The wait between the US and UK releases of The Bear‘s second season was excruciating. The final frame of the first season where Carmy smiles, seeing his deceased brother Michael as he and his colleagues finally have a moment of hope and bonding was embedded into my head for weeks afterwards. The wait became even more excruciating as I read the first reviews of the show’s second season, crushing any possibility that it would suffer from a sophomore slump. Finally, this week I was able to watch through all 10 episodes, and am happy to say it was worth the wait.
Not many seasons of television are perfect, and the second season of The Bear certaintly isn’t. In fact, I was feeling quite mixed about the first two episodes. I was expecting a change of pace, and was given it almost instantly. The opening scene of the season shows the gentle Marcus (pictured above), a supporting character we have only ever seen in the kitchen with one or two exception, tending to his dying mother. Marcus is given much more depth this season, and he is not alone. Lead Carmy played by Jeremy Allen White is given some additional depth, and while it feels at times he is on the sidelines as supporting characters are given more attention, he is still quietly given a lot of development this season. The addition of Claire as a love interest for Carmy is an interesting one. The dialogue between the two in the early episodes was part of what had me feeling slightly apprehensive. The show had built a reputation for portraying incredibly real dialogue, between the screaming matches in the kitchen where people are shouting over each other to an extent that no real audible dialogue is heard and the quieter more reflective moments, where Carmy’s mental health is touched on. Perhaps the early Carmy and Claire scenes stuck out more because the blossoming of a romantic relationship is pretty out of The Bear‘s wheelhouse, in season 1 at least. The snail’s pace of the first two episodes allowed for some endearing character moments yes, but perhaps the show could’ve benefited from coming out the gates hot before settling into a slower pace in a similar manner to the first season.
That said, my issues almost entirely disappeared once the third episode, ‘Sundae’ started. The episode is solid, continuing the show’s slow pace, but there is a sense of the characters settling into their roles for a season, and a map of the greater ideas becomes clear. The part of the episode that really hooked me in was the delightful near-10 minute montage of chef Sydney (pictured below) sampling various Chicago establishments. If the first season of The Bear perfectly captured the stresses of the working environment, the second season perfectly captures the joy of food and dining out. This is something that has clearly been important to Sydney since the beginning of the show, so to see her freely explore Chicago’s food culture and try all kinds of dishes put to screen in the most infectious and stylish way possible was a treat to the eyes: of all the episodes in the second season, this one left me the most hungry.
If Sydney’s spotlight episode made me feel secure that there wasn’t going to be a drastic downturn in quality in the show’s second season, the following episode showcased The Bear doing something completely new and exciting. Marcus’s spotlight episode ‘Honeydew’ demonstrates the confidence the creators have in their scripts and cast as well as the trust they have in their audience, as it is comfortably the slowest paced episode of the season. Marcus travels to Copenhagen to work under dessert chef Luca (played brilliantly by Will Poulter) and hone his craft for the restaurant. We follow Marcus for the entirety of the episode and spend most of it just watching him enjoy being in the city and enjoy the process of learning. Lionel Boyce plays this gentle giant with a curious mind in a subtle but impactful way and has great chemistry alongside Poulter, clearly demonstrating an admiration for him. Before the episode is over, Marcus’s kind heart is shown in a small but powerful moment where he rescues a man trapped under a fallen fence. Marcus was a real fan favourite during the first season, but now he is THE fan favourite. Fifth episode ‘Pop’ is a solid outing, putting pieces in place for future episodes more than anything, but as was the case with the first season, even lesser episodes of this show are elevated by excellent soundtrack choices. I mean, not one but TWO Replacements songs. Incredible stuff.
Then comes the episode that has been getting the most buzz and that most reviews will be spending the most time discussing, ‘Fishes’. There is not much to say about this impressive piece of television that hasn’t already been said, apart from that there are two episodes that come afterwards that I do actually prefer. That said, one of the best additions to The Bear‘s already exceptional cast that you could ask for is Jamie Lee Curtis. Her turn as Donna, the mother of Carmy and Natalie, is equal parts infuriating and heartbreaking. Her emotional repression, clear serious mental health issues and alcoholism are all played so realistically that it is almost frightening, and that is no small feat. Of course, Curtis is not the only massive name appearance in this episode. Bob Odenkirk is predictably excellent, as he is in every role he is given, but I really was a fan of John Mulaney and Sarah Paulson as the family’s almost comically normal cousins, placed in direct contrast to all the dysfunction. ‘Fishes’ is as great as they say, and you could argue The Bear‘s most stressful ever kitchen in a show about stressful kitchens comes at a family Christmas dinner, which is both sad and fitting.
Richie (pictured below) is the next character to get a spotlight episode, and ‘Forks’ is my favourite of the bunch. Again, capturing the pure joy of making people’s days with great food and having such a positive message. Richie takes up a classic TV archetype: the guy who you began hating and learned to love. It happened once a season in Game of Thrones, but when used sparingly it can be very effective. The beginning of this change happens at the end of the first season, and when we meet Richie at the beginning of the second, some of the show’s best dark comedy comes from his attempts to better himself (challenging himself to go a day without saying a slur a particular highlight). But Richie’s true change is complete in this episode, where he is sent by Carmy to stage at a high end restaurant. At first frustrated by this, and harboring resentment towards Carmy for this decision, Richie slowly grows to realise why his “cousin” sent him there and begins to become really motivated by being able to use his strong people skills and finally find a purpose for himself, something he had longed for in the first episode of the season. On top of all this, Richie’s relationship with his wife and child are fractured at best, leading me to be truly emotionally involved in this episode, and I never thought a scene of an annoying Italian-American, joyously driving to ‘Love Story’ by Taylor Swift (Richie’s daughter’s favourite artist, for context) would make me cry, but here we are. These small moments of elation in the face of despair and frustration are what make this such a special season of TV.
Episode 8 is an interesting mix of the show at its most high level stress and its smaller character moments, with a fire suppression test providing the former and the crew being reunited after spending so much time apart providing the latter, Richie’s apology to Natalie being one of the most touching scenes in the show. Episode 9 really is a calm-before-the-storm half hour of television, where the greatest action is Sydney cooking an omelette for Natalie and Carmy trying to fix a table. These episodes are solid, but there is less to say knowing what is coming. The second season finale is gripping, heartbreaking, triumphant and concerning all at once. Most of the characters end up in troubling positions as the credits roll, suggesting that the third season may head in a different direction again. The restaurant’s first night, on the whole, was a success, but the audience is left to ponder the fates of a few relationships, leaving a satisfying ending to the season arc whilst still serving as enough of a cliffhanger to keep anticipation high for the third season.
On the whole, there is not much to dislike about the second season of The Bear. The frantic first season set the bar very high, and rather than try and beat it at its own game, the second season takes things slower, adding depth to the characters and showing us sides of them we had no idea about. By the time they all come back together for the final few episodes of the season, the frenetic and intense moments are felt even harder because our understanding of these characters is greater than it ever was. My hopes for the third season are high, and I will patiently wait while there is hopefully a resolution to strike action that benefits writers and actors, because there is no price on TV this compelling.
Final score = 9/10