Spoiler alert for those who aren't caught up on The Bear!
There comes a time in many people’s lives where a show arrives that truly changes the game. There are plenty of series that have done this, such as some of the best shows on Max and maybe even the best shows on Hulu, but to me, there’s one series that has become a number one hit for me over the last year, and that’s The Bear.
While the Hulu series gained even more popularity in its sophomore season, garnering more views than the first one, I’ve always been a huge fan. I started watching it originally because my partner’s cousin is a chef who said that The Bear was the most accurate depiction of what it was actually like to work in a restaurant. I decided to watch, as someone who loves cooking shows and baking shows – but never expected to love it as much as I did.
However, today, we’re not going to sing the praises of The Bear, as much as I would like to. Today, we are going to focus on one single aspect of it, and that, my friends, is Carmen’s mother – played by Jamie Lee Curtis. After seeing her in the sixth episode of the second season, “Fishes,” she is the first person I think of when I think of Season 2.
Because I need to talk about how freaking phenomenal this character is and how she adds so much value, we are going to break down five things I just have to speak on.
First Off, She Stole The Entire “Fishes” Episode
I remember that in the first season of The Bear, the one episode I was really into was “Review,” an episode that was like a powder keg exploding in fast, one-take action. Everything was moving so quickly and I don’t think I had ever felt so much more anxiety watching a television episode, probably since the Game of Thrones finale.
But then, “Fishes” came along, and man, this episode was even worse – in the best way.
We are introduced to how intense the Berzatto family can be – including a plethora of phenomenal guest stars, which we’ll get into in a bit. All of which pull the story forward and make it something amazing. It’s Carmen’s mother, Donna, however, that gives this whole episode a slow, painful pace.
And I mean that in the best way. At first, she seems like the typical Italian-American mother we tend to see, just trying to get food on the table for her family, moving at a million miles per minute, trying to avoid everyone that comes in and out of the kitchen. Soon, though, we start to see the cracks begin to form – how she feels unappreciated, un-helped; but there’s so much more mental deterioration behind that which we can’t see at face value.
Even when people say they would help, she doesn’t take it, because she wishes she didn’t need to ask for help, and this culminates in her drinking more and more throughout the night; her emotions starting to spiral again. It’s like you’re waiting for that car crash to occur in slow motion.
That blow up scene at the table, before it all ends with her literally driving her car through the wall in a state of mental breakdown – talk about a way to end an episode, and one that has truly stayed in my mind since I binged the series.
Jamie Lee Curtis Was The Absolute Best Pick To Play Carmen’s Mother
The Bear wasn’t short of amazing guest stars in Season 2. From Will Poulter to Olivia Colman to so many others, it featured some of the biggest names in Hollywood. The sixth episode especially had big actors such as Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, Jon Bernthal and comedian John Mulaney.
Curtis was the absolute best choice to play Donna. To be honest, I’m so used to her from other roles that seeing her here was like whiplash for my young soul. I’ve seen her in the Halloween franchise, Freaky Friday, even Everything Everywhere All At Once, but I never pictured her as someone like Donna.
However, she killed this role, from the moment she entered the frame. For a second, I couldn’t even believe this was Jamie Lee Curtis, the person who is honestly the funniest celebrity out there and yells down from a balcony to greet fans, acting wonderfully in every role and showing just how talented she is. I could not get enough.
And The Fact That She’s Still Always There In The Background Of Both Carmen and Natalie’s Heads Is So Realistic
What I also loved about the inclusion of Carmen’s mother is that we really get to learn a little more about how she has affected both him and Natalie, his sister.
With Natalie, you can see that she almost wears her emotions about her mother on her sleeve. She tells people she wants her to come; she wants to feel as if her mother is proud of them through everything they have gone through, but because of their trauma, it’s hard to really gauge her reaction to things like this.
Carmen is the opposite – we don’t ever really see him talk about his mother. We only know that she was an important part of his life, but after watching “Fishes,” we see that right before the restaurant opens he hears his mother’s voice yelling at him in his mind all the time. It’s a subtle amount of trauma we are seeing, and those scenes with his mom made it all the better.
Her Appearance When The Restaurant Opened Was Actually Heartbreaking
Even so, as much as I do love that we got to see so much more of Donna in this season, I’m glad that they included that last scene in the finale of Season 2.
This really could have ended in a way where Donna was the “real villain the whole time” or whatever other cliché, where she was just a bad mother who put her kids through horrible experiences and never showed up. Instead, we are given a powerful scene between Donna and Natalie’s husband, showing us who she really is.
Donna isn’t a bad person. She’s a troubled person. She is someone who has serious problems that she has taken out on her family, and it has caused some major distance – so much so that she didn’t even know that Natalie was pregnant. Even when she invited their mother to be included on opening night, it’s Donna who decides she can’t go.
It’s not that she doesn’t want to – it’s that she knows she will do nothing but cause harm when she is in there. She wants her kids to have this one good thing that isn’t tainted by her, and she begs Natalie’s husband not to tell her daughter. He reluctantly agrees, but it’s that moment where I realized she really is one of my favorite characters on a current dramedy.
She’s someone who is in serious need of help, but doesn't know where to start, and doesn’t want to include her kids in it. You can tell she still loves her children very much, but knows that she has caused nothing but pain and sadness, and that’s a very bitter conclusion to come to – one I’d love to explore again.
I Really Hope We Get To See Her Again
While The Bear Season 3 hasn’t been confirmed yet, with how popular the show has been, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were confirmed soon. If that does happen, I really want to see her again.
I think Donna – and more importantly, Jamie Lee Curtis’ performance – was essential to the plot of Season 2. I don’t know if it’s going to be as intense as it was this time, but I do think she adds a lot of value. And, if we are lucky enough to see a continuation, I do hope she is a part of it.
There are so many amazing shows to watch, but if you happen to like this one, check out these shows like The Bear, which you'll probably love just as much.
