WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for The Bear season 4, episode 7!Bob Odenkirk finally reprises his role as Uncle Lee inThe Bearseason 4, with an important scene opposite Carmy helping to clarify some confusion around his connections to the Berzattos. As has been established since season 1,The Bear’s Berzatto family treeisn’t limited to blood relatives –cousin, uncle, aunt, and nephew titles are also applied to close friends of the familylike Jimmy and Richie. That’s also the case forBob Odenkirk’sThe Bearcharacter Lee, whose history with the Berzattos wasn’t entirely clear in the season 2 episode “Fishes.”
The full connections of the Berzattos and their “cousins” only become more convoluted as characters attempt to decipher them, which is a subject that gets greater focus as many figures fromThe Bearseason 2’s Christmas flashback episodefinally reunite at Tiff and Frank’s wedding in season 4. Seen for the first time in the present timeline,Odenkirk’s Uncle Lee Lane briefly appears at the wedding during a scene with Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy. The two end up speaking more about Lee’s relationships with Carmy’s mother Donna, brother Mikey, and mysterious father, giving more context to his complex Berzattos link.
The Bear Season 4 Confirms Uncle Lee’s Biggest Connection To The Berzattos Is Through Donna
Lee Has Been Closer To Donna Than Carmy’s Father
InThe Bearseason 4, episode 7, Lee clarifies to Carmy thathe and Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis) are “old friends,” and have been close confidantes for an extremely long time. That friendship has continued to grow over the years, and after Mikey’s death left Donna living alone, it seems she found more comfort and companionship in the time she spent with Lee. Mikey originally hated Lee because he felt like Odenkirk’sThe Bearcharacter was trying to replace his dad, but once Mikey accepted that he was just Donna’s close friend, Carmy’s older brother finally came around to him.
Since Uncle Lee has also been friends with Jimmy for what seems to be just as long, it originally appeared as if Lee’s stronger connection to the Berzattos was established throughCarmy’s father– who has still yet to be seen in the series. However, as Lee speaks with Carmy more about their relationship,it’s clear that his friendship with Donna was what really made him such a close member of the extended Berzatto clan. Still, how exactly Lee originally met Donna and the other Berzattos remains a mystery afterThe Bearseason 4’s ending.
It’s possible that Lee doing business with Jimmy and the Berzattos’ father kept him closer to the family prior to Mikey’s death.
It’s also unclear exactly how close Lee was with Donna’s husband while the latter was still around. After Carmy found tomato cans filled with cash inThe Bear’s season 1 ending, the season 2 premiere confirmed thatMikey had been laundering money through KBL Electric, a fake company whose initials stood for Kalinowski (Jimmy), Lane (Lee), and Berzatto. The show has yet to clarify whether the Berzatto in question is Mikey or his father, so it’s possible that Lee doing business with Jimmy and the Berzattos’ father kept him closer to the family prior to Mikey’s death.
Are Donna & Uncle Lee Really Just Friends In The Bear?
Why Would They Continue To Hide A Romance?
Time and again, Lee tries to tell Carmy that he and Donna are just friends, which is also a note that Donna herself tried to clarify back in season 2. But, the Berzatto kids clearly don’t buy it. Lee has always been around, but it seems like he tried to “move in” and become even closer with Donna after Carmy’s father left, and even more so after Mikey’s death. As such, Carmy still is andMikey was convinced that Lee’s intentions with Donna aren’t as platonic as they try to make it seem.
But, after years of suspicion,there would no longer be a point in Lee and Donna hiding their romance if it’s something the family already suspectsand has come to terms with. That ultimately points to the idea that they’re telling the truth, and may simply be keeping a close friendship as they find themselves alone and distant from their families. There’s still plenty more forThe Bearseason 5 to clear up with the backstory between Lee,Jimmy, and the Berzattos, which will hopefully give a more complete picture of why he and Donna are so close.
