“The Bear” is back today on Hulu and Disney Plus. I guess you can binge it by paying up or wait and see it weekly for free.
Seven of the eight press screeners were dumped on us yesterday. Luckily, the first episode is only 22 minutes. The second one is a little longer.
When season 4 ended, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) told his pals he was quitting because he suddenly didn’t love being in the kitchen. He sure seemed like he did, but hey, they needed a cliffhanger. Also, the digital clock in the kitchen ran down to zero, indicating no more money left.
So we’re back in Episode 1, and it turns out at least the first few episodes, if not all, are just one episode — the story of how The Bear almost goes under but probably gets a Michelin star at the very end.
Creator Christopher Storer depends on clever editing and a crazy good score from the house of Hans Zimmer to create so much tension it may be hard to sleep after watching the show. Carmy is back in the kitchen, but now he’s encouraging Sydney (Ayo Edibiri) to run the show. A wild rain storm is raging in Chicago, attacking their little building with floods and bursting pipes. The electricity is iffy and the reservation system has gone haywire.
The weather is so bad, I’m amazed they’re expecting anyone for dinner at all. Maybe it’s a Chicago thing, to just brave treacherous elements.
Meantime, Emmy winner Jamie Lee Curtis is back, from the get-go as Carmy and Natalie’s (Abby Elliot) mother. Everyone else is, too, except Jon Bernthal as dead Mikey, which may be why the actor — who was in town last week — didn’t come to the premiere.
The editing and the music are essential because, frankly, we’ve been here before, with the restaurant on the precipice of closing and Carmy having an existential crisis. As usual only Sydney seems to know what’s going on. Richie (Ebon Moss Bacharach) is his usual bundle of nerves. Tina (the great Lisa Colon Zayas) is the house philosopher.
Pretty well telegraphed, we’re waiting for Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) to come up with a solution about franchising the sandwich shop. No one wants to hear it, but the original menu item is what will save The Bear — you can see it coming from a mile away.
And what about Carmy? I have no spoilers because I only watched the first three episodes. Does he announce that he’s a die hard Bruce Springsteen fan and start a franchise in Asbury Park? (This is an inside joke for Jeremy Allen White fans). Does Oliver Platt’s Uncle Jimmy sell the air rights to the building and resolve his financial problems? (Probably.) Does that mysterious diner from Season 4 turn out to be the reviewer who gives “The Bear” its Michelin star? (Likely.)
When “The Bear” began, the whole premise and production were startling and fresh. Now, of course, after all this time, the big surprises are over. Still, the writing and acting remain top notch. My biggest peeve is that “The Bear” is presented as a comedy for awards purposes. It’s just not. It’s a very good drama with some wry humor. But all that’s moot now.
Again, you can binge the first seven episodes starting tonight on Hulu. Or watch the first two tonight on FX, and then once a week until August 6th when we will all see the grand finale together. So it’s like drinking your bouillabaisse from the bowl, or ladling it out.
