The Bear is back and it may be better than ever. The first season, which became a quick mostly-word-of-mouth hit, ended when Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and his motley crew had managed to come together as a kitchen brigade and (thanks to some tinned tomato-based plot chicanery that didn’t quite hold up to scrutiny but was obscured by the blazing brilliance of the rest) got the Berzatto family’s struggling Original Beef joint not only on its feet but planning a revamp, and a new name: The Bear, of course.
The new season starts with Carmy scribbling lists and costings on a pizza box, apparently after the venture has got under way. If anyone was wondering how the makers would replicate the stress and chaos of life in a working kitchen while the gang are on hiatus … this is how. Even after Carmy appoints his sister Sugar (Abby Elliott) as project manager, the discovery of various bone-deep problems with the building, the impossible timeline demanded by their new loan arrangements with Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) and the ever-volatile presence of Cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) keep the screaming edge of desperation as keenly whetted as ever.
