S03.E06: Napkins

[chitowngirl]

Synopsis: Tina looks for a new opportunity.
Drops on Hulu June 27, 2024.

Edited June 26 by chitowngirl

[Mindthinkr]

This was a good episode. We follow Tina and see why she ended up at the restaurant. It was endearing and wonderful kismet for her. 
I was almost wondering if she should change her necklace from upside down as lore says that’s when the luck falls out. 
I like that we’ve moved from the total chaos of the kitchen (as per the first few episodes) into now showing some of the back stories of the Bear staff. 

[Colorado David]

awww man that Tina crying scene totally got to me, i had to switch to something else for awhile.

great epi. i love seeing backstories. i love seeing Mikey again. why the heck is Fak so picked on???

[maddie965]

I love Tina. That's all.

[SnapHappy]

Sorry, a Tina backstory could have been 1/3 of an episode.  I like her a lot and appreciate the info on how she ended up at The Beef, but I fast-forwarded through the repetitive alarm clock, lunch packing, crock-potting & bus riding.  It didn't have to be the entire show. 

Nice to see Mikey in action though. 

I'm a knitter so I spent most of the episode checking out the knit cowl scarf she was wearing.  I've got the perfect yarn & the pattern is easy to figure out.  So score 1 for that.  I'll call it my BEAR cowl. 

And why was the episode called "Napkins"?  Because Mikey was refilling some dispensers while talking to Tina?  

Edited June 29 by SnapHappy

[possibilities]

I loved this episode. Tina is a great character and I thought everything they did here was important. Too many shortcuts take the story out of the realm of what you feel and limit it just to dry plot.

Also, it's the first time I liked and understood Mikey. 

[peeayebee]

And she was wiping her tears with napkins. 

I liked this ep. I've always liked Tina and that actress. I just read that the guy who played her husband is her real-life husband. I was worried thruout the ep that they were going to have a major blowout, so I was glad to see that they have a loving and supportive marriage.

I also liked when Richie gave her the coffee on the house and then thru in the sandwich which somebody didn't pick up.

Pet peeve! I hate how dark so many scenes are. We've had many eps where someone is in bed, and you can barely see them. 

[susannot]

I loved the Tina backstory, especially after seeing that the episode was directed by Ayo (not going to try to spell her last name) but I really like her as a chef and an actress.

[aghst]

Great episode, though the timing is kind of strange for a backstory that predates season 1.

Tina was struggling at times with her station in this season and she wondered about what to do because the farmer's market had fewer ingredients available.  Sydney had to show her what they could do with the produce that she bought.

So I didn't realize right away that this goes way back, though the photos of a young boy should have tipped off that this was Tina much younger than the current timeline.

Did we see Angel from Dexter as her husband before?  They never show her son whom she yells at but seems to be a good home situation, even as the job-hunting was wearing her down.

 

[Irlandesa]

9 minutes ago, aghst said:

Did we see Angel from Dexter as her husband before?  

He appeared briefly in Ep1 or Ep2 for Mikey's funeral scenes where he was holding a crying Tina coming out of the church. I don't believe we've seen him prior to this season.

[Jordan61]

On 6/29/2024 at 9:19 AM, SnapHappy said:

Sorry, a Tina backstory could have been 1/3 of an episode.  I like her a lot and appreciate the info on how she ended up at The Beef, but I fast-forwarded through the repetitive alarm clock, lunch packing, crock-potting & bus riding.  It didn't have to be the entire show.

Agree with all of this. This episode seems to be a favorite of the season, along with Ice Chips, but I honestly found it mostly boring, as much as I like Tina.

[Black Knight]

Awww, my heart! I loved every minute of this episode, although poor Tina. I think it was important that this took a full episode. So much of The Bear is about capturing the rhythms of life - inside a busy kitchen, inside a dysfunctional family, and now inside the experiences of an older woman who's just been laid off and is trying to find another job. About two-thirds of the ep was spent on that and the final third on her conversation with Michael, which was important in multiple ways, from showing us more sides to Michael to how it wasn't actually a pity offer from him.

I was a little surprised in that she was such a natural part of the crew from the pilot on that I thought she had spent a lot of years at the restaurant, like Michael and Richie. Although, she started in 2018, so I guess it was some years. I worked in my stepfather's restaurant in my high school and college years and now that I think about it, it doesn't really take a lot of time for people to bond and become part of the group (unless they're just not going to work out at all) because the hours are long and so much teamwork is necessary.

I've also really enjoyed looking again at certain key moments from previous seasons and considering how this episode has added to my perspective of those moments. Specifically, when Tina did a little kitchen hazing of Syd in S1, her reaction when Syd offered her the sous chef position, and going out with the younger people from the chef school.

Awww, my heart!

[tennisgurl]

I loved that episode I thought that it was so sweet. I love Tina and this gives so much more context to her and a lot of her interactions with others, especially with Syd and Carmy. Being both annoyed with and respecting the passion of younger people really shows in her relationships with them, especially when they both arrived at the restaurant and started making all kinds of changes. 

I really liked seeing more of Mikey, this really helps give us a fully picture of him as a person. I also loved hearing him talk about Carmy, it seems like he's always had a lot of insecurity about how his brother thought of him and it sounds like he really was proud of him. 

They really nailed that frustrating miserable grind of job hunting. Going from place to place with those resume copies, checking your email over and over, the frustration of getting your hopes up only to have them casually shattered because someone never bothered to let you know that a job had been filled, I could just feel it.

Edited July 1 by tennisgurl

[Haleth]

I love Tina. She is just so normal in a cast of such intense characters. Mikey was so sweet to her. 

[Laurie4H]

Really liked this episode. Liked the conversation with Mikey.  
 

46?  I thought she seemed older than that.  But I guess the actress is 52 in real life which I guess goes with the timeline.  I’m a few years older and I always apply online.  Going into stores with a resume seems like someone over 65 might do.  

Edited July 2 by Laurie4H

[Mrs.Monkey]

I really love how this season is systematically showing us how high the stakes are for each character. They all need the restaurant to be successful for different reasons. Tina really needs the job because she struggles financially. Marcus really needs this job to be a safe space after the death of his mother. Richie needs to prove to his daughter that he's a successful professional. Sydney just leased an apartment and needs the financial security. Natalie is having a baby and is concerned about her financial future as well as the restaurant's. And Uncle Jimmy sunk a lot of money into it and wants to make his money back. Everyone else (maybe with the exception of Marcus) is concerned that the restaurant is not making any money, but Carmy's concern is not financial but creative. He wants to be the best chef at the best restaurant and get a star. As such, he keeps doing things that cost more money, thus heightening the financial concerns of everyone around him. I was glad that the Computer hit Carmy over the head with the finances, but I'm not sure Carmy really understands how much everyone else is depending on the success of the restaurant. He's in his own head with his own issues.

[aghst]

22 minutes ago, Mrs.Monkey said:

I really love how this season is systematically showing us how high the stakes are for each character. They all need the restaurant to be successful for different reasons. Tina really needs the job because she struggles financially. Marcus really needs this job to be a safe space after the death of his mother. Richie needs to prove to his daughter that he's a successful professional. Sydney just leased an apartment and needs the financial security. Natalie is having a baby and is concerned about her financial future as well as the restaurant's. And Uncle Jimmy sunk a lot of money into it and wants to make his money back. Everyone else (maybe with the exception of Marcus) is concerned that the restaurant is not making any money, but Carmy's concern is not financial but creative. He wants to be the best chef at the best restaurant and get a star. As such, he keeps doing things that cost more money, thus heightening the financial concerns of everyone around him. I was glad that the Computer hit Carmy over the head with the finances, but I'm not sure Carmy really understands how much everyone else is depending on the success of the restaurant. He's in his own head with his own issues.

I really wonder about the finances of the restaurant.

They don't have a lot of tables and they only serve dinner while they have the sandwiches to take away for lunch.

So Sydney gets a $70k salary, bonuses and share of any profits once her equity vests.

She was offered $80k and maybe more bonuses and profit sharing for chef Adam's restaurant, as CDC, which I assume means she's in charge of the kitchen.

Obviously Ever was wildly successful.  Andrea can retire and she can afford Rolexes.  But that seemed to be a larger restaurant than The Bear?

Meanwhile, The Bear has many mouths to feed.

Seems like Sugar had her own career and was doing well -- she drives a Porsche.

Cicero is rich but apparently had some setback so he can't sink more money into the restaurant without profits.

Could be tough for Tina.  I guess they seem to be saying the the future of restaurants, especially high-end restaurants, was uncertain coming out of the pandemic.

I've heard that places like Noma has closed but presumably the owners made money and decided to step away, probably from a high-stress business.

But for restaurants overall, many were able to raise prices by a lot in the last couple of years, though many struggled to find workers, had to increase pay a lot.

Many also failed but restaurants have always had high failure rates.

For instance, I've watched some older episodes of Somebody Feed Phil recently and I looked up some of the places he touted and they are often closed, after the episodes were released 3-4 years ago

 

[Avabelle]

Poor Tina, whatever about the grind of getting a new job but having to deal with all those bratty little young adults talking down to her? Just no. 

[possibilities]

Do they even have a business plan? 

[MicheleinPhilly]

I adored this episode. What a great showcase for Liza Colón-Zayas. 

[Alexander Pope]

Tina's face!!!! I just can't get over how beautiful, expressive, and utterly singular she is.  She did so much in this episode in silence.  Blew my mind.

[Cheezwiz]

On 7/1/2024 at 8:45 AM, tennisgurl said:

They really nailed that frustrating miserable grind of job hunting. Going from place to place with those resume copies, checking your email over and over, the frustration of getting your hopes up only to have them casually shattered because someone never bothered to let you know that a job had been filled, I could just feel it.

Yes to this! Have been down this road so many times in my life (and may be heading there again soon as someone even older than Tina), and they really depicted the relentless drudgery and disappointment accurately.

I personally loved this episode, and didn't mind the time they took showing the rhythms of Tina's life and and how she finally landed at the sandwich shop. I also finally understood Mikey's character and charisma much better.

I actually had no idea Tina had a husband - I always assumed she was a single parent. Nice that she has such a supportive loving spouse. I was actually worried something was going to happen to him in the episode, which would have made her situation that much more desperate.

[thuganomics85]

Spoiled going in that this was one of the highest rated episodes this season and I can definitely see why.  A great showcase for Tina and Liza Colon-Zayas did a bang up job with everything.  Interesting seeing that Tina was actually a corporate accountant at first: she really gave off a vibe that she had been in the food industry for a while.  And then watching her get laid off was brutal since it's definitely a realistic story at the moment. 

And then that damn job hunt.  Yeah, that felt too real.  Printing out the resumes only to find out everything is now mainly done online.  How degrees matter more than experience for a lot of places (not going to go on some kind of anti-college rant or anything, but it does feel like businesses automatically dismiss real life experience when it should be valued.)  Realizing that your main competition are younger and able to maneuver in ways you can't.  Yeah, it ain't pretty, folks!

"Making the most of one's screen time" is certainly a common phrase used often (including myself here), but damn, Jon Bernthal really is able to make Mikey such a fascinating and tragic character with his few scenes each season.  Clearly a man with a lot of demons and it was sad that he wasn't able to get help before it was too late, but you can also see why he was so beloved by everyone because he truly cared for those closest to him.  Seeing how proud he is/was of Carmy making it in culinary school was so heartbreaking.

David Zayas as Tina's husband was a nice touch.  Wasn't aware that he and Liza are married in real life.

Ayo Edebiri in the director's chair!  Well done!

As much as I get why Carmy wants to do with The Bear, seeing The Beef in its heyday was actually kind of interesting.  Obviously dysfunctional, but you can kind of see a camaraderie there with the employees/Richie, that seems to be lacking right now.  It certainly wasn't perfect since it ended up putting everyone in debt, but I actually think Carmy could use some of that to get everyone more on the same page. 

[Blakeston]

I really enjoyed this one! There are so many extremely capable women like Tina out there, who have the ability but not a degree, and never found a job that valued them enough.

At the end of the scene with Mikey, when Tina was explaining how badly she needed a job, and Mikey was complaining that they're understaffed, I was practically screaming at the TV, "Just offer her the job already!"

It reminded me of the Simpsons episode "Brother From the Same Planet" (the one where Bart tells the Big Brothers program that he doesn't have a father, and then Homer gets a little brother named Pepe).

There's a scene at the end where Bart's big brother says, "My car's gonna feel so empty on the ride home," and Pepe says, "And me, I have no ride at all."

And Bart's big brother says, "I already bought a giant ham for dinner. It's gonna go to waste," and Pepe says, "Don't talk about food, I'm so hungry!"

[Is Everyone Gone]

I really loved that convo between Tina and Mikey because I'm glad we got to see why people were loyal to Mikey. It reminded me of what people said about Robin Williams. That yes he was bipolar, yes he was addicted to all sorts of substances, but he was also genuinely kind and good. That was Mikey. He listens to Tina, he empathizes with her, he shares his own experiences (without ever talking down to her), and then he offers her a job, but gives her a way out. 

Beautifully done.

[Dminches]

By far the best episode of season 3 so far. Tina and Mikey were so honest with each other about how they feel about certain aspects of life. They developed chemistry so quickly. Tina's lack of bitterness towards "young people" was quite admirable. I don't think I would have been anything but angry.

I need to go back to the beginning and watch for Tina's reaction to the news of Mikey's death.

 

[callie lee 29]

On 6/29/2024 at 12:19 PM, SnapHappy said:

Sorry, a Tina backstory could have been 1/3 of an episode.  I like her a lot and appreciate the info on how she ended up at The Beef, but I fast-forwarded through the repetitive alarm clock, lunch packing, crock-potting & bus riding.  It didn't have to be the entire show. 

Nice to see Mikey in action though. 

I'm a knitter so I spent most of the episode checking out the knit cowl scarf she was wearing.  I've got the perfect yarn & the pattern is easy to figure out.  So score 1 for that.  I'll call it my BEAR cowl. 

And why was the episode called "Napkins"?  Because Mikey was refilling some dispensers while talking to Tina? 

Fully agree! Yes it was nice to see the background of Tina but the entire episode?? I think of third of it was her just going around and dealing with getting turned down for job after job. Most of us have been there or are there now, we get it. 

[Ilovepie]

I loved the callback to my favorite episode ever - the alarm clock over and over and the episode title reminded me of "Forks". 

It was so satisfying when Tina finally went off on that kid. And it was great seeing why everyone loved Mikey. This season has been my least favorite so far, but I did like this episode.

[lucindabelle]

For me the titles also referred to how when Tina first took a bite. She couldn’t even taste anything but her tears. But after she felt better, she took a bite and it was so good. She had to wipe her mouth with the napkin.

 

For me, the titles also referred to how when Tina first took a bite. She couldn’t even taste anything but her tears. But after she felt better, she took a bite and it was so good. She had to wipe her mouth with the napkin.

 

I think I need to get an original beef T-shirt

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 6/30/2024 at 12:36 AM, aghst said:

Tina was struggling at times with her station in this season and she wondered about what to do because the farmer's market had fewer ingredients available.  Sydney had to show her what they could do with the produce that she bought.

I thought that Sydney showed her how to put the broccoli puree under the roasted cauliflower and brussel sprouts instead of pouring it on top (like nachos). It seems like Tina has created that dish herself.

On 6/30/2024 at 12:36 AM, aghst said:

So I didn't realize right away that this goes way back, though the photos of a young boy should have tipped off that this was Tina much younger than the current timeline.

Tina's hair was longer in the flashback.

Are both Faks brothers on the payroll?

Edited July 26 by ItCouldBeWorse

[MaryHedwig]

Shouldn't Tina have looked for work as a lounge singer? Looks like there were lots of hotel lobbies/bars in that area? (Remember how great she was at karaoke?}

[heatherchandler]

On 7/6/2024 at 12:30 AM, thuganomics85 said:

David Zayas as Tina's husband was a nice touch.  Wasn't aware that he and Liza are married in real life.

 

The funny thing is, I actually thought to myself that I didn’t buy then as a couple!  He seems younger than her, and just mismatched.  And then to find out they are married in real life!  

[TV Diva Queen]

Sorry - but there is NO WAY that someone who LIVES in Chicago doesn't know what an Italian Beef is.  It was ridiculous when she went into the beef stand and Richie was explaining to her what a beef was.  

[ProudMary]

2 hours ago, TV Diva Queen said:

Sorry - but there is NO WAY that someone who LIVES in Chicago doesn't know what an Italian Beef is.  It was ridiculous when she went into the beef stand and Richie was explaining to her what a beef was.  

Yes. Suspension of disbelief: I accepted that the explanation was more for the general audience.

[TV Diva Queen]

52 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

Yes. Suspension of disbelief: I accepted that the explanation was more for the general audience.

meh - they've already establish to the general audience what a beef sandwich is.  :) 

It was lazy IMO.  :) 

[awaken]

Beautiful, heartfelt episode. 

[paramitch]

I loved this episode, and found it very moving. Beautiful job as always by Liza Colón-Zayas, and I thought it did an especially good job of portraying that quiet desperation you feel when you're living on the financial edge -- one change, and the bottom drops out of the world. 

On 6/29/2024 at 1:20 PM, possibilities said:

Also, it's the first time I liked and understood Mikey. 

Me too. Mike was so kind and thoughtful with her -- great scene.

On 6/29/2024 at 1:22 PM, peeayebee said:

I liked this ep. I've always liked Tina and that actress. I just read that the guy who played her husband is her real-life husband. I was worried thruout the ep that they were going to have a major blowout, so I was glad to see that they have a loving and supportive marriage.

I also liked when Richie gave her the coffee on the house and then thru in the sandwich which somebody didn't pick up.

I was stressed about their marriage too -- I kept worrying that her husband would do some well-meaning but disastrous thing and they would be in worse off than ever. So I was glad there wasn't some big marriage crisis in the story.

I've always loved David Zayas -- I didn't know he and Liza were married IRL! I love that. His career trajectory is such a fascinating one -- he was a military guy, then a real-life beat cop then began acting, and has had a lot of success on TV (primarily "Dexter") but he's also on Broadway all the time, and has been in several things in just the past 3-4 years that were well received. It was nice to see him here -- he's a relaxed presence who never tries to pull focus.

I loved Richie giving Tina the coffee and sandwich. The only thing I thought was awkwardly written and unbelievable was the three men talking about her weeping and Richie saying loudly over and over again that she shouldn't be allowed to cry there. Richie could be an ass back then, but I don't buy that he would say it loud enough for her to hear it like that.

On 7/1/2024 at 6:03 PM, Laurie4H said:

46?  I thought she seemed older than that.  But I guess the actress is 52 in real life which I guess goes with the timeline.  I’m a few years older and I always apply online.  Going into stores with a resume seems like someone over 65 might do.  

Liza has a ton of range -- she believably played a younger, more glamorous woman on "In Treatment" 3-4 years back, and she was just terrific. I feel like she was believable as a younger Tina here -- it's just a matter of a few years, and most of the way Tina presents herself is very dressed-down with a lot of tension in her face.

I definitely found it believable that after 15 years in the same job for a smallish company, that Tina would be out of step when it came to reentering the job market, using LinkedIn, etc.

On 7/2/2024 at 10:49 AM, Mrs.Monkey said:

I really love how this season is systematically showing us how high the stakes are for each character. They all need the restaurant to be successful for different reasons. Tina really needs the job because she struggles financially. Marcus really needs this job to be a safe space after the death of his mother. Richie needs to prove to his daughter that he's a successful professional. Sydney just leased an apartment and needs the financial security. Natalie is having a baby and is concerned about her financial future as well as the restaurant's. And Uncle Jimmy sunk a lot of money into it and wants to make his money back. Everyone else (maybe with the exception of Marcus) is concerned that the restaurant is not making any money, but Carmy's concern is not financial but creative. He wants to be the best chef at the best restaurant and get a star. As such, he keeps doing things that cost more money, thus heightening the financial concerns of everyone around him.

This is a terrific and perceptive look at the overall throughline/big picture of this season.

On 7/5/2024 at 10:30 PM, thuganomics85 said:

Ayo Edebiri in the director's chair!  Well done!

I completely missed that she directed this, but what a terrific job -- beautiful episode, and it was so empathetic toward Tina and what she was going through.