It’s time for a second helping of The Bear, the hit US drama set in a Chicago sandwich joint. Its return has been much anticipated, and creator Christopher Storer and the team have served up an even tastier delight than series one.
The Bear was something of a phenomenon when it landed, becoming broadcaster FX’s most watched show in the US before arriving over here on Disney+ where it built a cult following – fans could identify each other with cries of “Yes chef” and by referring to each other as “Cousin”.
Series one’s plotting and dialogue, as sharp as a fillet knife, has been retained - the camerawork is glorious, from the streets of Chicago, to the frenetic shots of the claustrophobic interiors, brought home by an ensemble cast as good as any on TV right now. It all combines to draw us further into the world of The Original Beef of Chicagoland. What a pleasure it is to be back.
The second series picks up right after the end of the first. Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), the cordon bleu chef who inherited The Beef following the shock death of his brother, is now determined to make it into a destination restaurant. For that though, he needs money, his staff on board and the hope that that brown stain on the ceiling isn’t mould.
So, the plan for Carmy and his second in command Syd (Ayo Edebiri) is to rip out the rotting machinery, tear down the disintegrating walls of the restaurant, rebuild it and win a Michelin star. Simple. Oh and they have 12 weeks to do it, and as a message on the white board says, “Every second counts.”
There’s no restaurant to cook in at the start, so the action comes through the renovation job, pulling out the lockers, knocking down the walls – and occasionally falling through them. That’s where Richie, played masterfully by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Neil Fak (Matty Matheson) come into their own, bringing the laughs as The Beef’s resident Abbott and Costello.
What made The Bear stand out was its frenetic pacing, the camera always on the move, the sound design increasing the tension. There are still strains of the high anxiety that ran throughout the first series – it took me two attempts to sit down and watch that as the opening episodes felt so stressful – but ultimately the tension was not so high. Perhaps i’m now innoculated against it, or just so delighted the show is back.
There may be another reason. The series starts with an uncharacteristically quiet moment, with the restaurant’s bread maker Marcus (Lionel Boyce) at his ill mother’s bedside, before he heads into work. It’s a poignant moment, and one reflective of what is to come.
Away from The Beef, each of the workers seem lost and isolated as we learn more about their lives, but when they come together, immediately the volume raises, they talk over each other, shout, argue and wrestle.
In no character is the show’s comedy drama played out more than with Richie. Away from the constant bickering with Neil, and having things repeatedly fall on his head, the troubles in his personal life have hit an existential crisis – “Do you ever think about purpose?” he asks Carmy. He’s a man looking into the abyss.
It’s Carmy that is the show’s real trump card. White, with his shaggy locks and hangdog expression (as well as vintage denim and cable knits) make him seen like a movie star who has parachuted straight in from the Seventies. And like those stars from yesteryear, he has that gritty charisma and is never anything but supremely watchable.
The rest of the cast is also breathtakingly good. Each character is fleshed out beautifully, and bring a wealth of emotion beyond the dialogue as they all face up to this new challenge. Some like Tina (a wonderful Liza Colon-Zayas) are embracing change while others like Edwin Lee Gibson’s Ebraheim are struggling.
Supporting actors like Oliver Platt all bring their A game, and the creators have also continued to nod to the setting – with real restaurants and chefs peppered throughout, this is a love letter to Chicago and its dining establishments.
It’s a show that looks at gentrification, as well as the issues facing restaurants since Covid and those who work in them. It’s also about family and community, about change and how different people respond.
Deeper and richer than the already extraordinary first season, if The Bear were a restaurant, Michelin would have awarded it all three stars.
