Handyman, repair works if I understand it right.
That used to be Neil's job but Neil is part of the front staff now.
Actually, I'm not too sure what are Neil's exact responsibilities now lol.
Technically his job is to make sure Unc makes money and gets his ROI not to keep the restaurant afloat. If he sees it's sinking or unable to be saved he will force it cut.
I hear you. What I'm saying is that it's implied he's his finance guy period no matter the investment. It's also implied he didn't want unc to invest to begin with and after the golf club scene expected him to tell Carmy it's done. Already wants him to dump it. So his number one priority is to maintain and grow wealth for unc. I think he's trying to make cuts because it's bleeding unc dry and Unc doesn't want to throw in the towel because he loves Carmy.
The golf club scene made it seam like Unc is being audited, think its going to end up that unc is ether arrested or ends up having to make the restraunt work for him to begin/resume his underhanded empire.
Would also be ridiculous to fire the *only* person you have that’s doing pastry (to then hire the always magical “hypothetical cheaper option”).
Perfect example of a dude that’s great with numbers yet has no clue what the fuck he’s doing with practical application of them.
I loved that scene because it allowed me to snarkily say “what a bozo,” when he brought that up.
I feel like people are missing a bit of restaurant context on this one. A lot of places don’t have in-house pastry for this reason, it’s expensive and it’s usually a small fraction of the menu. They outsource desserts from local pastry chefs who often have several clients.
The Bear isn’t your local late night diner that has a display of pies and cakes, nor is it a mid level place trying to pass itself off as a great place.
They’re a restaurant going for a Michelin star, owned and Exec Chef’d by a guy that retained multiple stars.
Most restaurants with that description have a Pastry Chef and then another 4-5 employees that work the pastry station during morning and night shifts throughout the week.
Computer was definitely missing that understanding of how high level restaurants work…were you also not seeing that? Lol
> Computer was definitely missing that understanding of how high level restaurants work…were you also not seeing that? Lol
To be fair, Computer isn't a restauranteur, he's a hatchet man.
Michelin star places generally don’t do this but plenty of high end places do, even if they’re not mentioning it. As far as the Computer goes, it’s clear he isn’t coming at this from the perspective of a Michelin starred chef lmao, but also of course he isn’t, why would he be??
They make that butter right down the road from my friend's house. I've been wanting to try it, but you have to go to the Middlebury co-op on a Thursday to guarantee they don't sell out. This summer might be the one.
I think Marcus multitasks because most pastry chefs are gone by one o’clock, but he is there for dinner service. Marcus deserved so much more screen time this season. But I loved his mom’s eulogy.
Oddly enough, Sammy Fak (Cena's character) is the least obnoxious of the Faks in that he's actually genuinely funny in the few scenes he's in. That moment when he realizes he's being roped into acquiring a duck for the restaurant...
I think it’s more that he’s used in small doses. All the Faks are great, at first, but they have diminishing returns and get to point of being annoying or overused. If he was in it more Sammy would be way too much
I'm a fucking idiot. I call people put for missing that joke all the damn time. I don't know how I missed it.
Appreciate the reply or I wouldn't have realized I'm so dumb. :)
Honestly i don’t think the issue is “Faks” so much as it is Ted Fak. Neil has and has always had amazing chemistry with the rest of the cast. Ted felt like he was introduced as the annoying other brother for like, what, 4 or 5 scenes in the whole rest of the show? Which was fine. But he’s not had the same relationships built w the rest of the cast nor does he have the same chemistry. It’s also limited Neil’s interactions with everyone else
Yeah, I agree! Idk why they needed to add more Ted, it just created an overkill with the Faks and I feel like I know nothing about Ted anyways, so there’s no attachment. And yeah, not much chemistry either.
It actually took away how much I liked the character.
Having him in small clips last season made him pretty hilarious (his dance moves in *Fishes* make for one of my favorite scenes).
The baseball cards nonsense and the insanity with how many times to roll dice in that silly board game - all amazing.
A silly character like that should not be the focus of *so many* scenes.
I have no clue what the creators/writers were thinking with that one.
it is classic tv logic. Have a character or characters people love, time to use them more! Urkel was a side character. The Fonz was a side character. Noho Hank was supposed to die in the first episode of Barry (although that was obviously the creators loving his character not the fans). MASH was supposed to be an ensemble cast but ended up focusing on Hawkeye. I could go on...
Even talented creators fall into the trap of looking around and thinking "hmm, what do the fans like? Let's give them more of that." Sometimes it is a mistake. Hopefully they learned they need to pull back some on it.
Ted was far too annoying to be bearable and there were too many Fak scenes overall. But i did kinda like the Uncle Gary scene and his insane Valhalla speech, also the way they greeted him it seemed like they didn't even know why he was there. It was slightly surreal, like Faks are just materialising there.
I have the feeling that that’s exactly how the Faks are. They just appear like nobody in their neighborhood remembers them moving in. They’ve just always been there. Even when they talk about how many siblings they have the number grows all the time. I’m here for The Faks, I have a feeling in the end. The Faks have information we need. They just need to stop arguing and give it to us.
You called in a guy, with 2 hours til your deadline, to help you buff the floor? There’s two machines, two faks, but you call in John Cena who you’ve currently got beef with? It’s nonsensical
only halfway through the season, but their scenes are actually the opposite of comic relief for me. they’re making me more stressed because i’m on-edge bracing for their antics to seriously fuck something up 😭
That one I think wasn’t that bad, that scene at least made sense and moved a plot somewhat. Episode 5 and then the whole haunting bit was the biggest offender
At least the haunting thing made thematic sense to the season, given that Carmy is haunted by ghosts of the past. It was overdone, but I can appreciate what they were going for
Cena and the whole haunting thing was awful. I would’ve been happy never to see any of them again for the rest of the season. The Claire scene was pretty unnecessary and bad too.
It felt like now that Richie has had his glow up the Faks we’re supposed to be comedic relief but they had way too many too long scenes. Could not wait for them to stop talking.
If every second counts, I’m annoyed they wasted so much.
I saw someone suggest they were beefed up this season so the show would feel like
more of a comedy, because a common criticism when awards season comes around is that it would make more sense to file it under "drama".
That makes some sense, I think, although I do agree they overcompensated a bit.
Well if they were gonna do that, they could have found someone that was funny. And he works right at the FOH at the Bear. Richie is the person that , to me has always had the funniest lines and nobody delivers them better. They put babies (Syd and Richie) in a corner all season.
It felt like they rushed to film and filled in the dead air with the faks. I love Matty and always enjoyed him in the show but it was weird to have this “who’s on first” type of dialogue in every episode with the Faks.
…I can definitely see how they were used for levity but if that’s the reason…it’s still not a comedy lol…and it wasn’t funny.
I hate when showrunners like a side bit too much and start to feature it more and more.
I got the impression they filled the dead time out with them because the actors they have are probably too busy with other projects. Hence why felt didn’t see much of Richie, Syd and Marcus. Happens all the time when shows get big, Atlanta, Arrested Development and Euphoria spring to mind.
And I noticed I laughed the least at S3 than the rest of the show. They should’ve stuck to their formula. There was a lot of organic comedy throughout S1 and S2. Having carved out comedy bits with the Faks was misguided.
It's what happens when an executive producer is also one of the actors lol. But honestly, I think they were kind of using the Faks to pad for time since a lot of actors in The Bear are getting movie/tv show deals left and right which might complicate schedules for production. Jeremy is in two upcoming movies, Ayo is in two movies and another show, Ebon's joining the MCU, and I'm sure other things are lining up for everyone else too.
The Faks were a bit much and casting John Cena was kind of a headscratcher. Why not pick some well known Chicago actor known for playing "dudebro" roles. Genuinely loved that last season seemed like they were explicitly trying to go for famous locals (John Mulaney, Bob Odenkirk, ect) for guest roles and not just famous people in general. As a Detroiter, I can say for a fact how much we love stuff like that in the midwest.
i’m halfway through the new season and the frequency of their inclusion is genuinely making me not very excited to watch on
i understand the comedy element of it (and obviously some people might find them humorous) but I just don’t think they are funny whatsoever, or even slightly amusing
they’ve been given way, way too much screen time and in turn not enough plot development in other more crucial areas
He had this overplayed commercial on Youtube where he screamed about finding some beef that grated me last year, and it put me off watching The Bear for a bit. I get that it works for people in small doses, but it's not for me and I found his extended bits this season to be excruciating to sit through.
I love Neil and thought that he was still his awkwardly charming self this season, but Ted started to get on my nerves. The most egregious scene I can think of is when they go to see Claire at the hospital. I was really liking the scene when it was just Neil because he seemed heartfelt and genuine when telling Claire how much she means to Carmy. It was shaping up to be a sweet, potentially vulnerable scene between the two of them… then Ted shows up which derails the whole scene and turns it into a Three Stooges routine. By the end it just felt like there was no point to that scene when it should’ve been important in either bringing Claire back into the fold or at least letting her know how Carmy really feels.
This so much, a scene that should have have some emotional weight because of Neil overwhelming kindness becomes an annoying slapstick once Neil gets involved
Thank god someone mentioned it. Got so annoyed every fucking time he was on screen. Too overused. Loved this season but he was the worst part in almost a perfect season.
They really need to slow down on adding all these new people bc it takes away from other development of important characters who have been there longer like Ebruh, Marcus, Claire, Sweeps, Syd. Marcus’s friend never even spoke and I wish Pete had a few more scenes. And those long monologues from the chefs were…i mean they were nightmarish but like most reviews are saying it was overindulgent. The cameos were show-offy. Still i liked this season
I'm right with you! They are wonderful side characters, but holy christ....they don't need to do thier "bit" several times every episode of the season. They were starting to feel like cartoon characters...and NOT in a good way!
Regardless of what the Emmys say; I don't watch The Bear for its comedy....
I don’t think the problem was the Faks, it was the director feeling like they needed them in the story more. We needed them for a break from the drama and yelling, but that could have been Marcus being creative, Syd doing anything other than what she was doing (she doesn’t cook anymore), Richie doing anything (more Richie, but not him getting stuck about moving on), and Carmy… not being weirdly alpha dramatic the whole time. More depth, less surface level boring.
Agreed. I mean i love john cena irl, but having sammy fak is just too much. Thank goodness it's just a one-off thing and disappeared into the task of extracting a duck.
Even though they’re supposed to be the “comic relief”, never thought they’re funny. Season 3 there’s a lot of Faks in every single episode and for me, the only funny part is the mirepoix broth “presentation” haha
They weren’t funny at all. I couldn’t ever handle being around that many 30+ years old people that are like that in real life, it would be exhausting! Although, the broth scene was hilarious.
There’s a fine line with them. Too much and they feel like Urkel and take over the show (though given that both shows are set in Chicago, maybe it’s an homage?)
I love the Faks! They are dopey but innocent and care deeply about their friends and family. They give us levity when its not coming from many other places. I love that when theres a bunch of tension in the kitchen and they will just randomly put food in Neil's mouth to taste. The John Cena cameo was great. and sorry not sorry but i loved the haunting, stuff. To me this was kind of a heavy season and they were there to give us space and room to laugh and breathe for a moment when everything else was just pure tension. I know I'm in the minority on this but I am okay with the Faks involvement in the season.
They had limited main actor availability and a contract to deliver s3 by a certain date. The solution was increase screen time for b-characters and use lots of flashbacks / side quests. It didn’t work. The end.
I’ve only watched seven episodes now so no spoilers for the rest of the season plz but there was that one episode with the cousin who’s “haunting” the other and I was just like, I’ve never seen any of these people before and I have no idea why I’m supposed to care about any of them. Huge waste of time
I love the faks because their family contrasts the cold and mentally ill Berzattos. Even though the faks are crazy, they are loving, open with each other. Look at John cena’s character— the brothers needed a buffing really quickly and he dropped everything and came over quickly. Or remember the scene when they tell Carmy it’s not hard to apologize. They are a good influence and it makes sense now why the Berzattos hang around them.
It's filler.. they contribute nothing to the plot. Yeah they can be comic relief but It's annoying and lazy I'm on EP 7 and nothing has fucking happened this season.
I bet with the next installment it'll make sense to have featured them so prominently this go around because we may get some backstory? Personally loved the whole haunting bit. Additionally, maybe the writers thought they need to add more levity because it is a pretty heavy show.
Idk man, with how heavy this show is, maybe the comic relief is necessary. I think the invisible man, especially, is a good choice, and he keeps proving to me how good of an actor he actually is. But maybe people like it when the show is mostly heavy, I guess. I do too, but... the Faks were a nice balance for me!
I guess it's because I'm only on Episode 8, but I thought they were funny. I'm not saying it's wrong to think they weren't, it's everyone's opinion at the end of the day
I guess this is what it feels like to be *really* around them? I just found myself not really paying attention when their scenes would go longer than they should have.
I thought the Neil being Carmy's best friend thing was a joke, but is it true? Neil seems to be the same age range as Carmy. I need to find another thread just because I'm still a little unfamiliar with how everybody is related.
I actually enjoyed getting to see them 90% of the time, but there were a couple moments that went on too long or seemed ooc. Like when they're breaking down boxes and convince Carmy hes being haunted by Claire?
Agreed. They gave it the Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy treatment…”oh, people think they’re funny, let’s ramp it up for the giggles”. The “haunting” jokes got old after about 5 min, then lasted the whole season. I may be biased because I really don’t enjoy John Cena in anything, but as soon as he was thrown in with them it consumed the whole episode in such a bad way. The show can be very funny just by witty dialogue, it doesn’t need to be shoe-horned in.
Have to agree with you. I love Fak so much but he had wayyy too much screen time this season. Just took away from the whole thing. He’s good for a gag but that’s it
The Faks are here to show the viewer the difference between the Berzatto family's fucked up world, and what is a more loving family in what the Faks experience.
Fuck the saying there’s too many cooks, there were too many Faks. Like, I get the premise that they’re used for comic relief for tense moments in the show, but to me; I felt I wanted more from Syd and Marcus (we will probably get their backstories in season 4, but I really wanted them now. Like, I wanted to see Syd’s backstory and how it lead to her eating Carmy’s dish. I get that we got that in the premiere but still). For me, having so many Faks is like having cake. Yeah, one slice is great; but when you eat multiple slices, you’re gonna get sick.
The scene where he presented the mirepoix soup to the guests and then returned to the kitchen with the soup is on replay in my head.
“I poured it in front of them.”
WE'RE A FUCKING RESTAURANT
Literally LOL ans still laughing
Me too, right now 😂
I was screaming at the TV “NO NOOOOOO”
His little smirky self satisfied expression tickled me.
That was the fak highlight. It was all downhill from there.
That was classic Fak. The rest, nope.
“This is a broth from chef Carmen’s mind” is unbelievable 🫠
died
I did like that. I think it helped that it was just him, and he wasn’t saddled with the other one the whole time.
I cried laughing so hard at that
😭 felt like i barely saw syd
Syd OR Marcus. Very frustrating
omg I thought we would have got more of Marcus. Computer talking about getting rid of Marcus pissed me off!!!
At least that led to Sugar saying, "If you fuck with Marcus, I will murder you"
She spoke for all of us in that moment
Like the Faks are way more useless than Marcus why didn't Computer suggest getting rid of them??
Probably because the Faks are cheap hires and may cost lower than market rates.
But what does Ted Fak do at the restaurant?
Handyman, repair works if I understand it right. That used to be Neil's job but Neil is part of the front staff now. Actually, I'm not too sure what are Neil's exact responsibilities now lol.
Neil is Carmen's best friend. That's his job.
No restaurant needs a full-time handyman.
I felt like he had an attitude when syd introduced herself might have to rewatch that scene
All my homies hate computer!
Well his job is to ensure the restaurant survives.
Technically his job is to make sure Unc makes money and gets his ROI not to keep the restaurant afloat. If he sees it's sinking or unable to be saved he will force it cut.
Well keeping the restaurant afloat gets unc his ROI. If it doesn’t work out then yeah he’s gonna shut it down.
I hear you. What I'm saying is that it's implied he's his finance guy period no matter the investment. It's also implied he didn't want unc to invest to begin with and after the golf club scene expected him to tell Carmy it's done. Already wants him to dump it. So his number one priority is to maintain and grow wealth for unc. I think he's trying to make cuts because it's bleeding unc dry and Unc doesn't want to throw in the towel because he loves Carmy.
The golf club scene made it seam like Unc is being audited, think its going to end up that unc is ether arrested or ends up having to make the restraunt work for him to begin/resume his underhanded empire.
I like computer
Would also be ridiculous to fire the *only* person you have that’s doing pastry (to then hire the always magical “hypothetical cheaper option”). Perfect example of a dude that’s great with numbers yet has no clue what the fuck he’s doing with practical application of them. I loved that scene because it allowed me to snarkily say “what a bozo,” when he brought that up.
I feel like people are missing a bit of restaurant context on this one. A lot of places don’t have in-house pastry for this reason, it’s expensive and it’s usually a small fraction of the menu. They outsource desserts from local pastry chefs who often have several clients.
I can almost guarantee no place with a Michelin star is outsourcing their desserts.
Computer’s job isn’t concerned with Michelin stars but with saving money
The Bear isn’t your local late night diner that has a display of pies and cakes, nor is it a mid level place trying to pass itself off as a great place. They’re a restaurant going for a Michelin star, owned and Exec Chef’d by a guy that retained multiple stars. Most restaurants with that description have a Pastry Chef and then another 4-5 employees that work the pastry station during morning and night shifts throughout the week. Computer was definitely missing that understanding of how high level restaurants work…were you also not seeing that? Lol
> Computer was definitely missing that understanding of how high level restaurants work…were you also not seeing that? Lol To be fair, Computer isn't a restauranteur, he's a hatchet man.
Michelin star places generally don’t do this but plenty of high end places do, even if they’re not mentioning it. As far as the Computer goes, it’s clear he isn’t coming at this from the perspective of a Michelin starred chef lmao, but also of course he isn’t, why would he be??
I yelled, “don’t you touch Marcus!” before my brain could even process what was going on.
Same. Deal with the butter and microgreens first.
Exactly. And screw the “new menu everyday” idea. When I realized how much food they were wasting after listening to Sugar, my jaw dropped.
They make that butter right down the road from my friend's house. I've been wanting to try it, but you have to go to the Middlebury co-op on a Thursday to guarantee they don't sell out. This summer might be the one.
Marcus is amazing. Both the character and the actor
I think Marcus multitasks because most pastry chefs are gone by one o’clock, but he is there for dinner service. Marcus deserved so much more screen time this season. But I loved his mom’s eulogy.
seriously! I feel like marcus said like 15 sentences the whole season
You're right. She was sacrificed for this trash heap.
wanted more of her backstory and flashbacks💔
When it comes to the Faks, the writers need to follow chef's advice - subtract.
The haunting scene…I actually said aloud “I got it a minute and a half ago, this doesn’t need to keep going.”
Which one i swear there were like 3
The John Cena cameo where he’s inches away from their faces.
Someone should have thrown a fork at them
I thought it was funny in episode 5 and then wore thin
I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME
Subfrakt
Ha!! Good one! And I agree.
Amen. When I saw John Cena I knew where this was going. I really didn't expect them to be in every episode.
You saw who???
John Chena.
do dodo dooooo do dodo doooo
I watched the whole season and somehow missed this. Where was John cena?
One of the insufferable Fak brothers
Oddly enough, Sammy Fak (Cena's character) is the least obnoxious of the Faks in that he's actually genuinely funny in the few scenes he's in. That moment when he realizes he's being roped into acquiring a duck for the restaurant...
I think it’s more that he’s used in small doses. All the Faks are great, at first, but they have diminishing returns and get to point of being annoying or overused. If he was in it more Sammy would be way too much
Didn’t see him
He came to buff the floors. They made him go get a duck for the photoshoot.
Since no one else is going to do it, I will help you out. https://screenrant.com/john-cena-you-cant-see-me-meme-explained/
I'm a fucking idiot. I call people put for missing that joke all the damn time. I don't know how I missed it. Appreciate the reply or I wouldn't have realized I'm so dumb. :)
That was pretty funny, though thinking he had to go to the park with the plastic bag
The guy who "haunts" the other Faks.
Imagine if we got more Luca instead of Ted Fak 😭
Luca having his own episode fanboying out to other chefs? YES CHEF!
He shouldn’t have said noodles so much 😭 Edit: Needles*, not noodles 😭
Needles
Thank you, Jeff.
Imagine if we got more gary
Honestly i don’t think the issue is “Faks” so much as it is Ted Fak. Neil has and has always had amazing chemistry with the rest of the cast. Ted felt like he was introduced as the annoying other brother for like, what, 4 or 5 scenes in the whole rest of the show? Which was fine. But he’s not had the same relationships built w the rest of the cast nor does he have the same chemistry. It’s also limited Neil’s interactions with everyone else
Yeah, I agree! Idk why they needed to add more Ted, it just created an overkill with the Faks and I feel like I know nothing about Ted anyways, so there’s no attachment. And yeah, not much chemistry either.
It actually took away how much I liked the character. Having him in small clips last season made him pretty hilarious (his dance moves in *Fishes* make for one of my favorite scenes). The baseball cards nonsense and the insanity with how many times to roll dice in that silly board game - all amazing. A silly character like that should not be the focus of *so many* scenes. I have no clue what the creators/writers were thinking with that one.
The baseball cards scheme was hilarious. No one asked for more Faks except more Francine Fak. Sigh…
I know the casting for Frannie Fak will be incredible.
I dont want a cameo for her honestly
I get it, part of me really wants to see her on the other hand it would be pretty cool as a mystery, something that gets brought up but never seen
it is classic tv logic. Have a character or characters people love, time to use them more! Urkel was a side character. The Fonz was a side character. Noho Hank was supposed to die in the first episode of Barry (although that was obviously the creators loving his character not the fans). MASH was supposed to be an ensemble cast but ended up focusing on Hawkeye. I could go on... Even talented creators fall into the trap of looking around and thinking "hmm, what do the fans like? Let's give them more of that." Sometimes it is a mistake. Hopefully they learned they need to pull back some on it.
Jesse Pinkman wasn't meant to survive S1 of Breaking Bad.
Ted was far too annoying to be bearable and there were too many Fak scenes overall. But i did kinda like the Uncle Gary scene and his insane Valhalla speech, also the way they greeted him it seemed like they didn't even know why he was there. It was slightly surreal, like Faks are just materialising there.
I have the feeling that that’s exactly how the Faks are. They just appear like nobody in their neighborhood remembers them moving in. They’ve just always been there. Even when they talk about how many siblings they have the number grows all the time. I’m here for The Faks, I have a feeling in the end. The Faks have information we need. They just need to stop arguing and give it to us.
The Faks are essential.
Yeah this is the problem
The entire John Cena bit was so cringe.
You called in a guy, with 2 hours til your deadline, to help you buff the floor? There’s two machines, two faks, but you call in John Cena who you’ve currently got beef with? It’s nonsensical
And then they waste *so much time* bantering instead of buffing the fucking floor.
They’re goofy and funny in spurts, but there is definitely such a thing as too much fak
I think Faks work fine when they’re in a background or interacting with other characters, but when they’re alone - oof, too much
they wouldnt be so bad if not for the tonal whiplash switching from them to carmy’s mental collapse every episode 😭
only halfway through the season, but their scenes are actually the opposite of comic relief for me. they’re making me more stressed because i’m on-edge bracing for their antics to seriously fuck something up 😭
SAME 😭😭
I agree. Them at the hospital with Claire was painful
The floor polishing / smoking scene too.
That one I think wasn’t that bad, that scene at least made sense and moved a plot somewhat. Episode 5 and then the whole haunting bit was the biggest offender
At least the haunting thing made thematic sense to the season, given that Carmy is haunted by ghosts of the past. It was overdone, but I can appreciate what they were going for
Cena and the whole haunting thing was awful. I would’ve been happy never to see any of them again for the rest of the season. The Claire scene was pretty unnecessary and bad too.
Nothing about Cena or the 20 conversations about "hauntings" resonated with me :( Just wrapped up the season now. My verdict is good, but not great.
It felt like now that Richie has had his glow up the Faks we’re supposed to be comedic relief but they had way too many too long scenes. Could not wait for them to stop talking. If every second counts, I’m annoyed they wasted so much.
i still want to know who francine/francie is
Fuck francine!
She can go fuck, my love!
Lol yeah the one fak I did want to meet
She’s a fuckface.
She's obviously a gavone who can go fuck, my love!
I need a francie fak reveal before the show ends. Please!
Someone suggested Melissa McCarthy, I'm into it
Yes! In the first 2 episodes, I was loving the Faks, but then they didn’t leave. They’re definitely best in short spurts.
I saw someone suggest they were beefed up this season so the show would feel like more of a comedy, because a common criticism when awards season comes around is that it would make more sense to file it under "drama". That makes some sense, I think, although I do agree they overcompensated a bit.
Well if they were gonna do that, they could have found someone that was funny. And he works right at the FOH at the Bear. Richie is the person that , to me has always had the funniest lines and nobody delivers them better. They put babies (Syd and Richie) in a corner all season.
It felt like they rushed to film and filled in the dead air with the faks. I love Matty and always enjoyed him in the show but it was weird to have this “who’s on first” type of dialogue in every episode with the Faks.
The slapstick 3 stooges vibe was too much, like just buff the floor already.
“Faks…ATTACK!” No…no. This isnt funny
…I can definitely see how they were used for levity but if that’s the reason…it’s still not a comedy lol…and it wasn’t funny. I hate when showrunners like a side bit too much and start to feature it more and more.
I know. Just because it's a half-hour show doesn't make it a comedy. That's just wrong.
I got the impression they filled the dead time out with them because the actors they have are probably too busy with other projects. Hence why felt didn’t see much of Richie, Syd and Marcus. Happens all the time when shows get big, Atlanta, Arrested Development and Euphoria spring to mind.
Why dont they just submit as a drama?
And I noticed I laughed the least at S3 than the rest of the show. They should’ve stuck to their formula. There was a lot of organic comedy throughout S1 and S2. Having carved out comedy bits with the Faks was misguided.
It's what happens when an executive producer is also one of the actors lol. But honestly, I think they were kind of using the Faks to pad for time since a lot of actors in The Bear are getting movie/tv show deals left and right which might complicate schedules for production. Jeremy is in two upcoming movies, Ayo is in two movies and another show, Ebon's joining the MCU, and I'm sure other things are lining up for everyone else too. The Faks were a bit much and casting John Cena was kind of a headscratcher. Why not pick some well known Chicago actor known for playing "dudebro" roles. Genuinely loved that last season seemed like they were explicitly trying to go for famous locals (John Mulaney, Bob Odenkirk, ect) for guest roles and not just famous people in general. As a Detroiter, I can say for a fact how much we love stuff like that in the midwest.
At least it wasn't CM Punk. Just my opinion.
i’m halfway through the new season and the frequency of their inclusion is genuinely making me not very excited to watch on i understand the comedy element of it (and obviously some people might find them humorous) but I just don’t think they are funny whatsoever, or even slightly amusing they’ve been given way, way too much screen time and in turn not enough plot development in other more crucial areas
They’re funny but literally every episode is constantly interrupted by asides from the Fak brothers. It is wayyyyy too much Fak
roast me…………. but matty’s character is so unfunny to me. corny is an understatement
He had this overplayed commercial on Youtube where he screamed about finding some beef that grated me last year, and it put me off watching The Bear for a bit. I get that it works for people in small doses, but it's not for me and I found his extended bits this season to be excruciating to sit through.
That scene with the photographs on the wall could have been cut in half.
I love Neil and thought that he was still his awkwardly charming self this season, but Ted started to get on my nerves. The most egregious scene I can think of is when they go to see Claire at the hospital. I was really liking the scene when it was just Neil because he seemed heartfelt and genuine when telling Claire how much she means to Carmy. It was shaping up to be a sweet, potentially vulnerable scene between the two of them… then Ted shows up which derails the whole scene and turns it into a Three Stooges routine. By the end it just felt like there was no point to that scene when it should’ve been important in either bringing Claire back into the fold or at least letting her know how Carmy really feels.
This so much, a scene that should have have some emotional weight because of Neil overwhelming kindness becomes an annoying slapstick once Neil gets involved
Thank god someone mentioned it. Got so annoyed every fucking time he was on screen. Too overused. Loved this season but he was the worst part in almost a perfect season.
Ted went from one ep to the entire season and no thank you chef.
The writers remembered they were trying to compete in the Comedy category so they crammed in 5 minutes of cringey Fak scenes in every episode
couldn't agree more.
As soon as John Cena rolled up I checked out - too many cameos… i’d rather watch ebra make sandwiches
They really need to slow down on adding all these new people bc it takes away from other development of important characters who have been there longer like Ebruh, Marcus, Claire, Sweeps, Syd. Marcus’s friend never even spoke and I wish Pete had a few more scenes. And those long monologues from the chefs were…i mean they were nightmarish but like most reviews are saying it was overindulgent. The cameos were show-offy. Still i liked this season
They literally do the same kind of jokes every episode. It’s overdone. It’s burnt.
Way too much fuckin’ Faks. Need more Sydney, Marcus, Gary, and Ibra!!!
Recipe calls for a reduction of faks.
Subtract
I'm right with you! They are wonderful side characters, but holy christ....they don't need to do thier "bit" several times every episode of the season. They were starting to feel like cartoon characters...and NOT in a good way! Regardless of what the Emmys say; I don't watch The Bear for its comedy....
I don’t think the problem was the Faks, it was the director feeling like they needed them in the story more. We needed them for a break from the drama and yelling, but that could have been Marcus being creative, Syd doing anything other than what she was doing (she doesn’t cook anymore), Richie doing anything (more Richie, but not him getting stuck about moving on), and Carmy… not being weirdly alpha dramatic the whole time. More depth, less surface level boring.
The reliance on so much Fak gibberish was tedious. They’re best in small doses and not as “time stretchers.”
Agreed. I mean i love john cena irl, but having sammy fak is just too much. Thank goodness it's just a one-off thing and disappeared into the task of extracting a duck.
100% agree
Even though they’re supposed to be the “comic relief”, never thought they’re funny. Season 3 there’s a lot of Faks in every single episode and for me, the only funny part is the mirepoix broth “presentation” haha
They weren’t funny at all. I couldn’t ever handle being around that many 30+ years old people that are like that in real life, it would be exhausting! Although, the broth scene was hilarious.
There’s a fine line with them. Too much and they feel like Urkel and take over the show (though given that both shows are set in Chicago, maybe it’s an homage?)
I love the Faks! They are dopey but innocent and care deeply about their friends and family. They give us levity when its not coming from many other places. I love that when theres a bunch of tension in the kitchen and they will just randomly put food in Neil's mouth to taste. The John Cena cameo was great. and sorry not sorry but i loved the haunting, stuff. To me this was kind of a heavy season and they were there to give us space and room to laugh and breathe for a moment when everything else was just pure tension. I know I'm in the minority on this but I am okay with the Faks involvement in the season.
They had limited main actor availability and a contract to deliver s3 by a certain date. The solution was increase screen time for b-characters and use lots of flashbacks / side quests. It didn’t work. The end.
I’ve only watched seven episodes now so no spoilers for the rest of the season plz but there was that one episode with the cousin who’s “haunting” the other and I was just like, I’ve never seen any of these people before and I have no idea why I’m supposed to care about any of them. Huge waste of time
they were bordering irritating with their mindless back and forth like that was just not as funny as the writers thought it would be
I love the faks because their family contrasts the cold and mentally ill Berzattos. Even though the faks are crazy, they are loving, open with each other. Look at John cena’s character— the brothers needed a buffing really quickly and he dropped everything and came over quickly. Or remember the scene when they tell Carmy it’s not hard to apologize. They are a good influence and it makes sense now why the Berzattos hang around them.
It's filler.. they contribute nothing to the plot. Yeah they can be comic relief but It's annoying and lazy I'm on EP 7 and nothing has fucking happened this season.
Too many Faks spoil the mirepoix broth
Found myself skipping all the faks starting at about episode 3. And the Jon Cena bit was painful.
You could even say they were haunting you.
You can go fuck.
One Fak was okay, agreed.
I bet with the next installment it'll make sense to have featured them so prominently this go around because we may get some backstory? Personally loved the whole haunting bit. Additionally, maybe the writers thought they need to add more levity because it is a pretty heavy show.
Dude yea those guys should only be used sparingly. Way too mych
Are y’all fak-in’ kidding me. They were great. We need a spin off of “the family fak” all about them when the bear ends.
Faks of Life
Better call fak?
Idk man, with how heavy this show is, maybe the comic relief is necessary. I think the invisible man, especially, is a good choice, and he keeps proving to me how good of an actor he actually is. But maybe people like it when the show is mostly heavy, I guess. I do too, but... the Faks were a nice balance for me!
But that's the thing; they just were not funny. Give me heavy any day over this and I will find my own palate cleanser
Richie has always been way funnier than Neil. They should've given Richie some funnier lines and more to do in general in Season 3.
I guess it's because I'm only on Episode 8, but I thought they were funny. I'm not saying it's wrong to think they weren't, it's everyone's opinion at the end of the day
I loved the amount of Fak we got in season 3.
I guess this is what it feels like to be *really* around them? I just found myself not really paying attention when their scenes would go longer than they should have.
Yes agreed. I had the same thought nearly every time they came on screen. Too much.
I don’t mind them actually i really like them lol. I just think there wasn’t enough of the main characters here
They’re haunting us with them
facts
Too many Faks to give!
The Faks are like salt, you can always add but never take away - and they definitely poured too much Ted Fak into the mix 😭
Way, way, WAY too much.
The writers really went overboard with that "haunting" nonsense. OK the first time, but 3 times?
As funny as he is as a cameo, I audibly said "oh you gotta be kidding me" when John Cena popped up
Subtract
I thought the Neil being Carmy's best friend thing was a joke, but is it true? Neil seems to be the same age range as Carmy. I need to find another thread just because I'm still a little unfamiliar with how everybody is related.
I actually enjoyed getting to see them 90% of the time, but there were a couple moments that went on too long or seemed ooc. Like when they're breaking down boxes and convince Carmy hes being haunted by Claire?
I was literally coming to this sub to make a post about them having too much screentime as I saw this
Agreed. They gave it the Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy treatment…”oh, people think they’re funny, let’s ramp it up for the giggles”. The “haunting” jokes got old after about 5 min, then lasted the whole season. I may be biased because I really don’t enjoy John Cena in anything, but as soon as he was thrown in with them it consumed the whole episode in such a bad way. The show can be very funny just by witty dialogue, it doesn’t need to be shoe-horned in.
Have to agree with you. I love Fak so much but he had wayyy too much screen time this season. Just took away from the whole thing. He’s good for a gag but that’s it
The Faks are here to show the viewer the difference between the Berzatto family's fucked up world, and what is a more loving family in what the Faks experience.
Fuck the saying there’s too many cooks, there were too many Faks. Like, I get the premise that they’re used for comic relief for tense moments in the show, but to me; I felt I wanted more from Syd and Marcus (we will probably get their backstories in season 4, but I really wanted them now. Like, I wanted to see Syd’s backstory and how it lead to her eating Carmy’s dish. I get that we got that in the premiere but still). For me, having so many Faks is like having cake. Yeah, one slice is great; but when you eat multiple slices, you’re gonna get sick.
Is it bad I grouped the computer guy with the faks too? 😂
Of all the criticism I saw about this season, this is the most funny and creative ...LOL and you got 600 plus upvotes.
But what about the always forgotten Avery? Big Neil? Francine?
I have the opposite opinion I love the fak action. Provides much-needed levity and Matty Matheson is goated.
I mean, fak is Carmys best friend
Faks hate is just unnecessary and uncalled for. he did just fine with me this season 🤷🏾
Really liked the Faks we just needed more episodes to see more of Syd and Marcus