Pop (The Bear)

The Bear
Company type	Television series
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	2022; 4 years ago
Headquarters	Chicago, United States
Website	www.hulu.com/series/the-bear

Pop represents the fifth installment of the second season of the American comedy-drama series The Bear. As the 13th episode in total, it was penned by Sofya Levitsky-Weitz and directed by executive producer Joanna Calo. The episode debuted on Hulu on June 22, 2023.

The narrative follows Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, a celebrated chef from New York City who returns to Chicago to oversee his late brother Michael's struggling Italian beef sandwich establishment. In this chapter, Carmy accompanies Claire to a social gathering while The Bear progresses with its renovation plans.

Critical reception highlighted the episode’s script, acting, and character arcs. Notably, Liza Colón-Zayas earned the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in this episode.

Plot

Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) persist in perfecting the menu offerings. Tina thrives at culinary school and builds rapport with her peers but grows concerned as Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) begins missing classes. With just six weeks remaining before reopening, construction delays arise because contractors must wait for preceding tasks to be finished.

Cicero (Oliver Platt) pays a visit and is taken aback by the worsening state of the premises. Despite exceeding budget limits, Natalie (Abby Elliott) convinces him to provide an extra $50,000 to cover repairs and obtain necessary permits. Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) travels to Winnetka with Claire (Molly Gordon) to submit an application for a liquor license. Later, Claire invites Carmy to attend a friend’s party. Although initially uneasy—having never been to such an event—he ends up enjoying himself.

After apologizing for previously giving Claire a false phone number, Carmy invites her to visit the restaurant. At The Bear, Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is scolded for trying to tap electricity from neighboring units. Following introductions, Carmy gives Claire a tour of the kitchen. Fak (Matty Matheson) interrupts but is quickly dismissed. Carmy and Claire share their first kiss.

Context

Tina requires a quality knife for her culinary studies, prompting Carmy to gift her his premium hand-forged Yoshimi Echizen knife from Japan, which is typically sold in the U.S. exclusively through a single retailer located in Beverly Hills, California.

A restaurateur clarifies the electrical amperage issue that motivates Richie’s attempt to steal power: commercial kitchen spaces have capped electrical capacity, and surpassing this limit risks tripping circuits or causing panel outages. In this episode (season 2, episode 5), The Bear faces challenges due to insufficient electrical power for its HVAC system—a significant amperage load. The available amperage depends on the gauge of the electrical cable supplying power; increasing capacity requires intervention from utility providers and often entails substantial infrastructure upgrades, particularly in New York.

The same industry expert highlights the deliberate choice of pairing Carmy with Claire, who works as a physician: dating someone outside the restaurant sector can be difficult due to demanding work hours, so partnering with someone familiar with intense schedules enhances authenticity.

Development

In May 2023, Hulu officially announced episode five of the season titled "Pop," scripted by Sofya Levitsky-Weitz and directed by executive producer Joanna Calo. This episode marked Levitsky-Weitz’s second writing contribution and Calo’s fifth time directing within the series.

Filming

The karaoke sequence was captured at Alice's located in Avondale, Chicago. Ebra, who had left culinary school, is portrayed savoring a cigar while gazing over Lake Michigan from the Chess Pavilion in Lincoln Park.

Director Calo prepared by viewing teen films centered around Chicago such as Sixteen Candles and Risky Business. She explained her method involved drawing on classic romantic comedy imagery, emphasizing close-up shots with warm lighting and framing Claire through a wall cutout to indicate a narrative shift focusing on the chef.

Costuming

Sydney is seen wearing a souvenir T-shirt from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) 2022 Hip-Hop Block Party. Later in the episode, she sports a Rag & Bone Maxine button-down shirt paired with a Carleen Upcycled Blanket Liner Jacket.

Props

Several dishes shown were created by New Jersey-based ceramic artist Jono Pandolfi.

Music

The soundtrack for this episode features tracks such as "Bastards of Young" by The Replacements, "Total Control" by The Motels, "Anytime" by Neil Finn, "Pretty in Pink" by The Psychedelic Furs, "Tonight, Tonight" by The Smashing Pumpkins, "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" performed by Freddy Fender, "Here Comes the Night" by Van Morrison, "Strange Currencies" by R.E.M., and "Can't Hardly Wait" also by The Replacements. Early in the episode, Fak lauds "Can't Hardly Wait" as "the greatest, like, high school song ever written."

Critical reviews

"Pop" was met with widespread positive feedback from critics. Marah Eakin of Vulture awarded it 4 out of 5 stars, spotlighting a romantic scene between Carmy and Claire enhanced by The Replacements' "Can’t Hardly Wait." A.J. Daulerio from Decider remarked on Sydney’s brief exchange with Carmy before his attention turns to Claire, leading to their formal relationship. Arnav Srivastava at The Review Geek gave the episode 4.5 stars, complimenting its maintained tension and faithful continuation of the series’ successful formula while expanding character arcs beyond the restaurant setting. Karl R De Mesa of Show Snob described it as an uncommon uplifting episode amid an otherwise intense season.

Rafa Boladeras of MovieWeb placed "Pop" ninth among season episodes, describing it as a transitional installment that enriches Carmy and Claire’s bond through personal moments and social gatherings. On the other hand, Jasmine Blu from TV Fanatic viewed it as the least compelling episode of the season, although she acknowledged there were no outright disappointments in season two.

Retrospective reviews

In 2024, The Hollywood Reporter ranked "Pop" 27th out of 28 episodes, calling it "a perfect example of why The Bear stands out among top shows; even its lowest-rated episode surpasses the highest-rated episodes of many other current series." ScreenRant positioned "Pop" at number 16 among 28 episodes up to season three, highlighting Tina’s surprising karaoke performance as a memorable highlight.

By 2025, Vulture placed "Pop" 28th out of 38 episodes, noting its emphasis on the evolving relationship between Carmy and Claire.

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