Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 3 of The Bear.
Look alive Bearitos,The Bearis back with Season 3, andChristopher Storer’s culinary series is serving up even more intense storylines with its most recent outing. The show’s newest season doubles down on its commitment toThe Bear’ssupporting cast, continuingthe series' longstanding trend of dedicating standalone episodes to side charactersby highlighting the personal struggles of staff members like Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) and Sugar (Abby Elliot). The series' thorough exploration of these characters' backstories and relationships underscoresThe Bear’scommitment to showcasing human stories outside the kitchen, andwith news that Season 4 has already started filming, the show hasa chance to dive deeper into one of its most underrated team members, Ebraheim(Edwin Lee Gibson).
While not as vocal as Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) or assertive as Syd (Ayo Edebiri), Ebra, played by actorEdwin Lee Gibson,carves out a wholesome place for himself inThe Bearregardless. A Somali immigrant who works at the Original Beef of Chicagoland with Michael (Jon Bernthal) before Carmy turns the restaurant into a fine dining establishment, Ebra is a veteran line cookduringThe BearSeason 1. After struggling to adjust to Carmy’s changes, Ebra later goes on to operate the sandwich window at the new restaurant in Seasons 2 and 3, balancing the Beef’s legacy with the Bear’s new management. Throughout this process, Gibson also presents audiences with a uniquely sympathetic and refreshing portrayal, demonstrating whyhis character deserves his own solo episode in Season 4.
Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a young chef from the fine dining world, returns to Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop after a tragedy. As he navigates the chaotic environment of the small kitchen, Carmy must manage the struggles of turning around the failing business while dealing with his own grief and personal demons. The series dives deep into the intense world of culinary arts, highlighting the challenges of running a restaurant, the bonds formed among staff, and the relentless pursuit of perfection.
Ebra’s Restaurant Journey Is Realistic and Relatable in ‘The Bear’
As a series that strives to showcase the nerve-wracking reality behind working in a professional kitchen,authenticity is undeniably a crucial component ofThe Bear’ssuccess. The show frequently garners praise for how accurately it depicts the mental strain of high-stakes work environments, withThe Bearultimately doing betterat portraying the tumultuous balance between personal welfare and career success than any other show on television. What often goes unappreciated, however, is howThe Bearmanages to represent this struggle in its supporting cast. While Carmy’s sanity always seems to be teetering on the edge of his most recent, brilliant dish,Ebra’s own difficulties adjusting to Carmy’s vision throughout Seasons 2 and 3 feel more grounded in comparison.
Unlike Tina and Marcus (Lionel Boyce), who use the new restaurant as an opportunity to develop their skills and uncover new sources of inspiration, Ebra falls behind with the times. When Carmy arranges for the character to attend a culinary school with Tina in Season 2,Ebra isn’t able to keep up with the other students and eventually drops out.This failure contrasts with Tina’s success at the school and Marcus’smany lessons withWill Poulter’sChef Luca, but it also emphasizes Ebra’s more realistic personality. While most of the Original Beef’s staff manages to transition to a new level of professionalism quickly,Ebra’s inability to immediately adapt to change makes him feel more relatable to an audience with largely no culinary expertise, allowing him to stand out as one of the few chefs to resemble an everyday viewer of the series.
Ebra continuesstruggling inThe BearSeason 3, becoming quickly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of orders coming in at the window, andhis need for new hires to assist him further illustrates the character’s more down-to-earth personality. As one of the oldest members of the restaurant, it wouldn’t make sense for Ebra to have the energy to do everything himself, just like it wouldn’t have made sense forThe Bear’sold-timer to succeed in a new professional landscape overnight. By allowing Ebra to make mistakes as his honest self, Storer’s series introducesa level of vulnerability to the characterthat juxtaposes the consistent innovation of chefs likeThe Bear’sMarcus, Carmy, and Syd, setting the stage fora solo episode that could be the most endearing and relatable in the series.
These 33 Real Chicago Restaurants From ‘The Bear’ Will Have You Saying “Yes, Chef!”
Don’t worry, cousin; this is your handy guide through Flavor Town.
Ebra’s Character Offers a Compelling Contrast to ‘The Bear’s Main Cast
To say the main cast ofThe Bearis outspoken would almost be as much of an understatement as saying that the show’s main characters sometimes like to curse, but a potential Ebra solo episode could take advantage of how much the character stands out fromthe rest ofThe Bear’sother chefs. As someone far more reserved than Carmy yet as eager to please as Tina,Ebra often feels like the show’s gentle giant, someone who hovers in the background of Season 1 while also delivering an emotional gut punch when he loses his way during Season 2. This mixture of sincere effort and understated calm gives Ebra a unique presence inThe Bear, one whosequiet demeanor and unclear backstory reinforce the main themes of the series.
WhileEbra’s modest personality offers a refreshing departure fromThe Bear’shectic kitchensand obsessive chefs, the same struggles that make the character relatable also provide Ebra with the opportunity to improve in Season 4. Just as how Richie’s short-lived tenure at Ever in Season 2 illustratesThe Bear’sdedication to watching its most hardened characters grow,a solo episode for Ebra can see the character come to appreciate his unique placein The Bear after struggling to keep up in his diminished role. By allowing Ebra to pursue his own standard of excellence, the series would offer one of its sweetest characters another chance at redemption, proving that not all great chefs have to come from high-end restaurants and cooking schools.
Likewise, Ebra’s unique backstory hints at several potential links to some of the moreprominent conflicts depicted inThe Bear.While the series hasn’t delved too deeply into the specifics of how Ebra ended up at the Original Beef,evidence from earlier seasons suggests that Ebra was involved in the political landscape of Somalia. He talks at length about the domestic turmoil of the nation while patching up Richie’s stab wound at the end of Season 1, while also making an off-hand comment about having once been a part of a military brigade earlier that season. Both affiliations hint at a character who has seen his share of violence in life, with his prolonged exposure to a traumatic environmenttying Ebra directly to the same sort of mental health struggles experienced byThe Bear’smain characters, like Carmy.
These connections would enrich the storytelling potential ofThe BearSeason 4, but Ebra’s engaging contributions to past seasons already illustrate whyit’s time for the series to give one of its less vocal characters a closer look. Ebra’s ability to fail and struggle without regressing into the immature rage showcased by Carmy and Richie makes him feel approachable, while the character’s blend of unique traits gives Ebra the potential to enhanceThe Bear’snext season in unexpected ways. As a chef in The Bear’s kitchen who has only caught a glimpse of what it means to grow with the times, Ebra is uniquely positioned to learn from his mistakes, andhe could make an even greater impact on Season 4 with just a little more screentime.
