Fishes (The Bear)

"Fishes" is the sixth episode of the second season and 14th episode overall of the American comedy-drama series The Bear. With the rest of the second season, it was released on June 22, 2023, on Hulu. It was directed by series creator Christopher Storer and written by Joanna Calo and Storer.

The episode notably features numerous high-profile guest stars, most of whom were not announced as part of the cast prior to the season's release. "Fishes" received widespread acclaim from critics for its intensity, characterization, and unrestrained performances from the cast, and was frequently cited as one of the greatest episode of the season.

Plot
Approximately five years before The Bear is set to open, Carmy returns from Copenhagen to spend Christmas with his family and friends. Present at the Berzatto household are Carmy's mother Donna, his siblings Michael and Natalie, his cousin Michelle and her boyfriend Stevie, Richie and his pregnant wife Tiffany, the Fak brothers Neil and Theodore, Uncle Cicero, and Donna's on-and-off boyfriend Lee. Michael and Carmy warn Natalie not to ask their mother Donna, a temperamental alcoholic, if she is "okay."

Donna drunkenly prepares a meal based on the Feast of the Seven Fishes, even though Carmy claims no one ever eats it. While it is clear that Donna is out of her depth cooking the feast by herself, she harshly rebuffs anyone who volunteers to help. Michael, Richie, and Stevie tell Carmy that they recently ran into Claire, his childhood crush, and "put in a good word for him." Carmy and Michael later have a moment together where Michael reassures his brother that he genuinely wants the best for him. Carmy gifts Michael a framed sketch of The Bear restaurant, which he wants to open with him. Michael is moved by the gift, but has a panic attack the moment Carmy leaves the room.

Richie tends to Tiffany in Donna's bedroom, and the two share a delicate moment discussing their upcoming parenthood. Richie then asks Cicero for a job to help support his child, which Cicero later grants him after Tiffany unwittingly thanks him for the job. Michael entertains the group with a travel story, but Lee cuts him off, chastising him for repeating the same stories to everyone while failing to follow through on any of his business ventures. Natalie's boyfriend Pete arrives with an additional seafood dish that he playfully dubs "the eighth fish" to the group. This infuriates the Berzatto siblings, who remind him that an eighth fish is a symbol of bad luck and will send Donna into a tailspin. Natalie hastily trashes the food before Donna can see it. Michelle encourages Carmy to stay with her in New York to pursue his career, noticing how the dysfunction in his family weighs on him.

While the rest of the group awaits dinner, Carmy tends to his mother in the kitchen; Donna laments the effort she puts towards for her family while receiving little appreciation in return. Carmy attempts to comfort her, only for Donna to admonish him to return to the table. Donna begins crying to herself as soon as Carmy leaves. At the dinner table, the family debates the origin of the Seven Fishes tradition. Lee offers his interpretation, but an intoxicated Michael repeatedly throws forks at him. The tension between the two mounts until Donna finally joins the table. Stevie says a heartfelt, impromptu grace calling for the family to be kinder to one another, only for Donna to dismiss the gesture as meaningless. Despite being explicitly told not to, Natalie asks Donna if she is okay, much to the visible chagrin of everyone in the room. Donna berates Natalie for asking and has a profane outburst at the family before leaving the room. Michael throws another fork at Lee when he scorns Donna's behavior and a fight nearly occurs, only to be interrupted by Donna crashing her car into the living room.

Main

 * Jeremy Allen White as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto
 * Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard "Richie" Jerimovich
 * Abby Elliott as Natalie "Sugar" Rose Berzatto
 * Matty Matheson as Neil Fak

Other members of the series' main cast Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce and Liza Colon-Zayas are credited as usual in this episode, but do not appear.

Guest appearances

 * Jon Bernthal as Michael Berzatto
 * Jamie Lee Curtis as Donna Berzatto
 * Oliver Platt as Uncle Jimmy "Cicero" Kalinowski
 * Gillian Jacobs as Tiffany Jerimovich
 * John Mulaney as Stevie
 * Bob Odenkirk as "Uncle" Lee Lane
 * Sarah Paulson as Cousin Michelle Berzatto
 * Ricky Staffieri as Theodore Fak
 * Maura Kidwell as Carol

Development
The episode was directed by series creator Christopher Storer and written by Joanna Calo and Storer. It was Calo's fourth writing credit, and Storer's eighth directing credit.

Filming
"Fishes" introduces a number of new characters played by high-profile guest stars, including Jamie Lee Curtis, John Mulaney, Gillian Jacobs, Sarah Paulson and Bob Odenkirk; only Odenkirk's casting was announced prior to the season's release. Jon Bernthal also reprises his role as Michael Berzatto from the first season. Star Jeremy Allen White recounted that production of the episode was relatively smooth, and praised the egoless, collaborative environment on set. Ebon Moss-Bachrach said that there was a lot of camaraderie among the guest stars on set, and later went on to praise Jamie Lee Curtis' acting ability and performance in the episode.

Chris Witaske, who portrays Sugar's partner Pete, said that the preparation for the episode was more chaotic than the rest of the series, particularly due to the large amount of dual-dialogue in the script.

Storer revealed that Jon Bernthal was originally given a rubber prop fork to throw at Odenkirk during the dinner argument scene, but that was then later substituted for a plastic fork so that Bernthal could better "whip it" for the camera.

Reception
"Fishes" received widespread critical acclaim. GQ described "Fishes" as the standout episode of the second season, praising the ensemble cast. Brady Langmann of Esquire described the episode as "one of the year's best".

The Los Angeles Times praised the episode and Jamie Lee Curtis' portrayal of the "notable character" Donna. Various critics called her performance Emmy-worthy.

Salon.com critic Melanie McFarland praised the episode's ability to deliver on plot and thematic issues while delivering the show's trademark intensity. Vulture called the episode "absolutely exhausting to watch" and said "[b]oth the writing and the execution of 'Fishes' speaks to how well The Bear is able to walk its dramatic tightrope, and come Emmy season 2024, you just know everyone involved in this episode is going to clean the hell up."