Top 10 Small Details You Missed in The Bear

Many fans were shocked when they saw Jamie Lee Curtis debut as Carmy and Sugar’s mom during season 2. But eagle-eyed viewers might’ve caught on to this surprising cameo much earlier. During the season 2 premiere, you can see a picture of Curtis as Donna when Richie is going through old photos. The image is far from the only foreshadowing to her character. Back in season 1, Tina admits she had a delicious dinner with an anxious Donna. While it seemed like a throwaway line at first, this dialogue was later seen as foreshadowing to the “Fishes” episode. The season 2 flashback story depicted Donna’s struggles with anxiety and how cooking for others can really push her to the edge.

What should’ve been a serious business meeting between Carmy and his Uncle Jimmy is made hilarious by the fact that the restaurant’s crawlspace alarm kept going off nonstop. Richie could only make it stop by giving a security professional a very specific password. While this phrase may have seemed random, fans theorized he came up with it after watching 2006’s “Miami Vice”. During the film, Isabella memorably used a fast boat to take Detective Crockett to Cuba for mojitos. Fans also believe Richie’s phrase will play a small role in season 3. After looking at an early image, viewers claimed that “gofasboatsmojito” would be the restaurant’s wifi password. No matter what happens, it’s easy to say that Richie has a way with words and pop culture references.

Season 2 was full of Taylor Swift references. The show established that Richie’s daughter is a Swiftie during a quick and funny exchange. In another scene, we see him struggle to get Eras Tour Tickets for Eva. But the Bear’s most subtle reference to Swift was hidden in the “Fishes” episode. Before Richie split with his wife Tiffany, she showed up to Christmas dinner wearing a distinctive “1989” shirt. We wouldn’t be surprised if she was the main reason her daughter Eva loves T-Swift. Additionally, we don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Richie probably didn’t know the words to “Love Story” until he started dating Tiffany.

During the season 1 finale, it’s revealed that Michael Berzatto stashed $300,000 inside of the restaurant’s tomato cans. This twist led to the unforgettable scene where the staff raced to open every single container to get the cash. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to collect the full amount. In the very first episode of the show, Carmy’s attempts to change “The Beef’s” menu and system weren’t well received. A fed-up Richie even screamed at his cousin to forget about doing anything new and make spaghetti like Micahel used to. Although Carmy started to open a can of tomatoes, he got frustrated and dumped it before seeing the $5,000 contained inside. It definitely wouldn’t be the last time he threw away money.

After Sydney accidentally let a ton of customers preorder food online, an obscenely large amount of customer orders cAme flooding through the kitchen’s ticket machine. The already tense situation was made worse by Carmy’s inability to find a sharpie that worked during service. When the pressure became too much to handle, the stressed chef attacked the ticket machine. Although Carmy’s freakout was definitely not played for laughs, his coworkers still poked fun at him in the very next episode. Their best jab isn’t said out loud. If you stopped and looked at the battered ticket machine, you could see that the staff wrote a Carmy specific insult…with a sharpie. It’s moments like this that remind us why this show is classified as a comedy.

When Syndey was talking about the long road ahead for the new restaurant at the beginning of season 2, she accidentally fell into a hole in the wall. She never saw it coming because it was hidden by a poster of Fenway Park. While almost everyone was concerned with the hole, Richie was much more worried about the damage to Michael’s old possession. Outside of a brief scene where the poster was seen being taped to a wall, it was practically forgotten about. But it returned as a framed decoration in episode 8. It’s fitting that the poster reappeared looking like a bonafide piece of art during the same episode where Richie returned to the restaurant looking more professional.

The pastry master Marcus was fully eager to learn everything he could about making desserts when he traveled to Copenhangen. While there, he asked a professional chef named Luca every question that popped into his head. The two eventually talked about their backstories and journeys. Luca also explained that he honed his skills while trying to keep up with a cook who was much better than him. Although he never said the mystery man’s name aloud, the identity of this talented cook became clear later on. In the “Forks” episode, Ritchie spotted a framed picture of Luca and Carmy in a Michelin star rated restaurant. This small moment perfectly captured Carmen’s ability to motivate and inspire the chefs around him.

In the now iconic opening scene of the show, Carmy has a dream where he approaches a caged bear on Chicago’s State Street Bridge. He cautiously tries to free it without invoking its wrath. Unfortunately, the bear attacks without mercy. While the animal could represent many things, it’s likely that it was a metaphor for Carmy’s brother. The bridge from the dream was tragically the same place where Michael took his own life. Through flashbacks, we learned that he could lose his temper at a moment’s notice. Altogether, the nightmare suggests that Carmy still felt like he was being punished by Michael. It’s only after the chef confronts his feelings about his brother that he’s able to see The Bear as something positive.

Hardcore fans may have already known that the original restaurant on the show was based on an actual Chicago establishment called “Mr. Beef”. In the real world, this neighborhood staple is run by a man named Chris Zucchero. Since his family’s restaurant helped inspire the acclaimed series, it was only fitting that he got to be a part of the show. Fans may have missed his cameo because it occurs so early in the run. During the premiere, Chris Zucchero plays the man who is willing to provide premium beef in exchange for a few of Carmy’s most valuable clothing items. Without this deal or the real family store, we might not be talking about “The Bear” today.

We could honestly make a full list dedicated to breaking down all of Carmy’s tattoos. Fans universally agree that the 773 on his upper arm represents his hometown area code. However, there’s a good amount of debate surrounding his other pieces. The tattoo of the globe inside a measuring cup could convey that Carmy values cooking over all other worldly desires. Meanwhile, the grim reaper shaking hands with a bottle of alcohol tattoo likely captures his personal experience with seeing people he loves struggle with addiction. The live fast snail tattoo might also represent his feeling that he can never move quickly enough to get things done. As the series goes on, we may get better insight into his tattoos and by extension, Carmy himself.

What small detail surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments!