Highlights and recap of The Bear season 2, episode 8: Bolognese

On the award-winning series from FX, The Bear, season 2 episode 8 features the chefs and their crew agonizing over whether they’ll pass a very important fire suppression test and be able to open on time. It’s only two weeks until The Bear opens but Sydney walks out to a dining area that’s coming together nicely.

The interiors are very homey but with a very upscale vibe. At his apartment, Carmy shares a morning-after moment with Claire.

But he is still apprehensive about the big fire suppression test that is supposed to be scheduled later that day. The Bear can’t fail it.

This colors his interaction with Claire so much so that he’s afraid when the other shoe drops, it’ll ruin it all. This honest moment between childhood friends who’ve become lovers, perfectly captures the cautious and vulnerable energy of Carmy around anything good in his life.

The Bear season 2, episode 8 – Old bitches can’t change

Speaking of cautious, Tina spots Ebra as he reluctantly approaches the take-out counter. He’s sheepish and she’s avoidant since he left the culinary school and didn’t tell her anything.

Which hurt her more than him actually leaving. Ebra confesses that he was afraid of failure and change and that’s why he quit school.

He calls himself a bi#$% for doing it. But when Tina tells him Carmy and co are still hiring, he perks up.

Eventually Tina talks him into accepting the take-out day shift. As they wait around for the fire suppression test guy to come down, Sydney tries to get into the walk-in freezer when the handle breaks under her grip.

Then Marcus serves her and Carmy the dessert he thought of when he was still in Copenhagen. Both chefs give it a thumbs up.

The Bear season 2, episode 8 – Tina sizes them up

Tina eyeballs and intimidates the prospective new hires, standing outside the curb in line like they were about to get into the Fight Club house, then tests them on basic kitchen prep drills. Now in his sleek black suit, Richie is going around owning up to his previous fool persona and awful attitude.

He apologizes to both Carmy and Natalie. It’s a great moment of accountability and frankly a welcome transcendence to a character that I only thought would serve as crazy comic relief.

He’s the one crazy you can count on in a crazy environment. All is well now between Jerimovich and Berzattos.

The Bear season 2, episode 8 – And Sydney makes three

Sydney and Carmy are still at odds, however, over the exact contents of their “chaos menu.” It doesn’t help that there’s added friction with Carmy being distracted by his new relationship with Claire.

Sydney senses it and it becomes like a weird, jealous love triangle that doesn’t really have love in the mix. Not yet.

Good thing is when the heat is too much, Carmy and Sydney have a shorthand for tabling the issue, rubbing a fist over their hearts clockwise in the ASL of “I’m sorry.” In the supply closet, Fak and Carmy ruminate on the consequences of failing the fire suppression test and take shots of Pepto Bismol like it was pink tequila.

It’s not until Fak has a conversation with Ebra when he sees the burnt photo of Michael, Tina, and him on the wall, that the issue with the fire suppression system becomes clear to him. You see, Mikey Berzatto tried to burn the resto down years ago when he was still on drugs and obviously before he killed himself.

Meaning, Fak explains, he overrode the gas line and its detection system so that the water wouldn’t turn on when it needed to.

The Bear season 2, episode 8 – Fire suppression test day

On the day the fire suppression test guy arrives, everybody’s hoping that Neil Fak has actually found a solution to their faulty system so that they can pass the test. Everybody is at the kitchen when the guy tests the gas line and the suppression system.

The gas line’s indicator is a blue balloon tied to the end of a pipe. If it blows up and pops, they’ve failed.

If it stays deflated, they pass. Everybody’s life flashes before their eyes, from Richie seeing his daughter born to Carmy seeing the burning mess of pots and pans from the time Mikey tried to destroy it all.

Frankly, it’s the tensest 10-second countdown in a season, already fraught with tense moments. If they fail, they can only take the test again after three months.

And they’d done it. The suppression guy signs a document and gives it to Natalie.

Everyone bursts out cheering. They can operate now.

Victory for The Bear! And Fak actually figured it out!

With everything cleared for their soft opening, it’s time they got down to finalizing their menu. Can’t wait for friends and family night!

You can stream season 2 of The Bear on Hulu.