The Bear

A broth of stress and emotions. Surprising revelation? Owning a restaurant is suicidal, and trying to turn a buffet into a fancy restaurant is tantamount to purgatory. Acting-wise, it’s amazing. The pace is frantic and there’s always something happening. Some liken it to Boiling Point, but Bear is a little more optimistic, though the falls are all the more painful. Really strong. (2023-02-14)

The cooking madness continues. This time, however, they need to build some of the good stuff to make things work, so we get a dream restaurant and Clairebear. Jeremy Allen White is going all out and about halfway through the Christmas episode, he gets such a cast of sidekicks that it will make all the hairs in your body stand up. Surprisingly, though, this isn't the best episode, the one right after it wraps up the most fucked up character's story arc, which Ebon Moss-Bachrach handles it with aplomb. The ending in the freezer is disarming though, it takes all the joy and leaves it on ice. I can't wait for the next season. (2024-01-11)

The aftertaste of Carmy's explosion overshadows the joy of The Bear finally open. All that remains is the routine, the cooking failures, the pursuit of perfection that never ends. Some episodes are a study in matching image, music and editing. Perfect diction even without a story without dialogue. The strongest episode is about a lady in late middle age who gets laid off and has to look for a job and there's no place for her anywhere. Jon Bernthal steals the best scene of the third season when he tries to figure out why the lady is crying. The ending is sombre, yet solemn as funerals tend to be. Leaves the question hanging in the air. (2024-09-20)