The centerpiece of the episode arrives when Tina, having faced yet another rejection, ends up in the Beef. She orders only a coffee, but is given a free sandwich by Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). Heading to a table in the back of the restaurant, the nature of everything she’s been going through finally becomes too much. Overwhelmed, she breaks down, crying — and is noticed by Mikey (Jon Bernthal), the owner of the Beef. 

When “The Bear” began, Mikey was gone — having died by suicide. It was his death that resulted in his brother Carmy taking over the Beef. We’ve seen Mikey in flashbacks before — most prominently in “Fishes,” where the character’s distraught mental state is on full display. Here, in “Napkins,” he seems a bit more stable. He and Tina have a long, heartfelt conversation. It’s a conversation about their lives, and their dreams, and their hopes, and how life itself seemed to pass them by. “I can’t remember the last time I went to bed,” he tells Tina as he runs down a list of things that bother him. Tina offers her own list of troubles, and the these two strangers connect on a deep, emotional level. They both know what it’s like to end up at the bottom. 

As a director, Edebiri doesn’t do anything overly flashy here. She simply lets her actors talk, and Bernthal and Colón-Zayas are wonderful bouncing off each other, sharing their stories, growing closer by the second. “I feel like I got a master class in acting from Liza and from the other actors who got to grace the screen,” Edebiri told Variety. “I feel like I learned so much from our crew, from our camera department … just from everybody. It was really a blast and an honor to get to helm an episode that showcases everything that Liza can do. I mean, not even everything, like a fraction of the things that she can do. She’s such a powerhouse.”

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel: Mikey offers Tina a job. When talking to Carmy about Mikey in season 1, Tina mentioned she loved Mikey, and it’s easy to see why in this moment; he gave her a chance when no one else would. In some ways, he saved her life. It’s a quiet moment compared to all the shouting and screaming that goes on in “The Bear,” but it hits hard. And it’s ultimately a showcase for how confident Ayo Edebiri is as a director. 

“The Bear” season 3 is now streaming on Hulu.