"Apologies" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American television comedy-dramaThe Bear. It is the 27th overall episode of the series and was written by supervising producer Alex Russell, 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, the staff awaits for the review, while also preparing to attend a restaurant's funeral service.
Plot
As the Faks, Neil (Matty Matheson) and Theodore (Ricky Staffieri), help Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) behind the restaurant, they try to get him to apologize to Claire (Molly Gordon), but Carmy is too distracted to focus on Claire at the moment. He and the rest of the staff are waiting for the Chicago Tribune review, as it could set either their success or downfall.
Carmy and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) continue having communication problems, as the latter is frustrated with his lack of self awareness. Alone, Carmy tries to call Claire but cannot bring himself to do it, so he only mutters "I'm sorry" to himself. He is later visited by Cicero (Oliver Platt), who explains the state of their situation; due to the rising costs, if the review is negative, he will have to back down his investment in the restaurant. Sydney feels jealous when she reads newspapers about The Bear, with Carmy receiving sole credit for its status. When she delivers food to Pete (Chris Witaske) and Natalie (Abby Elliott), she discovers from Pete that Carmy is offering her less money and fewer benefits as a partner than she would get working for Adam.
At a park, Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Tiff (Gillian Jacobs) watch Eva (Annabelle Toomey) play. Tiff wants to know if Richie will attend her wedding, feeling that she does not have a lot of friends. Carmy invites Sydney to the Ever "funeral service" closing dinner, so the restaurant is closed for one day. During this, Marcus (Lionel Boyce) and Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) help each other experiment with their own dishes. Fak and Theodore visit Claire at the hospital, stating that he loves her more than he does himself, but Claire is still unwilling to commit to Carmy if he does not say it himself. At his apartment, Carmy puts on a suit, preparing for the funeral.
In May 2024, Hulu confirmed that the ninth episode of the season would be titled "Apologies", and was to be written by supervising producer Alex Russell, and directed by series creator Christopher Storer.[3] It was Russell's second writing credit and Storer's 18th directing credit.[4]
Costuming
Carmy wore a Ralph Lauren cotton "deck jacket" while spraying down the back patio of the Bear and listening to Jimmy talk about the University of Chicago as an incubator of innovation.[5][6] The jacket has a corduroy collar, Japanese buttons, grosgrain-weave fabric, is half-lined, and is "based on classic nautical coats from the 1800s and 1900s."[5] Sydney wore a vintage Ralph Lauren cowboy sweater while delivering lasagna and beef stew to postpartum Sugar and Pete.[7]
"Language can be so futile; I always loathe explaining myself, and yet my love for you makes me want to try, my hands gesturing in endless loop. One day I will no longer be here to revere the buoyancy of the blue lake. I'm held by the loving energy of God. Every rose has its thorn, truly, but let's focus on the rose for now."[9]
"Blowing Kisses" plays over a montage of sketching "dishes for The Bear" while "Syd is shown taking in a calming view of [ Lake Michigan] while other clips of food preparation are shown."[10]
Critical reviews
Jenna Scherer of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B–" grade and wrote, "That just sums up this season, doesn't it? Navel-gazing followed by more navel-gazing. Look, some of the greatest TV episodes in history have been all introspection with very little plot; The Bear itself made a delicacy of it in last year's 'Honeydew'. But watching Carm (and Sydney and Richie and Marcus and the friggin' Chicago Tribune) dwell on the same stuff for an entire season without making any moves isn't just unsatisfying, it's boring. I'm not saying I need to see these people make good choices; I just want them to make any choices at all."[11]
Marah Eakin of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star out of 5 rating and wrote, "When the episode ends, Carm's dressed up sharp and heading out, leaving us a glimpse of the prayer card he either picked up at Marcus' mom's funeral or pulled out of The Bear since he didn't make it inside Mikey's. He's going to a funeral for a restaurant, but will it be a funeral for The Bear as well? Thank god we've only got the finale left, because I've really got to know how this all turns out."[12] A.J. Daulerio of Decider wrote, "So that's FOUR major characters who cannot be honest with themselves. Carmy with his feelings; Sydney with her ambitions; Richie with heartbreak; Cicero with shame. The restaurant would have difficulty surviving if ONE of these essential employees was shading the truth. The Bear can only survive if everyone gets honest real quick. If not—REDRUM, lizards. "[13]
Josh Rosenberg of Esquire wrote, "As he's losing his mind over ravioli, she's reinserting a kid's shoulder back into its socket in the hospital. Just apologize, Berzatto!"[2]
Retrospective reviews
In 2024, The Hollywood Reporter placed "Apologies" at 21 on a ranked list of 28 episodes.[14] ScreenRant ranked "Apologies" 26th out of the 28 episodes produced through the end of season three, calling it "one of the weakest of the series" in part because "there are virtually no stakes or tension driving the plot forward."[15]
In 2025, Vulture ranked "Apologies" as 24th-best out of 38 episodes of The Bear.[16]
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