Honeydew

Following on from Syd's episode, this outing focuses on Marcus and his experience in Copenhagen, as he is trained by guest Will Poulter in his cameo appearance.

A conversation between the pair at the halfway mark depicts a brief moment of connection; these two men are from vastly different walks of life, tied together by the struggle of modern living, surviving within the culinary world, coping with illness, loss and various family issues. It's a nice moment, one that feels real, thoughtful and endearing. It's also what I've liked the most about 'The Bear' so far in its second season, it's delivering these heartwarming moments frequently throughout each and every episode.

That's a microcosm for the episode as a whole. Marcus is given his time to shine; he is one of the most likeable characters on television currently. The cinematography is gorgeous, and various montages follow on from those prevalent within the previous Syd-focused episode, however, there's further dialogue and a deeper focus on Marcus' personal life, his mother's health, which take this outing up a notch.

I think Season 2 of 'The Bear' is taking what made Season 1 so special, turning it up to 100 and thoroughly outclassing it on a episode-by-episode basis. That's not an easy feat, but if this quality continues then I think the show may just pull it off.

Marcus traveling to Denmark to learn more about baking is something I didn't know I needed, but now after watching this has moved him up to a top 3 character in this show for me. The chef that teaches him is another surprise guest star. I won't give away who it is, but he had an amazing scene when Marcus and him were talking about their pasts and pondering if the life he has was worth all the struggle. Honestly, I was getting to the end and realized how happy I was watching this. The other shoe had to drop sometime and it never happened. If nothing else came from this, then at least it made want to visit Denmark.

What an episode...television just doesn't get any better than this. The rhythm, the cinematography, the sensitivity, the music, the location (a character in itself), the direction, the depth of character, the acting, the hug - woah...Tears in my eyes in multiple moments.

As an actor I must congratulate Will Poulter on his performance - beautifully balanced, subtle, truthful, understated, the perfect dish - bravo.

Only complaint: why don't we get more TV like this!?

The Bear is such a joy and delivers on every level, I didn't know how they could possibly improve upon season 1 and yet somehow they've made that feel like an amuse bouche.

Can't recommend this series and this episode highly enough.

This season has been such a great deep dive into characters so far. This episode, looking at Marcus going to Copenhagen, warmed my heart immensely. We all know he is a great guy, but adding the additional context by showing him with his mom, helping a man who has fallen, and sending pictures to people at home characterizes how much he loves his family and his home. Will Poulter is also a welcome addition to this episode as the chef tasked with teaching Marcus how to become better. The calm, smooth pacing of the episode is perfect for Marcus. It's also wild Ramy Youssef directed, what a great surprise at the end credits!

Just a beautiful piece of work, a joy from start to finish. It's uncharacteristically gentle and contemplative for The Bear, a study of character and also a celebration of the joy and satisfaction of craft and creation. As with any great dish the ingredients are great - one of the series' most loveable characters in Marcus, the beauty of Copenhagen, a fine guest performance by Will Poulter and lots and lots of beautiful looking desserts and pastries - but the way they are put together is just wonderful. It reminded me of the wonderful episode in the second series of Master of None where Dev learns to make pasta in Modena and that is high praise.