The Bear

Season 1  Episodes 1 and 2

Blogger: Maggie Mihalus

The Bear premiered a few years ago and has now completed its fourth season. It is a show that has been on my “to watch list” for a while now, and I’m finally getting around to watching it. Each post for this blog will be for two episodes at a time, with other blog posts in between. So let's jump right in.

Before watching the show, I knew very little about it, except that a guy takes ownership of a restaurant and turns it into an amazing place, along with all the drama that comes with that and life.

Episode 1

Okay… what a start to a show. I liked it, though; I felt like I was walking into my first day of a new job, as if we were joining Sydney, played by Ayo Edebiri, on her first day. You can feel this tension, but you don’t know what is going on. We learn that Carmy, played by Jeremy Allen White, has gained ownership of his brother’s restaurant after his passing. But the thing with Carmy is that he is this classically trained chef who was working at the best restaurants under the best chefs, so the question is, why would he give all that up to work in the local rundown place, even if it was his brother’s? Especially with the tension between him and the workers already there, and not to mention the other owner, Richie, who was also the brother’s best friend. 

Episode 2

Well, in this episode, we learn a little more about a lot, like that Carmy’s brother killed himself, and the trauma and guilt Carmy seems to be dealing with. Through the flashbacks from his time at the prestigious restaurants, we see the verbal abuse he went through. We learn a little more about Richie, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and his life and family through an adorable scene with Sydney. Also, the fact that the uncle wants to buy the restaurant from them, but does not offer to help them by giving them the money he would need to buy the place. It wouldn't surprise me if he called the health department on them. Also, the letter Richie finds addressed to Carmy from his brother, but instead of giving it to him, he puts it back where he found it!? These next couple of episodes are going to be interesting to see what questions are answered and what new questions will arise.