How ‘The Bear’s’ Season 2 Richie spotlight ‘Forks’ can burnish Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Emmy hopes this year
[WARNING: The following story contains spoilers about Season 2 of “The Bear.” Read at your own risk.]
Two years ago, “Ted Lasso” premiered its second season on July 23, just 10 days after Emmy nominations were announced. It was a strategic move, of course, to keep the Apple TV+ hit top of mind for voters as Phase 2 voting approached in August. Among the show’s 20 nominations for its breakout first season were four in Best Comedy Supporting Actor, and because of that, “Ted” was not predicted to win the award at the time. “Saturday Night Live” duo Kenan Thompson and Bowen Yang occupied the top two spots in the odds until two days before the ceremony, when “Ted” star and writer Brett Goldstein surged to first place and then walked away with the trophy. Goldstein had a secret weapon in hand: a stellar Season 2 for his character, Roy Kent, that voters surely could not ignore even though they were technically voting for Season 1. Such a scenario could unfold again this year in this category for another fan-favorite character on a freshman breakout hit that just launched its second season.
“The Bear” dropped all 10 episodes of its second season on June 22 on Hulu, four days before Phase 1 voting ended. And while fans are still bingeing and the discourse is still unfolding, everyone is in agreement about one episode. No, we’re not talking about “Fishes,” the star-studded, agita-inducing dysfunctional family Christmas dinner flashback, but the following episode, “Forks,” a low-key installment centered on Ebon Moss-Bachrach‘s Richie, who stages for a week at Ever, a real two-star Michelin restaurant in Chicago. “Forks” could do for Moss-Bachrach what “Rainbow” — the Season 2 rom-com pastiche in which Roy races to accept the AFC Richmond coaching gig — did for Goldstein.
Much like how Season 2 of “Ted” showed other layers to Roy, its resident lovable curmudgeon, the FX hit does so with its resident lovable hothead Richie (and other supporting players too) this season. At the beginning of the season, Richie is depressed and unmoored, a divorced single dad who recently lost his best friend (Jon Bernthal‘s Mikey) and is now watching said friend’s sandwich shop being gutted to become a fine dining establishment. He tells Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) in the season premiere that he’s trying to find his purpose, fearing both he’s wasted his 45 years on Earth and that Carmy will “drop this ass” when he realizes he’s of little efficacy — all while wearing a shirt that says “The Original Berf.” “It’s a printing mistake,” deadpans Richie, a man who definitely feels he’s made more than one mistake in life.
SEE Emmy Experts Typing: Will ‘The Bear’ serve up more wins than we’re expecting?
In “Forks,” Richie initially resents the staging gig, believing Carmy sent him there as punishment for causing too much trouble at The Bear, and it doesn’t help, in his mind, that he spends the first two days just polishing the episode’s namesake utensils. But after promising staffer Garrett (Andrew Lopez) he’ll respect Ever’s meticulous, high-standard process and himself, Richie, so often resistant to change, embraces the experience and finds his purpose. He quickly downloads Jessica’s (Sarah Ramos) color-coded expo system and learns the value of service and hospitality when he runs to pick up a deep-dish pizza for Ever to tweak (“Micro basil, f— yes!” he screams) for a visiting family. “Every night you make somebody’s day,” Jess explains of how she gets through the fast-paced madness. It leads to a joyous montage of Richie belting Taylor Swift‘s “Love Story” (Taylor’s Version, natch) in the car, a first-rate needle drop that works on multiple levels, as his other plot point this season was securing Swift tickets for his daughter (which he, thankfully, does in this episode). When the car flies through an alley as the final chorus kicks in, it’s a euphoric, fulfilling moment and you realize just how invested you are (read: a lot) in Richie’s success.
Moss-Bachrach never betrays the blunt wise-ass Richie is at his core as he unlocks his potential with the enthusiasm of a kid in a candy store and the focus of a lethal ninja. By the end of the week, Richie’s disappointed he has to leave Ever and return to a place he believes doesn’t want him until one last conversation with Chef Terry (Olivia Colman). In a lovely, understated scene, she explains how doing menial tasks like peeling mushrooms keeps her grounded and is “time well spent,” how she opened Ever after hitting rock bottom, and starts to impart her father’s pearls of wisdom before getting interrupted. In the final shot, Richie figures it out — deftly modulated by Moss-Bachrach as he allows it to sink in — because the mantra has been staring at him and us all along this season: Every second counts. Richie returns to The Bear the next episode a changed man — “I wear suits now” — having realized it’s time not well spent dwelling on the past and it’s never too late to start anew. Just like The Original Beef being stripped down to become The Bear, he had to go back to basics to find his new purpose. Forks, the utensils, were a symbol of chaos and pain in “Fishes” but are now a symbol of healing and growth.
“Forks,” the episode, will make an excellent Emmy submission for Moss-Bachrach next year when it’s eligible, but it can do a lot of heavy lifting for him this year too if he gets nominated (Goldstein submitted “Rainbow” last year and won again). This year’s Emmys will recognize Season 1 of “The Bear,” but, just like with “Ted” in 2021, it would be naive to think Season 2 would not be on voters’ minds when they’re checking off their ballots. And if they are watching Season 2, which is safe to assume they are, it’s hard not to think about Moss-Bachrach’s performance and Richie’s arc this season. It’s already been reflected in the odds: Before Season 2 premiered, Moss-Bachrach was in eighth place, one spot out of the predicted lineup. By June 26, the last day of nominations voting, he had moved into the seventh spot.
The key difference between “The Bear” and “Ted Lasso” is that the latter was a weekly release. “Rainbow” aired on Aug. 20, the day after Phase 2 voting started. Roy was already dominating the season up to then (“Carol of the Belles” was the episode prior), so there was consistent love for Goldstein throughout the summer and “Ted” was also the show to beat. “The Bear” will have to rely on sustained momentum for its entire season — and there’s no reason to think that can’t happen — for the next two months without a new conversation every week.
It’s obviously way too soon to say Moss-Bachrach will win the Emmy in September — nominations aren’t even out yet and he’s not locked for one if you go by the odds. But if he does get in, “Forks” could be the key to Emmy gold at the end of his rainbow.
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