Violet (The Bear)

"Violet" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American television comedy-drama The Bear. It is the 22nd overall episode of the series and was written 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, Sydney chooses to move out for a new apartment, while also discovering about an important visit to the restaurant. Meanwhile, Richie questions his role in his daughter's life.

Plot
Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) reminisces over a conversation he had with Claire (Molly Gordon), where he relates how he got the mark on his hand from a hot pot. Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) meets with her father, Emmanuel (Robert Townsend), as she buys a new apartment. Emmanuel is worried over Sydney's decision, as he believes the apartment is too small and expensive.

As Sydney walks on the streets, she runs into Adam Shapiro (Adam Shapiro), the Ever CDC. He reveals he recently visited The Bear and despite witnessing the chaos, loved the food and compliments Sydney. Fak (Matty Matheson) and Theodore (Ricky Staffieri) decide to mount portraits of multiple important critics for the staff to memorize. When they show it to Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), he is taken aback, but likes the idea. Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) takes Eva (Annabelle Toomey) with Tiffany and her fiancée, Frank (Josh Hartnett). Frank confides in Richie that he feels worried that he did not consult with Richie over his marriage proposal, but Richie states he does not mind it.

Richie shares the dilemma over his presence in his daughter's life to Sugar (Abby Elliott), but she tells him to be there for her. The conversation is interrupted when they receive a call from the Chicago Tribune informing them a photographer is coming to take pictures of the restaurant. When they question Carmy and Sydney, Sydney realizes that this means a Tribune food critic has already visited the restaurant and will publish a review soon, alarming the rest of the staff.

Development
In May 2024, Hulu confirmed that the fourth episode of the season would be titled "Violet", and was to be written and directed by series creator Christopher Storer. It was Storer's 11th writing credit and 15th directing credit.

Casting
The episode features a guest appearance by Josh Hartnett, who portrays Tiffany's fiancée. Hartnett previously met with Storer years prior when they discussed a possible role for a film. Later, Storer offered the role to Hartnett and he accepted it without even reading the script. Hartnett was fascinated by the experience, saying that it was "refreshing" to see how quickly they could film the scenes.

Music
The episode featured many songs, including "Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops" by Cocteau Twins, "Spinning Away" by Brian Eno and John Cale, "Long Live" by Taylor Swift, and "Getchoo" by Weezer.

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 an "A–" grade and wrote, "We're used to The Bear showing us how intense and devastating the restaurant business can be. But when Claire tells Carm the story of a particularly awful case at the hospital, the show reminds us that it's nothing compared to being a friggin' ER doctor."

Marah Eakin of Vulture gave the episode a 3 star out of 5 rating and wrote, "Not every episode of The Bear can be packed with consequence. Some just have to move the story along. That's the case with "Violet," which follows Syd, Carmy, Richie, Nat, and the Faks as they move through their restaurant-adjacent lives." Nicole Gallucci of Decider complimented Richie's scenes with Frank, "Congrats to Ebon Moss-Bachrach for bringing warmth and depth to another Richie Swift scene. And congrats to Josh Hartnett for manifesting his dream role on The Bear just like Travis Kelce manifested his dream girlfriend."

Josh Rosenberg of Esquire wrote, "Right now Carmy is alone. In fact, it seems as if everyone's alone in their own way. Marcus lost his mother, Sydney is setting out on her own, and Richie's young daughter can tell he's lonely. The only way through is together."

Accolades
TVLine named Ebon Moss-Bachrach as a honorable mention for the "Performer of the Week" for the week of June 29, 2024, for his performance in the episode. The site wrote, "We loved watching Ebon Moss-Bachrach's grumpy slacker Richie turn his life around last season on The Bear, transforming himself into a top-notch restaurant host. But he's not done growing yet, and Moss-Bachrach tugged on our heartstrings in Season 3's fourth episode as Richie reckoned with his ex-wife Tiff getting remarried. Moss-Bachrach brought out Richie's tender side as he tucked his daughter into bed, promising her a hundred candles for her birthday. But Richie's guard went back up as Tiff's fiancé Frank sought his blessing, with Moss-Bachrach's face tightening in anger as he tried to keep his cool. His vulnerability was heart-wrenching, too, as Richie wondered to Nat if he should step back from his daughter's life: "Maybe it's weird that I'm around." Richie has come a long way, but he still has a long way to go, and Moss-Bachrach has made every step of his journey utterly fascinating and ultimately inspiring."