The Bear (chef drama, not kids' show!) on Disney+

kayevajo

just finished season 2 , simply sensational. the acting , writing are off the scale. the soundtrack is fantastic.

episode 6 is as good an hour of tv you will ever see

Penn

Just watched episode 6. Christ...

One question though; who the f*ck was the woman sitting at the table between I think Pete and Cousin Michelle? IMDB just calls her Carol. Is she literally just there to be a Christmas Carol or who is she?

EoinMcLovin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120806317#Comment_120806317

I've a feeling she is Uncle Jimmy's wife as she is in the final episode with him

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120810321#Comment_120810321

Yeah, just binged the rest of the season so saw her again in the scene you mentioned. What really didn't help last night was I googled who was the woman and someone on Reddit said she was Uncle Jerry's wife, which just confused me even more.

Finished Season 2. Absolutely tremendous. The evolution of some of the characters in such a short space of time was a bit jarring and artistic licence used very liberally in that, but it still didn't detract from the incredible acting and story they told throughout. Episode 6 was by far a standout though. You instantly forget about the actors they brought in and just get sucked straight into the tension and stress of the entire situation, and it rarely releases its grasp on you.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120777241#Comment_120777241

Boiling Point is one of if not the only movie ever done hospitality right. Directors often misread Anthony Bourdain and think it "being like the military" is about precision and not panic and screaming obscenities.

Was also blown away by The Bear last year. It's a weird one to explain to people because the characters, setting and plot are so cliche and nothing much actually happens but it's done so so well.

Can't wait to see season 2 when it comes out 😉

markw7

It really is one of a kind. I rarely like a drama but this was done so well - pacing, dialogue and acting was perfect and fully fleshed out characters who were nuanced and complex. It could have fallen into cliched and hackneyed territory so easily.

If you like a good comedy you should check out Kitchen Confidential starring Bradley Cooper, based on and wrote by Anthony Bordain himself.

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0460654/

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120811734#Comment_120811734

It's not written by Bourdain it's just very very loosely based on the book of the same name.

I would be surprised if anyone involved spent much time working in hospitality

Jaymacc

Loved series one and just started watching series 2. Visited the location of the actual restaurant in Chicago when I was there in October and it was very authentic. No fuss or merch just a great eatery which doesn’t highlight its tv fame at all. Worth a visit if you are over that way.

markw7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120811793#Comment_120811793

Oh yeah its not in the least bit realistic, just thought it was very funny and you might enjoy it.

Hopefully the Boiling Point series follows on stylistically from the film and maintains the same crew involved.

billyhead

The only annoying thing about this show is when they keep saying cousin.

steve_r

Finished Season 2 and this is my favourite show in a long time.

Episode 6 a real standout.

I do wish this had come out week to week, I feel it would have got more buzz and attention than it does. It's an amazing show and it deserves the week-to-week attention that Succession got.

The Black Oil

Watched the very first episode, which popped off like a machine gun.

weemcd

This is the best thing I've watched since Atlanta, and Atlanta is my favourite show of the last ten years.

I was pleading with Carm to stop talking at the end when he was locked in the fridge and Claire was on the other side. My heart is completely broken for the two of them, I'm in bits now desperately wanting more.

It's a sensational cast, I just want to see them all win. Season 2 showed tremendous growth for nearly all the characters. I hope we get at least one more season, which I'm sure we will. Brilliant music used throughout, as others have also pointed out.

10/10 must see television.

breezy1985

I was a bit worried season 2 might have been a cynical cash grab like second seasons of tight short sleeper hits often are. But season 2 probably better than the first. Loved almost every minute of it. The fawning over the Michelin restaurant and silly situation with Carmie in the finale were about the only pasts I wasn't absolutely loving throughout the episodes.

Episode 6 would give a lot of us with big Irish families PTSD flashbacks.

Fitz*

spoiler tags please!

Nigel Fairservice

Season 2 has been fantastic. Episodes are short and snappy but pack a serious punch.

emo72

Neil Finn and Eddie Vedder in a big scene. Loads of Nine Inch Nails. REM, squeeze with goodbye girl! What a soundtrack. I had shazam open all the way through it. Probably loads more that I forgot, but it's a music nerds dream. Oh and the story and acting was brilliant. I did comment to the missus early on that this season seems to be a load of mtv music videos stitched together.

CorkRed93

Season 2 really is outstanding. Episode 7 is my favourite by a mile. excellent TV.

johnny_ultimate

Just finished season two last night and I have little hesitation in calling it the best thing I've seen on TV in years. Loved the first season but the way they expanded the scope and characters here was a stunning achievement. Wouldn't have expected The Bear of all things to become one of the most compassionate, kindest shows on television, but the way they allowed characters to grow here - Ritchie, Marcus, Tina - was such a lovely thing to witness. Episodes 4 & 7 particularly left me with a big old grin on my face throughout. The character growth wasn't always what you'd call organic (30 minute episodes mean they have to fly through major transformative moments), but it felt true and earned which is much more important.

They of course didn't compromise on what made The Bear The Bear - episode 6 obviously stands out in that respect, but the way the finale also recommitted to the messiness of the kitchen and the 'brokenness' of some of these main characters actually hit harder because the rest of the season was so committed to bringing everyone a few steps forward in their lives.

Anyway, plenty of lovely filmmaking too - beautiful use of close-ups, spectacular needle drops throughout (for all the incredible indie and alt-rock drops, that Taylor Swift one was inspired), and superb performances across the board (could list several names here, but Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White offer up two of the great lead performances of recent times). It's a season of television that just hit the ground running, and never let up. But the most impressive thing is the new ways it found to tell its stories, beyond the already exceptional template laid out in an uncommonly mature and confident first season.

lawrencesummers

This wont be popular judging by the last few posts but i think Season 2 has been shite. 4 episodes in and its somewhere between bad documentary about fancy desserts and run of the mill soap opera.

None of the tension drama or comedy of the first season, its like the writers have all changed, the lead characters who were great in S1 are on the back burner and the ones to the forefront now are simplistic and unable to carry it.

Not sure i will finish it tbh.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120905347#Comment_120905347

I'd recommend to keep going with it. The start of the season is slow enough compared to the first which just drops you in the middle of everything. This time because they're building the restaurant, things are a bit slower and less hectic at the start. But it is also about the characters growing, finding their feet and their place in everything. I remember Episode 4 and can see why it could start to put you off a bit. Even though I really enjoyed it, it was surprisingly chill and relaxed; more about prep work and design rather than a hectic service.

The show really shines in the second half of the season though. I'd say if you're still not feeling it by the end of Episode 6, then yeah the show has probably lost you.

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120907560#Comment_120907560

its strange that an episode so shot actually has so little happen in it.

One episode was about some mould. One was about the sous eating her way around town, and one was about putting small things on a danish dessert.

The other i cant remember.

Il give it to episode 6.

FrancieBrady

Loved every minute of this.

A fresh and powerful way of story telling.

Great acting and a script that is never boring and positively sizzles at times.

Is season 3 definitely coming?

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120907568#Comment_120907568

It's more about the motivations behind those things though; the mould was about Richie's attempt to exert control and cut corners, Sidney doing the meal tour was about how Carmy ducked out of joining her to spend time with Claire, and also seeing the levels she needs to be operating at when they do open, Marcus was learning about confidence, exposure to new ways of doing things (he'd been reading a lot of cookbooks and stuff Sidney & Carmy gave him, but needed to learn from someone to actually get that experience).

There's definitely a bit of busy work involved in just keeping some of the characters ticking over until later in the season when they get closer to opening, but like all good stories (and recipes) it's about how it comes together at the end.

Acquiescence

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120905347#Comment_120905347

I felt exactly the same after the first four, it felt like a different show from last season and we were debating whether or not to continue with it.

When viewed as a full season the first four are actually perfect. Episode six was just incredible and could be watched as a standalone film. JLC was immense. I'm not normally moved by television but Jesus.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120907638#Comment_120907638

Doing that tonight. Sitting down to watch that incredible bit of television again.

Seldom does television effect in the visceral way that episode did. The performances from every single one of them were exceptional.

Would love to see a behind the scenes doc on how they did it.

Xander10

What was unique and refreshing about Season 1 is being repeated and boring and lazy in Season 2. I am on esp five with the family kitchen Xmas dinner and I am tempted to switch off

Raoul Duke

I agree. It felt like manufactured tension in the 2nd season.

Tazium

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917798#Comment_120917798

I didn't like that episode at all. It was manic, and too shouty to enjoy at all. What did we actually learn here? Carm liked Clare already and his mother is suffering from an incredible amount of stress/mental breakdown? Everything else was the same, Cousin Richard - infuriating character, still like him, but it's getting harder and harder.

The Black Oil

Finished the first season a few days ago. I liked how the relief/therapy of the Al-Anon scene was mirrored through the finale.