In a television/video world where there are more original scripted series than ever before, it is rare to find a new show that is truly original and immediately rises to the top of the heap. I came to The Bear knowing virtually nothing about it aside from a friend’s recommendation that it was “really good.” She didn’t want provide any details, because she thought I might not want to watch it if she did. And she’s probably right.
The title doesn’t tell me anything about what the show might be about. If she told me it’s a comedy about a chef whose brother kills himself and leaves him a struggling sandwich shop, I’d likely not be interested in committing any time to watch it. Instead, she simply re-emphasized, “it’s really good.” This is how word-of-mouth hits are born.
After my wife and I binged all eight episodes over two nights, I’m here to report, we both think it’s really good. In fact, it may be the best new show of the year. Here’s my review.
Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (a fantastic Jeremy Allen White) is a young James Beard Award-winning chef, who has been immersed in the world of fine dining, and has worked in some of the best restaurants in the world. He comes home to run his family’s struggling Italian beef sandwich shop (called The Original Beef of Chicagoland) after his brother Mikey (played in flashbacks by Jon Bernthal) commits suicide and leaves him the restaurant in his will.
Now Carmy has to deal with a set-in-their-ways kitchen staff who loved his brother and resist his efforts to modernize the restaurant. He also has the considerable debt he inherited from his brother’s mismanagement,. His brother had borrowed $300,000 from their uncle Cicero (Oliver Platt), which Carmy needs to figure out how to repay – although it doesn’t seem like much of that money was actually put into improving the restaurant. It also turns out the restaurant hasn’t paid any taxes in the past five years. So he faces numerous challenges as he tries to turn the restaurant into a “destination” and restructure how the business does almost everything
Before Carmy arrived, Mikey’s stubborn, obnoxious best friend, “cousin” Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) was running things in a way that can only be called a chaotic and haphazard. Carmy hires Sydney (Ayo Edebiri in a standout performance), a new, ambitious chef, brimming with ideas, who has her own fine-dining credentials (which makes Carmy wonder why she wants to work at a local sandwich shop). He quickly promotes her to sous-chef, making her responsible for instituting changes that no one is ready to implement. This immediately puts her at odds with Richie and some others among the staff.
The initial conflict between Richie and Sydney is one of the more interesting aspects of the show. He is loud, abrasive, explosive, used to settling disputes with his fists (or a gun), and seemingly has no emotional depth (until we discover he actually does). She is calm, restrained, and efficient, and solves disputes through reason and compromise – but there’s something bubbling under the surface, and you almost expect her to explode at any moment.
The writers and cast do a remarkable job of making you feel the hectic and often frantic pace of the back-of-house staff, helped by a ticking clock and pulse-pounding soundtrack, as well as the overwhelming stress of the kitchen’s claustrophobic environment, as they have to deal with equipment breaking down, stovetop fires, late or incomplete food deliveries, and surprise health inspections. Tempers and temperatures often rise among the overworked “chefs” as they narrowly avoid collisions while racing around the confined space to get everything ready for the crush of hungry and impatient lunch customers every day.
Everything seems all at once on the verge of either triumphant success or catastrophic failure. When Carmy takes one of his many cigarette breaks where he stares off into space, I can’t tell whether he’s processing how to solve the latest problem or it’s simply a look of despair. But then he snaps out of it and jumps into action. In one telling scene, Carmy sees Richie taking Xanax, and asks him why he needs that. Richie tells him, “I suffer from anxiety and dread,” to which Carny replies, “Who doesn’t?”
As the staff starts to see the results of their labors, and Carmy and Sydney’s unrelenting confidence (bravado?) that they know what they are doing, staff members are gradually won over. Showing the intricacies of the kitchen jargon and making the sausage to the lingering shots of their mouth-watering final dishes, provides details that raise the show to another level – and shows how much everyone involved with the show loves food.
Each cast member is given their own moments to shine. Lionel Boyce is Marcus, the restaurant’s creative baker, eager to learn new ways of doing things, and inspired by Carmy and Sydney – he starts researching new recipes and adding artistic flair to his scrumptious desserts. Liza Colon-Zayas is Tina, the wary prep cook, reluctant to make any changes, and resentful of having to take direction from a young upstart – she is gradually won over by Sydney’s talent, cooking skills, and relentless efforts to make things run more smoothly. Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) is the unflappable line cook, whom we discover survived the Somali civil war. Matty Matheson is Neil, the genial handyman, who finds his services constantly needed. Abby Elliott is Carmy’s sister Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto, with whom he has a complicated relationship. They have different ways of dealing with their brother’s death.
The show is intensely stressful, but it is also funny, dramatic, thought-provoking, exhilarating, and addicting – and unlike anything else on television. It’s been renewed for a second season, to air exclusively on Hulu.
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