Yes Chef, I recommend The Bear
It’s not very often I stray from my comfort shows; Schitt’s Creek, Superstore and Abbott Elementary. You know those series that you could play the part of and watching them makes you feel happy, comfortable and still provides a laugh? But The Bear piqued my interest via a Disney+ sponsored ad. I couldn’t really work out what it was going to be about but it looked fast paced and something very different.
The Premise
According to Disney+ the premise of The Bear is as follows, ‘A young chef from the fine dining world comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after a heart breaking death in his family. A world away from what he's used to, Carmy must balance the soul-crushing realities of small business ownership, his strong-willed and recalcitrant kitchen staff and his strained familial relationships, all while grappling with the impact of his brother's suicide.’ I mean, if that’s not enough drama to hold you, I don’t know what is.
Season One
I watched season one of The Bear in one sitting and I’m not ashamed of saying that. From here I was introduced to the staff of the “Original Beef of Chicagoland” restaurant. From the beginning, the characters were very unlikable. They all had their own demons and were dealing with grief, bereavement of people, their own lives and were battling it in the kitchen.
Tasked with managing this motley crew was head chef Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto portrayed by Jeremy Allen White. This Michelin star chef had to leave his career in Paris to return home and pick up the pieces of devastation following his brother’s suicide. He was faced with aggression to his kitchen changes and admiration from his hopeful protégé Sydney Adamu played by Ayo Edebiri.
In season one, the cast excelled at making the audience (me) squirm in their seats from their constant bickering, full blown fighting and frustrating reconciliations. We were introduced to never-seen-on-tv before characters like Richard ‘Richie’ Jerimovich (played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Neil Fak (played by Matty Matheson).
With a financially failing restaurant, owing crippling debt to “Uncle” and faulty appliances the kitchen staff had to choose whether to sink or swim. Should Carmy continue his late brother’s legacy that he was excluded from or return to his celebrated career as a “proper chef”? This internal battle paired with the woes from each of the supporting cast makes one of the best TV shows of all time.
Season Two
After coming off the high of season one, I couldn’t wait for the next instalment of the show. There’s always the fear with new seasons that the writing may have lost quality or the storyline is a bit too far fetched and silly (I’m looking at you Ted Lasso Season 3).
Thankfully The Bear was unaffected by this concern and I’ve no idea how they did it, but the show was actually better, the acting and writing was immense plus the sheer amount of guest stars was extremely impressive. After season one, we saw the kitchen crew preparing to create a new and improved restaurant aptly called “The Bear” with the goal of earning a Michelin star funded by “Uncle”.
But what the team did not expect was the difficulties they faced with their crumbling infrastructure. Season two took us in a new direction with each character having the chance of self-improvement and development. Tina was enrolled in culinary school, Marcus travelled to Amsterdam to be mentored by the one and only Will Poulter and Richie learnt what it meant to deliver 5* service from Olivia Colman. With heart breaking flashbacks and an entire episode dedicated to a fateful Christmas dinner with the whole family the writers didn’t hold anything back from their ode to a dysfunctional family.
Scene Stealers
There are some scenes within the show that really leave a mark and an episode I’d like to delve deeper into is “Fishes” from season two. If you’ve read anything about The Bear this episode will most likely be the most talked about due to its intense plot, killer cast of cameos and masterful acting. It’s no wonder the episode has been lauded as a masterclass due to including Jamie Lee-Curtis, Sarah Paulson , John Mulaney and Bob Odenkirk as family members. The hour long episode follows the family at a past “Feast of the Seven Fishes” celebration that climaxes with forks being thrown, tempers over spilling and walls being broken.
We need to talk about Donna. Jamie Lee Curtis portrays Carmy’s mother with such an extreme attitude that we are left wondering whether she is an alcoholic, has mental health issues or maybe both? She’s downing bottles of red wine, is stressed with the demands of the dinner and really can’t deal with Sugar asking her if she is “ok”. Her chaotic behaviour left me panting for a smoke break escape with Carmy, Mikey and Sugar. We had often heard about their mother’s behaviour but had never imagined anything quite like this. From interfering uncles and overstepping cousins this is a Christmas dinner you do not want to be apart of yet can’t help but watch.
“Cousin”
The kitchen crew often refer to each other as “Cousin”, regularly shout “Behind” and yell “Yes Chef” with passion. This isn’t a workforce, it’s a lifestyle and if you haven’t got what it takes, you definitely need to get out of the kitchen. Carmy takes no prisoners as he battles with emotional chains and getting close to people that makes the final scenes of season two so bitter and hard to watch. I’m really rooting for the crew from The Bear and can’t wait to see what they accomplish in season three. Maybe that star is closer than what we think.