The Bear: Molly Gordon Weighs In On Season 2's Gut-Wrenching Finale

In the sophomore season of the FX and Hulu dramedy "The Bear," one of the most surprising character developments of all is that Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a workaholic chef struggling with intense generational trauma, is able to hold down a somewhat stable relationship throughout the season. After reconnecting with Claire, played by Molly Gordon, the two end up involved... right up until the finale, when Carmy tanks the entire thing by ranting about how the relationship could never work while he's trapped in a walk-in freezer. Unbeknownst to him, Claire's right on the other side, listening.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gordon says there was some serious catharsis filming that scene. Asked about the sheer logistics of filming a breakup through a fridge door, Gordon said, "Jeremy stayed around for that. He was shooting his side of things inside the refrigerator a couple days later, but he came to be on the other side to say those lines with me. I'm a woman who has gone through a couple breakups, so it felt both cathartic and sad. To hear someone way that they don't deserve happiness, or deserve to give happiness, is a horrific statement."

"I've stayed in relationships and tried to fix someone like that," Gordon elaborated. "So I was happy that Claire just leaves. She doesn't go, 'Oh wait, is that actually how you feel?' She just chooses to leave the situation."

In case you're a little fuzzy on how all of this goes down during the Season 2 finale, also titled "The Bear," here's what happens. The Beef has been transformed into the fine dining spot known as The Bear, and Carmy and his crew hold an evening for their friends and family to try it, pulling out all the stops to impress their loved ones. Predictably, everything falls to pieces behind the scenes, culminating in Carmy getting locked in the walk-in; luckily, Sydney (Ayo Edibiri) and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bacharach) are able to quickly swap, with him running the pass as she panics while she returns to cooking. The night goes well without Carmy, and he melts down about how he can't possibly juggle the restaurant and a relationship, unwittingly unloading on Claire, who, as Gordon says, walks away. This all becomes that much more heartbreaking when he listens to a voicemail she left earlier in the day where she says she loves him.

According to Gordon, the idea of Carmy listening to the voicemail in the walk-in, cold and alone, came later. "When I first read episode 10 [the finale], the voicemail was never going to be in it," the actress said. "As I joined the season, Chris [Storer, the showrunner] and Jeremy and I were talking through things. Jeremy and I had a connection — he's such a wonderful person and so available as an actor and a beautiful scene partner — and what I think happened is that Chris wanted to make that part more meaningful and add more to the episode. It was heartbreaking for me, acting in the walk-in scene, knowing that Jeremy hadn't heard that voicemail, knowing he would be listening to it while trapped in a refrigerator."

So how did Gordon get involved with "The Bear" in the first place? As she told THR, she watched and loved Season 1, just like so many others — and thanks to a few connections and friends in the right places, she managed to snag a spot as Claire in Season 2.

"I met Chris [Storer, creator of The Bear] through one of my first jobs, which was this Melissa McCarthy movie called 'Life of the Party,'" Gordon explained. "Gillian Jacobs was in it, and she and Chris are in a relationship." Jacobs, Storer's partner, appears twice in the season as Richie's ex-wife and the mother of his daughter; her "Community" co-star Joel McHale has also had two pivotal cameos across both seasons as one of Carmy's former abusive kitchen bosses.

"At the time, Chis was directing this new show called 'Ramy,' and they needed an actor for a small part. Gillian recommended me, and after that, I would see Chris from time to time and he would be like, 'we're definitely gonna work together one day' — which people always say without ever following through. Working on 'The Bear' felt like coming home to this space that I've always longed to return to." Just to bring everything full circle, the star and creator of "Ramy," Ramy Youssef, also directed Season 2's fourth episode, "Honeydew."

So where have you seen Molly Gordon before "The Bear," besides "Life of the Party" and "Ramy?" Well, if you're a fan of Olivia Wilde's directorial debut "Booksmart," you'll probably remember her as Annabelle, whose classmates give her the crude nickname "Triple A" (which we won't explain in depth here, so just watch the movie if you're so curious). Annabelle, crucially, is one of the "popular" characters who sends overachievers Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) into a frenzy when she reveals that, yes, she partied... and also got into an Ivy League school. Wilde is careful with Gordon's character, and by the end, you'll probably find yourself pretty mad at anyone who gave Annabelle that nickname.

Gordon also has a buzzy project coming up after "The Bear" — a film she co-directed alongside Nick Lieberman called "Theater Camp" which she also wrote with Lieberman, Tony Award winner Ben Platt, and "The Good Doctor" star Noah Galvin. The movie, which lampoons intensive summer theater camps that take themselves far too seriously, stars Gordon, Platt, and Galvin as the camp's counselors, alongside comedians like Patti Harrison, legends like Amy Sedaris, and Gordon's "The Bear" co-star Edibiri.

"The Bear" Season 2 is available to stream on Hulu now, and "Theater Camp" hits, well, theaters on July 14.