Legacy (The Bear)

"Legacy" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American television comedy-drama The Bear. It is the 25th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Christopher Storer and directed by executive producer Joanna Calo. 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, Sydney gets a new offer from Adam Shapiro, while the kitchen is forced to hire Mikey's old staff to help them.

Plot
At an Al-Anon meeting, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) listens as an attendee questions the value of apologies when one still has to deal with the consequences. Another attendee replies that the longer it takes to apologize to someone, the more painful will it be for the person to truly move on with their life. As Carmy considers this, he thinks about his relationship with Claire (Molly Gordon).

Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) meets again with Adam (Adam Shapiro), who reveals he is opening his own restaurant that plans to differentiate itself from Ever. He offers her the position of CDC, where she could earn more money than her salary at The Bear. Sydney strongly considers the offer, especially after she realizes that Carmy is undercutting her authority in the kitchen. Marcus (Lionel Boyce) finds a photo of Carmy with other high-level chefs, and Carmy explains that the collaboration between chefs is essential to build a "legacy", wherein they can mentor each other and share their recipes. As the previous chefs gave something to Carmy, Carmy wants to do the same with his successor.

The Bear rehires some of Mikey's old staff to help Ebra run the sandwich window, with Ebra (Edwin Lee Gibson) finding the joy in his work again in the process. Despite being due to give birth, Natalie (Abby Elliott) offers to go to Restaurant Depot to buy C-folds and other essential items for the kitchen. As she is loading her car, her contractions begin.

Development
In May 2024, Hulu confirmed that the seventh episode of the season would be titled "Legacy", and was to be written by series creator Christopher Storer and directed by executive producer Joanna Calo. It was Storer's 13th writing credit and Calo's sixth directing credit.

Music
The episode featured many songs, including "No Machine" by Adrianne Lenker, "Save It for Later" by The Beat, "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" by Beastie Boys, "Stephanie" by Lindsey Buckingham, and "Up on the Roof" by Carole King.

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, "Even the most legendary TV shows have fallen prey to the dreaded midseason slump — and it turns out that even a series as well-crafted as The Bear isn't immune. Maybe it's because season three lacks the propulsive drive of the previous chapter, when everyone was working toward a common goal on a tight deadline. But now that The Bear is up and running, the fire under the gang's collective ass has dwindled to a low simmer. Which leads us to the disjointed, meandering “Legacy,” an episode that's as low-energy as its characters feel."

Marah Eakin of Vulture gave the episode a 3 star out of 5 rating and wrote, "Tina said at first you wait and wait, but then when the baby comes, everything goes by in an instant. It's not unlike The Bear, really, which you wait and wait and wait for and then it breezes by in a flash, binged over a couple of nights. With only three episodes left now, it's time to push." A.J. Daulerio of Decider wrote, "The happiness of certain memories colliding with the frequency of their traumatic results. Nicely constructed, but still lazy."

Brady Langmann of Esquire wrote, "And this season's Chekhov's gun finally blows: Sugar is about to go into labor... while she's alone in the parking lot of not–Home Depot. Gee, I bet everyone can't wait to welcome this newborn into generations of family trauma."