If “The Bear” Season 2 proved anything, it’s that our man Carmy Berzatto desperately needs some therapy. And apparently series star Jeremy Allen White has debated getting him there — even though he doesn’t think it’ll happen onscreen.
The second season of the FX dramedy saw Carmy (White) and his colleagues working at a breakneck pace in an effort to open their new restaurant. Of course, it became abundantly clear in Season 1 that Carmy has some hang-ups to work through in order to do that, and those struggles only escalated this time around.
We do actually see him speaking in some kind of group-share setting in one episode, but it isn’t really explained or explored further. At this point, White believes that Carmy could use the help therapy provides — and he’s actually gone so far as considering taking him there himself while still in character.
“It’s so interesting. I was thinking about this the other day. I was like, ‘Should I see a therapist as Carmy and kind of see what they have to say?,’” White told TheWrap. “For sure he should. So many people should see therapists.”
That said, White doesn’t expect therapy to be in the cards for the chef, even if and when the show gets a third season.
“Do I see that in Carmy’s immediate future? No,” he admitted. “I think, you know, if we’re lucky enough to do more, and do Season 3, you’re leaving Carmy in this place where he feels like he’s really kind of extended himself and been vulnerable with somebody for the first time, and then his whole world seemingly crashed around him, and he lost control and the wheels came off.”
Indeed, in the final episode of the latest season, Carmy and his crew make it to opening night of their fine dining restaurant, The Bear — and though it all worked out in the end, there was no shortage of hurdles and losses. One chef went missing because he was doing meth in the alley. Food was left out too long. Family didn’t show. And, naturally, Carmy got himself stuck in a walk-in refrigerator, which inexplicably led to him ending things with his new girlfriend Claire (Molly Gordon).
In reality, Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) were able to get The Bear’s opening across the finish line. But, in Carmy’s mind, he was too distracted by Claire and let himself get steered off course.
“From his perspective, you know, he let himself slip, and everything crashed,” White explained. “So, yeah, I don’t know what kind of Carmy we’re going to be dealing with later on.”
For now, White isn’t too worried about it. He’s simply enjoying — and perhaps still marveling at — how easily “The Bear” Season 2 came together, destroying any nerves about a sophomore slump.
“I think prior to filming Season 2, yeah, I mean, I was nervous,” he said. “I was nervous about getting back to set. I was nervous, like, are we going to be able to achieve what we did the first season? And kind of just being in our own little bubble and sort of forget about all the ideas that have been thrown at us over the last seven or eight months?”
He continued, “And we got to set and it was kind of amazing how easy things felt. Instantly, everything seemed very simple, approachable. And I remember even asking our DP, or he asked me, you know, ‘How are you feeling?’ And I said, ‘I feel good, I feel too good. Like, I feel like it shouldn’t be this easy. It’s making me nervous.’”
Much like Carmy, White says he often sees struggle as a prerequisite for anything to turn out well.
“Something needs to be kind of painful or intense for it to be good,” he said. “And it turns out — and what a relief, you know — we’re just all so dialed and we love being around one another so much. Everybody’s so good at what they do on this show. It was just easy. And it felt very natural. And yeah, I just feel so lucky.”
“The Bear” Season 2 is now streaming on Hulu.
