It is incredibly rare for a second season of a television show to overtake the first but FX’s The Bear has done exactly that, thanks largely to deeper character development, memorable cameos and a perfect soundtrack.
In the first season, chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto returned home to Chicago to run his deceased brother’s failing sandwich shop but discovers that his brother got himself into deep financial trouble and is forced to turn around the business by any means necessary. The Bear introduced many memorable characters from hotheaded cousin Richie, to ambitious sous chef Sydney, the caring but firm older sister Sugar and imaginative bread baker Marcus. The show’s second season picks up almost immediately where the first season left off with The Beef’s employees discovering a hoard of cash that was hidden by Carmen’s brother and plans are laid to transform The Beef into a high-end restaurant that will transform Chicago’s landscape. After reviewing the plans and timeline for opening which is initially set at six months, Carmy throws out these plans and moves up their deadline for opening to three months and events immediately unfold to get his dream restaurant up and running but the crew runs into the need for more money, issues with the fire suppression system, a questionable electrical setup, mold that requires immediate remediation and all new equipment. Sounds simple, right?
While The Bear’s first season stood pat with its characters being who they were with no hope of redemption or reconciliation, the second season sought to remedy that beginning with cousin Richie whose hardheaded, misguided actions often landing The Beef and himself into trouble and almost landed him in jail at the end of the first season. One of the first emotional encounters of the new season involves Carmy and Richie having a discussion with Richie questioning what his purpose is in life while facing down the realization that the legacy of his best friend is fading away and trying hard to hold onto the last seeming bit of dignity he has but is still hesitant to change until he sees that his actions are holding back the restaurant from being completed that is until he’s sent away by Carmy to work in his old restaurant from the bottom up and learns that passion and purpose come from within and a desire to do well in the world. It is a complete turnaround for a character who was arguably the worst person to walk into The Beef.
Also notable is the development of Carmy who finally sees a world outside of cuisine and forms a relationship with former schoolmate, Claire. Their first encounter is slightly awkward as Carmy seems to remember her but Claire remembers her feelings towards him and asks for his phone number but in a moment that’s confounding, he gives her the wrong number. This is later rectified when Claire manages to find his number from one of his employees and a sweet, nurturing relationship is cultivated between the two. Claire introduces Carmy to her friends, Carmy makes dinner for her and she attends the opening of his new restaurant but when Carmy locks himself in the walk-in refrigerator, all of his insecurities and anxieties are laid bare but unbeknownst to him, Claire is on the other side of the door hearing him blame himself for allowing distractions to enter into his life and remove focus from the restaurant at which point, Claire apologizes to Carmy and leaves but sets up the possibility for her return in a future season. Claire is too good of a character and too good for Carmy to just abandon after one season.
The insecurities and character development are everywhere as Sydney has growing doubts about the viability of the restaurant industry as she sees popular businesses closing all over Chicago and the voice of her father asking her to reconsider her career choices and find something more stable. Sugar’s role is expanded this season too as she takes on duties as co-owner and manager of the restaurant and has to handle everything from budgeting to scheduling inspections and ordering equipment all while being pregnant which she initially tries to keep under wraps until it’s hilariously revealed during the demolition phase. However, the colorful side characters from the first season like Tina and Ebra take a back seat as Tina is promoted to sous chef and is sent to culinary school. Ebra is also sent to school but fearfully backs out of the commitment and even disappears for several episodes before returning to the restaurant and asks for a new job in the kitchen. The one side character to receive a major elevation is that of Marcus who basically gets his own episode as he is sent to Amsterdam to learn from one of Carmy’s former colleagues (featuring a fantastic cameo from Will Poulter) but also revealed is Marcus’ care for his ailing mother and his growing feelings of love for Sydney but is rejected in the final episode. This tension is sure to carry over into the second season as the final episode also features his mother possibly passing away while he’s at work or suffering some type of health episode.
Besides the cameo of Will Poulter, The Bear really upped the cameo game for its new season. With Olivia Colman cramming as much characterization in her brief time onscreen and Bob Odenkirk proving he’s one of the most versatile actors working together and Jamie Lee Curtis making an appearance as Donna, the matriarch of the Berzatto clan and turns in an incredible performance as a depressed, overworked woman. Most of these cameos converge in the episode titled “Fishes” which is set five years before the start of the series as Donna is making a complicated Christmas dinner and her children resolve to not try and set their mother off. All goes well for the most part but as Donna is finishing dinner, she begins to believe that no one truly loves her and does not appreciate the hard work she put in to make sure dinner was delicious and everyone was fed. These feelings aren’t helped by the fact that her brother and her son are feuding once again to the point of throwing fisticuffs but the fight is interrupted when Donna leaves the house, enters her car and drives it through the house. I’m no stranger to awkward family dinners but when someone drives a car through their own house, that’s a clear indication that the party is over.
The second season of The Bear expands everything that made its debut so acclaimed. The characters are all there but they are given new treatments and deeper development that truly fleshes them out and are given lives outside the walls of The Beef for the first time in the series. It retains all of the anxiety and frenetic energy that made the confined space of the kitchen somewhere that is not fun to be as the crew is making jus and sandwiches and it is all punctuated by the best soundtrack for a television show since The Sopranos. The Bear marks a triumphant return for one of 2022’s most celebrated shows and builds anticipation for a potential third season.
VERDICT: 5 broken fridge handles out of 5
Featured Image Credit: FX via IMDb
