Richie’s Fork in the Road on ‘The Bear’

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( close read [Richie’s Fork in the Road]( In season two, The Bear’s bad man grows into its savior. Photo: FX For most of his life, Richie Jerimovich has been an asshole. Childhood friend Neil Fak doesn’t mince words in [The Bear](’s [series premiere](: He’s “always and forever … the fucking worst.” In a restaurant full of damaged, broken, and aimless people, Richie might have been the most damaged, the most broken, and the most aimless, a miasma of resentment and condescension yelling about a changing restaurant in a changing neighborhood to hide his fear. It was easy to hate Richie. The greatest magic trick of The Bear season two is how it transformed him into someone easy to love. Nearly everyone grows, at least a little bit, in these new episodes. Syd, Sugar, Tina, and Marcus develop their culinary, management, and creative skills; Fak, Ebra, and Gary gain confidence through the responsibility that comes with expanded roles. Though Carmy ends the season spiraling emotionally as he’s locked in the walk-in fridge, he also experiences some long-awaited personal happiness through [his relationship]( with Claire. But it’s Richie — Philip K. Dick fan and Snyder Cut detractor, devoted dad and onetime cocaine dealer, grieving best friend and proud cousin — who moves furthest from the person he used to be to the person he wants to be. In season one, Richie was going through a divorce, afraid of missing out on time with his daughter, blaming himself for best friend Mikey’s suicide, and struggling with feelings of jealousy and irritation relating to Carmy’s inheritance of the Beef. In [“Ceres,”]( when Tina asks, “Where you gonna go, Richie?” in response to his whining that Carmy and Syd are destroying the restaurant’s “delicate fucking ecosystem” with their blue-apron French brigade system, Richie ends the episode on the outside of the restaurant, looking in on a place that might have already outgrown him. The Bear treated Richie’s prescription for alprazolam like a joke, using the pills for a gag in which a [birthday party]( full of kids pass out after he accidentally contaminates the homemade Ecto Cooler. But there was obvious honesty in his “I suffer from anxiety and dread” admission, and season two picks up that thread again, using it as a springboard for Richie’s transformation. [read more]( The Latest TV Recaps • And Just Like That: [Swallowing Your Ts]( • The Witcher: [On the Road Again (Episode One)](, [Castle Freak (Episode Two)](, [Are You My Mother? (Episode 3)](, [Having a Ball (Episode 4)]( • Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: [Back From the Future]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [Looks Like Drake May Not Be Ready to Tour (Again) He and 21 Savage have delayed the start of their tour by nearly a week.]( By Justin Curto [Hand Ashley Park the Keys The actress took Broadway, then Paris. Now, she heads to Beijing for Joy Ride, this summer’s raunchiest R-rated buddy comedy.]( [Would You Believe John Mulaney Can Eat Spicy Food? “I’ve done a lot of damage to my synapses.”]( By Rebecca Alter [Everything We Know About How Dune 2 Is Doin’ From riding sandworms to Austin Butler lookin’ like a worm in the trailer.]( By Rebecca Alter [The Witcher Recap: Having a Ball Is The Witcher building up to its very own Red Wedding?]( By Scott Meslow [Grammys Brace for Another Year of Crypto.com Arena Jokes The ceremony is returning on February 4, 2024.]( By Justin Curto [Want to Try Don’t Ask Tig? Start Here. Highlighting the best episode of Tig Notaro’s podcast.]( By Sean Malin [Anthony Mackie Shares His Thoughts on Jonathan Majors Abuse Allegations His Marvel co-star’s trial is set for August 3.]( By Zoe Guy [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Today’s Crossword]( 27-Across, Five Letters: Fuckboys in Romancelandia. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty A newsletter of TV and movie recommendations. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [Get the Newsletter]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved