“The Bear” fixes up chaos

FX’s “The Bear” tells a tale of a dedicated chef whose goal is to keep his family’s business afloat in Chicago.

Jeremy Allen White, who plays Carmen or “Carmy” on the show, deservedly won best television actor for a musical or comedy series at the 2023 Golden Globes. White is famously known for his role in “Shameless” as Phillip Gallagher, also set in the Windy City. Almost immediately after the first season was released in June 2022, the bingeworthy show was renewed for a second season.

Viewers encounter a reoccurring dream Carmy has throughout the first season of a bear trapped in a cage on a bridge in the city. He opens the cage, and the scene quickly cuts away as the bear runs toward him. The audience learns throughout the series the importance of the dream is the cage is located where his brother, Mikey, died by suicide.

Carmy finds himself struggling as he transitions from being voted best chef to running his brother’s run-down, familyowned restaurant, which he never had intended to own.

The high-quality acting alone should be enough to convince someone to watch this show. The actors interact with each other in a way that made me feel like I was watching a family in a reality TV show. Hulu categorizes The Bear as a comedy, but I would argue that it is more of a drama on top of it—a “dramedy” is more like it.

The show exposes the reality of what it is like to work in the kitchen, especially with family members, friends and strangers through difficult topics such as suicide, addiction and grief.

The dynamic between Carmy and Richie, Mikey’s best friend, is a chaotic yet loving one. The two are not related but call each other “cousin” and argue as if they are. Carmy and Richie are found at the core reason why the show is a stress-filled, anxiety inducing, bittersweet story.

Episode seven: Review, which is summarized as “a bad day in the kitchen” on Hulu, was filmed in one take. The rushing, the yelling, and the cussing creates a sense of distress within the audience. The plot of the episode along with the rest of the season make them wonder what a good day in the kitchen would look like.

Found between the cracks of the madness and mayhem is noticeable character development and a sense of love within the members of the kitchen at “The Original Beef.”

The Bear will return this summer.