The Bear: The Real Reason Sugar Calls Neil Fak Sweetie, My Love & Other Pet Names
While "The Bear" is centered on the Berzatto family, in particular chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and his sister Natalie, aka "Sugar (Abby Elliott), there are a handful of non-family characters who lend their own distinct flavor to the cast. One is Neil Fak (Matty Matheson), a long-time friend and employee of the Berzattos who starts off the series as a jack-of-all-trades maintenance and grunt worker.
Despite the fact that she is deeply devoted to her husband Petey (Chris Witaske) and appears to have zero romantic interest in Fak, Natalie constantly refers to him using affectionate names like "honey," "sweetie," "babe," and "my love." In a thread on the r/TheBear subreddit, viewers have pointed out that Natalie's use of pet names for Fak is simply part of the three-way faux family dynamic between them and Richie Jeromovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach).
U/angela_m_schrute theorized that the affectionate language is a response to Richie's assertive nature, writing that the interplay between Richie and Fak over petty disagreements brings out Sugar's protective, mothering instincts. "Since Fak likes to playfully joke around," they wrote, "him and Nat embrace the mom and baby joke. She speaks to him the way a mommy would speak to a child, thus showing Ritchie that his dumb insult doesn't bother them. And I'm sure it comes easy because they are all childhood friends."
Meanwhile, u/Thanat0s10 observed that the dynamic between Natalie, Richie, and Fak was similar to some of their own personal relationships. "I call all my close friends babe," they wrote, "my best friend refers to everyone as 'my love', etc. Just a way to show they're close and a way for her to get him to do what she says."
Natalie is picking up for Donna's shortcomings
Although Carmy and Natalie's mother, Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis), is still alive in Season 2, her alcohol use has put distance between her and her children. This has left Sugar to take up the slack and act in the role of mom to not only her brother, but their virtual family as well. That includes Richie and Fak, both of whom refer to her as "Mommy" and go to her to resolve their minor disputes.
At many points in Season 2 of "The Bear," Natalie is the only adult in the room, and the new restaurant's best hope for success might have come when she agreed to serve as its business manager. But for the restaurant to thrive, it will take the cooperation of both the Berzatto blood relatives and their unofficially adopted family members.
In the Season 2 finale, Fak trades in his work coveralls for a suit and takes on front-of-house duties. Richie steps up in multiple ways in Season 2, similarly changing his mode of dress while also drastically adjusting his attitude towards Carmy's way of handling the business. With Natalie doling out motherly words of affection to her two "sons," perhaps the new Berzatto family venture will be more harmonious than their old one.