'Fishes' vs. 'Forks': What's the best episode of 'The Bear'?

It's a debate that's been raging since this summer, when The Bear roared back with a second season that pitched its chefs out of their comfort zone. Dropped all at once on Hulu, this deliciously stressful season was an addictive binge sure to leave you satisfied. But which episode is the best? 

As Mashable's staff prepared our end-of-year lists — weighing out best films, best TV shows, and best podcasts — no fight was as ferocious as this. Which is better: "Fishes" or "Forks?" One was studded with jaw-dropping guest stars, plenty of family drama, and a brutal backstory that filled in a lot of the questions we've had about the Berzatto family. The other was an episode that focused on Season 1's antagonist finding his path to redemption. They're both remarkable feats of television, but which is better? 

Ahead of our ranked list of the Best TV episodes of 2023, Deputy UK editor Sam Haysom and Film Editor Kristy Puchko make their cases — for "Fishes" and "Forks," respectively — so you can make the final call.

"Fishes" is the best episode of The Bear, Season 2.

Don't get me wrong, I loved "Forks." Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is one of my favourite characters in the show, and watching him grow into himself in that luxury restaurant made for some entertaining and uplifting viewing. But sometimes you don't want uplifting. Sometimes you're in the mood for tension and drama, and "Fishes" takes those things and spins the dial straight up to 11.

"Fishes" is the tensest hour of TV I've watched in years.

Set during a nightmarish family Christmas five years before the events of Season 2, the episode is like all the worst holiday moments you've experienced rolled into one. It starts off slow, then builds and builds. In the kitchen, family matriarch Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis) alternates between laughter and tears as she attempts to juggle multiple dishes to the background of blaring timers, all while swigging alcohol that her daughter Natalie (Abby Elliott) tries to stealthily pour away. Elsewhere, Uncle Lee (Bob Odenkirk) cuts short a story by Michael (Jon Bernthal), escalating a feud that comes to a head at the Christmas table in what has to be one of the most uncomfortable TV dinner scenes of all time. It's not easy to watch, but it's even harder to look away.

"Fishes" feels like the key to unlocking The Bear.

"Forks" may be a brilliant character study of Richie, but "Fishes" feels like it holds the key to the show's beating heart. Seeing how the Berzatto family operates under pressure sheds light on how Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) behaves in the present day, from the way he avoids his own emotions to his capacity for explosive anger. We also get an insight into the mental health — and subsequent suicide — of his brother, Michael, whose absence in the show is like a presence in and of itself. Carmy's sister, Natalie (Abby Elliott), meanwhile, is given an important backstory via her strained relationship with Donna — a relationship that makes it clear she's spent her life being treated differently from her brothers, which in turn informs her frustrated self-reliance in the present. Until "Fishes," the Berzattos were an almost impenetrable mystery. This journey into the past sheds light on why they're the way they are.

"Fishes" is writing and acting at its finest.

Seriously, imagine what the teleplay for "Fishes" must look like. There's so much fast-paced dialogue in Joanna Calo and Christopher Storer's script that it's hard to soak up all the snide remarks, jabs, and things-left-unsaid without a second viewing. There are moments of humour — Stevie (John Mulaney) humouring a baseball card "triple your money" pitch from the Fak brothers (Matty Matheson and Ricky Staffieri), for instance — perfectly sprinkled among the tension, giving the whole thing a painfully true-to-life feel that makes the arguments hit that much harder. Storer's direction, too, jumping around the dinner table before zooming up close on the furious faces of Michael and Uncle Lee as they spit insults at each other, only adds to the horribly chaotic nature of the scene. Each of the performances is pitch-perfect, with Jamie Lee Curtis a particular highlight as the manipulative and emotionally explosive Donna. Like a dish at a Michelin-starred restaurant, all the elements come together perfectly and complement one another. It's TV at its finest. — S.H.

"Forks" is the best episode of The Bear, Season 2.

Look, Sam's not wrong about "Fishes." It's intense, captivatingly performanced, and it masterfully showcases the family trauma that's forged Carmy, Sugar, Mike, and Richie. But I'd argue "Fishes" is actually what makes "Forks" the best episode. 

"Fishes" scorches so "Forks" can soar. 

Since the beginning, The Bear has been a show about the push and pull of the past and the possibilities of the future. In Season 1, Carmy was struggling to understand his late brother while trying to keep his sandwich shop open and thriving. Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), with her bold new ideas and ambition, pushed for a new future, while cousin Richie fought hard to preserve the past. In "Fishes," we see that past, for better and worse. The inside jokes, the long-held resentments, the promising new beginnings of a baby on the way, the shock and horror of Donna driving her car through the damn dining room. 

Even a fork proves pivotal in "Fishes," as it's the tool Mike threatens Uncle Lee with with in one of the tensest showdowns of 2023 TV. Then how does "Forks" begin? With Richie, who has lost his wife to divorce and is struggling to keep his daughter in his life, cleaning the utensil at a posh restaurant he doesn't understand. 

Here, a tool that threatened violence is essentially the key to Richie's next chapter. At first, he thinks of this polishing assignment as a degrading punishment. But over the course of the episode, we are right at his side as he sees the impact all these tiny details have on the overall affect of this restaurant. He stops snarking and starts smiling. He volunteers to serve the deep-dish surprise and conquers a gastrique taste test. He wears suits now. 

"Forks" gives us catharsis with a bit of Taylor Swift. 

"Fishes" displayed the anger that brews in the heartache of the Berzatto clan. "Forks" showed Richie learning to let it go. It's not easy, and The Bear recognizes that by having him backslide into frustration when he calls Carmy at their shop. But through dedicating himself to service, Richie finds the purpose and the place he was so desperate for. And he celebrates by rocking out to "Love Story" by Taylor Swift in a karaoke car moment that radiates with joy. 

But he's not become some pretentious douchebag like he may have feared — he's still Richie! He still curses and has moments of chaotic aggression — like when he yells at a bad driver in the middle of his Swiftie sing-along. But he's growing. And you see that when he smiles big, riding through Chicago with a song in his heart. "Mangia, baby!" 

The Bear has shown us how much Richie has lost, and there are little reminders of that loss all over the restaurant, which makes its renovation very personal to him. But with Carmy and Sydney's big revamp, there's the potential for something new and wonderful. And by the end of "Forks," Richie really gets that — thanks to a moment with celebrity chef Terri (Olivia Colman in a surprising and superbly subtle cameo). 

On his last day, he finds this powerful chef alone in the kitchen, tenderly peeling mushrooms. It's a menial job she treasures because it makes the guests feel special. Sharing the workload with her, Richie experiences the ideal kitchen, where everyone matters and every second counts. Where "Fishes" operates in cacophony and crowding, "Forks" gives Richie the silence and the space to catch his breath and take a big step forward by respecting "time well spent."

And if the bro who seemed designed to drag Carmy down in Season 1 can evolve to be a person of sincere service, then there's hope for everyone at The Bear. Right? While Season 2 ends on a bittersweet note, "Forks" has me optimistic that Season 3 could have Richie being the big brother Carmy needs to be the best chef he can be. — K.P.

So what comes out on top? Are you team "Forks" or "Fishes"?

How to watch: Season 2 of The Bear is now streaming on Hulu.