The Bear Review: Is Hotstar's latest culinary drama one of the best series this year? Yes, Chef.
For all the times Gordon Ramsay’s infamous Hell’s Kitchen has sensationalised the inner workings of fine dining, FX’s The Bear strikes a necessary balance with its masterful representation of the high-stress environment of a beef sandwich eatery in Chicago.
The comedy-drama series, created by Christopher Storer, follows a talented, young chef, Carmy Berzatto, played by Jeremy Allen White, as he struggles to keep his family's Italian beef sandwich shop afloat after the suicide of his older brother.
The series spans a modest eight episodes with a total runtime of four hours. If the measly runtime wasn’t incentive enough to keep one’s eyes glued to the screen, the series compensates with its prompt pacing, never losing a second to filler.
The pilot episode catapults Carmy into the unkempt claustrophobia of the cramped sandwich joint, a familiar yet alien environment for him having previously worked at “the greatest restaurants in the world”. Having to take charge as the Chef de Cuisine at the comparatively inexperienced staff, Carmy is lifted out of the frying pan and thrown into the fire when he’s tasked with the impossible: keeping the shop open.
Among some spectacular on-screen performances that constitute Carmy’s staff of chefs, each more insolent than the previous, we’re graced with his short-tempered “cousin”, Richie, played by the brilliant Ebon Moss-Bachrach. A series of avoidable circumstances and a dash of mansplaining wit in faux-Italian gab make up Richie’s frustrating albeit entertaining persona - the show-stealer of the series.
The only smidge of sanity that Carmy finds solace in is the latest hire Sydney, in a commanding performance by Enyo Edibiri. As Sydney finds her way around the uninspiring kitchen of an inspiring chef, she endures a trial by fire, having to navigate her path through a culture of casual sexism in the kitchen.
As the series progresses, the team of chefs eventually find synergy and balance; Carmy’s guidance and Sydney’s adeptness steadily pay off, though with each step forward, a new predicament presents itself, be it in the form of a health inspector, exploding toilets or the odd bullet penetrating the front window, the stakes never let up.
And if the consistent slew of disasters building in momentum weren’t an onslaught enough on our senses, the series ups the ante even further with one of the finest television episodes of the entire year. Episode 7, or the 20 minutes of anxiety-inducing nightmare is a directorial masterpiece.
The episode starts on a simmer, with a particularly troublesome prep in the kitchen. As the mishaps keep piling, the screams get louder and the stress breaks the kitchen. A knife stab, a smashed donut and faulty order machine are the final straw as the kitchen finally hits boiling point. A blood-red Carmy seems at his wits end as a slur of colourful expletives and an eventual mental breakdown, dissipate the insurmountable stress built up over the episode.
Who could’ve thought the kitchen behind a simple beef sandwich could be, well… purgatory.
While on the surface, The Bear’s technical prowess, namely its outstanding editing, goes above and beyond in capturing the breakneck speed of the kitchen, it shines the most outside of it. Carmy, like most characters in the series, is grappling with trauma and guilt over his brother’s passing; something that he evidently finds more cumbersome than keeping the restaurant afloat.
In a touching finale, the series ties off all loose ends as Carmy’s pursuit towards finding closure is met with a warming surprise in Chekhov’s figurative tomato puree. Carmy’s arc over the eight short episodes is a resounding testament to the fact that healing is a slow process and isn’t perfect.
And while the newfound kitchen family breaks bread (or spaghetti?) in a poignant final scene, the slightly-oiled machine behind Chicago’s famous beef sandwiches still needs work. The Bear shall hopefully return for seconds soon, but if the rest of the year could even hope to replicate the television excellence it has executed, oh boy are we eating good.
The Bear is available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar.