 ending explained

In previous episodes, Syd had repeatedly asked Carmy if he called the fridge guy to fix the handle on the unit. It had broken off before and it was a safety hazard. He kept assuring her that he’d get right on that, but he didn’t. Earlier in the season it had been because he was distracted by his relationship with Claire, his girlfriend, but in “Omelette,” he forgot to do it because she’d been calling in just as he was going to call the fridge guy (whose name no one seems able to get right).

Because he’d just promised Syd that she’d have his focus like she deserved in a heart-to-heart about wanting the restaurant to succeed and not wanting to take on this massive feat without the other. However, he was called over by Marcus before he could move forward with getting in touch with the handyman, and he promptly forgot to do the one task that the viewers knew would come back to bite him if he didn’t check it off his list.

Well, right on cue, as things were getting intense in the kitchen in the finale–because they’ve run out of forks, a plate was cooked incorrectly, the orders are pouring in, Carmy stepped off the line to bring Claire her dish himself, plates have gone cold, Carmy thinks he’s seen his old abusive boss when he actually hasn’t, and Marcus and Syd are at odds because he asked her out on a date and she awkwardly rejected him–Carmy gets locked in the fridge and the crew can’t get him out. They could have stopped taking orders considering the situation he was in, but it would have ground Friends and Family night to a halt and resulted in a poor showing.

It was Syd’s decision to keep going. She put Richie in charge of steering the ship on the expo. He’d shadowed Jess when he’d staged in episode 7, “Forks,” and has a knack with people so he was the right choice to keep their machine moving while Syd cooked since they were two chefs down with Carmy in the fridge and Josh outside smoking cocaine. It was wild.

Was Friends and Family Night successful at The Bear?

Despite Carmy not being a part of the action, the restaurant’s crew pulled it off. They communicated with one another effectively and were so “in it” that they were able to tune out, for the most part, Carmy’s increasingly angry and erratic outbursts in the fridge. But, while Tina, Marcus, Richie, Fak, Sweeps, and Natalie were able to revel in their success, Syd was behind the restaurant getting sick.

That’s where her father found her to congratulate her on a wonderful first outing and he told her this is “the thing” which is a euphemism for what she’s chosen to pour her heart into. The pressure of what had just happened clearly got to her, but she was happy that her dad finally got onboard with her dream and saw where it could go.

Why did Donna ask Pete not to tell Nat and Carmy that she’d come to the restaurant?

Nat’s night might have gone sideways had Pete not respected her mother Donna’s request that he not tell her kids that she’d come to The Bear. He’d spotted her outside the window when Nat had gotten up from their table to handle something that had gone wrong. Though he tried to get Donna to come in, she wouldn’t. She was clearly dressed to attend Friends and Family Night, she’d been invited but she couldn’t make herself walk through the door.

Donna explained to Pete that she doesn’t know how to love her children after all that’s occurred in their lives because of her. We saw in episode 6, “Fishes,” that she’s mercurial, bitter, angry, and lashes out. Donna is pure chaos and an alcoholic, you never know what you’re going to get with her. She didn’t want to ruin this night for Nat and Carmy so she asked Pete to tell her that it was okay that she can’t come in and not to speak a word of her attempt to come. She promised to call kids later. He did what she asked, but it resulted in tears in front of his wife that required him to lie to her about why he was crying.

Do Carmy and Claire break up in The Bear season 2?

Pete wasn’t the only person to cry in the finale. Claire, who had been having a good time, went back to see Carmy. She’d inquired if it was okay because she knew he may be busy, but then she was told that he was stuck in the fridge and she rushed back. Carmy, however, didn’t know that Tina had walked away from the fridge door. He’d been opening up to her and was sharing that he didn’t need amusement or enjoyment otherwise known as the definition of fun.

It’s a concept he was speaking about at Al-Anon in episode 3, “Sundae,” as he recognized that he didn’t have a source of fun in his life and then he allowed himself to pursue a relationship with Claire and she became that for him. However, trapped in the fridge and unable to participate in what should have been a triumphant night for him as well, he was reexamining his choice to prioritize both amusement and enjoyment in his life.

Carmy said it was a distraction and that he doesn’t actually need either of those things, implying that he doesn’t need Claire. This was doubly hurtful because when he had ignored her phone call, she’d left him a message in which she told him that he deserves the good that’s happening in his life and that she loves him. Hearing him throw that tenderness and vulnerability away caused her to leave in tears but not before he realized she heard him.

Richie, defensive of Claire, came up to the fridge to confront Carmy about what it was he could have possibly said that made her cry. Agitated and confused, Carmy’s reaction wasn’t great and it got worse when Richie said he was like Donna. From there their argument dissolved into Carmy actively emotionally pushing Richie away saying that he’s obsessed with his family and essentially that he’s a hanger on as Richie just continues to yell that he loves Carmy until he starts hurling insults as well telling him he hopes he freezes to death in the fridge.

Does Carmy get out of the fridge in The Bear season 2 finale?

We don’t actually get to see Carmy exit the fridge, but he is being helped. The team called the handyman who is sawing through the door as Carmy digests the message Claire left that he hadn’t listened to earlier in the day. It’s unclear if he’ll have a relationship with her in potential season 3 or if he’ll have to learn from this by losing their romance.

Speaking of loss, it’s possible that Marcus may have lost his mother or she’s suffered a downturn in health. His phone had fallen out on the floor in the middle of service and he didn’t pick it back up. The audience gets a glimpse at the screen after he opens the package Chef Luca sent him that contained a ‘Every Second Counts’ sign to be hung in The Bear. Marcus had missed multiple calls from the nurse taking care of her.

The Bear season 2 ends like the series has put a bookmark in its unfolding tale for us to return to with bated breath. It’s a pause in the story like we’re staring over the edge of a cliff on the tips of our toes with the threat of the wind at our back ready to shove us into a freefall. It’s an excellent season but it feels very much like we’re in the middle of the story and we can’t wait for more.

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more The Bear news and coverage. Seasons 1-2 of the FX series are available to stream on Hulu.