Award-winning show, The Bear has finally returned for season 4 and it’s exactly what you can expect: chaotic, stressful, and full of family themes. Warning: spoilers for season 4 ahead.
If you haven’t seen the show, here’s a quick run down. The comedy-drama follows Carmy Berzatto (played by Jeremy Allen White), a Chicago native and award-winning chef who returns home after his deceased brother left him his run down Italian sandwich shop, The Beef. Carmy ultimately decides to revamp the shop into a fine dining restaurant, The Bear.
Fans of the show have heard of the mysterious “Francie Fak,” the sister to Teddy and Neil, childhood friends of Carmy. First mentioned in season 2, her name is typically followed by an aggressive response from Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto. It’s clear that something happened between the two of them in the past that led Natalie to remove Francie from her life, but no one knows why. This long running joke on the show is finally coming to fruition, Francie Fak returns to Chicago.
Who is Francie Fak and why is Brie Larson in The Bear?
The sister of the Fak family is portrayed as blunt, overprotective, and disapproving of all of her brothers’ girlfriends. She attributes this hostility to a deep place of love for her family. This controversial character is played by none other than Academy Award winner Brie Larson. Mentioned in heated conversations between Natalie and her husband, Pete, a popular theory is that Francie and Pete may have had a relationship in the past.
When do we finally get to meet Francie?
Francie makes her debut appearance in episode 7. This episode takes place at Frank and Tiffany’s wedding. Because of their unspoken and sour past, what ensues next is absolute chaos. The rest of the episode includes a screaming match, a deep talk, and the eventual make up between the two.
What happened between the two?
It’s not explicitly said, but from what fans have gathered, it seems to be something that happened when they were young adults. Francie and Natalie may hosted a house party at the Berzatto’s, and things went sideways. The house was wrecked and “whipped cream was everywhere.” Francie left without telling Natalie to catch the bus because cell phones weren’t a thing yet, leaving Natalie to take full responsibility. To add fuel to the fire, they hooked up in the past.
Eventually, the two have a heart-to-heart conversation that leads to both women admitting how much they miss and still care for each other. At the end of the episode, they resolve their differences and agree to reestablish their once-friendship.
What do people think of Francie?
Fans and critics have praised Larson’s acting as she strays from her typical roles as a sympathetic character. However, people are critical of the speed of the timeline with Francie. Critics say that they wish the storyline between the two of them was longer than one episode. People have also mentioned that it’s frustrating that they still don’t know the exact origin of their hatred, leaving them to assume the reasoning and come up with theories like the house party.
All episodes of season 4 of The Bear are now available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+.