Have you watched the The Bear? If so, what did you think?
Premise - TL;DW -
A young chef from the fine dining world comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after a heartbreaking death in his family. A world away from what he's used to, Carmy must balance the soul-crushing realities of small business ownership, his strong-willed and recalcitrant kitchen staff and his strained familial relationships.
With season 2 being released this past weekend I wanted to see if anyone on Tildes was watching it. Right now, I think it might be my favorite show. There is no hamfisted comedy. The dialog seems shockingly/surprisingly human. It has stakes, but its not overwhelming or action-packed cheese.
The whole context of the show is surprisingly fresh, a lot of the characters have flaws but good even realistic redemption or growth. I think one of the most surprising things (for me at-least) is the lack of a love interest, I can't recall the last time a show didn't have one. I could go on and gush about this show some more, but I wanted to see if anyone here watched it.
If not, give it a chance. I think you might like it.
Thanks for the heads-up that S2 is out! I've watched through S1 twice now and loved it both times. It still blows my mind that S1E7 is a single take - no cuts whatsoever. The intensity of that episode is incredible.
Except for Richie.
Intense, frenetic, single take. Like working a shift in a busy restaurant. So well done.
I almost had several panic attacks myself during that episode.
Yeah loved the show and will watch season 2 for sure. Didn’t realize that episode was all in one take. I recently watched Victoria (2015). The whole movie is one take and it’s a rush from start to finish. Definitely recommend it.
I just consumed season 2 in 2 days right when it came out. Great show, although I think I preferred how the first season flowed a bit better. I don't have any experience working in a restaurant, but I keep hearing people saying how accurate a depiction it is of that life.
I definitely was having back of house flashbacks at points.
Working meticulously to set a standard set by a more experienced chef has been a theme throughout the show, which I greatly appreciate.
All of the "heard" and other terms like, "all day," are things I miss in my non-restraunt job!
spoilers text
Syd on expo in the final episode was causing me so much anxiety. How quiet she was in the kitchen was obviously going to be a major issue. I wanted to yell at her through the screen. I'm a naturally calm and reserved person, but you have to get loud and firm during service, especially on expo.
I worked in the industry for nearly a decade and all I could think of was how massively overstaffed they are!
My SO was a server for a number of years and she said a lot of the shenanigans and shit talk is dead-accurate.
I agree. I think S1 flowed a bit better but I liked the cinematography of S2 better. It kind of almost felt like a love letter to Chicago.
Certainly there was a lot of downtown drone shots and footage of the El. I enjoyed them a lot.
loved season 2. only found season 1 a month or so ago and couldnt wait until season 2. the richie episode was my favorite of the season. He's been driving me crazy the whole series, and he finally got it. xmas episode was pure chaos & stress
My wife couldn't handle the christmas episode, it was far too close to her own chaotic family experience. Well, except for the
spoiler alert
smashing a car through the houseMy favorite episode so far.
GOAT
Having worked in a kitchen before it is a very accurate depiction besides the fact that Carmy is an exceptionally understanding chef. I will say do not watch this show if you are in a particularly anxious mood. It's an enzyme for anxiety. Very incredible show though. I'd honestly argue so far it's one of the best American shows of all time.
Yes, I'd second this, but would add that for me the most stressful part was the yelling. It was a genuine issue as someone who grew up around abusive yelling/shouting in the home. It honestly makes me wonder if carmy was raised in such an environment; is it a learned behavior? We got very little about his upbringing in S1, I'm excited to see if there's any more of that in s2.
Oh there's a whole flashback episode in season 2 that could be very triggering for someone from an abusive home. Lots more info about his, sugar's, and richie's upbringing.
My girlfriend couldn't get into the show and she said it was because it made her stressed out.
I personally think that's one of the selling points. It's cool when a show can have that effect on you. Much like The Office was able to genuinely make me cringe at times.
I really enjoyed season 2. I feel like the finale was a little much, it didn't need to go as hard as it did, especially right at the end.. But all in all it was a solid follow up and I look forward to a season 3
I just finished watching season 2 last night, and I was very impressed. They managed to eclipse the already strong quality that they established in season 1.
Definitely a show that can elicit strong feelings of anxiety, though. Especially with the way they are always yelling. If you're looking for a feel good time to draw away your anxious thoughts this is certainly not it. Especially so if you've worked in a kitchen before.
I'm not sure if you've watched season 2 yet, @TheD00d, but there is definitely a romantic through line that plays an important role in this season. It's still not at the forefront of the show, but it's certainly there. Don't want to give too much away, but there's a seed planted for another couple of main characters to potentially go that way as well.
I was impressed at the quality of supporting guest actors they were able to draw in for this season, as well. The most notable among them being Jamie Lee Curtis and Bob Odenkirk. That's a testament to the quality of the show, and those actors really delivered, particularly in the flash back episode.
Overall, I very much agree-- this is a show with flawed characters that you still just want to root for them to succeed. It has a lot of anxiety ridden moments on that journey, but the end result is largely one of hope for the future. Definitely worth a watch.
Watched all of S2 yesterday. It was a ride.
Spoiler warning
When Jamie Lee Curtis drove the car through the house, I lost my mind. Bob Odenkirk almost getting into a fist fight with Jon Bernthal had me anxious. Lastly, the Richie redemption arch had me in tears and jumping up and down with joy. Same energy for Tina.I liked the love interest in S2. I think it was a natural progression for Carmy, I think the character herself is a little flat. But given the whole situation is more like a footnote. I'm not that surprised. Still makes me a little sad that it all fell apart.
That episode had me in anxiety mode the whole time.
While exaggerated, I fully lived that shit for a while. It's absolutely maddening.
I casually watched S1 and was pretty hooked because JAW was phenom in shameless and the dynamics of the show were pretty interesting. I finished S2 over the weekend and thought it started out well, but was just blown away by the episode Forks, and there was some heartbreaking stuff that happened in the finale.
It's not just a casual show you can sit down and watch while scrolling on your phone.
Very interested to see how S3 goes.
I saw Jeremy Allen White in The Bear first and then checked out Shameless and he was so good in it. I'm glad he's been receiving more attention recently, he deserves the credit.
I really enjoyed it. The 1st season really took me by surprise and this 2nd one is a solid follow up. I really like diving deep into the world of people who care so much about what they do, especially when it borders on obsession. Even as a non-foodie myself, the painstaking care and attention they present to the preparation, cooking and presentation is fascinating. All with a sprinkle of humor here and there with some excellent acting performances too. I wish this season they spent more time on the them making the menu and designing the restaurant layout, but nonetheless was entertaining.
My favorite episode was...
Forks. Richie's skepticism and eventual transformation as he started to understand why everyone cared so much was just *chef's kiss*. Afterwards, him suiting up and telling everyone 'oh yea, I wear suits now' was just awesome.I had to slog through season 1, taking several breaks. The only reason I tried season 2 was because it popped up on the listings and I had basically nothing else going on so I pulled it for a look.
The show is built around stress and screaming. So many characters constantly just lose it on each other, top-of-their-lungs, talking over one another, with much argument and discontent. I look to my shows and entertainment to relax and let go, and this show didn't do much of that.
Now, to be fair, more of S2 seemed more chill than S1. But after about five minutes of the flashback family holiday episode I just skipped to the next one. And I stopped the final episode about twelve or fifteen minutes in. Both because the stress went to Eleven on the scale and I just couldn't take it. And I kind of like Jamie Lee Curtis and was happy to see her, but the script and direction (for her and everyone in that episode) was just, wow, so much. Just so much. Too much.
Some of the individual S2 episodes, where they split the kitchen characters off for training, were kind of nice and chill. I really liked parts of the ep where they sent the pastry chef trainee off to be trained, that one was very nice and enjoyable.
And it was kind of nice to see the cousin (who was a huge source of much of the screaming in both seasons until that episode) get turned around and "shown the way" when he was sent to the three star superbowl restaurant. He still needs work to smooth off his many, many rough edges, but it was nice.
And I very much enjoyed how the guy he was paired with at the restaurant, when cousin was being difficult, didn't scream and yell and fuck him up, but just kind of calmly but directly pointed out "every day here is the Super Bowl; we pay attention to every single detail, and that's what we do, and that's why we are who we are." It was almost shocking, from this show, because they always write stress and yelling, but the restaurant guy was just very calm and polite about pointing out how cousin needed to understand how he wasn't getting (anything about) what they were doing.
Not my cup of tea for the most part. I kept meaning to delete S1 off my media server, but forgot. Then S2 popped up and I gave it whirl but ... wow so much stress. I had to watch two episodes of Bob Ross to cool down after I turned off the final S2 episode. Happy trees are my happy place.
Yeah, and I've really enjoyed it! However I hope they finish it here and there's no S3. If they just keep going with "everything is constantly on fire and there's no end in sight" vibe, it's going to become stale pretty quick.
Spoiler
It would be a good ending too, doesn't have to be a happy one for Carmen.I think they should have left it at the end of season 1 for that same reason. I enjoyed season 2 for the production quality, the character development and the acting - but so many of the situations used to keep everything "on fire" seemed so contrived to me. I guess I'm just picky like that but
Spoiler
having them cut the fridge open when you can see the screws that can be just removed right there in the shot was just too much for meIts second season was pretty good, but I think there was noticeable drop in quality compared to the first season. It seemed as if the show's rightfully earned popularity got into its head a little bit.
Some spoilers on second season
The star studded cast of _Fishes_ rubbed me the wrong way. I was honestly puzzled as to why they'd have so many well known actors appear in an episode, especially considering one of the things that makes this show so great is strong and authentic performances of no-name actors. It's very easy to buy into the illusion that you're not watching a TV show. I loved the writing and directing in the episode, but I can't help myself but think "That's Jimmy!" and "That's Britta!" and so on when I saw the respective celebrities appear on the screen one after the other.I wish this issue was contained into a single episode, despite that episode being rather important, but it wasn't.
I didn't necessarily think the standalone episodes were bad, I think they were all good because every single character has something to like about them, but I would've preferred it to see all of them together in the kitchen more.
I'm looking forward to the third season. I hope it gets renewed without being affected by the writers' strike too much.
I hadn't heard of it, but according to Criticker I'm going to really, really like it. Thanks for putting it on my radar.
Glad to have helped!
My GF worked fine dining and watching the show gave her anxiety. In Fishes, season 2, I had to go smoke at the end of the episode. I'm come from an Italian American family and I know all that trauma and manipulation. Big props to the set designers - they correctly had jars of home canned tomatoes in the pantry. Best part of season 2 is Richie's glowup in Forks, the dude finally realized what we was truly good at and just fucking went hard. The two best lines this season "Microbasil FUCK YEAH!" and "Bro I think I gotta fire you, but I'm going to go ask."
Forks was so good. It's always so nice to see someone owning what they're good at. It was a lovely moment when he got the validation from others too. And I'm so glad that when he did return changed, others just rolled with it instead of making fun of him because they all just genuinely want what's good for him.
I really, really like this show. It just connected with me. I must have rewatched the first season three times and binged the whole second season when it came out. I love shows that take you behind the scenes of an industry and have characters who are passionate about what they're doing and good at what they do. I haven't worked in the food industry and knew little about it going in but the amount of detail they put in the show is amazing. (I'm willing to overlook some stylistic choices like not wearing hair nets, because the actors have to look good). I even went and watched a series of YouTube videos of a pro chef reacting to it and talking about how it compares to his own professional experience.
Besides this, the characters themselves make this even better. I love character-driven fiction and I like that everybody in the cast gets their arc, it isn't just about Carmy. We get to see more of the others in the second season but even season one heavily focused on Sydney and we also got to see Tina and Marcus grow too and even Richie become more accustomed to having the new system in the restaurant. And the choices they make for these characters feel so real and grounded. Even in its most extreme moments, it's very real.
Spoilers for Season 2
I love how with Luca they took the route of him being a good patient teacher to Marcus instead of being a strict guy who would shout at you to figure things out. It's so much more difficult to go against the typical instinct of adding the conflict through a tough guy teacher route and going the unexpected route that makes it harder to capture the audience's interest if it's not done well. It takes courage to go the less 'dramatic' way and still make it interesting. And they do it in so many other places, this is just the example that jumps out at me.Just finished season 2 a couple of days ago, and honestly some of the best TV I've seen. I am in love with Richie's growth throughout both series, and the whole cast actually.
This season was more chill than last and really got into why they love what they're doing. Seeing that passion play out is always inspiring to me.
At its core it reminds me a lot of Ted Lasso where everything is approached with a sincerity. And although Carny clearly has issues, I love that his leadership style isn't command and control that we so often see on screen.
Season 2 Spoilers
Forks was easily my favourite episode, the recontextualising of Every Second Counts was a master stroke. But there was a lot of that throughout the episode. When Richie finally got it, I almost cried.Also shout out to Jamie Lee Curtis, I feel like she earned her Oscar win with that performance. Not that she wasn't great in everything everywhere, but Stephanie Hsu was incredible.
ok, here's a question for you!
mild spoilers, but not really..
Marcus is in Copenhagen at what we should assume is NOMA. Luca (Will Poulter) is talking about this other chef... Michael Jordan / Scottie Pippen... I think we're meant to assume that is Carmy.
So this all lines up -- but why was there a photo of Luca and Carmy in Terry's place? This part doesn't make sense to me.
The Bear is the best. Its nice to see them crank out a manic episode per season with a bunch of oners, too. Every aspect of this show shows care and skill.
It might have been a mark of pride? If I had mentees like that, I sure as hell would have photos of them!
its weird because her spot is in Chicago, but I thought they were in Copenhagen.
I think EMP was also a big influence on Forks. I recently read Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. In Forks, I believe it was on Richie's bedside table or somewhere. Great little book, too.