The Bear: Let Him Cook
Zackary Laberge
Sports Editor
If you’re like me, then if a TV show is centred around a topic you know nothing about, you generally find it disinteresting. However, every now and then, a series comes along and becomes the exception to that rule. The exception for me is FX’s “The Bear”.
The premise of the show is that renowned chef Carmen Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) inherits his estranged brother’s rundown Chicago sandwich shop after the latter’s passing. He must navigate the changes in attitudes, the tenured chefs already in the kitchen, and his rapidly deteriorating personal life to try to salvage the place.
Although I know nothing about the restaurant business, this show managed to captivate me. Carmen’s inner turmoil and fear of disappointing everybody is relatable whether he’s a chef, a mailman or a professional bullfighter. “The Bear” isn’t a look at cooking, it’s a study of relationships, and how fragile they are.
The soundtrack is also beautiful. Many of the songs feel hopefully nihilistic, they capture the emotional impact of the show. No spoilers, but Episode Seven opens with “Chicago” by Sufjan Stevens, and I am not exaggerating when I say that it is my favourite musical choice in any TV show ever.
I strongly recommend watching “The Bear”. I recommend it so much that I wrote this review about eight months after the end of season one, just to preoccupy myself while I wait for season two. Come for the food, stay for the feelings.