Tomorrow (The Bear)

"Tomorrow" is the first episode of the third season of the American television comedy-drama The Bear. It is the 19th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Christopher Storer from a story he co-wrote with cast member Matty Matheson, and directed by 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, Carmy reminisces over his past experiences in other restaurants as he tries to move forward with the new restaurant's structure.

Flashbacks
Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) spends years working for renowned chefs at various restaurants. He first stages at The French Laundry, then returns to Chicago to work for Chef Terry (Olivia Colman) alongside Luca (Will Poulter) at Ever, where he eventually rises to the CDC position. Impressed with Carmy's talent and dedication, Chef Terry sends him to Copenhagen to work at Noma under René Redzepi, an experience he cherishes.

Carmy returns home from Copenhagen for Christmas, but after a tumultuous family dinner, he takes up his cousin Michelle's offer to move to New York City to pursue his career, where he stays with her and her boyfriend Stevie (John Mulaney). In New York, Carmy first works for Daniel Boulud at Daniel, and later David Fields at Empire, the latter of whom harshly criticizes and berates Carmy for his mistakes while instilling in him the "subtract" principle: using as few ingredients as possible. Carmy develops a hamachi dish with a blood orange sauce and garnish; Fields has him swap out the blood orange for fennel to exert his ownership over the dish, but Carmy discreetly substitutes one plate back with the blood orange, which is served to Sydney (Ayo Edebiri).

While Carmy is at Empire, Natalie (Abby Elliott) calls him to inform him that Mikey (Jon Bernthal) has committed suicide. While the family attends the funeral, Carmy cannot bring himself to enter the church and stays in his car. He also gets into a conflict with Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) when Mikey gives Carmy ownership of The Beef.

Present day
After being freed from the walk-in refrigerator, Carmy apologizes to Sydney for having abandoned her during the soft opening. He later leaves a message to Richie apologizing for his tirade at him while trapped in the fridge. Marcus (Lionel Boyce) is devastated upon discovering that his mother has passed away, and Sydney leaves him a message offering her condolences.

The next day, Carmy arrives early to The Bear. Synthesizing his past work experiences, he prepares a brand new set of courses for the menu and creates a list of "non-negotiables" for the restaurant to follow, so that it can perform at the highest of standards.

Development
In May 2024, Hulu confirmed that the first episode of the season would be titled "Tomorrow", and was to be written by series creator Christopher Storer from a story he co-wrote with cast member Matty Matheson, and directed by Storer. It was Storer's eighth writing credit, Matheson's first writing credit, and Storer's 13th directing credit.

Writing
On the episode's structure, Jeremy Allen White said, "It felt very fresh and new. It felt very exciting in its structure and style. It felt different, while also being very much at the heart of the same tone as the show."

Regarding the conversation between Carmy and Sugar, White explained, "So often and so frequently, Sugar does this beautiful thing where she's really reaching out to Carmy. And he feels incapable of reaching back or being like, accepting in some kind of way. I think for that scene, for Carm, he just felt like he had to go, there was nothing left for him in this place anymore."

Music
The entire episode is set to the same single piece of music, "Together", composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross as part of their Nine Inch Nails album, Ghosts V: Together.

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.

Reception
Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone wrote, "The premiere, 'Tomorrow' is the sort of thing that only a show this beloved can get away with. Though it offers us glimpses of Carmy and the others in the immediate aftermath of the soft opening, it's less interested in its eponymous day than in all of Carmy Berzatto's yesterdays. [...] There's dialogue here and there, but the whole thing is essentially a tone poem, working to put us inside our hero's head even more than usual. [...] It's a lovely table-setter for the season."

Marah Eakin of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star out of 5 rating and wrote, "Carmy can't control all that no matter how hard he tries, even after countless tough hours spent working in kitchens worldwide. However, if we know anything about The Bear, none of that will preclude Carmy from putting immense pressure on himself to somehow circumvent it anyway." Matt Singer of Screen Crush wrote, "Though not the most conventionally satisfying episode of The Bear, I wondered whether "Tomorrow" was meant to suggest Season 3 as a whole will be structured like one long tasting menu. In which case this episode could be seen as the equivalent of a chef preparing for work by gathering their ingredients. With that out of the way, they can now start to turn up the heat."

A.J. Daulerio of Decider wrote, "Filled with quiet walks, gentle plant tending, cozy houseboats, sparkling workstations, and inspirational dough rolling by a stoic pastry chef named Luca, this episode proved that the characters (and the audience) are allowed to breathe every once in a while." Josh Rosenberg of Esquire wrote, "The Bear is still asking which part of the artistic process brings happiness: the work or the reward? Is it selfish to want to enjoy the experience, too, or is it that self-centeredness that drives you to put blinders on in the pursuit of glory? I can't promise that Carm will find an answer by the end of season 3."

In a less positive review, Jenna Scherer of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B–" grade and wrote, "'Tomorrow' itself is an odd dish, combining ingredients that don't quite go together. Though it sometimes feels like a dreamy (and nightmarish) journey through Carmy's psyche, it often lands with all the artfulness of a clip show, making what should be a stage-setting season premiere feel like a filler episode. Maybe Storer could stand to take his own advice: subtract."