TV Series: The Bear Season 2
Released: June 2023
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
We absolutely loved Season 1 and approached Season 2 with much anticipation and enthusiasm when it finally dropped. Having devoured all 10 delectable courses over three sittings, I can say that this was another exquisitely presented degustation meal that did not disappointed.
With a formidable cast led by chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), the family of characters whom we first became acquainted with in Season 1 took us through another totally engrossing and fulfilling tasting meal. It was another delicious experience served by creator/director Christopher Storer with much style, spice, intensity, drama and lots of heart!
Creating the new BEAR restaurant
Season 1 was all about accomplished chef Carmy returning to run the family business “The Beef” in Chicago following the unexpected and tragic death of his brother Michael. It ended with a bombshell discovery of loads of cash left behind and stashed away in the restaurant.
Season 2 opens with the dysfunctional team deciding to go ahead with a makeover of the restaurant, with the help of added investor funds pumped in by Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt).
The 10 episodes are devoted to the insights and challenges of this makeover project; the setting up of what they aim to be a new Michelin-starred establishment called “The Bear”, grippingly and refreshingly told through a deep dive into both the human relationships and food that everything revolves around.
More character insights
The focus in Season 2 widens so that it is not just about Carmy but the whole close-knit team. Whole episodes are devoted to exploring the psyche, backstory and fleshing out of each of the key characters that make up the Bear family.
In one episode, when Carmy stands her up for a meal, we see Sous Chef Sydney (Ayo Adebirri) take time off from the project to visit restaurants to find inspiration for creating the new menu. She indulges in pizza and a sundae but also tries out dishes and ingredients that would inform new dishes.
It was fun seeing her visit some restaurants we actually recognised and had visited on our last trip to Chicago – including the distinct timber-lined Avec at Randolph Street, where we enjoyed some fine cuisine. Through the other episodes we also learn about her close, only-child relationship with her father and the absence of a mother figure in her life, the latter having died of Lupus when she was four. Sydney’s close rapport and constant friction with Carmy and other staff are also well explored.
Purpose and service
But Carmy pulls in a favour and sends him off to do a stint at his last chef gig (filmed at the real two-star-rated restaurant Ever) where he is immersed into the art of the highest levels of customer service quality.
Danish desserts
One of the episodes is devoted to dessert chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce) who is sent off to Denmark for a week to learn the art of exquisite dessert-making. Carmy has pulled in another personal favour which allows Marcus to improve his craft by working with one of his old chef mates at top restaurant Noma. So Marcus gets to live on a houseboat in Copenhagen (feeding the imaginary cat Coco) and to learn from Chef Luca (Will Poulter) — not just about dessert-making but also helping him to re-examine his own motivations for wanting to ground himself in rigour and to create the best desserts.
Back to cooking school
Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas) the older and jaded cook from The Beef who had lots of tension with Chef Sydney in Season 1 comes into her own when she is offered a promotion to uplift herself and is sent off to culinary school to sharpen her skills. She steps up to the challenge and embraces the opportunity with relish to better herself. Her colleague Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) on the other hand chickens out and admits the step change is way too much for him to handle, although he manages to find a middle ground to flourish in the rejuvenated team.
We can’t help but share a big smile and that warm and fuzzy feeling when we see Tina acknowledge her anointment as a serious chef when she realises Chef Carmy has not only let her use his personal knife for her training but will allow her to keep it for good.
Do great chefs have a personal life?
If the anxieties of trying to get a new restaurant up and running against intense time and cost pressures isn’t enough, the show’s creators have added the expected spice of a romantic interest into Carmy’s already frenzied existence. We are introduced to Claire ‘Bear’ (Molly Gordon) a high school crush with whom he rekindles sparks he regrettably failed to act on while growing up. She’s now a medical doctor working in Emergency and seems compatible. Carmy is hesitant about formalising the emerging relationship but everyone else is encouraging and thinks she’s a great match.
His sister Nathalie ‘Sugar’ Berzatto (Abby Elliott) is also undecided about taking on the full time job as project manager and operations manager at the restaurant while she copes with a pregnancy.
Family Christmas gathering
Fak, the real life chef
Completing the core team are Neil Fak (Matty Matheson) who serves as the resident handyman in the restaurant while he’s actually a chef in real life and his brother Theodore Fak (Ricky Staffieri).
Food and the love of food are the glue that holds everything together and it is plain to see how much hard work the industry is. But it’s nevertheless a very rewarding one when customers you serve actually have a special and memorable experience.
Highy recommended viewing
So if you’re into good food, human drama presented well and enjoyed the first season, this follow-up season is one we would recommend. Almost in the same vein as Ted Lasso, this is such a well-written piece of television with one helluva ensemble.
The show manages to portray an unlikely bunch of personalities who have come together and are determined to stick together and support each other to succeed doing what they all love… while serving up an exquisite dining experience.
Benchmark of excellence
It has been fascinating and also illuminating to see, through this show, what a truly special gastronomic experience can be with exceptional personalised service; where front-of-house and wait staff anticipate, eavesdrop, do background research and then fulfill, if not surpass your perfectly reasonable dining needs and expectations.
Having savoured some very good meals and (expensive) dining experiences, both in Sydney and elsewhere around the world, we have yet to encounter one to the level of service quality suggested as the ultimate benchmark in the show. Perhaps this is something to ruminate over, especially for restauranteurs in Sydney who may somehow struggle to balance their aspirations for personal acclaim versus truly satisfying a customer.
Gallery
