"Dogs" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American comedy-drama television series The Bear. It is the fourth overall episode of the series and was written by Sonya Levitsky-Weitz and directed by Christopher Storer. It was released on Hulu on June 23, 2022, along with the rest of the season.
Carmy and Richie cater a children's birthday party for Cicero. Carmy creates homemade Ecto cooler, which is accidentally spiked with Richie's Xanax, causing the children to fall asleep in the yard. When Carmy tells Cicero about the Xanax, Cicero responds that he actually doesn't mind the quiet. Meanwhile, Sydney butts heads but eventually bonds with the restaurant staff and begins to earn their respect. Marcus becomes passionate about his new chocolate cake program.
Context
Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) references Ed Debevic's when talking to Carmy about his dad, suggesting that eating there was the inspiration for him opening a restaurant despite his having no background in food service.[1] Ed Debevic's, which opened in their River North location in 1984, was a local institution known for theatrical but approachable lived-in vibe, 1950s-diner decor, adequate food, and seating for 300, which made it a popular destination for families and school groups.[1] The River North location closed in 2015 and was replaced with a high-rise.[2] The restaurant later reopened at a new location in Streeterville.[1]
Production
Filming
The episode opens with "pure doughnut pornography."[3] The footage was shot at Roeser's Bakery, which first opened in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago in 1911.[1] Owner John Roeser told a local news reporter, "They got here at 4a.m., didn't disrupt business at all. They had a bunch of special donuts they wanted me to make to put out and in the window there."[4]
Costuming
Syd wears a trout-themed headscarf made by Mountain Trail Outfitters.[5]
Carmy's fuzzy block-patterned jacket is a Gael 8267 jacket by NN.07.[6] Producer Chris Storer originally envisioned Carmy wearing a navy pea coat but White gravitated to the earth-toned piece from the Danish brand.[7]
Carmy made Ecto-Cooler punch for the party. The original Ecto-Cooler was a special flavor of fruit-flavored soft drink Hi-C that was released in association with The Real Ghostbusters TV cartoon that ran from 1986 to 1991.[9] Ecto-Cooler was made with tangerine and orange fruit concentrate.[9] One recipe for homemade Ecto-Cooler calls for tangerine juice, orange juice, crystalized instant lemonade mix, instant orange-drink mix, and sugar.[10] The "you're a child asshole, Richie" discourse and Carmy's hunt for a bottle of ketchup in the kitchen fridge is related to the local standard for a Chicago-style hot dog, which Chef Berzatto is disrupting for the sake of the clientele at this children's birthday party. As per the Chicago Food Encyclopedia, published 2017 by the University of Illinois Press, "Chicago-style hot dogs are defined by an elaborate style of toppings. An all-beef hot dog, preferably natural casing, heated in a hot water bath, placed on a steamed bun (poppy seed or plain), then topped with a smear of yellow mustard, a trail of bright green relish, chopped fresh onions, sliced tomatoes, dill pickle spears, mildly hot pickled 'sport' peppers and, optionally, a sprinkling of celery salt. French fries are an expected accompaniment, and never, ever is ketchup allowed on the hot dog, though it might be available for the fries."[11]
Marcus' chocolate cake was created by the show's pastry consultant Sarah Mispagel-Lustbader, who served a version of it at her Chicago bakery Loaf Lounge.[12] The cake has a chocolate mousse filling and takes about 12 hours to prepare and chill for service.[13] Marcus' cake evolves over the season starting out with a more "rustic frosting job" that he refines into a "mirror glaze" by the season finale episode, "Braciole."[12]
Ebon Moss-Bachrach told an interviewer that his favorite story beat from season one is in this episode: "...when we shot it, I watched this happen and my heart just melted, and when I watch it on TV, I feel the same way...Richie and Carmy come back after the crazy birthday party. There's some cake and ice cream that Marcus serves up, and Richie and Carmy are so beat, and everyone is so exhausted. Carmy takes one bite of cake and says to Marcus, 'Chef, this is delicious,' and Marcus gives him this thumbs up. The thumbs up comes straight out of his heart. Maybe I'm just sentimental or something, but that encapsulated so much of this season for me."[14]
Critical reviews
The Vulture critic appreciated this lighter episode full of "heart and grit," but thought it went heavy on the "Chicago" references, for instance pushing the regionalism excessively with a cloying reference to the death of Chicago native actor-director Harold Ramis.[3]The New York Times, on the other hand, thought the Ramis nod was a nice "deep cut" nod to the city's vibe.[15]Collider described "Dogs" as a "comedic break" based on a fish out of water premise as Carmy and Richie do a catering job serving juvenile customers in a suburban milieu.[16] ScreenRant deemed it "one of the show's funniest episodes" and "one of the funniest episodes of any show ever made."[17]
Retrospective reviews
In 2024, the Hollywood Reporter ranked "Dogs" as the third-best episode of the first three seasons produced.[18] The same year Variety deemed it the fourth-best episode of the series to date.[19]
In 2025, Vulture ranked "Dogs" as 17th-best out of 38 episodes of The Bear, describing it as "an almost too cute episode."[20]
A BuzzFeed writer who watched season for the first time in 2025 commented that he loved the scene of Jimmy and Richie squabbling in front of Carmy with a dead-eyed thousand-yard stare, "This cutaway was fantastic. The show's comedy is the perfect counterbalance to the drama."[21]
Collider placed "Dogs" at number 8 on its 2025 list of top 10 episodes of The Bear, deeming it "still one of the show's funniest episodes to date."[22]
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