Children (The Bear)
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Founder | Christopher Storer |
| Parent | Hulu |
Children represents the fifth installment in the third season of the American comedy-drama series The Bear. This episode, which is the 23rd in total, was both penned and directed by the show's creator, Christopher Storer, and premiered on Hulu on June 26, 2024, simultaneously with the entire season release.
The narrative follows Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, a celebrated chef from New York City, who comes back to Chicago to take over his late brother Michael's struggling Italian beef sandwich establishment. In this chapter, the team at The Bear prepares for an upcoming visit by a photographer from the Tribune ahead of a critical review, while Carmy and Richie discover that Chef Terry intends to shut down her renowned restaurant, Ever.
Plot
Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) helps Marcus (Lionel Boyce) sort through his mother's belongings at her house. Meanwhile, Chef Will Guidara—co-founder of Eleven Madison Park and Carmy's former employer—shares the news that Chef Terry plans to close Ever after twelve successful years.
To bolster the restaurant’s financial health, Cicero (Oliver Platt) brings in accountant Nicholas "The Computer" Marshall (Brian Koppelman) to evaluate expenses and recommend cost-saving measures. The Computer suggests lowering meal portions but adding an additional service day. He and Cicero also propose dismissing Marcus on the grounds that a pastry chef is unnecessary; however, Natalie (Abby Elliott) promptly opposes this idea.
With only an hour before the arrival of the Chicago Tribune photographer, the staff rushes to get everything in order. Fak (Matty Matheson) and Theodore (Ricky Staffieri) receive help from their brother Sammy (John Cena) as they polish floors. Sammy confronts Theodore about missing SD cards while Richie tries to calm tensions. When the photographer finally arrives, the team struggles to prepare a duck dish referenced in the review but cannot locate key ingredients due to daily menu changes. Carmy retreats to the basement where he opens a box containing a notebook filled with photographs of Donna, Michael, and a baby Sugar, along with a close-up image of young Carmy observing closely.
Development
In May 2024, Hulu announced that episode five of the season, titled "Children," would be both written and directed by series creator Christopher Storer, marking his 12th writing credit and 16th directing effort.[1] Real-life restaurateur Will Guidara—who runs several New York City dining establishments—also serves as a co-producer for season three and received co-writing credit for episode three, "Doors."[2] Within the show, Guidara’s character is depicted as a friend and former coworker of Carmy’s who informs him about Chef Terry’s retirement and Ever’s closure.[2] Additionally, Guidara and his wife Christina Tosi make appearances as themselves in the season three finale titled "Forever."[2]
Casting
This episode includes a special guest role played by John Cena as Sammy Fak. Matty Matheson, a series regular, commended Cena for his professionalism and thorough preparation during filming.
Costuming
Sydney’s outfit in this installment features a Haiks denim jacket distinguished by its contrasting collar, worn over her trademark white Carhartt overalls, which were last seen in the episode "Beef."
Filming
Andrew Wehde, the director of photography, explained that the introductory sequences were crafted to reflect Natalie Berzatto’s emotional landscape: "The episode begins with Sugar in the church bathed in beautiful backlighting, then transitions to her awakening and the kitchen silhouette—each scene portraying facets of their inner experiences."
Music
The soundtrack for this episode includes tracks such as "Dream Little One, Dream" by Walter Schumann and Charles Laughton, Van Morrison’s "Purple Heather," and The Rolling Stones’ "Mixed Emotions."
"Dream Little One, Dream" is taken from the 1955 film Night of the Hunter, directed by Laughton and featuring Robert Mitchum as a former convict preacher who attempts to steal money hidden by children. Mitchum’s character bears the tattoos LOVE and HATE on his knuckles, which parallels Carmy’s SOU tattoo—pronounced "soup," representing "sense of urgency," a phrase commonly used in Thomas Keller’s kitchens. (Christopher Storer, creator of The Bear, also directed a documentary about Keller titled Sense of Urgency.) Laughton’s movie aligns firmly with protecting children and has been described as "one of the most terrifying films ever made." It opens with a cautionary monologue about false prophets:
Critical reviews
Jenna Scherer from The A.V. Club assigned the episode a grade of "B–," commenting, "Neil and Ted bring much-needed comedic relief this season, but here I reached my limit with Fak's character."
Marah Eakin of Vulture gave it 2 out of 5 stars, alluding to forthcoming plot points involving Carmy examining photos marked “DD.” A.J. Daulerio writing for Decider praised the show’s nuanced depiction of grief as "competent and occasionally outstanding" in conveying complex feelings. Brady Langmann from Esquire expressed anticipation for related material: "I’m eager for season 1 of Matter of Fak to be released before the next episodes air."
Reception toward John Cena’s cameo was largely unfavorable. The Washington Post described it as "distracting," while Ben Travers at IndieWire believed Cena appeared "too polished for this group of endearingly unkempt Chicagoans." According to Vulture, Cena never truly embodied Sammy Fak. Although The A.V. Club acknowledged his rapport with fellow actors, they felt "the overall tone was off" and that Sammy overshadowed the episode due to an eagerness to accommodate Cena’s presence. Alan Sepinwall observed that unlike earlier notable guest stars who integrated smoothly, Cena’s part came across more as stunt casting.
Retrospective reviews
In 2024, The Hollywood Reporter positioned "Children" at number 11 among 28 episodes, commending its strong portrayal of Koppelman as the Computer. ScreenRant ranked the episode 22nd out of the same set of 28.
By 2025, Vulture placed "Children" at 36th out of 38 episodes, remarking that although The Bear generally excels in featuring guest stars such as Jon Bernthal and Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cena's role in this particular episode was an exception to that success.
See also
- Comprehensive list of The Bear episodes
- Third season of The Bear
- Previous episode: "Violet"
- Next episode: "Napkins"