The Bear season 5 episode 5, "Raspberries," feels different from the rest of the episodes so far. Everything has been going wrong for pretty much every single person. That starts to change in the fifth episode, when for a brief moment, it seems like the sun might come out. Figuratively, definitely not literally. It's still raining so hard.
As the gang prepared for dinner service in episode 4, no one showed up for their reservation on time. Literally, the doors open, but no one shows up. Apparently, the rain is causing traffic jams, and roads are closed. What that means is that everyone is going to be late, which means all those reservations that are already a big problem are going to start building up.
It's an unavoidable problem made worse by the fact that I don't think Richie actually canceled any reservations.
To remedy the problem, Sydney and Jess decide to make portions even smaller to speed the customers through the courses. Then, the power goes out. Luckily, it comes right back on.
Natalie gives a rousing speech that they need to cut down the time between plates and cut 30 minutes off each table's experience. They all make a big plan to try to combat the incoming traffic problem they are about to have in a few short minutes.
When it looks like the first customers are going to show up, it's actually Pete, Natalie's husband. He walks in, gets water everywhere, asks if he can eat, and then Sydney puts him to work breaking down boxes and putting trash away. As he's putting the trash away, Uncle Jimmy, Computer, and Cheese show up and ask Pete if he knows anything about air rights. Apparently, he does.
Sydney asks Tina to be her CDC after this
Shortly after, Tina checks in with Sydney, and they have a moment. Sydney tells her that wherever they go, whatever happens, Sydney is going to keep her as the Chef de Cuisine, or CDC. Basically, that's the person in charge of the kitchen, making sure everyone has enough ingredients, tools, plates, etc. Tina is honored, and for the first time, it looks like her anxiety has eased.
Despite the better vibes, there's still something up with Marcus. He's rude to Luca, and he tells him to work faster. Luca thinks it's because he's going back to Copenhagen, but Marcus won't really spill what's causing him to go crazy.
Right before service starts, Donna calls Natalie and tells her that the power went out while she is taking care of Sophie. Natalie tells her to get to the restaurant because they have power.
Marcus snaps at Luca again
When Chester arrives with something for Marcus, Marcus calls Donnie and asks if he has raspberries. He orders Chester to go pick up the raspberries from Donnie. Luca interrupts and tells him that they don't need them. Marcus snaps at him and basically tells him to stand down. Marcus gets his way, and Chester goes on for another errand.
It's a weird scene. We know Marcus's dad is coming tonight, but that doesn't totally explain why he's being like this. Maybe it's because Carmy is leaving? It's unclear.
Luca needs a minute after that riveting conversation, and he visits Sydney in her office. She jokingly asks him for a job in Copenhagen, and he tells her that he would hire her immediately. He tells a story about how sad it is working for a restaurant that's closing. He said that he worked for a guy who would apologize and thank everyone for working there. He says that no one said goodbye to that guy, but no one in that kitchen would leave without saying goodbye to Sydney. Basically, he's praising her for truly caring about these people.
After talking with Sydney, Luca meets with Marcus, and he tries to apologize and clear the air, but Marcus throws it back in his face.
Richie has a moment with Jess
Richie keeps trying to calm himself down when he feels anxious and angry. Unfortunately, his methods are not working. That's when Jess walks in and asks what he's doing. She puts out her hand, and for a second, they hold hands.
There's definitely a vibe between these two, but I think they're both to scared to act on it. I would say it's definitely something to watch as the season moves on.
Uncle Jimmy tries to buy the air rights above the building
With the building in terrible shape, all of his money gone, and a restaurant that is unsellable, Uncle Jimmy throws a hail mary and tries to buy the air rights from a woman named Mary who bought them for $2,500.
Pete tries an emotional sales pitch to get her to sell the rights, but she doesn't budge. In fact, it backfires incredibly.
Computer tells Uncle Jimmy that he is running out of time and only has one plan left. He wants him to call Albert, the investor, and explore a partnership for Ebra's sandwich window franchise. Uncle Jimmy says he has one better idea.
Finally, at the very end of the episode, two customers finally walk in late for their reservation. And, it's time to start cooking. The episode ends as Sydney tells her team to fire everything. Let's cook!
We're officially more than halfway through The Bear season 5. After this one, we only have three episodes left.
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