The Bear season 2 ending explained: Does Carmy get stuck inside the freezer?

The second season of the award-winning drama series The Bear premiered its finale episode on June 22, 2023, on FX on Hulu. The show centers on the New York City chef Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto's (Jeremy Allen White) journey as he struggles to run his brother's rundown restaurant, The Original Beef of Chicagoland while navigating professional and personal setbacks.

The show's synopsis, according to Rotten Tomatoes, reads:

"A young chef from the fine dining world comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after a heartbreaking death in his family. A world away from what he's used to, Carmy must balance the soul-crushing realities of small business ownership...... (and) work alongside a rough-around-the-edges kitchen crew that ultimately reveals itself as his chosen family."

Season two's finale episode focuses on the soft launch of Carmy's dream project, The Bear, in the presence of his family and friends. However, things get off to a bad start and get progressively worse for Carmy as he gets stuck inside the freezer after its faulty door handle snaps. The episode, also titled The Bear, was written by Kelly Galuska and directed by showrunner, Christopher Storer.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for The Bear season 2 episode 10.

What happens to Carmy on The Bear season 2 episode 10?

Carmy Berzatto as seen in The Bear (Image via Facebook/The Bear)

The high-intensity pressure of opening night gets to Carmy almost immediately as he snaps at Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) over a small issue, but quickly apologizes for it.

Unfortunately, he gets locked inside the walk-in refrigerator for the rest of the episode and misses the whole thing. Carmy put off fixing the refrigerator door throughout season two, and it backfired on him at the most crucial moment. In his absence, Sydney and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) step up and take charge of the service.

Carmy feels utterly dejected and his mind spirals into negative self-talk. At one point, he gets triggered by one of the guests he saw earlier, who looked similar to his abusive former boss (Joel McHale).

After discovering that Carmy is stuck in the freezer, Claire (Molly Gordon) checks on him. Sadly, she hears him saying that he regrets getting close to her as it diverted his attention away from the restaurant. A teary-eyed Claire responds, "I'm sorry you feel that way, Carm" and walks away.

Carmy, believing he was talking to Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) the whole time, is stunned and calls after Claire. He feels even more devastated after listening to an earlier voicemail from Claire telling him that she loves him.

He then gets into an ugly confrontation with Richie, who calls him out for pushing Claire away. In The Bear season 2's final shot, Carmy is seen looking defeated as they try to break open the freezer door.

Sydney steps up to the plate in The Bear season 2 episode 10

Sydney as seen in The Bear (Image via Facebook/The Bear)

The Bear season 2 finale episode witnesses Sydney rising to the occasion in Carmy's absence. She takes over Carmy's station and tells Richie to call the line in her place. Although the two clashed repeatedly over the course of the show, they worked well together when it was most needed.

But months of pent-up anxiety and stress take its toll on Sydney after the end of the shift and she steps outside to vomit in the alley.

Her father Emmanuel (Robert Townsend) approaches her while she is in the alley. He previously had concerns over Sydney wasting her potential at the restaurant, but he finally gives her the validation she was looking for.

Her father praises the food and the restaurant, telling her it is "the thing" for her and she must pursue it wholeheartedly.

What happens to Richie in The Bear season 2 episode 10?

Richie as seen in a scene from The Bear season 2 (Image via Facebook/The Bear)

Richie's character arc goes through the biggest transformation on The Bear season 2. He has come a long way from the wayward guy of season one and found his calling in hospitality. Richie has a natural ease while talking to customers and shines as a frontman during the restaurant's soft launch in the finale episode.

Richie warmly greets all the guests and does his best to personally connect with them. He even serves Uncle Jimmy Cicero (Oliver Platt) his favorite dessert from childhood, a complimentary chocolate-coated banana to ease tensions between them. But, when Sydney asks him to run the kitchen pass, he does not hesitate and does a great job of running a smooth service.

True to Richie's persona, his final shot in The Bear season 2 finale episode has him smoking a cigarette outside while staring pensively into the distance.

Where does Marcus end up in The Bear season 2 finale episode?

During the high-pressure service time, Marcus uncharacteristically snaps at Sydney for ignoring him. The two get past it quickly, but his little outburst confirms that he has feelings for her. In a lighthearted moment from the episode, Marcus finds the new chef Adam (Alex Moffat) smoking meth behind the restaurant and fires him, after speaking with Sydney.

Marcus seems optimistic about his future by the end of the episode. But unbeknownst to him, the nurse looking after his terminally-ill mother has left multiple missed calls on his phone, hinting at the fact that his mother may have passed away.

In his final shot for The Bear season 2, Marcus is seen staring intently at the sign, "Every Second Counts."