The Bear, created by Christopher Storer, is known for beingone of the most anxiety-inducing shows on television right now. The Emmy-winning series follows Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) as he takes his late brother’s restaurant, The Beef, and transforms it into a fine dining restaurant called The Bear. The series also starsAyo Edebirias Sydney Adamu,Ebon Moss-Bachrachas Richie ‘Cousin’ Jerimovich,Lionel Boyceas Marcus,Liza Colón-Zayasas Tina Marrero, Abby Elliott as Natalie ‘Sugar’ Berzatto,Matty Mathesonas Fak,Edwin Lee Gibsonas Ebraheim, andCorey Hendrixas Gary ‘Sweeps’ Woods. It is a window into the cutthroat world of the restaurant industry, from the front of the house to the kitchen. The rapid-fire dialogue paired with close-up shots, flickering visuals, and long shots by cinematographerAndrew Wehdeperfectly sets up the sense of uneasiness throughout the show.
The Bearhas recently gotten renewed for Season 4, and the release of Season 3 pushes the experimental nature of the series even furtherdue to its cinematic approach to storytelling, which isn’t something seen on television too often. There are moments withinThe Bearin Seasons 1 and 2 that are the most anxiety-inducing. In these scenes, the tension between characters escalates significantly, leading to the chaos thatThe Bearfans know all too well.
10The Ballbreaker Fight/Cousin with Gun
“System” Season 1, Episode 1
The first episode ofThe Bear, “System,” ends with a stressful incident. When The Bear was The Beef, the regulars loved their pinball, especially Ballbreaker, a video game which is like Street Fighter. A game tournament is a perfect way to get customers into the door, but the line outside gets a little rowdy. During a family dinner, Carmy is denied help from Cousin, and ventures out on his own to deal with the excited crowd. Carmy’s efforts to quell the Ballbreaker fans fail, resulting in them beating him. Cousin comes out of the restaurant and shoots a gun in the air, which intimidates the crowd.
While Carmy is being physically assaulted,The Bearfans might notice the Ballbreaker theme playing quietly in the background. The video game music is up-tempo and creates a feeling of mounting tension as multiple Ballbreaker fans land punches at Carmy and each other. The scene’s perspective starts at a distance, across the street from The Beef, and then zooms closely into the rowdy crowd. The moment ends just as swiftly as it began, with Cousin shooting his gun in the air and the crowd suddenly stopping to listen to Cousin’s megaphone speech. The gun shot is jarring, even though it manages to break up any remaining tension at that particular moment.
9Chef David Yelling at Carmy in NYC Restaurant
“Hands” Season 1, Episode 2
The second episode of Season 1, “Hands,” opens with Carmy leading a kitchen at a fancy New York City restaurant run byChef David (Joel McHale), who is actually based on one of the best chefs in the world.The kitchen is already fired up as Carmy is shouting orders and chefs are scrambling (in a sort of calm manner) to get orders out to hungry customers. The tension escalates further upon Chef David entering the kitchen. Chef David starts hovering over Carmy’s shoulder and peppering him with questions. Carmy continues plating and responding how David wants him to with a few exclamations of “Yes, Chef!” Then David’s questions start morphing into insults. Chef David doesn’t leave Carmy’s side until the dish is plated, and he asks for “hands.”
What makes this one of the most stressful scenes in “Hands” is the way Chef David and Carmy interact with each other. Their back-and-forth on top of the already bustling kitchen adds a gritty power dynamic. Chef David is trying to exert his power over Carmy by using insults to break him down and make him feel like he is powerless. While Carmy is pretty calm on the outside, his eyes, facial expressions, and tone of voice tell a different story. This contrast adds to the tension within this scene.
8Sydney Spilling Veal Stock
“Brigade” Season 1, Episode 3
Sydney goes through a walk-through with the rest of The Beef staff and returns to her station, only to find that the onions she had been chopping are missing. Syd frantically goes around to different people to ask about her onions. First, she goes to Richie, who says that he hasn’t seen them. She asks Carmy about the onions, and he says that the team did a similar “prank” on him last week. It is the team’s way of making new people “pay their dues.” Marcus brings out chopped onions, and Sydney is really upset. Marcus follows Sydney to the walk-in fridge. He asks if she needs help getting down the beef stock, which is on a high shelf. Sydney says no because she is fuming at everyone for hiding her onions. Sydney tries to grasp the container, and it tips over. Beef stock spills all over the floor.
Poor Sydney is already stressed out at the beginning of this scene. So, the tension is there, and it grows even further as Marcus tries to calm her down by asking if she is mad. Sydney curses and yells at Marcus, which adds a layer of stress on top of an already anxiety-inducing situation. The nervous energy starts to reach a tipping point (literally) as Sydney tries her best to reach the veal stock without help from anyone. The anticipation of whether Syd will be able to get the veal stock makes it hard to watch, as viewers feel bad for her putting herself in that situation. The stress at this moment doesn’t go away until Marcus comes in to help Sydney clean up her mess.
7Tina and Cousin’s Intensive Outside “Conversation”
“Ceres” Season 1, Episode 6
Tina is in the zone as she is working in the kitchen. She handles every task that Sydney tells her to do. However, Richie keeps distracting her with a story. Sydney tries to get Richie to go back to the register, but he isn’t listening to her. She tells him repeatedly to get back to his job. Instead of doing what Sydney asks, Richie curses at her and starts slamming at stuff on the kitchen shelves. Sydney is bewildered by Richie’s behavior. Tina takes Richie outside to get some air. When they get outside The Beef, Cousin paces back and forth while ranting to Tina about how the restaurant is no longer “cool” and the ecosystem is ruined. Tina thinks that the change is a good thing. They argue back and forth until Tina leaves to go back inside the restaurant.
It’s not much of a surprise for fans ofThe Bearthat Richie has a temper. He doesn’t do well with any change. The moment before their “conversation” outside builds up the agitation between Tina and Cousin. Richie’s physicality continues to show that he is on edge about the changes that Carmy and Sydney are doing to the restaurant. While Richie is shown as being stressed, Tina stands her ground. The bounce of the camera between Richie and Tina along with great acting by Moss-Bachrach and Colón-Zayas creates an environment of uneasiness between the two characters.
6Marcus Seeing Bicyclist Get Injured in Denmark
“Honeydew” Season 2, Episode 4
Marcus heads to Denmark to train at the same restaurant as Carmy did back in the day. He even stays on the same boat as Carmen did with the absent cat (who may not be real). He learns from the best and improves his pastry techniques. Between his culinary training sessions, Marcus explores the sights, smells, and tastes of cuisine in Denmark. As Marcus heads back to the boat after a day of sightseeing, he finds a man who has fallen from his bike. The man is being held down by a wired fence, and he is very injured. Marcus sees the man in distress and helps him. After the man is freed, he embraces Marcus.
The Bearoften pairs quieter scenes with anxiety-inducing ones. In this case, the viewers let their guard down as they watched Marcus take in everything Denmark has to offer. But then the next scene shows Marcus walking alone at night, and then the anticipation starts. What is going to happen to Marcus? That’s when stress enters. Then Marcus comes across the injured bicyclist. There’s a moment where he is looking around and quickly decides to lift the fence off of the bicyclist. The man is tangled up in the fence, and he groans in pain every time the fence is moved. It’s stressful to watch as Marcus tries to figure out how to move the fence without causing more injury to the bicyclist.
“Braciole” Season 1, Episode 8
“Braciole” is probably one of the most stressful episodes of Season 1. One of the most anxiety-inducing scenes is the fire. The Beef staff get things ready before they open their doors. Carmy is standing in the kitchen and decides that it is a good time to have a smoke. He takes out his cigarette and then lights the oven’s burner. As he leans in to light his cigarette, the stove bursts into flames. Carmy stands there and gazes into the fire. Tina and Sweeps rush in to put out the fire.
What makes this moment so anxiety-inducing is that the kitchen is on fire, and Carmy doesn’t do anything to put it out. There is a great close-up of Carmy’s face as he watches the flames consume the oven. It feels like a really long time as he stares at the flames. His thoughts are still probably on the growing pile of bills and IRS payments that flashed through his mind earlier. The whole incident makes viewers feel nervous about what is going to happen to the restaurant, but the fear subsides a little bit once the fire is put out.
4Carmy Getting Stuck in the Fridge
“The Bear” Season 2, Episode 10
The Bear opens its doors for friends and family night. The staff at the front and back of the house are overwhelmed by the rush of orders, and they are hustling to get them out. Carmy is yelling at Syndey to refire food, and Syd tells him that he needs to chill. Carmy walks away to supposedly find a spot to calm down. Suddenly, they hear Carmy screaming from inside the walk-in fridge. Marcus is holding the broken handle in his hands. Carmy forgot to call the repair person to fix the handle, and now he is stuck in the walk-in. For a brief moment, Sydney is panicking as she looks at the incoming tickets, which are coming at an even more rapid pace than before. Carmy is asking what is going on. Everyone is waiting for Sydney to make a decision about what to do next.
This whole final episode of Season 2 is stressful, as viewers want The Bear to have a successful friends and family night. But the stress is heightened by Carmy being isolated from the rest of his team. He is trapped in the walk-in, which means The Bear team has one player down. It’s anxiety-inducing to think about being stuck in one place for a long time without being able to get out. However, the team is able to pull through despite the challenge of having to pivot quickly in order to get food from the kitchen to the dining room.
3Seven Fishes Christmas Dinner
“Fishes” Season 2, Episode 6
Most of the time, Christmas episodes are cheery and warm and celebrate the spirit of the holiday, but not this Christmas episode ofThe Bear. “Fishes” is a flashback episode, featuring lots of great guest appearances, about a chaotic Christmas at the Berzatto family house. This episode introducesThe Bearfans to thecomplicated relationships between the Berzattos and their close family friendslike the Faks and Claire “Bear.” The matriarch of the Berzatto family, Donna Berzatto, played byJamie Lee Curtis,is prepping Christmas dinner by herself. She doesn’t want anyone to intervene in her cooking process; expect maybe a little assistance from Carmy. It’s a tense Christmas gathering, and emotions continue to run high even once dinner is served.
When everyone sits down to a dinner of seven fishes, a discussion starts around the origin of the seven fishes. Things at the dining room table are going okay until Mikey (Jon Bernthal) throws a fork at Uncle Lee (Bob Odenkirk). They argue, and Mikey throws another fork at him. This escalates the tension even further as Uncle Lee tells the family how Mikey is taking money from his mother and other “suckers.” Lee and Mikey’s arguing gets more intense with expletives and aggressive phrases being thrown out. The tension doesn’t just come from the argument between Lee and Mikey; it also comes from the concerned voices and worried looks from everyone else at the table. Then Donna comes into the dining room, and everyone tells her that she didn’t miss anything interesting. The tension from earlier still remains as Stevie (John Mulaney) says a prayer before dinner. As everyone is thanking Donna for the meal, she seems overwhelmed, and Sugar asks her if she is okay. This leads to Donna arguing with her family at the table. She smashes a plate and leaves the dining room. The tension doesn’t stop as Mikey throws another fork at Lee, causing them to try to fight each other. Everyone gets up from their seats, and, in the chaos, Donna’s car suddenly crashes through the front door. These little anxious moments, layered together, create one of the most stressful scenes in The Bear.
2Carmy in the “TV Kitchen"
“Braciole” Season 1, Episode 8
In the most surreal scene inThe Bear, Carmy is in a kitchen, but it is not the one at The Beef. The audience loves him and cheers as he introduces himself and the dish he is making. He announces that he is going to cook beef braciole. He then explains that it was a dish that Mikey would make for family dinner every Sunday. He tells the story of Mikey’s death, which makes the invisible audience gasp out loud. The audience laughs at his sarcasm and “jokes.” As he announces that he is ready to cook, utensils fade and disappear as he reaches for them. They start laughing at Carmy. The frequency of his visions of Mikey and the bear on the State Street Bridge increases. A bear is shown to be behind a TV camera. Carmy then jolts awake from his dream.
The dream represents Carmy’s anxieties about inheriting Mikey’s restaurant. He feels like he doesn’t know what he is doing, even though he does. While the dream starts out okay, it turns into Carmy ranting about his feelings towards Mikey. The anxiety is created through intermediate flashes of Mikey, invoices, and even a flashback to a bear in a cage on the State Street bridge. Sometimes, it is hard to make out the images as they go by so quickly. While the audience seems to be on Carmy’s side at first, they turn against him and laugh at him. The canned laughter and Carmy’s sudden nervousness make this moment the second-most stress-inducing moment inThe Bear.
1The Gas Inspection
“Bolognese” Season 2, Episode 8
It’s inspection day at The Bear. Sydney, Sugar, and Carmy are at the front of the restaurant when the buzzer sounds, and the inspector walks into The Bear. The inspector is looking for a sign of a gas leak and testing the fire suppression. Everyone is anxious about the inspection. If they don’t pass, then they can’t open the restaurant. Sugar, Sydney, Carmy, and the rest of The Bear staff gather to watch the balloon together.
The Beardoes a great job of using memory to create anxiety. This is the most anxiety-inducing moment inThe Bear, let alone Season 2. As the inspector is counting down to see if the balloon inflates with gas, the camera pans from a close-up of one character to another. Each character inThe Bearhas their own life goals and dreams riding on the restaurant and passing this inspection. These memories are shared in small flashes as the camera pauses on each character who is closely watching the balloon. The countdown, along with a ticking clock sound, adds to the anticipation of what is going to happen. Luckily, the tension from this moment is released as soon as the countdown ends and the balloon does not inflate.
