The Bear TV Show Review: A Whirlwind Restaurant Drama With A Whole Lotta Heart
The Bear is an FX TV show about a family-owned beef sandwich shop in Chicago and the struggle to keep it alive. While a lot of the show is about the manic energy of running a restaurant, the heart of the show lies with the characters, their motivations, and their strong ties to one another.
I love the satisfying feeling of watching kitchens running like a well-oiled machine, with everyone dedicated to their stations and orders being put out rapid-fire. That satisfying feeling is not what you will get from this show LOL. The Bear often feels like a grimy mess of too many hot-headed personalities clashing. But the characters will capture your attention and make you want to learn more about them. Everything down to the movement of the camera will keep you hyper-fixated on the screen. Episode 7 is entirely shot in one take, which is something I didn’t even register until halfway through. A lot of careful thought has been put into each episode and it really shows.
Carmy Berzatto, played by Jeremy Allen White, is the main character. He is a young prodigy chef who worked at one of the best restaurants in the world and he has come back to Chicago to take charge of a run-down beef sandwich shop his brother left him after passing away. Carmy is a character you really root for. From the very beginning, you see his spirit is a bit vacant and he’s really beat up over his brother’s suicide. I love watching him excel in the kitchen and finding ways to make the restaurant work, despite all of the obstacles that are put in front of him. Honestly, the entire “family” working at the beef sandwich shop will grow on you, especially as they start to become more familiarized with each other. At the start, people are constantly butting heads and not willing to accept the change that Carmy brings. But with the addition of Sydney (who is such a fun character to watch) as sous chef, the team starts to painfully assemble.
Richie Jerimovich, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, surprised me in a lot of ways. He is an absolutely horrible and despicable character for more than 50% of this show. He’s hot-headed, mean, jealous, and truly hateful. But as the show progresses, he starts to show his softer side. He loves the restaurant just as much, if not more, than anyone else who works there. He’s hot-headed, but he starts to become funny rather than annoying. I love his relationship with Carmy, and what really broke me was that scene when he was sitting with Carmy in the car after they left the police station. I would never imagine myself saying this at the beginning of the show, but Richie might be one of my favorite characters of this series. And that is character development.
I think The Bear is incredible, but not an easy show to watch. You will keep watching because you want the restaurant to succeed and the characters to get along with each other. This show will draw you in and create that chosen family atmosphere. I think it can be tough to watch at times, but entirely worth it, especially if you enjoy the hustle and bustle of restaurant life.