by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Last year, there weren’t a lot of new shows that caught me off guard with how good they were. But one show in particular truly surprised me with how great it was. With the odds stacked against it, it managed to overcome being released all at once on Hulu, and in the middle of the summer. Luckily, I joined countless others who swore up and down that The Bear was one of 2022’s best shows.
And after finishing Season Two, I can say The Bear is easily 2023’s best show as well.
Season Two of The Bear successfully pulls off amazing feats to avoid a sophomore slump. While a lot of other shows want to make Season Two bigger, The Bear contains the story to Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney’s (Ayo Edebiri) new restaurant. There is a limited number of new characters, and for the most part, they have minor roles. Characters from Season One all have something significant to do, and show tremendous growth and development. Each episode matters, and manages to take what’s great about Season One and amplify it.
The character development is off the charts this season, particularly with Carmy. He is a complicated character because we don’t know a whole lot about his family, backstory, or career choices. The shades we do get at The Beef show someone still hurting from a family tragedy, reeling from his last restaurant, and picking up the pieces of a business that has lost its way. Season Two goes back years before the events of The Bear and talks about his family and his past relationships.
Carmy’s family is the subject of a standalone episode that fills in the gaps in his backstory and characterization. Entitled “Fishes,” it takes place during Christmas, with the entire Berzatto family stuck in a cramped house while Carmy’s mom makes dinner for everyone. Showing how dysfunctional his family is, Carmy’s behavior makes sense regarding how and why he sometimes treats people poorly in his restaurant. It also shows examples of both how Carmy puts an enormous amount of pressure on himself, and where he gets his short fuse from. The clarity this gives us not only helps shape Carmy as a character, but helps contextualize other characters in the Berzatto family, like Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Natalie (Abby Elliott).
Out of Season Two’s few new characters, Claire (Molly Gordon) is the most significant. She’s from Carmy’s high school days, and they reconnect throughout the season. Claire will be a controversial character for some because she takes away from time at the restaurant, or from other characters. What she represents, though, is a life that Carmy could have, which counterbalances the chaos of the restaurant, and can help push him forward to feel supported. Gordon fits in with the rest of the cast exceptionally, and she goes toe-to-toe with White, to sensational results. Carmy’s not one to show much emotion, but Claire brings it out of him by encouraging him to talk about his feelings and letting him know how proud of him she is. I welcome Claire’s addition to The Bear, and I’m very curious to see where her story goes.
White’s performance this season guarantees him an Emmy win. He’s out-of-this-world spectacular. In addition to giving Carmy a backstory and something to do outside the restaurant, White also manages to have meaningful interactions with all the cast members. He’s a great main character for television, filled with flaws but raw emotion. Carmy’s dialogue is beautifully performed, and feels so natural from White. I am enamored every time he is on screen.
Despite White being a rockstar, the real revelation is Richie. In Season One, Richie is the most resistant to Carmy’s management of The Beef. Now, he struggles to find his place in the new direction of the restaurant. Richie struggles with his purpose, and his personal life is in shambles. In “Fishes,” we see a couple of moments where he tries to push his life in the right direction and bets big on himself, even if the odds are stacked against him. There are some amazing moments for Richie in Season Two, as he develops a new outlook on life with timely advice from mentors, a new mantra that helps him, and the belief he receives from everyone at the restaurant. Moss-Bachrach is so impressive, and Richie is now one of the characters I’m rooting for to succeed the most.
Most of the characters from Season One have something to do that helps push them forward. Sydney deals with her self-doubt on the enormous gamble she is taking on the restaurant, and is nervous about the current state of the restaurant industry in a post-COVID world. She has a tough road ahead, being Carmy’s second-in-command, while she still has a lot to learn about being in a restaurant. Carmy is the perfect mentor for Sydney. They push each other, they’re not afraid to call one another out, and they balance each other out with ideas. Edebiri gives another dynamite performance.
Marcus (Lionel Boyce) and Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) are given tasks to prepare them for their roles in the new restaurant. Both are background characters who have more invested time in them in Season Two. Their motivations are explored, and the episodes where we see what they do with these opportunities are fantastic to watch. Giving them more to do is a great way to help the audience get to know them better, and provides amazing support for Carmy and Sydney.
Everything amazing about Season One levels up for Season Two. The Bear’s best quality is how it creates tension, and make the audience uncomfortably sit in it for what feels like an eternity. The combination of cinematography, music, writing, and performances brings the tension to almost unbearable levels. I couldn’t believe how many times I was on the edge of my seat.
Along with tension, the notion that every second counts is on full display. There aren’t any filler episodes or fluff. Every moment of Season Two matters, and for the savvy viewers who pay close attention, you will be handsomely rewarded with all the callbacks and payoffs towards the end of the season. While doubling as a season mantra for some characters, having each episode matter is a stellar accomplishment for a young show, and a testament to how well-constructed and thoughtful each episode is.
In addition to amazing camera work around the Windy City, we have two parallel sports metaphors that help characters out this season. For fans of the city, there are a lot of great moments in Chicago. The food is also outstanding this season. It’s mouth-watering and delicious. What stands out about the it, though, is how we learn why some of the characters want to make food. This context helps shape the power that serving food can have.
The amount of significant guest stars Season Two gets is remarkable. All of them play important parts for characters this season. The showrunners and casting deserve a lot of credit for the quantity and quality of the guest stars this season.
The Bear is what television needs right now. While some outstanding and Emmy-winning shows are ending their runs, this series shows us that transcendent television is still out there. There is a lot of pressure on Season Three due to the stakes that are presented at the end of Season Two, but there’s no doubt in my mind that it will deliver. Already sporting one of television’s best ensembles, and offering a great sophomore storyline, I’m ready to declare The Bear as my favorite show of 2023 so far.
Score: 10/10
The Bear is currently streaming on Hulu
You can read more from Mike Hilty, and follow him on Twitter, Letterboxd, and Serializd