I don’t want a lot of TV, and I especially don’t watch a lot of “prestige” shows. Mostly I keep up with Marvel and Star Wars stuff. Outside of that, I gravitate towards genre stuff like Star Trek and House of the Dragon, and half hour comedies like Abbott Elementary, Reservation Dogs, and Bob’s Burgers. So when The Bear came out of nowhere this past summer, I passed on it, figuring it was the kind of ‘flash in the pan’ (pun not intended) show that hits Netflix every few months (it actually streams on Hulu). But thanks to the urging of my parter and some friends, I decided to give it a chance once I was all set on 2022 movies.
If I had known it was a half hour show, I might have watched it when it was on originally. But that does help a lot, even if I don’t think this show is technically a comedy. The episodes are that length, and the show is very funny, but it’s even further away from being a sitcom than Reservation Dogs. But that alone isn’t what makes it great, or being the first show in a while to hit me so directly. It’s not at all the point of the show, but The Bear made me think about restaurants, our expectations for them, how food is brought to us, and how many people it takes to make that happen
One thing I love about The Bear is the way it uses its ensemble of characters. Similar to well-written movies like Toy Story 2, most of the supporting cast have a clear arc to the season. Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) is trying to prove herself worthy of running a kitchen after going it alone blew up in her face. Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is trying to cope with the death of his best friend, trying to be in his daughter’s life, and just get through each day. He might be my favorite character overall because he’s so unlikable from the beginning, but the way the show reveals more about him over the season feels similarly to the way you learn about people in real life. He’s actually a good person, but he is also kind of an asshole, nonetheless.
And of course, there is Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), the main character. Having a chef with such an esteemed resume working at a Chicago Italian beef sandwich shop is a fun choice, but it gets to one of the deeper themes the show is circling: why we cook for others. Yes, there is a bravado and a machismo to the world of cooking. But ultimately the purpose in being a gourmet chef is not different from cooking at home. It’s because we want to feed people, delight them, make them happy. While The Menu fumbles in delivering the same message, The Bear gets it right by actually digging into the backstories of its chefs, rather than treating it as some mystery to be solved.
I think The Bear connected with me because of how it handles grief. Those feelings are not a thing that goes away when we’re busy at work, or chopping onions, or driving. They’re always present, even if they aren’t top of mind. They can manifest in strange and unexpected ways, and can make us downright horrible to be around as they cause us to lash out. The characters in The Bear all see Carmy struggling with grief over his brother. And they want to help. But he can’t stop, because he needs to fix the restaurant, if only because he can’t fix his brother.
I also love to cook. I’ve never worked in a restaurant (being a bookstore barista was more than enough), but I love trying new recipes, new ingredients. I need to work on perfecting the stuff I love, too, of course. But cooking is one of those things that when I do it well, my brain feels like it is actually slotting into focus. That I've planned and executed something that means something. I have a lot to learn, and a lot to try, but it is one of the most rewarding things I do on a regular basis.
Heard, chefs.