Issues begin to mount: a line cook disappears, the restaurant runs out of forks, Marcus and Sydney run into communication issues due to her earlier rejection, the toilet once again breaks, and Carmy disrupts service when he elects to serve Claire one of the dishes himself only to nearly blow up upon his return to the kitchen when he decides some of the dishes were prepared wrong.
Though the service finishes successfully, Carmy spirals from his lack of ability to oversee it, imagining his abusive former boss in New York's voice criticizing him.
Marcus finds the missing line cook, Josh, outside in the alley smoking meth, and obtains Sydney's permission to fire him.
Claire comes into the kitchen after hearing he is stuck in the walk-in and overhears the end of his rant where he declares that his relationship with her was a waste of time, causing her to leave in tears.
As he waits for the fridge to be cut open, Carmy plays a missed voicemail from Claire earlier in the day, in which she confesses her love for him, leaving him devastated.
[5] The season two finale was released to generally positive reviews and praised for its typical style of high pressure and intensity.
[7] Salon.com critic Melanie McFarland praised the episode, saying: "'The Bear' deserves all the hype poured over it for the usual reasons – its atmospheric directing, writing, awareness of place, and performances collaborate to grant its consumption a sense of urgency and necessity.
[9] James Poniewozik of The New York Times also praised it while noting differences between the first and second season: "'The Bear' is no longer a war story that takes place in a kitchen.