The quietest episode of The Bear season 3 just might be its best.
“Ice Chips” delves into crucial Berzatto family history.
This article contains spoilers forThe Bearseason 3 episode 8.
Shes well aware of her patterns of behavior, even if shes having trouble shaking those behaviors loose.
And then, when the pain passes, she offers up her stories.
First, she tells Mikeys birth story.
Mikey, we know, took on the role of mascot and hero of the family.
(He was also a secret sixth choice that isnt introduced in Sugars podcast: the addict.)
He was also the oldest child.
Where in the hell was Daddy Berzatto during the birth of his firstborn son?
Its anyones guess, but probably nowhere good.
Sugar is the middle child, but she is also the eldest (and only) daughter.
(Cue Surface Pressure fromEncanto, amiright?)
She was the enabler and the caretaker, a role that often falls to women in dysfunctional family structures.
She chose to marry Pete, a man who is also very clearly a caretaker.
Even while in labor, Sugar pushes back against her mothers assertions that their codependent relationship was healthy.
When Sugar tells Donna that she always put her first, Donna smiles and says that its sweet.
Sugar is horrified and blasts back, saying, No, its not sweet.
Its fucked up, mom.
Ultimately, Sugar just wants what every new parent wants: not to fuck up their kid.
She wants reassurance that the choices she makes will lead to a happy and healthy childhood for her daughter.
She needs to know that getting the epidural will be okay.
And, perhaps as a birthday gift to her new granddaughter, Donna gives that to her.
And then, she tells Sugar her own birth story.
Donna recalls the moment with such love and happiness in her eyes, talking about how beautiful it was.
The two brief codas to the episode see Donna interact with Pete and then Teddy and Neil Fak.
All 10 episodes of The Bear season 3 are available to stream on Hulu now.
