The Bearseason 4 came with an intriguing revelation regarding Uncle Lee’s character, but we should have seen it coming, given the finale of season 1. Uncle Lee Lane, played by Bob Odenkirk inThe Bear, first appeared in season 2, though he had been mentioned much earlier. Now, in season 4, Uncle Lee made a return, and Carmy was shocked to learn that this man and Mikey had ultimately reconciled.
InThe Bearseason 2 episode, “Fishes,“it was evident that Uncle Lee and Mikey did not like one another. Lee called Carmy’s brother a handful of terrible names, declaring that Mikey was a loser who couldn’t handle moving out of his mother’s house. Naturally, Carmy didn’t feel too fondly about Uncle Lee as a result, especially followingMikey’s death. However, Carmy learned a surprising truth inThe Bearseason 4.
Mikey & Uncle Lee’s Reconciliation Was Foreshadowed By Season 1’s KBL Reveal
KBL Stood For Kalinowski, Berzatto, & Lane
The Bearseason 4 saw Uncle Lee reveal that he and Mikey had become friendsprior to the latter’s death. This was a shock for Carmy, who had assumed that the contentious relationship seen during the Feast of the Seven Fishes was far beyond repair. However, Lee maintained that he and Mikey had managed to sort out their differences—a fact previously foreshadowed inThe Bear.
At theend ofThe Bearseason 1,Carmy discovered that KBL Electric, a company Mikey had been paying large amounts of money to, wasn’t real. Instead, Mikey’s cash had been stashed away in canned tomato sauce. Later, Uncle Jimmy explained that KBL stood for Kalinowski (Jimmy), Berzatto (Mikey), and Lane (Lee).
When Uncle Jimmy told Carmy what KBL stood for, he explained that Lane referred to “Uncle Lee.” Upon hearing this name, Carmy immediately became agitated, stating that Lee wasn’t their uncle.
Though Uncle Lee hadn’t been introduced yet when Jimmy explained the meaning of “KBL”, this twist subtly made it clear that these characters had a partnership.KBL surely wouldn’t have existed if Uncle Lee and Mikey had remained at odds with one another.Therefore, Odenkirk’s characters' revelation inThe Bearseason 4 shouldn’t have been such a surprise to Carmy.
The Bear Still Hasn’t Fully Addressed Uncle Lee’s Business Role With Mikey & The Beef
There’s A Lot Left To Be Explained About The Beef’s History
Though little has been said about KBL sinceThe Bearsince season 1, Uncle Lee’s big reveal that he and Mikey had become friends is a reminder that there is a lot left to uncover.Uncle Lee and Uncle Jimmy had no idea that Mikey stashed away money before his death, so this clearly hadn’t been the sole purpose of KBL. So, what was really going on here?
Now that Carmy knows that Uncle Lee and Mikey became unlikely friends, the layers surrounding the KBL mystery can be peeled back slowly.There’s a prominent theory that the “Berzatto” in KBL originally referred to Carmy, Mikey, and Nat’s father.The Bearhas teased that more will be revealed about this character going forward. Hopefully,this will mean a full explanation regarding Uncle Lee’s role in KBL at last.
