Who Is Francie Fak On ‘The Bear'—And Why Does Natalie Hate Her So Much?
Abby Elliott as Natalie in The Bear
The Bear is known for its exciting guest stars every season, including Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cena, John Mulaney, Will Poulter and more. However, it can be tough to keep track of the Berzattos' extended family and close friends, such as the Faks, who are deeply intertwined in their lives and The Bear.
The Bear returned for its fourth season on June 25, marking a new chapter for FX's acclaimed culinary drama. The restaurant is not only recovering after the disappointing Chicago Tribune review but is also literally racing against the clock to earn a Michelin star. Uncle Jimmy and Computer are ready to close the restaurant and pull all funds if they fail.
The next chapter includes the return of fan-favorite character and Carmy's sister Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto. She played a pivotal role in getting The Bear restaurant up and running in the previous two seasons, even while pregnant (she gave birth in Season 3, Episode 8 'Ice Chips"). Now, she's on maternity leave and is still managing the finances and logistics of The Bear from afar.
In Season 4, Sugar has a visibly emotional reaction when the name "Francie" is brought up, first by her husband. If you're unsure who Francie is, don't worry. Before Season 4, all we knew was that something had happened between them, but not exactly what.
Two seasons later, viewers are finally getting more insight into their mysterious feud. Francie even appears in person to hash things out with Natalie in Episode 7. Keep reading to find out who Francie is and why Natalie despises her so much.
Who Is Francie Fak?
Francie is a member of the Fak family and the sister of Neil, Ted and Sammy. The Faks are close friends with the Berzattos. Before Season 4, Francie was only referenced by name, and the way Natalie speaks about her makes it apparent that something pretty bad happened between them, causing their fallout.
Fans may recall that in Season 2's iconic Christmas episode, "Fishes," Cousin Michelle asks the family why Francie isn't at the party. The brothers then explain that Francie isn't allowed to be there because Natalie refuses to be in the same room with her.
'She's mad as hell. She's angry,' Neil says of Natalie's resentment toward his sister. ''Cause of the thing…'
'Still, huh?' Michelle replies.
There was no mention of Francie in Season 3, leaving viewers wondering if they'd get answers about what happened with Natalie and which actor might portray Francie in the future.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Bear Season 4.
What Does Natalie Say About Francie In Season 4?
In Season 4, Episode 2, Natalie's husband Pete mentions to her that he ran into Francie at the gym, making her very upset. "She can go f*ck," Nat says, before asking if she looked hot. When Pete hesitantly tries to answer, she warns him to "be very careful" before saying, "Don't answer that," and mocking Francie's message of trying to say hi to her.
Later, she contemplates sending a text to Francie, and it's clear from their past messages that they consider each other 'dead' to one another. She begins typing the sentence 'Please go f*ck,' but doesn't send the text. Instead, she's interrupted by an unexpected call from Carmy, who apologizes for not having met her baby Sophie yet.
In Episode 6, while at the resturant, Neil Fak asks Natalie if she ever thinks about Francie. 'No, she can go f*ck,' she answers. He then reveals to her that he asked Tiff to invite Francie to the wedding. Natalie accuses Neil of betraying her and says she can't even look at him. 'You have devastated me!' she yells. Later, she tells The Bear crew that Francie 'knows what she did.'
Who Plays Francie Fak In The Bear?
Brie Larson at the Giorgio Armani RTW Spring 2025 fashion show held at the Park Avenue Armory on ... More October 17, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by John Nacion/WWD via Getty Images)
Francie Fak is finally introduced in the fourth season of The Bear, and she's played by Academy Award winner Brie Larson. The Fak sister makes her debut in Season 4, Episode 7, at Tiffany and Frank's wedding.
As soon as Francie walks in, the two waste no time going at it. Throughout the hour-long episode, Natalie and Francie trade verbal jabs – but amidst their bickering, viewers (kinda?) learn what may have caused the major rift between them.
So, What Really Happened Between Francie And Natalie?
Natalie tells Francie that she can "apologize whenever, you know that?' before they start throwing profanities at each other.
Natalie eventually rambles on about what appears to be the origin of their feud – a house party. 'First of all, it wasn't even your house, okay?' she says, before complaining that there was 'whipped cream was everywhere,' and that Francie was really drunk, and 'I didn't know how to start the car…'
In her defense, Francie says that 'It was raining, the bus was going to leave,' and then adds that "there were no cell phones then!'
As they continue shouting at each other, Pete steps in and tries to separate Sugar and Francie. That's when Ted interjects, 'Pete's in denial about these two hooking up." Pete looks at them and says, 'You two did not hook up,'
Natalie and Francie slowly stare at eachother awkwardly, hinting that they might have, in fact, hooked up. 'Well….' Natalie says, while Ted is laughing.
Do Francie And Natalie Finally Settle Their Beef?
Yes, Francie and Natalie are able to sit down and express how they truly feel. 'I think about you a lot,' Francie says to her at dinner. 'I do miss you, and I really hope that you're happy, and that you have someone who loves you.'
'I think about you too,' Natalie responds, reciprocating her feelings. 'I think about how smart you are. How hard you work. How funny you are. And I just think, 'Holy sh*t, she's probably doing something great.'"
"Francie, you wanna maybe try and be friends?" Natalie eventually asks her. When Francie responds "Yeah," Natalie makes sure she's not lying and asks one more question, "And you won't f-ck me over?" Francie assures her old friend that won't be the case. "No, I will not f*ck you over Natalie," and they hug each other.
The Bear Season 4 is streaming on Hulu and Disney+. Watch the official trailer below.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Geek Tyrant
26 minutes ago
- Geek Tyrant
IRONHEART Star Alden Ehrenreich Talks Surprise Role and the Character's Future in the MCU — GeekTyrant
The first few episodes of Ironheart pulled back the curtain on a legacy character with deep roots in the MCU. That surprise comes in the form of Alden Ehrenreich, who starts off playing a seemingly regular guy named Joe McGillicuddy, only to be revealed as Ezekiel Stane, the son of Jeff Bridges' Obadiah Stane from Iron Man . It's a interesting connection to the film that kicked off the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Ehrenreich is clearly aware of the significance. Speaking to ScreenRant, he opened up for the first time about stepping into a role so closely tied to the franchise's origin: "Well, it's nice to be a part of something that relates back to the whole legacy of the story, especially because that character was in the first real Marvel movie that started all of this." He also shared a fun connection between his casting and another MCU icon. "And I had just worked with Robert Downey Jr. [on Oppenheimer] when I got this part, and so I got to talk to him about it and that was nice. I just FaceTimed with him, and I was like, 'So this has come my way, and this is the role — what do you think?' And he was like, 'Yeah, do it.'" As for why Ezekiel Stane was chosen for Ironheart , head writer Chinaka Hodge told TV Line it was about mining the MCU's overlooked corners: "It's a gem of a 'hanging chad' in the Obadiah Stane story. One of the best things about the MCU is how things connect, but I think so many of the throws have been forward or to other MCUs or alternate universes, and it's so much fun to reach back." Hodge also hinted that Ezekiel's journey may only be beginning: "Alden's so great in the role and the character is so much fun. I expect, as a fan, it will live a long time." That said, it's unclear where exactly Ezekiel will pop up next. With Armor Wars no longer on the immediate horizon, Ezekiel's future in the MCU might be a waiting game. But if Ehrenreich's take on the character resonates with fans, don't be surprised if Marvel finds a way to bring him back. The first three episodes of Ironheart are now streaming on Disney+.
Forbes
29 minutes ago
- Forbes
NYT ‘Strands' Hints, Spangram And Answers For Friday, June 27
Strands Looking for Thursday's Strands hints, spangram and answers? You can find them here: How To Play Strands The New York Times' Strands puzzle is a play on the classic word search. It's in beta for now, which means it'll only stick around if enough people play it every day. There's a new game of Strands to play every day. The game will present you with a six by eight grid of letters. The aim is to find a group of words that have something in common, and you'll get a clue as to what that theme is. When you find a theme word, it will remain highlighted in blue. You'll also need to find a special word called a spangram. This tells you what the words have in common. The spangram links two opposite sides of the board. While the theme words will not be a proper name, the spangram can be a proper name. When you find the spangram, it will remain highlighted in yellow. Be warned: You'll need to be on your toes. 'Some themes are fill-in-the-blank phrases. They may also be steps in a process, items that all belong to the same category, synonyms or homophones,' The New York Times notes. 'Just as she varies the difficulty of Wordle puzzles within a week, [Wordle and Strands editor Tracy] FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia LadderWhat Is Today's Strands Hint? Time to do the NYT hint and then my own hint after that: Playing dirty And mine is: Child's play What Are Today's Strands Answers? Now we begin the answer portion of the program which is the spangram and the full list of the other answers, the spangram is: SANDBOXTOYS Here it is on the page, and read on: Strands And the answers today are: Strands Well, this one through me for a loop. I saw the hint, playing dirty, and my first word was 'mold.' So then I started looking for other dirty words like mildew and gunk and things like that. None of those appeared because of course that was not the puzzle at all. Even realizing it was sandbox toys, I still struggled with sifter, as that's not a very common word even though I know it's a sandbox staple now. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Phila Lorn, mastermind behind one of Philadelphia's hottest restaurants, brings family story into spotlight
He's the mastermind behind one of Philadelphia's hottest restaurants. Now, Phila Lorn, the owner of Mawn in South Philadelphia, is being recognized with one of the highest honors in the culinary world: the James Beard Emerging Chef Award. In the heart of the historic Italian Market, Mawn stands out not just for its bold Southeast Asian flavors but for its fearless approach. "When we say no rule, we really mean we make whatever we want," Lorn said. "There's Cambodian food, Vietnamese food, some things from Burma, Thailand." For Lorn, it's deeply personal. The South Philly native, named after his hometown, says his cooking reflects both his upbringing and the sacrifices of his parents, refugees from Cambodia who arrived in the U.S. after surviving war and genocide. "Philly is my city. I was named after the city. I love Philadelphia, the flaws and all," Lorn said. "My parents worked a lot, but the block raised me. Growing up in South Philly. The government funded us with some food, and the food was never good. I realized at an early age that I could make things better from bad things." After two decades in the restaurant industry, Lorn and his wife Rachel opened Mawn, infusing every dish with heritage, heart and hustle. This month, the James Beard Foundation recognized his work, naming him Emerging Chef at a ceremony in Chicago. It's a moment, Lorn says, that goes beyond personal success. "It represents growth and progression of my people, of the community," he said. "And I hope that it can show other people that we can do anything." But more than awards, Lorn says his mission is simple: make people feel something when they eat. "To know that you're being taken care of. To know that you're full and you're happy," he said. "I feel like that's in my blood." From a house on 7th and Jackson streets to one of the country's most celebrated chefs, Lorn is not just feeding Philly. He's honoring it.
