The Bear’s second season focuses on a single character’s development in preparation for a restaurant opening. But no single episode stands out as much as episode 7, “Forks.”
This episode focuses on Richie’s solo journey to be a Stage (pronounced Stahj) at a high-end restaurant. Director Christopher Storer uses genius cuts and imagery to show the state of Richie’s mind throughout the episode.
We first see Richie waking up to the alarm at 5:39, smacking the snooze button while seeming extremely tired and unexcited. The same scene is repeated each day he wakes up to the alarm. Each passing day, he wakes up earlier and with more motivation, from 5:35 on the third day to 5:32 on the fourth day, counting down till Richie reaches the fullness of his character arc on the fifth morning when he jumps out of bed at 5:29 and turns off the alarm before it rings. Storer’s imagery shows how this restaurant has changed Richie, who, for most of the series, has been stubborn and abrasive. In this episode, he develops into a charming man who wants to do more for others.
When Richie starts working at the restaurant, he polishes forks all day, a dull and repetitive task. On the second day, Richie is shown polishing forks in between sharp cuts of the other chefs engaging in meaningful tasks like preparing food or his friends constructing their restaurant; the scene ends with a flash of the sign in the restaurant: “Every second counts.”
Storer uses this scene to peer into the state of Richie’s mind. While polishing the forks, he can see all the other people working on more important tasks. He is left in a state of despair, reflecting on the sign, seemingly wasting his time while the seconds tick by and his friends ready the restaurant for opening.
Storer does all of this without a single line of dialogue.
The director’s choice to contrast Garret and Richie performing the same duties in the restaurant was an excellent decision. Even though we were just introduced to other servers, Garret is one of my favorite characters in the series. His seriousness in the job and his conflict with Richie put Garret into the spotlight, even though he is only here for one episode. Garret’s best moment is when he tells Richie that he isn’t polishing the forks right, leading to Richie snapping at him. Garret pulls Richie aside and calls him out for his actions.
In this confrontation, Garret speaks about how it isn’t just about the fact that forks aren’t polished right; it’s about how they are giving a dream to the customers who get to eat at the best restaurant in the world, and polished forks are just as important as the food itself.
One of the best parts about this speech is that we didn’t see Garret showing much emotion earlier. Garret is always respectful and professional, but this monologue reveals his love for his job. Later in the episode, Garret tells Richie that he doesn’t even like making food but is here because he loves serving people.
A constant theme in “Forks” is that it’s never too late to start over. Richie is in a 45-year Stage, normally an internship for young cooks to gain experience. But other characters embody this message, from Garret restarting his life at 30 after alcohol addiction to Chef Terry who lost everything in the 2009 crash and started a restaurant at 38.
The idea of rebirth follows Richie through the end of the show, changing his attitude towards the restaurant and his friends.
