"Fishes" from The Bear: A newly found Christmas tradition.

One of my most recent additions to my Christmas playlist was The Bear's second season sixth episode "Fishes," and I know if you're familiar with the brilliant FX series this might seem a bit strange, but I'd like to explain why.

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While The Bear is theoretically nothing more than a black comedy/drama where we follow the story of a brilliant chef who is forced to keep his brother's restaurant alive after his tragic suicide, in reality, this is a series that takes on some pretty deep themes like death, healing processes, perfectionism, and the importance of our family relationships.

Fishes, on the other hand, is a special Christmas episode, twice as long as a regular episode, and whose name is inspired by the Catholic tradition of the seven fishes, which gives us a pretty clear clue as to the plot of the episode.

And, although chronologically it is set 5 years before the events of the second season (and therefore, many years before the pilot episode of the series), it gives us many pieces of information that help us understand the mental state of all the main characters in the series very well.

In short: in Fishes we see how the Berzatto family celebrates Christmas, amidst arguments and problems that seem to carry tension that has been accumulating for years.

It is one of those narrative pieces that does not advance so much in terms of plot but rather from the psychological plane of its protagonists, it helps us understand the dynamic that Carmy (the protagonist) had with his brother before he died, and it includes a large number of cameos (all played by brilliant actors such as Bob Odenkirk, Jaime lee Curtis and John Mulaney) who play various roles within the Berzatto family.

So, what makes Fishes a perfect addition to our annual tradition, along with warm films such as Home Alone or Love Actually? Not only is it visually beautiful in its depiction of Christmas (complemented by excellent direction), but it is also a very faithful interpretation of a Christmas dinner in a dysfunctional family, although the ending is much more chaotic than any of us have probably experienced at home.

Ironically, this chaotic and depressing nature makes us value our own families, and, what initially feelt like a tense viewing end up making us grateful for our humble existences.

Regardless of the Christmas factor, Fishes is one of the best episodes produced on television in the entire decade, with a brilliant level of production and a script full of masterful moments, I will never get bored of watching it.