Aug. 8, 2024

The Bear Season 3 Episode 6 - Napkins of Destiny: Tina's Origin Story

Show Notes
Transcript

Step into the past with Journey Joe as we unpack The Bear's stunning sixth episode, "Napkins." Directed by Ayo Edebiri, this bottle episode reveals Tina's heartbreaking and inspiring journey to The Original Beef. We'll explore the episode's powerful portrayal of the modern job market, the return of Mikey Berzatto, and how this glimpse into the past enriches our understanding of The Bear's lovable characters. Get ready for an emotional rollercoaster through the Chicago food scene!

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Callaroga Shark Media. Hey, their basement dwellers, it's your host

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Journey Joe back with another deep dive into the wild

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world of streaming TV. Today, we're sinking our teeth into

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episode six of The Bear season three, titled Napkins, and

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let me tell you, folks, this one's a real heartbreaker

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in the best possible way. First off, can we talk

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about the fact that this episode was directed by none

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other than io Edabiri herself. That's right, Sydney's stepping behind

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the camera, and boy does she knock it out of

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the park. When I heard she told creator Chris Storer

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she'd chew off her right arm to direct this episode,

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I thought, now, that's the kind of passion we love

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to see, and it shows in every frame of this

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beautiful bottle episode. Now, let's talk about our star of

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the hour, Tina, played by the incredible Liza Collinsias. We've

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seen Tina in the background of The Bear for two

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seasons now, but this episode really puts her front and center,

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and it's a revelation. We're blasting into the past to

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see how Tina first met mikey Berzado and became a

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line cook at the original Beef, and let me tell you,

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it's a journey that'll have you laughing, crying, and maybe

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looking at your own career path a little differently. The

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episode starts with Tina losing her job of fifteen years

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as a payroll processor. Now I don't know about you,

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but that scene hit a little too close to home

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for comfort. Watching Tina navigate the modern job market is

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like watching a nature documentary where the gazelle is your

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self esteem and the lions are online application portals. It's

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brutal out there, folks, But here's where the bear really shines.

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It takes this painfully relatable situation and turns it into

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something beautiful. We see Tina's relationship with her husband David,

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played by Colin Zayas's real life husband, David Zayas, and

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it's just so warm and supportive. Even when things are tough,

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you can feel the love between these two. It's a

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nice reminder that sometimes you're short system is what gets

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you through the rough patches. Now, let's talk about that

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pivotal scene in the Beef. Tina, at her lowest point,

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stumbles into the restaurant we know and love, and who's

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there to greet her our boy Richie back in his

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ratty baseball shirt, being unexpectedly kind. It's a great callback

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to Richie's character development, showing us that he always had

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that capacity for empathy, even if it was buried under

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layers of gruff exterior. But the real magic happens when

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Mikey Barzado enters the scene. John Bernthal, folks, what can

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I say about this guy that hasn't been said? He

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brings Mikey to life in a way that makes you

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understand why his loss hit everyone so hard. The conversation

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between Mikey and Tina is just chef's kiss. It's funny,

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it's heartbreaking, it's real. They talk about life, about purpose,

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about the struggles of just existing in this world. And

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when Mikey offers Tina a job as a line cook,

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you can feel the weight of that moment. Can we

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take a second to appreciate the little details in this episode,

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The way Tina's morning routine has shown, the quiet moments

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with her family, the crushing silence of an empty inbox.

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It all adds up to paint this vivid picture of

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a life in transition, and the contrast between the chaos

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of the beef and the sterile environments of the job interviews.

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That's some good visual storytelling right there. Now. I know

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some of you might be thinking, Joe, this seems like

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a big departure from the usual bear chaos, and you're right,

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it is. But that's what makes it so special. It's

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like when you're cooking and you add that unexpected ingredient

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that just elevates the whole dish. This episode gives us context,

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it gives us heart, and it reminds us why we

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fell in love with these characters in the first place.

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Let's talk about that ending for a second. Tina going

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home with the beef apron tucked in her bag, telling

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her husband that the day went well. It's such a

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small moment, but it's loaded with hope and possibility. It's

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a reminder that sometimes when one door closes, another one opens,

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and sometimes that door leads to a chaotic kitchen full

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of screaming cooks and the smell of beef. So what

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do you think, fellow basement dwellers. Did this episode hit

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you in the feels like it did me? Are you

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as impressed with Io Dabiri's directing chops as I am?

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And most importantly, who else is craving an Italian beef

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sandwich right now. That's all for this episode of TV

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in the Basement. This is Journey Joe signing off