If “Review” is “The Bear’s” most extreme version of itself, “Honeydew” proves that the show is also capable of the exact opposite tone. The fourth episode of Season 2 centers Marcus who, as the sole mind and body behind desserts at the restaurant, Carmy sends to Copenhagen to train with his old friend Luca (Will Poulter). It’s revealed as Marcus leaves Chicago that he’s been caring for his dying mother, who is no longer able to speak, and the tenderness of the moment he spends at her bedside gives context to Marcus’ career: Baking is about patience, and Marcus has lots of it. Nonverbal communication takes the foreground in “Honeydew.” Marcus and Luca share as few words as possible as they cook and bake shoulder-to-shoulder, and much of the episode follows his silent solo adventures in Denmark. In the quiet, little things take on bigger meaning; the water Marcus puts out for a cat he never sees is an act of service like the pastries he makes for customers he never meets. At one point, Marcus discovers a drunk, injured biker who doesn’t speak English and is trapped under a fallen wire fence, and hesitates to involve himself, fearing that someone else will assume the tall Black foreigner is responsible. Instead, he helps the man up, they share a wordless hug, and they go their separate ways, making this the one episode of “The Bear” where disaster never strikes. He leaves the encounter, and the episode, having learned something about the world. There’s a sign in Luca’s kitchen that reads “Every second counts,” a mantra that begins to recur throughout the show, but in “Honeydew,” it’s understood that you can maximize your time without the anguish and animosity Marcus will soon return to in Chicago. Led by Ramy Youssef, the first person to direct an episode of “The Bear” besides showrunners Storer and Joanna Calo, “Honeydew” is a completely new take on “The Bear” without feeling like we’ve entered a different world entirely.
Additionally, in a show that may have too many guest stars, Poulter is one of the best. Luca and Carmy worked together under Chef Terry (Olivia Colman), and though their history isn’t revealed until later in the season, the relief brought on by Luca’s presence suggests that this quiet, confident life is one Carmy could have lived were it not for the trauma brought on by his family and career. Luca is excellent at what he does, but lacks the desperation for external validation that stunts Carmy emotionally, and the subtlety of Poulter’s performance sells it — another way is possible. To put it simply, “The Bear” can get bleak, but “Honeydew” is aspirational.
Source Agencies
