It’s time for my recap of The Bear S1:E04 Dogs, check it out after the break!
We open watching a commercial bakery do its thing, row upon row of doughnuts are pulled out of bubbling oil and dipped into smooth chocolate or sandy cinnamon sugar. Someone stands outside the bakery window watching tray upon tray of deliciousness be placed into the window. It’s our pâtissier Marcus (Lionel Boyce) from The Original Beef of Chicagoland and he is EXCITED. He wants to bake, not just make sandwich buns!
I said this in the podcast; it’s so weird to make this as an off the cuff decision and that owner Carmen ‘Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) is all ehhh about this when he literally removed one of their most popular menu items (spaghetti) because it didn’t make sense to everything else. Explain to me, like I’m five, how desserts make more sense than in-house breads in a sandwich shop.
Back at the Beef, Carmy is trying to pack up for a little kid’s birthday party his late brother was indebted for but his ‘cousin’ Richie Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is too busy wrestling with an inflatable hot dog (not a euphemism) and complaining about his system being thwarted. Richie’s frustrated – he can’t get back to his cohorts or associates in a timely fashion.
They end up literally fist fighting around the giant inflatable hot dog (which I’m starting to think IS a euphemism) because too much testosteroni is a real thing, folks.
Marcus has baked a three layer chocolate cake. Sous chef Sydney Adamo (Ayo Edibiri) thinks it’s ‘wow great’ not just ‘wow good.”
Our garde manger Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas)‘s attitude? Not good or great. She does not seem able to take direction from Sydney, who was born sometime after Tina started working in this kitchen.
We’re off to Uncle Jimmy’s (Oliver Platt) to cater the party, Carmy’s brother Michael died 300K USD in debt so Carmy’s trying to play nice and dig them out of this hole. Richie swears he’s gonna help by keeping quiet and not bringing up anything.
**Cut to one second later**
Something about Richie not answering his phone and ending with…”and we don’t know if that’s why she fell down the stairs anyway.”
Carmy’s working on prep, interrupted by a very old man who calls him by name but is confused: didn’t he kill himself? No, that was Michael, Carmy’s brother. Thanks for that, Mr. Zursky (Jack Callaghan)!
Richie continues working himself into a lather, stopping to take a couple of Xanax while Carmy looks for ketchup since Richie didn’t bring any.
I agree with Richie about putting ketchup on hot dogs; it’s just arseholes.
Marcus and chef de partie Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) discuss doughnuts and I could not love this more: one bite of a doughnut brings much joy, two bites brings sadness. He wants to do a classic doughnut for The Beef, Sydney’s not sure but she supports his vision.
Marcus has his roommate Chester (Carmen Christopher) stop by with a book of swatches, he’s a designer. Chester is super awkward, even making Sydney look smooth and I already love him.
Sydney continues her workstation checks, dishwashers Angel (Jose M. Cervantes) and Manny (Richard Esteras) are all good, handyman Neil Fak (Matty Matheson) cannot get Family Style because you do not work there, Neil!
**Family Style is when the staff gets to eat.
Ebraheim is our quiet giant-like childlike philosopher, he thanks Sydney for giving Marcus confidence while Tina rolls her eyes.
Neil and Marcus test doughnut texture by crushing doughnuts in their hands. The HUMANITY.
Carmy gets mobbed inside the party where more old men want to say horrible things to him, but a surprising ally manifests in the shape of Carmy’s brother-in-law Pete (Chris Witaske) who tells everyone that Carmy was the chef at the best restaurant in the world. The WORLD.
Thanks, Pete!
You know who’s not happy to see Pete and his narc face? Richie and Uncle Jimmy. They bond over hating how Pete looks like he’s going to call the cops on them at any time.
I 100% have a narc face and I probably would call the cops on at least Richie.
It’s about 60 seconds before Uncle Jimmy and Richie start yelling at each other again, Richie insisting he didn’t answer the phone when The Woman called about a leaky sink because his phone didn’t ring. Uncle Jimmy brings out his phone and reads out the text that calls Richie out specifically, she kept calling…Michael’s number. Nobody knows what to say.
Pete comes up as Uncle Jimmy and Richie are making Carmy almost cry with laughter, Pete really isn’t part of the gang. He’s Ned Flanders to their Sopranos wannabes.
Oh shit.
Oh SHIT.
Richie’s Xanax is in the birthday punch, gotta be, all the kids are lying around sleeping. And Pete just drank some!
I know Pete’s a narc and maybe doesn’t know his way around a dirty joke but he’s literally the only person being decent to Carmy. It’s too bad he’s super doped up on Xanax now and I hope those kids are going to be okay. There was maybe 8 or 9 pills in that bottle?
Carmy finds the bottle in the cooler, bracing himself for Uncle Jimmy’s reaction.
Carmy should keep up the good work!
Tina is having a rough day, she burns the dish she told Sydney she knew how to make and when she returns, Sydney’s got another one started. Sydney doesn’t have time to f*^% around.
Maybe some respect earned there.
Carmy and Uncle Jimmy talk about Carm’s dad. We’re going to assume he’s dead because Carmy doesn’t know him and Uncle Jimmy stopped talking to him 20 years before. He flitted from thing to thing, with the restaurant being the last one, first taken care of by Carmy’s mom, then Michael, now Carmy.
Uncle Jimmy tells of a dream but I don’t know what it means yet so I’ll think about it for a bit.
Tina isn’t just angry at Sydney because she’s young and her boss, this is all based on a deep well of insecurity probably exacerbated by all this sudden and ongoing change. She finally presents her potatoes to Sydney with a sneer, waiting and asking for derision and is confused at first to receive praise instead.
She smiled walking back to her workstation and I’m not crying, you’re crying!!
Pete has passed out at the party, Uncle Jimmy and Richie sort of make up and their take home prize is Pete. He comes to just long enough to thank them for letting him be part of the family and it’s a good thing I wasn’t crying just then.
Marcus makes another gorgeous chocolate cake for Family Style, which is enjoyed by Neil and Tina, who seems to have found her peace. We’re out.
Until next time, everyone. Cheers!
