Summary

• The Bear excels in its attention to detail, from creating authentic characters to the use of language and background imagery.
• Season 2 introduces new characters and ramps up the pace, making it easy to miss small details amidst the chaos.
• The show is packed with subtle hints and Easter eggs, such as recurring gags, hidden objects, and meaningful clothing choices.

The Bear is known for its incredible attention to detail, creating a world and characters that feel truly authentic. The series features strong writing of a diverse set of characters, with each having a unique voice that's representative of their upbringing. The language is such an important factor in the hit Hulu series, but there are tons of other small details for viewers to pick up on as well.

The Bear season 2 sees the show expanding with new cast and characters as the crew works toward reopening the titular restaurant in an incredibly short period of time. With the clock ticking and the pace constantly ramping up, it's easy to miss small details in the midst of all the back-and-forth screaming matches. Details range from simple character quirks to kitchen lingo to important background imagery.

10 Carmy Was Will Poulter's Rival

In one of the many great cameos in The Bear season 2, Will Poulter plays Luca, a chef who trains Marcus in pastries and desserts in the Copenhagen episode. While the two work, Luca tells a story about his early days of restaurant work, describing a rivalry he had with another young chef. Luca never explicitly says that Carmy was his rival, but a photograph later in the season seems to confirm it. In The Bear episode "Forks," Richie finds a photo of Carmy and Luca standing next to each other. With that in mind, Luca's talk of finding happiness outside his work sets up a brilliant contrast with Carmy.

9 Sprite Medicine

A recurring gag in The Bear is characters offering each other Sprite if one of them isn't feeling well. In The Bear season 2, episode 2, Richie offers Sugar a Sprite, suggesting she looks "kinda green." This is commonplace in the kitchen, as a Sprite is pitched as a cure for almost any ailment. Sprite clearly has some relevance to the characters in the Berzatto family, as Carmy even has a scene where he makes a homemade Sprite.

8 Tomato Cans

The ending of The Bear season 1 sees Carmy discovering tons of cash hidden in tomato cans in the storage room after reading Michael's final letter to him. When rewatching the season, viewers will notice that scenes in the kitchen often have tomato cans in the background. The setup for this discovery was being laid out throughout the whole season, and neither the viewers nor the characters noticed despite it being right there in front of them.

7 Fak's Spy Outfit

Fak is one of the most beloved characters in The Bear, largely adding comedic relief through his hilarious dynamics with both Richie and Sugar. In one of the many great scenes with Fak and Richie in The Bear season 2, they come up with a plan to steal electricity from the neighboring building. Fak is so excited to be taking part in the heist that he's wearing a ridiculous spy outfit at the end of The Bear season 2, episode 5. Despite being in the goofy outfit, he uses the moment to have a tender interaction with Carmy.

6 Jamie Lee Curtis Polaroid Tease

Jamie Lee Curtis gives an outstanding performance as a guest star in The Bear season 2, playing the Berzatto family matriarch, Donna. She's primarily introduced in the flashback episode, "Fishes," but The Bear's biggest season 2 cameo is teased earlier in the season. In The Bear season 2 premiere, Richie is going through old photos and finds a Polaroid photo of a young Curtis with the Berzatto family. The photos are only shown briefly, and her face takes up such a small part of the frame that it's very easy to miss.

5 Carmy's Phone Code

Carmy is a man who's consumed by his work in all aspects. Not only is he eaten up emotionally by the constant problems that arise at the restaurant, it also takes up almost all of his time. Carmy is obviously someone who doesn't use his phone very often, as he struggles to return calls throughout The Bear season 2. Funnily enough, Carmy's phone code is 111111, suggesting that he's not willing to waste any time unlocking his device. With such an easily guessable code, he might as well not lock it at all.

4 Kitchen Accuracies

The Bear is regarded as one of the best and most accurate depictions of the kitchen workplace in film and television. The feelings of intense stress, anxiety, and overwhelming problems are the most obvious representation of real restaurant kitchens. However, there are smaller accuracies as well. From kitchen vocabulary, like "corner!" and "behind!" to the small quirks and habits of the team (like Carmy drinking water out of a plastic quart container), the kitchen is filled with these accuracies.

3 Tiff's Taylor Swift Shirt

Tiffany is a recurring character in The Bear, who is Richie's ex-wife and the mother of his daughter. She appears primarily in the flashback episode, "Fishes," which provides insight into the relationship she and Richie had, which was strained by Richie's employment difficulties. A quick detail in the episode is that she's wearing a Taylor Swift shirt referencing the album 1989. This teases the end of the following Richie-centric episode, "Forks," where Richie blasts the Swift song, "Love Story," in the car. He plays the song from one of his daughter's favorite artists, showing the heart of gold he tries so hard to conceal.

2 Carmy's Al-Anon Lessons

The character study of Carmy is one of the central focuses of The Bear, as he grieves following the loss of his brother over the course of the show. The Bear sees Carmy attending Al-Anon meetings, where he opens up about his relationship with his brother. While the series only shows him at Al-Anon in one phenomenal monologue scene, it's clear that he's been going and learning for some time, as he uses one of their slogans in the kitchen. Carmy uses the phrase "Keep your side of the street clean," suggesting that each individual on the team should focus on what they can control: their own choices.

1 Michael's Poster

In a terrific scene in The Bear season 2, episode 1, Sydney leans her hand on one of the restaurant's walls and falls through it, showing the fragility of the building. When she falls through, it ruins a poster that Michael had put up of the Red Sox' stadium, Fenway Park. This results in Richie going to perform surgery on the poster, attempting to piece back together the part that had broken. In episode 8, the poster can be seen repaired in the background during a scene where Richie apologizes to Sugar for his behavior.