Ayo Edebiri shines as actor and writer in a season-best episode of ‘The Bear'

Boston Globe

6 hours ago

But the new season also features my favorite kind of 'Bear' episode: one that lets you catch your breath, maybe take some blood pressure meds, and focus on a single character in relative repose, away from the series' scrambling chaos and perpetual crisis. Think season 2, episode 4, which finds Marcus (Lionel Boyce) venturing to Copenhagen to train under the exacting but gentle pastry chef Luca (Will Poulter). You keep expecting something terrible to happen; instead, Marcus saunters along, learning about his craft and himself, even saving a fallen bicyclist from certain death. The episode is like a cool drink in the middle of a long, hot journey.
Danielle Deadwyler as Chantel.
Courtesy of FX
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The new exhale moment arrives, again, with the new season's episode 4, called 'Worms.' This time it revolves around Sydney, played by Boston's own
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Sydney has a lot on her mind. The ever-chatty Shapiro (Adam Shapiro) really, really wants her as the top chef for his hopefully-soon-to-open restaurant, and Sydney, though quietly, amusingly annoyed by his motor-mouth ways, is enticed by the spot's spaciousness and the promise of perks unavailable at The Bear. (A health plan? Get outta here.) Fresh from her visit with Shapiro, she heads to Chantel's place. And that's where the real magic happens.
Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu, Adam Shapiro as Shapiro.
FX
Deadwyler ('Till,' '
This is where Edebiri takes over, as an actor and as a writer.
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Sydney explains that she, too, has a sleepover decision to make, with two distinct options. One house is loud, and the people who live there are kinda crazy. It smells a little funky. The dad is selfish. The other house is big and clean, and it has unlimited pizza and video games. The dad talks too much, but he means well. But the first house is lively, and, for all of its mayhem, full of love. And that selfish dad? He's one of the best video game players in the world.
As Edebiri carefully plays the scene, discussing grown-up problems in a tone that a smart 11-year-old would understand, it quickly becomes clear that Sydney is talking about her current job and her possible dream job. And it becomes equally clear that the smart 11-year-old understands this. It's a remarkable sequence that works on multiple levels, allowing Sydney to weigh her pros and cons without explicitly voicing them. And it translates the atmosphere of working at The Bear to the most direct terms. It's a loving madhouse.
That madhouse quality of 'The Bear' as a show can feel mannered. Keep the music playing! Keep the pressure on! And now: Keep the clock ticking! (One of the genius contrasts of the Sydney/TJ episode comes when we see the oven timer serenely and inconsequentially blinking at 12:00). A paupiette of Dover sole! Pick up six canapé! I am yelling and will continue to!
In a sense, Sydney's conflicted desire to escape The Bear mirrors our conflicted desire to escape 'The Bear.' These one-off episodes let us do that without really leaving or breaking up. Of course, if every episode were like that, we'd have something completely different to escape. The point, which the series seems to get, is to mix things up a little, and keep viewers pleasantly off balance. A quiet harbor in the storm? Yes, Chef.
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