The Bear (Season 2)
Available on Disney+ now
The second season of Christopher Storer’s acclaimed culinary drama is every bit as intense as its first, with much of its story focused on the efforts of Carmy (the outstanding Jeremy Allen White) to transform his deceased brother’s tired sandwich shop into a critically acclaimed foodie hotspot. Storer’s clear affection for the state of Chicago and indie music is still clear for all to see, but this latest ten-episode run displays the writer-director’s penchant for empathetic analysis of the restaurant industry in the wake of COVID-19.
The Bear demonstrates not only the excruciating detail that chefs apply when serving up delicious food, but the ridiculous amount of hoops they have to jump through just to open their doors and then keep them open. The effects of the pandemic are also keenly felt, offering a stark reminder to viewers that, whilst many of our freedoms might have been restored, many are still navigating the aftermath of that sorry affair.
Allen White continues to excel in the lead role, delivering a performance that is filled to the brim with painstaking anxiety, irrepressible anger, and, most profoundly of all, deep sadness. His efforts, however, are once again matched by a stellar supporting cast that includes Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Abby Elliot, and Liza Colón-Zayas, all of which are given ample time to shine over the course of the series, with Moss-Bachrach and Boyce particularly benefiting from their own character-focused episodes.
In terms of standout episodes, it is the sixth (Fishes) and tenth (The Bear) which stand out, with the former shining a light on the dysfunctional Berzatto family (with some help from an impressive roster of guest actors) and the latter providing an appropriately tense, despondent end to a show that is steadfast in its refusal to give its audience the neatly wrapped conclusions we so cravenly desire.
This is truly immaculately written television that marks its creator out as one of the industry’s brightest lights, and its leading actor as a talent worth keeping an eye on.
