‘The Bear’ Season 2 Leaves Burning Questions After Finale: A Breakdown

Warning: This story contains spoilers about the plot of The bear season 2.

The bear surprised viewers and cast alike by upping the emotional stakes—and leaving the future of the restaurant in question—during the show’s much-anticipated return.

The comedy-drama, which debuted its full second season on Thursday, June 22, followed Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and other employees of The Beef as they attempted to open their new restaurant within three weeks. However, the project took a turn when everyone in the kitchen had to juggle unexpected obstacles.

While the team initially coped with the occasion, the first dinner at The Bear for family and friends brought even more challenges. Delivering exceptional service wasn’t the only concern on staff’s mind, as things quickly began to unravel behind the scenes.

Carmy, concerned that he couldn’t juggle work and a new relationship with Claire (Molly Gordon), was locked in the walk-in refrigerator. The accident caused him to take out his fear on those around him, including Claire and Richie (Ebon Moss Bachrach). Meanwhile, Sydney was able to successfully run her first dinner service as a chef, but the stress became too much for her.

Marcus (Lionel Boyce), for his part, found his stride in the kitchen, but would soon learn that his mother’s health took its worst on his big night. Carmy’s sister, Natalie (Abby Elliott), eventually realized that working at The Bear was her calling – while his husband, Pete (Chris Witaske), conveniently kept her in the dark about her mother abandoning the siblings’ big night.

Before Season 2 aired on Hulu, the cast talked about the challenges the characters would face. White hinted that Carmy’s personal life would take center stage – especially his partnership with Sydney, as they work together outside of the kitchen.

“You still have this tension, with Carmy and Sydney, and this balance of power that they’re still going to struggle with. Yes, he apologized, more or less. Yes, she more or less accepted it. Yes, they both have a shared passion for this thing,” he said Collider in July 2022. “But there’s definitely still a lot for them to figure out together.”

Edebiri, for her part, pointed out earlier this year that Carmy and Sydney should focus on their professional relationship before taking action on a possible romantic connection.

“They suffered a lot of trauma on both sides. Like, if even that [was explored] – I don’t think that window is open,” the Abbott Elementary star told me exclusively Us weekly in January. “But if they were, there would have to be two seasons where they only do therapy individually before that would even be an option.”

Edebiri clarified that she and White did not initially intend to explore their characters as a couple. “I think when we were making it, neither of us thought about that,” she added at the time. “It felt really nice to do something that felt different. There aren’t that many platonic men [and] female relationships.”

Creator Christopher Storer also weighed in on the show’s decision to target the peers. “We wanted to make something that was about friendship and partnership,” he said Variety in January. “It’s really so funny that that’s one of the things people took away from — from all the heavy stuff that happens on the show! It was interesting because Ayo and Jeremy, since they are our friends and are such great people, I think they both have charisma.”

He added: “From the beginning it was like, ‘We just need to show that people are really good at their jobs and push each other.’ Selfishly, I hadn’t seen a show without a romantic plot and thought, ‘That might be cool and interesting.’”

Scroll down to see what questions remain to be answered after the season 2 finale of The bear: