The following story contains light spoilers for Season 2, Episode 4 of The Bear, “Sundae.”
WHILE THE breakthrough first season of The Bear was all about getting to know our Chicago-based characters and the situation they find themselves in—getting their bearings together as they keep a sandwich shop afloat and think about its potential future—Season 2 takes full advantage of the progress made and pulls the microscope back a bit. The season’s main throughline focuses on Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and the gang in the lead-up to their restaurant’s relaunch as The Bear (fka: The Beef), a fine dining establishment. And in doing so, we get to see some supporting characters do different things, like attending culinary school, and, in Marcus’ (Lionel Boyce) case, fly out to Copenhagen to learn how to make some really awesome desserts.
Marcus spent Season 1 making a banging chocolate cake and trying to perfect his donut recipe. But with the fine dining that The Bear aspires to, Carmy and Syd (Ayo Edebiri) decide to send him out to Carmy’s contact in Copenhagen to really get a handle on something new and exciting. The tattooed, amazingly haired, Copenhagen pastry chef version of Carmy turns out to be an English-born dude named Luca, played by the one-and-only Will Poulter, fresh off his Emmy-nominated role in Hulu’s Dopesick and his scene-stealing superhero introduction as Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Poulter’s Luca is different from either of those recent roles. In The Bear, Luca stands to show Marcus (and, by proxy, the viewers)—who we learn in this episode was a frequent patron of The Beef who worked at McDonald’s and simply walked in one day and got a job, essentially, as the shop’s baker—that there are other ways to teach, and learn, in a kitchen. Luca is a serious person, but Poulter portrays his charming multitudes well; he corrects, is helpful, and explains things to Marcus in a way that’s both kind and respectful. It’s a sharp contrast to the sometimes-brash approach that Carmy can sometimes have, and even stands as a foil to the warm relationship that Syd and Marcus have.
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For someone who’s essentially green in the food industry (he mentions that he’s only been doing what he does for a year and a half), it’s important that Marcus learn that things aren’t only done one way. And learning from Luca, who’s been a chef for 14+ years, is a great way to see him do that. We see them making numerous dishes throughout the episode, and while Marcus is always enthusiastic, saying things sound great and taste great, all we get out of Luca is light praise (“It’s a nice dish”) or a bashful smile when he tells Marcus one dessert is like a “Minty Snickers Bar.” We can chime in on that one: yum.
“Was it worth it?” Marcus asks Luca in one of their final moments. “Ask me tomorrow,” Luca tells him, unwilling to admit that his years of service and craft-building, something that has at the very least made him into someone people travel thousands of miles across the world to learn from, has made him a success. He suggests looking forward to tomorrow because in this world of food, ambition, and determination, something being “worth it” is being complacent—there’s always something more, and something better, just on the horizon. It’s waiting tomorrow.
And we see Marcus’ tomorrow, after Luca planted the seed in his mind. Trying more foods, enjoying the sights and vibes of Copenhagen, until nightfall hits and he finds a man in trouble; he’s stuck under a fence, bloodied after a bike accident. The man speaks no english, but Marcus is quick to jump into action to get him back on his feet. What plays out here is like a scene from a surrealist film (personally, 2021’s Titane came to mind): the injured man got up, gave Marcus a great big hug—one capable of breaking any language barrier—and got back on his bike and went on his way.
This moment made as little sense to Marcus as it did to us. But like Luca told him the night before, it’s the people, and the memories, and just being open that make all of this worth it. Marcus may not ever know what exactly was going on there. But it’s something he’ll remember for the rest of his life when he thinks about Copenhagen—and when he makes the desserts inspired by his time with Luca.
Evan Romano
Evan is the culture editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE. He loves weird movies, watches too much TV, and listens to music more often than he doesn’t.
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