‘The Bear’s Taylor Swift Needle Drop Is The Definition Of Chef’s Kiss

By Nicole Gallucci Twitter @nicolemichele5

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Two seasons in, The Bear finally gives viewers a delectable, tear-jerking love story that both eludes and exceeds expectations. And it does so with help from an unlikely source: Taylor Swift.

Season 2 of Christopher Storer’s intense culinary dramedy slowly eases viewers into a romance between Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and his old school crush Claire (Molly Gordon) while simultaneously showing sparks between Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and Marcus (Lionel Boyce). But the real love story that steals hearts in the newly-released 10 episodes isn’t either of those pairings. It’s Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) falling in love with his career and himself.

Episode 7, “Forks,” finds the stubborn, directionless hot mess training at Carmy’s old stomping grounds for a week where a supervisor named Garrett (Andrew Lopez) has him tirelessly polishing forks. Richie initially sees the assignment as a cruel joke; an elaborate scheme for Carmy to get him out of his gorgeous hair during The Bear renovations. But after Richie learns his ex-wife got engaged and is put in his place by Garrett — who asks that he respect the restaurant staff, diners, and crucially, himself — he embraces the experience, readjusts his mindset, listens, learns, applies himself, and starts to realize his worth. Days of successfully studying, shadowing, and serving in the restaurant fill Richie with that deep sense of purpose he was searching for at the start of the season. And his heartwarming epiphany scene, set to “Love Story (Taylor’s Version),” was so unexpectedly perfect it made me bawl uncontrollably.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richie in 'The Bear'
Photo: FX/Hulu

The overwhelming emotion came not only from being blessed with a second brilliant Taylor Swift needle drop this year, or the fact that the song boldly stood out from a soundtrack that typically favors rock bands like R.E.M., Wilco, Pearl Jam, and Counting Crows. The specific track hit so hard because Taylor Swift references were a running Richie-related thread throughout the season — one that helped us better understand his past and ushered him into a new era. Plus, after nearly two full seasons of Richie struggling with the grief of losing his best friend, searching for his place at the restaurant, and feeling like a burden to everyone around him, a certain sense of healing came from seeing him scream-sing and smile along to his girl TSwift in the car after a rewarding day of work and soul-searching.

In Season 2, Episode 3, we witness a tender moment between Richie and his daughter Eva that ends with a hug and him saying, “I love you. And I love Taylor Swift, too. I just needed a break.” And in Episode 6, which takes us back five years to a time when Richie was married to Eva’s mom Tiffany (Gillian Jacobs) — also a Swiftie — she’s wearing a 1989 shirt at Christmas dinner. Throughout the season, Richie attempts to secure three tickets to the Eras Tour for his family, and in Episode 7 we learn he finally succeeds. Instead of agreeing to go to the concert with him, however, Tiff reveals she’s engaged to another man. In a refreshing twist, rather than letting the news drag him down, it fuels Richie to build himself back up and explore his untapped potential.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richie in 'The Bear'
Photo: FX/Hulu

I was never expecting the sight of a 45-year-old man belting “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” alone in his car to make me blubber, but The Bear wisely used the song as a way to lighten the mood, showcase Richie’s growth, remind us of his soft side, and express his genuine excitement for the future — something that’s been hard to come by in The Bear. From the swell of the strings in the restaurant to the track’s return in the end credits, the needle drop was satisfying from start to finish.

After rooting for Richie to climb his way out of the trenches and arrive at a place where he no longer the grumpy, down on his luck guy who needed a break from Taylor Swift, he put in the work and emerged bejeweled — or in his case, wearing a suit and ready to tackle whatever life throws his way.

Can’t get enough of The Bear Season 2? For more insight, analysis, GIFs, and close-ups of Carmy’s arms, check out all of Decider’s episodic recaps:

When it comes to Richie’s self-love story, or him scream-singing Taylor in the car, we’ll always say yes.

The Bear Season 2 is now streaming on Hulu.