Review: Hulu and FX’s “The Bear”
FX and Hulu’s The Bear is a unique blend of family dysfunction and workplace drama that is equal parts engrossing and fascinating. It’s labeled as a comedy by the networks, but that’s doing a disservice to this thoughtful and elegant portrait of a family and a business struggling to survive after a sudden and tragic loss. People going into this series expecting jokes and a laugh track will be highly disappointed, and perhaps, miss the point of one of the most poignant and introspective shows to come along in the last five years.
The story follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, as played by Jeremy Allen White, who is suddenly in charge of his family’s long-tenured eatery, “The Original Beef of Chicagoland”, after his older brother Mikey unexpectedly commits suicide. But Carmy quickly finds that the restaurant is in disarray, with the staff both unruly and unwilling to accept change, and mountains of debt threatening to end it all before he can get a handle on things. But all while he’s trying to salvage the wreckage of the family business, he must also try to mend his fractured family that is desperately trying to figure out how to grieve.
The story plays out fairly straightforwardly, following Carmy as he struggles with the day-to-day routine of trying to pull the restaurant out of a nosedive, while simultaneously dealing with the broken relationships that litter his past. There aren’t any grandiose plotlines at play or giant Shyamalan-like swerves looming. This series is a slice of life, showcasing a pair of siblings and their found family just trying to survive. And Jeremy Allen White, fresh from his starring role in Shameless, is the perfect anchor for such a show.
During his time as a Gallagher on the cult Showtime series that only recently concluded, he showed a proficiency for being a part of a dysfunctional family against the backdrop of inner-city Chicago. However, with The Bear, things aren’t always cranked to eleven, as the most often were in Shameless, and White can portray his character with more subtlety. Carmy is the heartbeat of the series, and his struggles are symbolic of everyone’s. The difference is that everything is on his shoulders, even as everyone is pushing against him. White brings weight and gravitas to the role of the slightly unhinged Carmy, who’s scarred from a brother now lost to him that he thought turned his back on him, as well as the fine dining career he left behind.
The series is at it’s best when it leans into the relationships of the show, such as when Carmy and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) butt heads over the future of “The Original Beef”. Carmy just wants to put all his training to use and mold the restaurant into what he, and his brother, always knew it could be, while Richie just wants things to remain the same, a mausoleum to the good times he had with his best friend, Mikey. Or there is the story of Carmy trying to reconnect with his sister Sugar (Abby Elliot), whom he left behind to chase a culinary career in New York. These are natural issues that are explored honestly. People make mistakes. They get angry and say things they don’t mean, but they come back to one another and figure it out.
And then there is Mikey, who only actually appears in a single episode, with the incomparable Jon Bernthal taking up the role, and it’s so easy to see why everyone is so devastated by his loss. He’s effortlessly charismatic and provides some much-needed context for the family dynamics that are so out of whack without him there. But, again, much like White’s portrayal of Carmy, there is a subtlety at play. It’s clear that Bernthal’s Mikey is, somehow, broken. It’s small things, like the way his face instantly loses it’s smile when no one is looking. It’s an earnest and genuine look at a man on the edge who’s excellent at hiding it. If Bernthal doesn’t getting an Emmy nod for his participation, it’ll be a travesty.
Most interesting, though, is the dynamic between the staff of “The Beef”. There is Sydney, the overly opinionated sous chef; Marcus, the soft-spoken bread maker; and Tina, the de facto mama bear of the restaurant who doesn’t take flak from anyone, just to name a few. It’s an interesting mix, similar to NBC’s The Office, with the different characters each fitting traditional workplace roles. And while they start off a little generalized, they are allowed to evolve over the course of 8-episodes into complete characters that audiences can easily identify with. And that identifiability is the biggest strength of the show. Audiences connect with the character because the seem authentic. Everyone understands what it’s like to feel lost, or to be mad at your co-workers but have to come back the next day. We all have family members that we love to hate but wouldn’t give them up for anything. And it’s with these kinds of characters, and exploring the ways the fit together, where the series truly shines brightest.
In many ways The Bear is a perfect miniseries. This first season feels self-contained, with a story that ends in an extremely cathartic manner. Even so, it seems poised for a strong season two, with all the main characters in place to take big steps forward. Whether or not a second season comes to fruition is still up in the air, but for anyone who’s a fan of thoughtful filmmaking and realistic familial relationships, this is the show for you. The performances are all excellent, the directing is top-notch, and the story is subtle and engrossing. If you choose to watch, you most certainly won’t be disappointed.
