Disclaimer: “The Bear” portrays themes that are not intended for younger audiences. It centers around sensitive topics like suicide, loss of a family life, smoking, drinking, drug usage, mental health issues, explicit words, and an explicit scene. The Common Sense Media website indicated that this show is intended for mature audiences ages 15 and up.
Warning: There will be spoilers ahead. If you decide to read the article before watching, I recommend not clicking any of the videos ahead.
Imagine that you’re on an emotional rollercoaster that goes up, down, left, and right, at a tremendous speed. That’s how it feels when you watch “The Bear.” The acting, the character development and the music all contribute to what “The Bear” is known for.
“The Bear” is a Hulu exclusive tv-show that has two seasons and a third one in the works. The show follows the main character, Carman “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), who is a 21 year old world renowned chef that has won multiple awards including three Michelin stars at a high end restaurant. But then that all came to a full stop due to a tragic event. He was forced to leave his job as a chef and take over a local sandwich shop. He had to adapt quickly while also having to deal with a highly dysfunctional kitchen staff.
Viewers should be prepared for a wave of emotions. The stressful atmosphere makes the audience feel that a character will snap and go berserk on the others. One instance of this is an episode called “Fishes.”
“Fishes” depicts a family Christmas dinner of the Berzatto family. Carmy and his sister, Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto (Abby Elliott) try to help their mother, Donna Berzatto (Jamie Lee Curtis), with dinner but the mom was so annoyed and frustrated to the point where she was going to hospitalize both of them. There is a video by BrainPilot that explains how well written this episode is (this video contains spoilers). The yelling, the fighting, the unpredictable nature of characters had me on the edge of my seat wondering if a character was going to break.
Another thing that makes this show 10/10 is character development. An episode called “Forks,” perfectly depicts this.
In the episode shows a character named Richard “Richie” Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) where he was an extremely rude person and would always believe he was in the right. In almost every single episode, he is arguing with at least one person in the show.
Throughout the episode, Richie is absorbing many new life lessons where it actually changed his perspective on life. Towards the end, he is seen more humble towards others and would help them in any way he can.
After seeing this transformation, I was in awe. I’ve never seen a character undergo such a tremendous change where they’re unrecognizable. Anyone can change. Five years ago, I was a kid who caused a lot of trouble, but as I grew older, I matured.
This episode is a great example of why “The Bear” produces such great characters. As you watch the show, you can see some characters grow and try new things out of their comfort zone which is what made me love this show. The actors did such an amazing job in fact where it looks like they’re playing mind games with you. This video by Thomas Flight perfectly explains how “The Bear” can do such a thing (this video contains spoilers).
Another episode called, “Honeydew” also portrays amazing character development. It shows a journey between Marcus Brooks (Lionel Boyce) and a professional chef, Luca (Will Poulter).
When watching this episode, you can truly see the personality of both Luca and Marcus. Luca is direct but is patient. Marcus on the other hand, is inhaling all the information he is getting. Luca and Marcus went from complete strangers to becoming a student teacher pair. Here is a video made by Brain Pilot that talks about why this episode is a masterpiece (this video contains spoilers).
This interaction between these two characters reminds me of when I was in middle school. I was in a band class where my band director would always help me with how to improve my tone, techniques, and overall getting better with my instrument. With all that help, it eventually helped me win an award for best musician in my class. He’s the reason why I fell in love with music. I will be forever grateful for his guidance and mentorship he gave to me.
Music also plays a huge part in this series. In the same episode, “Honeydew”, The music the producers chose made the audience feel a sense of serenity. The music helped us imagine that we were alongside Marcus on his adventure. Fun fact: there is a whole Spotify playlist that has the same music that the producers used in this series. The music in the show creates a wide variety of different emotions where the audience can feel suspenseful to being heartbroken.
“The Bear” is amazing at connecting the film world and reality with incredible character developments and music. The show did such a phenomenal job where they won four Golden Globe Awards at the 81st Golden Globe Awards Ceremony, four Critics Choice Awards at the 29th Critics’ Choice Awards, and ten Emmy trophies at the Emmy 2024 awards ceremony. “The Bear” forever changed the tv industry, inspiring others what it means to be a chef, including me.
Growing up, I always loved cooking. I’ve cooked for family, friends, and other people before and I love seeing them enjoy the things I’ve made. It’s gotten to the point where I’ve decided to go down the career path as a chef. After watching “The Bear” a few times, it’s safe to say that this show helped me tremendously.
I highly recommend watching “The Bear.” This show is in my top three alongside Ted Lasso and Breaking Bad. It does such a great job of putting you at the edge of your seat while appreciating the complexities of character development.
