Following The Bear Season 1, most of the show’s viewers would agree that Cousin Richie wasn’t the most enjoyable part of the show by far. Sure, he could get stabbed in the butt and walk it off, but he was also an annoyance and a miserable human being who was generally miserable for other characters to be around. In Season 2, however, Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s menace to Chef society became the surprise ace in the hole.
As my colleague Jason Tabrys discussed, Richie’s “true GOAT moment” arrived in the season finale, wherein Richie has gained enough foresight and professional redemption to see how Carmy’s obsessions are also his downfall. Richie Wears. Suits. Now. He was also able to pull the kitchen into being a well-oiled machine in the space of 15 minutes on friends and family night. Meanwhile, Carmy was languishing in the refrigerator, not even able to inwardly appreciate that he had provided enough guidance (and sources for such) to his fellow Chefs that they could keep the fires going amid disaster.
The character growth that Richie experienced in “Forks” is what made this turnaround possible, and that’s why Season 2, Episode 7 is my favorite TV episode of the year. And I’m not alone, although plenty of other The Bear-heads would prefer the nightmare Christmas episode, “Fishes,” which was adorned with endless cameos and painted an exquisitely painful portrait of why the Berzatto siblings ended up, well, the way that they did.
Everyone is saying FORKS from The Bear but I feel like FISHES is the true standout
pic.twitter.com/gkhqT9JYUj https://t.co/FKjLQTQyAK
— Slyth 🎬 (@slythwalker_28) December 21, 2023
And sure, Succession and Reservation Dogs fired out strong competition, but man, The Bear inspired the most lively conversation on Twitter.
The Bear, Forks. https://t.co/1LwMesjMRV pic.twitter.com/tcj6lYBhED
— Andy (@Truly_Defective) December 21, 2023
"Forks" The Bear S2E7 ✨🌟
Special praise for "Forks" man. The episode was so profound that, you might even care about the show and you'd see it as a standalone and you'd still have a smile 💐🥺 pic.twitter.com/ffeGScyyNZ https://t.co/u9ZyhYSblh
— Daniel Oyaskiiᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠ (@IamOYASKI) December 21, 2023
"Forks" from THE BEAR & "Connor's Wedding" from SUCCESSION are 2 of the best episodes of television I've *ever* seen.
(Also, you don't need to watch THE BEAR to appreciate "Forks," which plays like a standalone short film & moved me like nothing else in '23.) https://t.co/yYGgOYBBFR pic.twitter.com/A0FlqMPIty
— Jen Johans (@FilmIntuition) December 20, 2023
“Forks,” The Bear. Hands down. https://t.co/rVp1nbVgDx pic.twitter.com/91S8eTNO4x
— Jake Sisco (@_jlsisc) December 21, 2023
I saw a lot of replies of this tweet answering “Forks” from The Bear, the same year that we had “Connor’s Wedding” from Succession or “Deer Lady” from Reservation Dogs, and you know what? All those replies are absolutely correct https://t.co/5vFxNz9GW8 pic.twitter.com/KxknFBxyWh
— Raul Muciño (@raoulmc) December 21, 2023
Richie’s character growth (and that Taylor Swift scene) was beautiful for the audience to witness, but no one was more surprised than Richie himself. That’s a recipe for good TV.
The Bear – S2 E7- Forks.
The way Ritchie fought his inner battles to try and find a purpose in life. It was all about him realising that it is never, ever too late to change! 🥹♥️ https://t.co/KBK77oh3Tw pic.twitter.com/NA76tv1sQa
— Shilpak. (@ugach_kahitarii) December 21, 2023
The Bear – “Forks” pic.twitter.com/PqINsiJRgP https://t.co/cUJHojKuy9
— Geechi (@ThatDakari) December 20, 2023
It’s probably S2E7 of The Bear (“Forks”) ❤️ https://t.co/ntmu5b7OQo pic.twitter.com/g4FfCy25je
— Serena (@SerenaSeghedoni) December 20, 2023
This is one of the best episodes of anything I’ve watched all year. The way Ritchie went from a major irritant to an actual human in 25 mins or so just using forks, was perfection & beauty in a bundle https://t.co/SFnLjZD4w1
— Curry Goat Connoisseur (@KastroDaOne) December 21, 2023
Also, there’s the “mental health” aspect to consider when deciding what to rewatch, “Forks” or “Fishes.” No contest there, really.
Forks is a delightful rewatch. Fishes I could only do once. https://t.co/uss2DbTnHx
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) December 21, 2023
The Bear, but I would argue Forks over Fishes bc I value my mental health https://t.co/6SkYvyAMGH pic.twitter.com/QSk82hgsbl
— dee 🐝 (@deaboyer) December 20, 2023
Not saying that Forks doesn’t deserve all the praise; it has phenomenal character development for Richie, one of the best needle drops ever and one of my favorite actresses popping up for a couple of glorious minutes.
It’s just that Fishes is in another league in general. pic.twitter.com/1WwFcojWFP
— Slyth 🎬 (@slythwalker_28) December 21, 2023
And the debate continues:
look, “fishes” from the bear is obviously great, but……. (whispers) “forks” is even better https://t.co/FNjyZR9VEh pic.twitter.com/HrzSSvKgkC
— lindsey marie (@thekuhlest) December 21, 2023
I go back and forth between fishes and forks constantly from season 2 of the bear. Both masterpieces. Today I’ll say forks. Yesterday I probably said fishes. Tomorrow who knows lol. https://t.co/G0P65hIGue pic.twitter.com/uMDHIFmUvR
— Kevin Dawson (@DawsonforReal) December 21, 2023
The Bear‘s first two seasons are available to stream on Hulu.
