The Bear Season 2 Ending Explained (2024)

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for The Bear season 2.

The Bear had its grand opening in the season 2 finale with some incredible highs and terrible lows for Carmy and his team. The Bear season 2 follows the rocky road from turning The Original Beef of Chicagoland into the higher-end restaurant The Bear, ending with a "friends and family" soft opening. Tackling issues like permits, rising food costs, falling walls, mold, and a faulty fire suppression system, it's amazing that The Bear even opens within its hugely ambitious timetable.

The restaurant opening should have been Carmy's finest hour, but he buckles under the pressure of being Head Chef of his own restaurant in The Bear. As his personal and professional commitments threaten to overwhelm him, the excitement of opening night soon turns into a nightmare. Coupled with his complex relationship with coworkers like Sydney and Richie, the pressure of the situation predictably meant things didn’t go according to plan for The Bear's crew. The season 2 finale is as frenetic as it is farcical, leaving burning questions for The Bear season 3 to answer.

Why Carmy Missed The Restaurant's Grand Opening

What Went Wrong In The Bear Season 2's Ending

Given the stakes involved, it's hardly surprising that Carmy cracks under the pressure in The Bear season 2 finale. His crisis is personified by a hallucination of his abusive former Chef de Cuisine (Joel McHale), whom he believes is sitting among the invited guests. As the diners arrive and the orders start backing up, he flies off the handle at Sydney. She successfully calms Carmy down, and they get on with the service until he walks into the chiller and gets locked inside. Trapped inside, he begins spiraling, believing he's not good or dedicated enough to succeed.

Despite Tina assuring him that everything went well, he can't accept it, becoming fixated on his failures. It's a deeply unhealthy mindset that proves Carmy’s loss of his brother Mikey isn't the main source of his poor mental health in The Bear. Instead, his determination to be the best and his PTSD from working under his abusive Chef de Cuisine have made him unable to strike a work-life balance and maintain a healthy relationship. In the season 2 finale, The Bear's walk-in chiller becomes a metaphor for Carmy's negligence and inability to let others in.

The repeated focus on the faulty fridge throughout The Bear season 2 makes it clear that it will become a major problem. Carmy pays the ultimate penalty because he refused to let Sydney or Natalie call the "fridge guy" on his behalf. The Bear is a very personal dream for Carmy. Unfortunately, that dream is so all-consuming that it literally imprisons him at his moment of triumph. It's a powerful image that makes the haunting shot of Carmy being cut loose, like the bear in the cage at the start of The Bear, all the more meaningful.

What's Next For Carmy & Claire In The Bear - Are They Broken Up?

Carmy & Claire Ended The Bear Season 2 On A Bad Note

As Carmy felt his dreams imploding around him from inside the walk-in fridge, his relationship followed suit. His spiraling led him into a deep hole that seemed as impossible to escape as the fridge when Carmy accidentally shared his true feelings about his and Claire’s relationship to Claire. Fak told Claire about Carmy’s situation in The Bear season 2 finale, hoping she could help calm him down, but it did the exact opposite. Not knowing she was there, Carmy called their relationship a “complete waste of time.”

Carmy mistakenly identified his previous lack of the "distractions" of a relationship as the key to his success and unfairly took his perceived failure out on Claire. After overhearing this, Claire told him she was sorry he felt that way and walked away, leaving Carmy alone in the fridge, desperately calling her name. After his fight with Richie, Carmy played a voicemail from Claire that showed how supportive she was and how much she loved him. He then immediately deleted it and broke down.

Though Carmy pushed people away and wouldn’t listen to them while trapped in the fridge, he wanted and needed somebody to truly hear and understand him. Claire could have been that person, but he also felt like he didn’t deserve to be in a healthy relationship. Carmy clearly has feelings for Claire, he just doesn’t know how to handle them. There’s still hope for Carmy and Claire in The Bear season 3, but their relationship will never work as long as Carmy views it as incompatible with his success.

Why Sydney Was Throwing Up In The Bear Season 2 Finale

Sydney Being Sick In The Bear Season 2 Finale Was A Metaphor

Throughout The Bear season 2, Sydney has put everything into The Bear restaurant, to the concern of her dad and some previous restaurant colleagues. In the finale, Sydney proves it was all worth it, as she's forced to step up in Carmy's absence. However, the impact of months of pressure and stress becomes graphically evidence when she throws up following service. On one level, Sydney throwing up is just a physical response to the demands of opening night.

Metaphorically, however, the moment in The Bear season 2 finale also symbolizes Sydney purging herself of the toxicity and self-doubt that sometimes held her back. Sydney's reaction could indicate her ridding herself of uncertainty and finally feeling comfortable accepting who she is and wants to be. When Sydney meets her dad after the soft opening, he tells Sydney that, despite his worries about her previous projects and how much time she put into The Bear, the restaurant is "the thing." It's a touching moment that validates Sydney's sacrifices and proves that her dad only ever wanted the best for her.

Why Carmy & Natalie's Mom Really Leaves The Bear's Grand Opening Explained

Donna Never Went Inside The Restaurant

Jamie Lee Curtis gave an incredibly raw performance as Carmy and Natalie's mom, Donna, in The Bear Christmas flashback episode "Seven Fishes." She returns for The Bear season 2 finale when Natalie invites her to the friends and family night. However, she remains outside the restaurant throughout, her anxieties holding her back.

When Natalie's husband Pete sees her, he tries to get Donna inside, but she refuses. Donna believes that she doesn't deserve to enjoy her kids' success, as she feels like they’re excelling in spite of her rather than because of her. It's a heartbreaking moment that speaks volumes about the self-doubt that defines not just Donna, but the whole of the Berzatto family.

Does Marcus' Mom Die In The Bear's Season 2 Finale?

Marcus' Mom Was Terminally Ill

When The Bear season 2 sent Marcus to Copenhagen, he had anxiety-filled dreams that his terminally ill mother would die while he was abroad without him there to say goodbye. In The Bear season 2 finale, it appears his heartbreaking dream becomes a reality. Having completed a successful service, reconciled with Sydney, and fired Josh for smoking crack on shift, Marcus has missed several calls and an ominous text from his mom's nurse. This heavily implies that Marcus' mom died during The Bear’s grand opening.

Richie's Purpose In The Bear Season 2 Explained

Richie Experiences Major Character Development In The Bear Season 2

The character who goes on the biggest journey in The Bear season 2 is Richie, who begins the season questioning his purpose in the new restaurant before finding it in the world of hospitality. Though Richie is initially reluctant to stage at a Michelin-star restaurant run by The Bear season 2 guest star Olivia Colman, still clinging to the ways of The Original Beef, he eventually embraces his new role. He's great with people and easily moves around the restaurant, chatting with guests and ensuring they have an unforgettable experience.

He runs the kitchen pass for Sydney to ensure a smooth service and movingly gains the approval of Uncle Jimmy by serving him a surprise dessert - the chocolate-coated banana that he used to love as a kid. Richie’s journey is another example of a character in The Bear accepting and understanding who they are, working through trauma to get there. Richie’s journey was surprising, but it was fitting and helped himself and viewers discover a new side of his character.

What The Bear's Cast & Creator Have Said About Season 2's Ending

With so many individual character journeys coming to a head in The Bear's season 2 finale and so many plates literally and metaphorically spinning, interestingly, some of the most poignant moments were relatively late additions. For example, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Molly Gordon (Claire) revealed how her character's heartbreaking voicemail confessing her love for Carmy wasn't even in the original script. This proves that however intricately plotted the show may be, there are always unforeseen elements that can help enhance the drama.

Some cast members noted that while many characters end The Bear season 2 in triumph, the finale is a negative turning point for others. In a Deadline interview, Jeremy Allen White (Carmy) said he felt Carmy's argument with Richie was much more significant than their previous flare-ups, calling it "the beginning of the end." This echoes the sentiment of creator Christopher Storer, who previously explained to Esquire how Carmy “wants to save this place, but maybe he also wants to wreck it.” This tension and dichotomy is expertly conveyed in the season 2 finale.

The Real Meaning Of The Bear Season 2's Ending

The Bear season 1 was about grief, as the Berzatto family and the staff at The Beef struggled to cope with Mikey’s death. However, The Bear season 2 confirms Carmy's grief wasn’t the sole reason for Carmy’s mental health crisis. As Richie reminds Carmy in the finale, he wasn't there to bury his brother, and the Christmas flashback also reveals that he was never keen to come home. Carmy can't bear to be taken away from his passion - running a restaurant. This problem affects many creatives, including the real-life professionals who inspired The Bear.

By re-introducing Claire into Carmy's life, The Bear reveals that it's not just his combustible family that he's avoiding through his career, it's a lasting romantic partnership too. The real tragedy of The Bear's season 2 finale is that everyone’s lives except Carmy’s were improved by his vision. Tina is now a sous chef, Sydney has finally achieved her dream of running a restaurant, Marcus is developing his passion for pastry, and Richie has grown immensely. Meanwhile, Carmy is obsessively pursuing perfection, with the voice of his abusive former employer still echoing in his ear.

How The Bear Season 2's Ending Sets Up Season 3

The Bear Season 3 Will Be Available For Streaming On June 27

After the success of The Bear season 1, season 3 always felt like a foregone conclusion. This has proven to be the case, with The Bear season 3 confirmed in November 2023, paving the way for several season 2 storylines to be resolved. The death of Marcus' mom at such a high point in his career will be devastating, but it may bring him closer to Sydney, who lost her mom at a young age. Yet, there's a strange energy between Sydney and Carmy that may explain why she turned down Marcus when he asked her out.

However, it's Carmy's breakdown in the chiller that really sets up the story of The Bear season 3. Carmy can only make The Bear successful by allowing himself time to experience other aspects of life. It's the advice that Will Poulter's pastry chef gave Marcus - being a great chef requires life experience "out there." To do this, Carmy must first reconcile the trauma of his previous restaurant jobs. Hopefully, The Bear season 3 will explore Carmy's attempts to heal himself by experiencing life outside the kitchen, leaving his beloved restaurant in the very capable hands of his team.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Esquire

The Bear

Comedy

Drama

Release Date

June 23, 2022

Cast

Jeremy Allen White , Ebon Moss-Bachrach , Ayo Edebiri , Lionel Boyce , Liza Colón-Zayas , Abby Elliott , Oliver Platt

Seasons

2

Showrunner

Christopher Storer