Apologies (The Bear)

"Apologies" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American television comedy-drama The Bear. It is the 27th overall episode of the series and was written by supervising producer Alex Russell, and directed by series creator Christopher Storer. It was released on Hulu on June 26, 2024, along with the rest of the season.

The series follows Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, an award-winning New York City chef de cuisine, who returns to his hometown of Chicago to run his late brother Michael's failing Italian beef sandwich shop. In the episode, the staff awaits for the review, while also preparing to attend a restaurant's funeral service.

Plot
As the Fak (Matty Matheson) and Theodore (Ricky Staffieri) help Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) behind the restaurant, they try to get him to apologize to Claire (Molly Gordon), but Carmy is too distracted to focus on Claire at the moment. He and the rest of the staff are awaiting for the Chicago Tribune review, as it could set either their success or downfall.

Carmy and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) continue having communication problems, as the latter is frustrated with his lack of self awareness. Alone, Carmy tries to call Claire but cannot bring himself to do it, so he only mutters "I'm sorry" to himself. He is later visited by Cicero (Oliver Platt), who explains the state of their situation; due to the rising costs, if the review is negative, he will have to back down his investment in the restaurant. Sydney feels jealous when she reads newspapers about The Bear, with Carmy receiving sole credit for its status. When she delivers food to Pete (Chris Witaske) and Natalie (Abby Elliott), she discovers from Pete that Carmy is offering her less money and fewer benefits as a partner than she would get working for Adam.

At a park, Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Tiff (Gillian Jacobs) watch Eva (Annabelle Toomey) play. Tiff wants to know if Richie will attend her wedding, feeling that she does not have a lot of friends. Carmy invites Sydney to the Ever "funeral service" closing dinner, so the restaurant is closed for one day. During this, Marcus (Lionel Boyce) and Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) help each other experiment with their own dishes. Fak and Theodore visit Claire at the hospital, stating that he loves her more than he does himself, but Claire is still unwilling to commit to Carmy if he does not say it himself. At the restaurant, Carmy puts on a suit, preparing for the funeral.

Development
In May 2024, Hulu confirmed that the ninth episode of the season would be titled "Apologies", and was to be written by supervising producer Alex Russell, and directed by series creator Christopher Storer. It was Russell's second writing credit and Storer's 18th directing credit.

Music
The episode featured many songs, including "Are You Looking Up" by Mk.gee, "Secret Love" by Stevie Nicks, "Blowing Kisses" by Jennifer Castle, and "A Murder of One" by Counting Crows.

Release
The episode, along with the rest of the season, premiered on June 26, 2024, on Hulu. Originally, the season was scheduled to premiere on June 27, 2024.

Critical reviews
Jenna Scherer of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B–" grade and wrote, "That just sums up this season, doesn't it? Navel-gazing followed by more navel-gazing. Look, some of the greatest TV episodes in history have been all introspection with very little plot; The Bear itself made a delicacy of it in last year's “Honeydew.” But watching Carm (and Sydney and Richie and Marcus and the friggin' Chicago Tribune) dwell on the same stuff for an entire season without making any moves isn't just unsatisfying, it's boring. I'm not saying I need to see these people make good choices; I just want them to make any choices at all."

Marah Eakin of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star out of 5 rating and wrote, "When the episode ends, Carm's dressed up sharp and heading out, leaving us a glimpse of the prayer card he either picked up at Marcus' mom's funeral or pulled out of The Bear since he didn't make it inside Mikey's. He's going to a funeral for a restaurant, but will it be a funeral for The Bear as well? Thank god we've only got the finale left, because I've really got to know how this all turns out." A.J. Daulerio of Decider wrote, "So that's FOUR major characters who cannot be honest with themselves. Carmy with his feelings; Sydney with her ambitions; Richie with heartbreak; Cicero with shame. The restaurant would have difficulty surviving if ONE of these essential employees was shading the truth. The Bear can only survive if everyone gets honest real quick. If not — REDRUM, lizards. "

Josh Rosenberg of Esquire wrote, "As he's losing his mind over ravioli, she's reinserting a kid's shoulder back into its socket in the hospital. Just apologize, Berzatto!"