Inside the High-Tension ‘Fishes’ Episode with Jamie Lee Curtis and ‘The Bear’ Cast

Television series often delight viewers with Christmas episodes, but none quite like “Fishes,” the sixth episode of the Emmy-nominated second season of “The Bear.”

It kicks off with Andy Williams singing “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and concludes with the family matriarch crashing her car through the house. In between, we dive into a chaotic family gathering from five years ago, where three adult children engage in awkward conversations with relatives while managing their nearly collapsing alcoholic mother, all amidst the preparation of the Feast of the Seven Fishes.

Even for a series known for its intense storytelling, “Fishes” took its audience on an emotional rollercoaster, to which no one seemed to object. The episode received nine of the 23 Emmy nominations for “The Bear” this year. Here’s how it came together.

Jamie Lee Curtis (Donna Berzatto): I was in Idaho, where I live part-time. My husband was fishing. I turned on the first episode of “The Bear” without knowing the plot. This guy, frantic and needing money, calls his sister to bring a jacket to sell. They hug awkwardly, and she asks, ‘Have you called Mom?’ He says no, and she leaves. I thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to play their mother.’

Jeremy Allen White (Carmen Berzatto): Jamie told me that on the first day on set. It was wild. Jamie avoids small talk and gets straight to the point.

Jon Bernthal (Michael Berzatto): I remember Jamie giving me a kiss in character and saying, ‘You know, you were always my favorite.’ I bet she said that to every one of us.

White: Jamie wrote Carmy a letter signed, ‘You’re the one.’

Curtis: I bought Steiff bears for the actors on eBay and wrote letters from Donna to them. I wanted us to share something unique.

Abby Elliott (Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto): Jamie gave me children’s books for my kids. She was the kindest person — until she put on the wig.

Bernthal: With the wig on, Jamie became a force of nature.

Joanna Calo (showrunner, executive producer, co-writer of “Fishes” with Christopher Storer): We pitched the episode for Season 1, but it ended up fitting perfectly where it did. Fifteen episodes in, viewers knew the family well enough.

Curtis: Flying out to Chicago for this episode felt like being dropped into boiling water. It was absolutely thrilling.

Andrew Wehde (cinematographer): We shot in a house in Evanston, Ill., except for the dinner scene, which was on a set designed for the actors to have freedom.

Curtis: The white-on-white hand towel Donna wears is a nod to my real life. It’s the first thing you’d see if you visited my house.

Calo: We wanted the episode to sound like a crowded room with people talking over each other, creating a chaotic energy.

Elliott: The kitchen scene is one long take that felt like a play, especially when Jamie grabbed my face. I had an out-of-body experience.

Curtis: Donna has made that dinner since the beginning of time.

Calo: Christmas is often miserable for the matriarchs who do all the work, a fitting way to tell a food story outside a restaurant context.

Curtis: Donna’s mother also made the dinner. The alcoholism and mental illness compound during Christmas, with all its expectations.

Curtis: The phrase, ‘I make things beautiful for them, and no one makes things beautiful for me,’ resonated deeply with many viewers, feeling unseen and unappreciated.

Bernthal: Family knows how to push your buttons. There’s history, resentment, and love all intertwined.

Elliott: Natalie can’t ignore Donna, unlike Carmy and Mikey. It’s a compulsion and a middle-child trait.

Calo: Donna forced Natalie into making things OK, then resented her for it.

Elliott: Even in the birth episode, I asked Jamie, ‘Are you OK?’ It’s just something I feel connected to.

Bernthal: Mikey was romanticized in Season 1. “Fishes” showed his darker side.

White: Carmy sensed his brother was troubled but didn’t grasp the severity. He’s always in survival mode.

Bernthal: When Carmy gives Mikey the restaurant plans, Mikey sees the hope in Carmy. But Mikey knows he’s doomed.

Curtis: In one take, I nearly slapped Jeremy Allen White.

White: If that wasn’t a slap, I’m scared of what she had in mind.

Curtis: Donna’s head is everywhere. She calls Carmy “Michael.”

Wehde: The closeups of Donna and Carmy matched those of Claire and Carmy, reminding the audience of where his head is.

Calo: You have to sort out family issues before getting into relationships.

Curtis: Donna hasn’t seen Carmy since that dinner. Five years.

Bernthal: Mikey dislikes Lee, even though he tries to keep peace initially. But Lee’s jabs push Mikey over the edge.

Bob Odenkirk (Uncle Lee Lane): Uncle Lee’s bluntness comes off as being an a—.

Curtis: Donna and Lee might have been close a few times.

Odenkirk: They appreciate each other’s survival abilities.

Bernthal: I wanted to flip the table. Chris Storer loved the idea.

Odenkirk: Chris’s writing set up the intensity, leading to explosive fireworks.

Wehde: My camera operator thought Jon would plow him down.

Bernthal: Sitting on that boiled rage makes my favorite moments as an actor.

Elliott: I was pregnant, feeling every intense moment.

Bernthal: We started with rubber forks, but they didn’t look violent. I suggested real forks, and everyone thought I was crazy.

Odenkirk: Jon’s a fine actor with respect for setting up real fear and danger.

Elliott: I felt sadness for Mikey throughout. When Donna crashed the car, I finally exhaled.

Curtis: Donna thinks it’s the funniest thing ever, driving into the house.

Elliott: I hadn’t watched the episode but lived it. I might need 30 years to watch it again.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.