As long as you keep going, you’ll never have to stop long enough to know that it’s real. That it really happened.
In The Bear, Master Chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, played by Jeremy Allen White, leaves one of the best restaurants in the world to return to his barely-functional family sandwich shop in Chicago. This was not a choice, but rather a hand dealt to him after the passing of his brother, Michael Berzatto.
Richie aka “cousin” played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach has been serving as the new manager of a “delicate ecosystem”. The tension between Carmy and Cousin as they navigate grief, brotherhood, and business alone, could have carried the show. Lucky for us, we have this and more. The “supporting characters” serve as an intriguing, refreshing, and necessary parts of the ecosystem. Everyone is needed for survival.
One of my favorite scenes is the one-on-one hang out between Sydney played by the consistently captivating and hilarious Ayo Edebiri and Marcus the gentle spirited and endearing pastry chef played by Lionel Boyce. In this seemingly small moment, I was struck by how authentic the dialogue was. I was no longer watching a show, but rather eavesdropping on a real conversation. Honestly, the actors and the writers in the show really ate. The level of sharpness the actors and writers conveyed in the show paralleled the expertise the chefs had within the world of the story. It’s so apparent that this show was handled with care and this scene — and many others — had me thinking, damnnnnnnn this show is good.
Another thing I loved about this series is the pacing; it’s more crockpot than air fryer. Almost as if combatting the instant gratification culture, we the audience are being told to wait to understand. Like grief, like life… time reveals.
After finishing season one, a lot was on my mind. Mostly about grief, pain, release and unexpectedly — work. Over the last year or so, I — like many others — have been reexamining work and unpacking the negative psychological, emotional, and spiritual effects of labor. The show presents work as having a somewhat positive use: a shield and arguably a savior from life things too big to stomach. In The Bear work is a distraction from the quiet moments. The quiet moments when you have the chance to communicate something you are too afraid to express. The quiet moments when you remember the grief. The quiet moments when you remember how harrowing and suffocating it feels to be alive.