“Every second counts” serves as a refrain during season two of FX’s “The Bear.” On-screen, it reminds the chefs to work with a sense of urgency, as survival in the restaurant industry necessitates perpetual hustle. Off-screen, the fans who binge-watched the entire ten-episode season in one sitting are reminded up every precious second of the dramedy with mounting anticipation and fervor.
Led by “Shameless” mainstay Jeremy Allen White (Carmy Berzatto) and rising star Ayo Edebiri (Sidney Adamu), “The Bear” follows an eclectic group of chefs as they try to rebuild a beloved, but chaotic, restaurant after the owner’s death by suicide. Season one of the show was well-received, but the most recent season, which premiered June 22, 2023 on Hulu, catapulted the show into mainstream discussion.
Perhaps the more optimistic trajectory of the narrative is responsible for the show’s growing success. The debut season was an agonizing, visceral depiction of the behind-the-scenes work of a kitchen crew grieving a lost owner while struggling to keep their business afloat. The momentum of the latest installation of the series swings toward fragile optimism. As James Poniewozik of the New York Times posits, the group that fans initially fell in love with morphed from a band of coarse, gritty outcasts to a battle-tested and cohesive team. Individual characters and their relationships deepen as The Original Beef of Chicagoland undergoes a drastic physical and symbolic renovation to become The Bear.
The success of “The Bear” can be attributed to the way the show resonates with a variety of viewers. Whether you’re tuning in for the dysfunctional ensemble’s comedic moments or heartbreakingly traumatic narratives, the motifs of loss, family and purpose permeate every scene.
Loss
The plot of “The Bear” is driven by loss. When viewers first meet Carmy and the rest of the staff, they are grieving for his brother Michael, who battled substance abuse and eventually killed himself. Along with the expected side effects of grief – guilt, sadness, anger, etc. – the group also faces the unexpected task of reviving the business without missing a beat. This resilient, “the show must go on” attitude is a coping mechanism for Carmy, who bonded with his brother through cooking. In an emotional speech at an Alcoholic’s Anonymous meeting, Carmy admits that “trying to fix the restaurant was [him] trying to fix whatever was happening with [his] brother.”
The show’s premise grows from a place of mourning and overcoming the pain that death causes. Despite being the focal point of the show, Carmy is not the only character healing from past trauma. His sister, Sugar, and cousin, Richie, feel the impact of Michael’s death in similar ways. Carmy’s culinary counterpart, Sydney, has also endured her mother’s death and her father’s persistent doubts of her success as a chef. Overall, the cast of “The Bear” effectively portrays the complex ups and downs of losing a loved one while trying to push through yet another day.
“The Bear” doesn’t sugarcoat brutal reality. Carmy suffers from a deluge of panic attacks and unpleasant memories that have altered his mentality to such a degree that he can’t fully enjoy periods of success without suspecting that some disaster must be lurking in the shadows. In another Al-Anon meeting, Carmy shares that he has “to remind [himself] to breathe sometimes” and that “there is no other shoe” about to drop. His anxieties illustrate how paranoia works as a trauma response, often making survivors wary of good news out of fear that bad news will inevitably follow.
Family
The differing relationships between one’s biological vs. found family is a poignant theme throughout season two. Carmy’s biological family is the driving force of his anxiety and the motivation behind his relentless pursuit of success, regardless of personal sacrifice. In arguably the most affective episode of the season, titled “Fishes” for the Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes holiday tradition, a flashback illuminates the home life that Carmy and Sugar grew accustomed to. Verbal and physical conflicts arise when their alcoholic mother (Jamie Lee Curtis) expresses her lack of appreciaition and crashes her car through the wall. Michael engages in a fork-hurling standoff with an instigating uncle while the rest of the family watches with concern. The extra-long departure episode is packed with tension and helps audiences understand the type of trauma that Carmy bears (no pun intended).
On the more hopeful end of the spectrum is Sidney, who has bounced from one high-end restaurant to another, never feeling at home until reaching The Bear. In a heartfelt moment between Richie and Sydney, who have not always gotten along, they discuss being only children. Sydney mentions that Richie is lucky to have pseudo-siblings in Carmy and Sugar, and Richie replies that Sidney is now considered part of that family as well. Sidney reciprocates this sentiment by thoughtfully crafting an omelet for a very stressed and very pregnant Sugar, once again epitomizing the immense emotional significance and connective power of food.
Purpose
The last major theme of “The Bear” is finding one’s purpose. Each character this season ventures off on his or her own to dig for the deeper meaning behind their work in preparation for the restaurant’s opening. Sidney treks across Chicago in search of culinary inspiration for a new menu. Marcus, the baker, travels to Copenhagen to learn from a talented pastry chef and experience a new culture. Richie steps out of his comfort zone and works as an apprentice at a classy dining establishment – the polar opposite of The Original Beef environment that he’s accustomed to. Each episode is dedicated to these characters perfecting their craft and ultimately finding a sense of motivation, peace and purpose in it.
Through this layer, yet another potential audience is drawn into the show. If you can’t relate to “The Bear” for its authentic depictions of grief or its impressive nuance in contrasting one’s biological family with one’s chosen family, then its profound characterization of the process of honing a passion is sure to stir up ambitions in even the most apathetic among us.
The ten episodes of “The Bear”’s sophomore season form a cohesive arc that conveys the inner psyches of those coping with loss, battling intrusive doubts, and trying to find meaning in their everyday lives. Nothing about the restaurant industry is romanticized, as the characters are flawed humans who frequently misstep. Yet “The Bear” is undoubtedly more confident and more unapologetically aspirational in its second season, perhaps drawing inspiration from the oft-employed Berzatto family motto: “let it rip.”
