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| "Next" | |
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| The Bear episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Christopher Storer |
| Story by |
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| Teleplay by | Christopher Storer |
| Cinematography by | Andrew Wehde |
| Editing by | Joanna Naugle |
| Original release date | June 26, 2024 |
| Running time | 27 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
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"Next" is the second episode of the third season of the American television comedy-drama The Bear . It is the 20th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Christopher Storer from a story he co-wrote with co-executive producer and culinary producer Courtney Storer, and directed by Christopher. 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's "non-negotiables" list causes chaos in the restaurant.
Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) introduces the "non-negotiables" list to the restaurant, explaining that he is hoping to elevate the restaurant to higher profile by aiming for one Michelin star. Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), however, is taken aback by the list, especially for a section where it is revealed that the menu is changing every day. Carmy also gives her a "vesting agreement", wherein they will discuss her stake at the restaurant so she can "push" him and vice versa.
Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) arrives annoyed that Carmy reorganized the dining room without consulting him, and grows more upset when he reads the non-negotiable list. Their argument escalates as Richie questions Carmy's apology, and Richie goes as far as to mock Carmy for failing in his relationship with Claire. As Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas), Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) and Cicero (Oliver Platt) arrive, the staff gets into arguments over the structure. It is also revealed that some of the employees have quit their jobs, citing a "dysfunctional" environment. The conflict ends as Marcus (Lionel Boyce) arrives, and they get to work to get his mind off his mother's death.
Carmy approaches Marcus, and is surprised when he quickly accepts the "non-negotiables" list unlike the rest of the staff. Carmy offers his condolences, and Marcus deduces that he was meant to be in the kitchen when his mother died, feeling that was what she would've wanted. He is intent in making the restaurant work, and asks Carmy to "take us there." Carmy agrees to do it.
Carmy promises Sydney, "We're gonna get a star," meaning a starred restaurant recommendation in the Michelin Guide for Chicago. Carmy has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants before and, in the more innocent early days of season two, Syd expressed a desire to create a Michelin-level restaurant. Restaurateurs interviewed by The New York Times suggested that Carmy's change-the-menu-every-day plan is a great way to not get a star because the constant changes drag down the speed and confidence of service, but conversely the "dream weave" of Super Soakers for "Tuesday surprise" and piñatas for birthday celebrations (as seen in "Doors"), and the overall level at which Carmy and Syd run the kitchen suggested to one restaurant owner, Arjav Ezekiel, that "the way they operate their restaurant feels like they're trying to get more than one star—that level of intensity is probably shooting for two or three." [1]
When Carmy tells Syd that he altered one of the dishes and she recognizes the change as a "Boulud nod," this refers to a "crisp paupiettes of sea bass in Barolo sauce" dish that "uses thinly sliced potatoes as a crust for a skinless fillet, and Mr. Boulud has in turn credited a mullet dish made by Paul Bocuse as his inspiration." [2] This is the same dish Boulud teaches Carmy in the flashbacks in "Tomorrow." [3]
Richie says that Neil Fak's suit is made of a "fresco wool." Fresco wool is a high-twist wool with excellent breathability and wrinkle resistance. [4]
The book they give Sweeps, The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert, written by Richard Betts and illustrated by Wendy MacNaughton, is indeed a scratch-and-sniff book. [5] Per NPR, there is an elegant simplicity to the book, which pares a 100-smell "wine aroma wheel" down to four basic categories: fruit, wood, humus, and other. [6]
"Are you writing time codes on the tape now?" "Detail and specificity, yes." "Pea tendrils, 8:11 a.m. 8:09 a.m., snap peas. 8:15 a.m., I'm trapped in a prison of my own design."
In May 2024, Hulu confirmed that the second episode of the season would be titled "Next", and was to be written by series creator Christopher Storer from a story he co-wrote with co-executive producer, culinary producer, and sister Courtney Storer, and directed by Christopher. [10] It was Christopher's ninth writing credit, Courtney's first writing credit, and Christopher's 14th directing credit. [11]
When questioned over Sydney's interaction with Carmy over the agreement, Ayo Edebiri explained, "I think she's always balancing his validation and his style of communication, because he will do a gesture but not necessarily say what he's thinking or feeling. So I think even though he does [assure she's a partner], it's actually quite complicated. She's sort of like, 'Is that true? You're offering me this thing. But what does it actually mean?'" [12]
Sydney wears a scarf from the Cary Collection covered with 1950s lithograph-style illustrations of vegetables and other ingredients and their associated calorie counts. [13]
The episode was filmed in just two days, with the first day filming the first 20 pages of the script, while the remainder was filmed the following day. Jeremy Allen White loved the episode's ending, saying "Stepping outside yourself, looking at Marcus and getting Marcus's thumbs up when he says, 'Take us there,' the writing in that episode is so beautiful. It was just so easy." [14]
According to cinematographer Andrew Wehde, one of the visual goals for season three was to "introduce sunlight...with Carmy working at the island...by himself, we were using large-source tungsten lights to bring in that sunlight as if it's reflecting off the high rises. It looked like the sun was a big orange light blooming through the front window, and it felt like it was pushing all the way into the back of the restaurant. That was the big change, adding that warm sun into the restaurant, knowing that Carmy's changing, he's evolving, and that time is moving forward." [15]
Featured in the episode are an Eddie Vedder cover of "Save It for Later" by The Beat, and "(Nice Dream)" by Radiohead. [16]
Jenna Scherer of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A–" grade and wrote, "After an oddly sluggish season premiere, "Next" returns us to the show's baseline. Whereas "Tomorrow" roved the world and was extremely light on dialogue, "Next" restores the frenetic, overlapping rhythms that first made us fall in love with The Original Beef: a freewheeling jazz beat, the alto sax screeching with rancor even as the bassist strums a steady heartbeat of unconditional love." [17]
Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone praised its opening sequence and wrote, "What could at first just feel like a collection of glorified establishing shots turns into something else when many of the people begin waving at the camera. For a few minutes, the verisimilitude of the rest of The Bear goes away, and we are watching people excited to be on TV, and proud to have their hard work recognized by this show. The Bear is always a love letter to the people who make and serve our food, and who clean up after us; it's just more openly doing that in this montage." [18]
Marah Eakin of Vulture gave the episode a 3 star out of 5 rating and wrote, "The show keeps inserting these shots of Carmy basically vibrating with adrenaline and stress, and while that could just be how Carmy is, it's also kind of threatening. There's no way he can sustain this pace, this pressure, and this level of stress. Something's going to have to give." [19]
A.J. Daulerio of Decider wrote, "It's easy to forget, but The Bear is billed in most awards-show categories as a "comedy," and sometimes it can even pull it off despite its swirling darkness. "Next" gets off to a promising start with a visit from one of Carmy's sleazy neighborhood pals who's there to drop off micro radishes and collect money in an envelope." [20] Josh Rosenberg of Esquire wrote, "With our road map officially set, we'll see how it plays out when the restaurant opens its doors. Say what you will about the disarray, but I'm excited for the courses ahead of us. Hopefully, we just won't have to wait until season 4, episode 10 for Carmy to learn that he doesn't have to go it alone." [21]
In 2024, The Hollywood Reporter placed "Next" at 28 on a ranked list of 28 episodes produced to that point, commenting that the "chaotic back-and-forth the morning after [Carmy and Richie's] friendship fell apart isn't the most unpleasant thing that happens on The Bear, but it's perhaps the most needlessly unpleasant thing that happens on The Bear." [22] ScreenRant ranked "Next" 17th out of the 28 episodes produced through the end of season three, describing it as the "actual" season premiere after the dream-like "Tomorrow." [23]
In 2025, Vulture ranked "Next" as 37th-best out of 38 episodes of The Bear, commenting that the episode "has so many 'no, fuck you!' undertones and so much out and out aggression that it's almost hard to watch." [24]
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