Why Jon Bernthal’s Mikey is the glue that holds the bear together

In The BearThe specter of Mikey is a constant presence in everyone’s lives and although his death may have affected everyone he was close to, his memory continues to hold the show together. “The Bear” in The Bear see the restaurant, “The Bear?” Or does it refer to the nickname those close to him occasionally call Carmy (Jeremy Allen White)? Perhaps it refers to the colloquial meaning, as in “Running a restaurant and taking care of your dysfunctional family and personal life is a real difficult task.” Or perhaps it is simply an abbreviation of “Berzatto”, the main characters’ surname.

The Berzatto family in The Bear It’s big and messy. You can point the finger in any direction, but at some point, trying to figure out who is to blame for the family’s problems becomes an irrelevant task. The Berzattos cannot change their past. They have to move on, and some do it better than others. Flashbacks are often used in The Bear to show exactly why it’s so hard to move on, and they’re often centered around one character, Michael “Mikey” Berzatto, who, although dead, is present in every layer of the show.

Mikey’s death is the impetus for the events in Bear

Michael Berzatto was the oldest member of the Berzatto family

Mikey is the oldest of Berzatto’s three children and the owner of The Original Beef of Chicagoland restaurant, which his younger brother Carmy would later turn into The Bear. The first few episodes make reference to Mikey, and it’s soon revealed that there’s a reason he doesn’t appear. Mikey died by suicide shortly before the start of the series. In his will, he leaves his restaurant to his semi-estranged brother, Carmy, a task that Carmy is reluctant to accept, but does so in memory of her beloved brother.

Carmy also inherits Mikey’s best friend Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). Richie had been friends with Mikey for years, but despite their closeness, Mikey didn’t give The Beef to Richie, he gave it to Carmy, someone who didn’t have the courage to go to Mikey’s funeral. Mikey had an addiction to painkillers that slowly killed him and fractured his relationships within an already damaged family. Throughout the series, we see flashbacks of Mikey, revealing different parts of his personality and exactly why his death affected so many people.

In the first season, Mikey is shown as the cool older brother

Mikey was a father figure to his brothers

Mikey first appears in Season 1, Episode 6, “Cerres”. In the flashback, he, Carmy, Richie and Natalie (Abby Elliott) are in the kitchen preparing dinner together and playing. Mikey tells his brothers and friend about his and Richie’s revelry the night before, when they met the Blackhawks hockey team and Bill Murray, all at the same bar. Carmy laughs and although Natalie seems irritated, it’s obvious this is a familiar and comforting dynamic.

This is probably Mikey as most people remember him. He is charming, funny and charismatic. He’s almost like a father figure to his siblings, telling Carmy ridiculous stories, teasing his sister, and always making room for his friend. It is this Mikey who leaves a note for Carmy at the end of the season that says: “Let it rip“. He is the inspirer, the friend, the leaderand when someone in The Bear needs a little inspiration or a confidence boost, this first season Mikey is undoubtedly on their minds.

Season 2 reveals Mikey’s weaknesses and pain

Mikey had a nervous breakdown at a holiday dinner

Season 2 is where the cracks in Mikey are revealed. Behind his arrogant, cheerful demeanor was a broken man, slowly losing control, with none of the tools to keep himself from slipping off a cliff. I think it’s fair to say that every fan of The Bear remember season 2, episode 6, “Pisces”where we get an uncomfortably intimate look at the Berzatto family dynamics. During dinner, it starts to become painfully obvious that Mikey is going through withdrawal, or is taking a drug, or is simply reaching his breaking point.

His frustration, fear and depression reach a boiling point and he attacks his uncle Lee (Bob Odenkirk). He goes from furious to mischievous, from laughter to near tears, all within a few minutes and the frightened, impassive faces of those around the table suggest that this is not an uncommon occurrence. It’s difficult to watch. This is the Mikey I imagine most of his family knew him in the last few years of his life. As much as they want to pretend he was always Mikey from season one, it’s season two that follows them through their darkest moments.

Mikey in the third season reveals the best part of his personality

Mikey knew how to connect with people on a human level

It is only in the third season that we are greeted by the “real” Mikey. Neither the carefully cultivated disguise he made for himself, nor the violent, uncontrollable Mikey that was the result of his struggle with drugs. The real Mikey is the one who sits down with Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) in Season 3 Episode 6, “Napkins.” Upon seeing Tina crying after losing her job, Mikey pulls up a chair to commiserate with her. There is no bravado, no true charm, no manic energy. He’s just kind. The kind of person you’d be lucky to have in your darkest moments.

This is the real Mikey. An empathetic friend who can recognize pain in others, probably because he saw it in himself. When he offers Tina a job on the spot, he doesn’t pretend he’s doing her a favor. In fact, it seems like she’s the one doing him a favor. This is the Mikey that is truly embedded in the walls of The Bear restaurant and The Bear the show. It is kindness, love for others, honesty and non-judgment. Everything about the show and the restaurant works best when they operate under the ideals that the real Mikey exemplified.

The Bear season 4 needs to have a Mikey episode

Mikey is central to the bear’s arc

Mikey is central to the story of The Beareverything works because of, for, or in response to his passing. Its specter rests on Carmy and the team, but If Carmy would just embrace his brother’s legacy and memory instead of fighting it, he might realize that his brother still has things to share with him. The season 1 finale with the tomato cans proved this.

It has been suggested that The Bear season 4 will be the last and I need to see at least one more episode of Mikey. The character still has more to offer and, depending on the results of the restaurant review, Carmy will probably go one way or the other. He will need to fight the memory of his brother, both the bad and the good, and he will have to remember exactly who his brother was and what he stood for. Otherwise, I’m worried that Carmy could go down a similarly self-destructive path.