WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for The Bear season 4, episode 7!After two years of buildup, Francie Fak finally appears inThe Bearseason 4, and her cameo completely lives up to the long hype. One of the best recurring gags inThe Bearhas been the expansion of theFak family tree, which continues to grow each season with increasingly wild stories and connections about Neil’s eclectic siblings. While Neil and Ted have been staples inThe Bear’s cast of characters, we’ve only gotten a few glimpses into the other Faks, with John Cena’s Sammy Fak being introduced in season 3 andtheir sister Francie finally debuting in season 4.
Of all the Faks,Francie has been the sibling with the greatest intrigue due to her mysterious rivalry with Sugar. Any time Francie is brought up, Sugar becomes angry and notes that “Francie can go f***.” However, when askedwhat Francie did to make Sugar hate herso much, she often vaguely responds that Francie “knows what she did.” The weight of the mystery around Francie has made the anticipation for her introduction, casting, and reunion with Sugar all the more intense, andThe Bearseason 4, episode 7 doesn’t disappoint.
Brie Larson Plays Francie Fak In The Bear
Francie Fak Gets A Fitting Big-Name Casting
AfterJohn Cena made a cameo as Sammy Fak inThe Bearseason 3, the stakes were raised to get another big-name actor to appear as the notorious Francie. While some fan-castings for Francie Fak suggested stars like Alison Brie or Jeremy Allen White’sShamelessco-star Emmy Rossum,The Bearultimately found the perfect fit for Francie Fak in actress Brie Larson. Best known for her roles inRoom,Captain Marvel, andScott Pilgrim vs. the World, Larson provides a satisfying big-name casting for Francie to follow up on season 3’s Sammy Fak reveal.
Francie Fak
Brie Larson
While the actress’ more notable recent ventures have been on the big screen with the MCU and other franchise entries likeKong: Skull Island,Brie Larson’sThe Bearseason 4 role helps bring her back to her TV comedy origins. Long before joining the MCU, Larson’s earlier roles included stints in comedies likeRaising Dad,United States of Tara,The League, andCommunity. She also recently led the cast of Apple TV+’sLessons in Chemistrydrama miniseries, giving her an Emmy-nominated TV return before joiningThe Bear’s chaotic world.
With Brie Larson and John Cena now being part ofThe Bear’s extensive Fak siblings group, the hit series is collecting some recent stars from theFast & Furiousfranchise. BeforeThe Bear,Larson and Cena starred together in 2023’sFast X, so the duo expands from being part of film’s biggest street racing family to joining TV’s biggest cooking family.
Francie & Sugar Finally Reunite At Tiff & Frank’s Wedding
Neil Forces The Reunion When Asking Tiff To Invite Francie
Francie Fak’s impendingThe Bearintroduction was expected, but how exactly she would come back into contact with Sugar remained a big question. Neil was the one responsible for the reluctant reunion, as he asked Tiff to invite Francie to the wedding despite knowing how intensely Sugar would respond to her attendance. As expected, when the day arrived,Sugar and Francie’s reunion was immediately met with bickering and hostilitydue to both still being upset with the other because of their past betrayals.
For the majority ofThe Bearseason 4, episode 7, Sugar and Francie are either intensely arguing, insulting each other, or trying to hide from each other. However, after most ofThe Bear’s main characters convene under a table to help Richie’s daughter Evie conquer her fears about dancing with Frank, Sugar and Francie come to a place where they’re able to admit that they miss each other. After being best friends and sworn enemies,Sugar and Francie end Tiff and Frank’s wedding by agreeing to be friends again– as long as they “don’t f*** [each other] over” again.
The Bear Season 4 Still Doesn’t Confirm Why Sugar Hated Francie
Sugar & Francie’s Feud Backstory Isn’t Explained
While the mystery around who Francie Fak’s identity was finally solved by Brie Larson’sThe Bearseason 4, episode 7 cameo, the outing still didn’t clarify the biggest unanswered question about her history. Though Sugar and Francie continue to yell at each other and blame the other for betraying them,The Beardoesn’t really explain why Sugar hated Francie, or vice versa. As they scream over each other, certain bits and pieces of the incident that ended their friendship are gleaned, butthere’s still no answer about what Francie “did” to Sugar.
During one yelling match,accusations regarding whipped cream, “starting the car,” not having a cell phone, and being drunk are lodged against each other, but they don’t form a coherent storyby the end of the episode. However, at one point,Matty Matheson’s Neil Fakclaims that Sugar and Francie “hooked up” before their friendship ended, which is met by an unconvincing denial by the two frenemies. Neil believes their alleged intimate experience is to blame for their fallout and the intensity behind their mutual hatred, but it’s difficult to know whether that’s the case without learning the full backstory.
Given that Sugar and Francie have already confronted each other about their supposed betrayals,it’s looking less likely thatThe Bearwill ever solve that mystery. Seemingly like the question ofwhat happened to Carmy’s father, what exactly caused Sugar to hate Francie may remain an unanswered query throughoutThe Bear. Now that they’ve agreed to be friends again, Francie and Sugar will likely just let bygones be bygones and continue to refer to their feud in only the most vague descriptions.
Why Francie & Sugar Decide To Be Friends Again In The Bear Season 4
Seeing Each Other Again Makes Them Face The Reality Of Their Pointless Feud
Though the full details of Francie and Sugar’s feud are still undisclosed, it seemed like an argument that, as it aged, became more petty rather than genuine. The belovedBerzatto family memberand Francie believed they were betrayed, and without the other being willing to apologize or admit any faults on their part, the grudges they held against each other festered. At a certain point, their anger didn’t seem to be justified, butneither wanted to be the one who admitted they missed the other person and were wrongto still be mad.
The Faks and the Berzattos may not be blood-related, but they’re family, and they’ll continue to argue, come back together, and grow together like one.
However, after what seemed to be years of letting those resentments intensify, it was finally seeing each other face-to-face and expressing their hurt that brought them back together. Even as they hurled insults at one another,Sugar and Francie realized that their deep hurt was rooted in the deep love they had for each other. They ultimately missed each other and their close friendship more than they cared about whatever pettiness began their feud, and it took a great deal of maturity and growing up for them to finally admit that.
The Bearseason 5 currently has yet to be renewed by FX.
Sugar having her daughter also helped get her to a place where she could forgive Francie and move forward. Sugar wants to be surrounded by people who love and support her, andwould want her daughter to see her in a loving friendship rather than a bitter rivalry. The Faks and the Berzattos may not be blood-related, but they’re family, and they’ll continue to argue, come back together, and grow together like one. Francie and Sugar will more than likely fight again inThe Bear’s future, but next time around they won’t let it fester to the same extreme.
