Forks and Purpose

Richie delivering a high-end version of Chicago deep dish pizza for excited customers

In season two, episode seven of “The Bear,” we get to see what the world of fine-dining looks like at Ever, “the best restaurant in the world,” where Richie is sent by Carmy to stage. Richie, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, previously revealed to Carmy that he was struggling with finding his purpose. His sadness and bitterness follow him to Ever, where he is instructed to polish forks for an entire week and, if he gets lucky, he’ll move up to spoons. After having an outburst of defiance with Garret, Richie’s minder, Garret takes him outside for an insightful talk where he tells him, “You don’t have to drink the Kool-Aid, Richie. I just need you to respect me. I need you to respect the staff. I need you to respect the diners. And I need you to respect yourself.” Richie agrees and, later, gets a call from his ex-wife about her choice to re-marry after her new boyfriend proposed, tearing away any little hope Richie had left to make amends. After this he “realizes he needs some Kool-Aid in his life. A real purpose, the kind a well-run restaurant can provide” (Sintumuang, 2023).

Richie starts making big character changes, both in mental attitude, and physical appearance. Garret eventually lets Richie shadow him in serving, and when Richie changes into his suit and tie, he claims it feels like armor. On his last day staging at the restaurant, he speaks briefly with chef Terry, the owner of the restaurant played by Olivia Colman. The two are delicately peeling mushrooms as an aesthetic enhancement that chef Terry enjoys because she thinks it shows someone worked hard to deliver something with extra care, her purpose. D’Addario, in a Variety article, states “Moments like this, in which two people in the culinary trenches achieve a certain sublimity while their hands are working, are ones of real connection that rely on character, situation and a lightness of touch that “The Bear,” contra its most attention-getting moments, wears well” (2023).