If you have a Hulu account or keep up with new shows and movies that come out on popular streaming platforms, you may have heard of “The Bear” which premiered on FX on June 23, 2022. I started watching it last week and finished it by the end of that same week; it was THAT good! It felt like I was watching Ratatouille (2007) on crack.
The Main Character
Let’s start with the main character, Carmy (portrayed by Jeremy Allen White), a fabulous chef who took ownership of his late brother’s sandwich shop, the Original Beef of Chicagoland. Carmy wanted to try and transform it into something big. Sounds pretty basic, right? Wrong. The kitchen of Carmy’s restaurant was in a state of chaos and needed major improvement. Then, as a viewer, I watched Carmy grapple with the stages of grief, a stubborn (but hilarious) kitchen staff, and face his challenging relationships with his family. From the very beginning, the show starts with a restaurant in havoc and I could feel the stress each character was under. But as I watched, I grew fonder of each one – especially Carmy as I could see his character development progress in each episode. There were definitely moments where I would get frustrated right along with Carmy or whoever was upset about the latest kitchen inconvenience; I felt every emotion with them. So, it’s safe to say that the acting was impeccable.
What I DIDN’T Like
However, no TV show is perfect…at least for me, there is always something (or someone) that I disagree with or that I simply don’t like. So, with that being said, I did not like the character Sydney too much. As a Black woman, I resonated with her character seeing that she was a skilled chef who Carmy admired for her work ethic and skill. There were times where I was rooting for her, but then her overall personality would just ruin it for me. Basically, she just annoyed me after a while and I couldn’t help but criticize her in every scene, whether it was how she spoke to someone, her attitude towards a certain situation, etc. But, in the last episode when something pivotal happens, she did kind of make me smile. So, who knows, maybe I’ll like her in season two.
Final Thoughts
“The Bear” was a show that was very different from what I usually watch, but I was not disappointed and I have become slightly obsessed. I also do not want to work as a chef, ever.