Review: The Bear Season Two
Words by Florence Heaton / Edited by Mia Stapleton
Florence Heaton reviews the well-awaited season two of ‘The Bear,’ everyone’s favourite high energy, high stakes comedy series.
If you live under a rock and somehow have not heard of or seen this show, The Bear follows Carmen Berzatto, a successful chef, who returns home to take over his family sandwich shop, The Original Beef of Chicagoland. All following the passing away of his brother. Whilst season one was lauded for its pressure-cooker plot and Jeremy Allen White’s portrayal of frenetic protagonist Carmy, season two explores the rest of the staff as they work tirelessly to turn The Beef into The Bear– a hub of fine dining with a plate-load of potential … and a side of potential problems.
With ten episodes as opposed to season one’s eight, the show is given room to breathe, to grow, and it does so to epic proportions – to the benefit of the entire cast of characters. As the restaurant is gutted for an extensive (and expensive) renovation, the camera is forced to turn away from the kitchen, and instead toward the lives of its workers, pointing deeper into their beloved Chicago, and beyond. Sous-chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) spends an episode visiting local culinary spots as she puts together a new menu, trialling food in a feat of visual excellence: shots of her tasting pasta are interspersed with flashes of Chicago architecture, in a scene that encapsulates what is so addictive about this series. Pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce) also spends an entire episode in Copenhagen honing his craft and opening up to Luca, played by the ever-charismatic Will Poulter. Speaking of, this season is stacked with powerful guest stars. Episode six delivers one of the most painful family reunions in the history of television, flashing-back to Christmas dinner a few years prior, where Jon Bernthal reprises his role as deceased brother Mikey, as Carmy fights to stay sane in a kitchen that is somehow more chaotic than The Beef. Jamie Lee Curtis leads a hectic night in the Berzatto household, providing long-awaited insight into Carmy’s relationship with his unstable mother and extended family.
The restaurant’s renovation functions as the fitting backdrop to a season of self-reflection. In particular, for ‘cousin’ Richie, Mikey’s best friend and the somewhat spare-part character, until episode seven, where he is sent to sharpen his hospitality skills at a Michelin star restaurant. Here, under the watchful eye of industry professionals, and after a heartfelt conversation with Olivia Colman, Richie finally seems o find a response to the question he miserably asks Carmy in episode one: “What’s my purpose?” Wouldn’t we all like to know the answer to that.
Carmy himself is still dealing with his own anxieties, and over ten episodes he fights to maintain a work-life balance that finds him caught between two distinct spaces: a budding romance with an old friend, and the magnetic pull of the kitchen represented by his relationship with business partner Sydney. His dynamic with the latter makes for a compelling watch; the way they clash with and lean on each other during the chaos of their joint venture is one of the best parts of the show, and the chemistry between White and Edebiri is just one of the numerous reasons The Bear has been as successful as it is.
The renovations– and Carmy’s struggles– culminate in a delightful final two episodes that are as delicious as they are dread-inducing. The audience is desperate to know, can Carmy put his personal life aside and produce a flawless opening night? Can Sydney overcome her fear of failure and be the leader Carmy thinks she is? After a tense season finale, involving a broken fridge and missing forks, and raising more questions than it answers, the doors to The Bear are finally open. Here’s hoping Hulu realises what’s good for them, and gets cooking on season three.
(IMAGE CREDITS: Variety courtesy of FX)
