Richie finding purpose in taking care of other people (stereotypically a female task) in direct opposition of what he THOUGHT he should do, maintenance (more of a manly task) felt so subtle and so rewarding
SO rewarding. I’ve been rewatching specifically his arcs and the moments where you see he rounds that corner (forks and the scene where he decides to run expo)
Idk maybe it’s because I have very little meaning in my life but that build up to his success and understanding of what his life can be made me cry for the first time in a while when he was singing that stupid Taylor swift song ( I hate Taylor swift) because I can relate so much to someone like Richie because his character is so real just like everyone else in the show. What an amazing season I almost wish they didn’t release it all at once so I could still have more episodes to look forward to
I couldn't watch Fishes. It's was really grating on me and I got pissed that it was a prequel and by the 17th timer alarm I just scrubbed ahead. I realize it's good the episode just pissed me off. The cameos didn't help. It was too much.
@@bugflug Well in my case it was a victim of its success. I already watched season 1. I'm not interested in an even more stressful prequel with a bunch of indulgent celebrity cameos to give me insight into three moderately interesting moments. For over an hour of stress it's not worth it. As a side exercise I asked myself what I would lose if this entire episode didn't exist. Nothing crazy. Some insights but still nothing too important. Though it is compelling at parts 40 minutes would have worked better. There were too many scenes where we listened to nonsense because a famous person doing a cameo needed screen time. Like how much do we need to know about some side characters card collecting scene?
@@FleaOnPeanut Because it was contributing to the series narrative. By showing the close and casual nature of how the characters knew and related to each other and were comfortable talking about the weird or silly idiosyncratic hobbies and Life things that people's families talk about at holiday gatherings, it inches toward showing the audience how Carmy got to be Carmy. They were having fun at a normal Christmas--mostly--until the mother's escalating outbursts (and Uncle Lee's too, for that matter). Carmy is the lead character and the success of his restaurant--and everyone who works there and their dreams and goals and very livelihoods--depends on him being stable and focused, and well-adjusted. Which he has said...his family did, and does not, do. He's an anxious mess who dove into adult life, and into a profession, with tunnel-vision to escape the chaos, and this episode illustrates how he got that way.
It's interesting that Richie starts off polishing forks when Mickey was throwing them. Richie was able to handle life difficulties and grow while maybe Mikey was unable to do so.
In the finale, the contrast from Richie telling Claire "I love him too, but don't tell him" in the beginning to Richie shouting through Carmy's cursing at him at the other side of the fridge "I fucking love you, man" over and over again broke my heart. Richie grew so much
season 3 NEEDS a Tina episode, something maybe around her having to hold her own as sous chef. I love her leaning into her softness this season and peaks of her confidence coming through in culinary school. Literally the karaoke scene made my heart grow 3 x bigger. I know so many women like Tina who deserve to find a dream and selfhood outside of motherhood and the hardness the world forces on them.
Yes!! I almost cried when Syd asked her to be the Sous, and when Carmy gave her his knife 🥺🥺🥺 She's my favorite character, because I can relate to both how she is bitter and upset about how things are changing in the first part of season 1, and how she grows when is given praise and the opportunity for growth 🥰🥰🥰
Right?? But, if you're her--a hardworking, perhaps under-educated single, brown mom, working as a short-order cook--who wouldn't jump at the chance to learn a real skill when someone offers to pay for your cooking school, and feel good about your accomplishments, for a change? She shines. Her arc is beautiful to watch... partially because so many people aren't given these breaks.
I saw the photo but did not make that connection. Thank you for pointing that out because i already loved that episode but this made it so much better.
Carmy also talked about his past in the kitchen as a competition, that a new stage was coming in and he was "gonna smoke that guy", which completely aligns with Luca's prodigy story he shared with Marcus
That had me tearing up. Pete is such an underrated character. Unflinching positivity and compassion in the face of all this intensity is so hard to find.
Richie’s episode was so good I rewatched it immediately after finishing it. It feels so relatable, and it works so well, you could watch it out of context and still get who Richie was before, and who he becomes after finding out his purpose. Mastercrafted TV
I agree, Claire was a bit too perfect, but I think it’s because we see her from Carmy’s perspective: she’s the girl he had a crush on since school, and now she’s with him - so, she seems perfect to him. So perfect it scares him, and he falls into kind of self-sabotage, i think, starting with giving her the wrong number, and then just living in this anxious state of mind: it is too good to be true, so it’s easier not to have it than wait for it to end. But, while also wanting him to focus on work, I also really wanted him to find true balance between work and simple life. And I think it should be Carmy’s main character arc: finding balance, which he clearly does not have and thinks he’s not even able to maintain. He forgets about work, when he’s with Claire, and as soon as work gets out of control, decides that Claire should be forgotten (a bit dramatic, but sounds nice😅 you get what I mean). Should it take form of him stepping away and giving Syd most of the control in the restaurant, while trying to focus on himself and his own happiness - I don’t know, but to me “finding balance” seems like the healthiest path this character could take.
And he hasn’t healed from any of his past to be in a healthy relationship at the moment. Not saying she couldn’t help him but that also shouldn’t be her responsibility because that’s a lot of pressure to put onto a partner. She understands his past is fucked but that doesn’t make it easy to accept all the flaws without him trying to change. What he said in the walk-in was really hurtful for her to hear because it sounded like he gave up and no one wants to be with someone who lacks any motivation to improve
The fact that she knows most of his history already, his friends, family and all the gossip makes it feel like a true romantic tragedy. It felt like they could really work together and perhaps they will.
I think also that a person can seem perfect and honestly pretty great all around like Claire is and does. However she’s still not the one for Carmy or what he needs. And that’s ok! I loved that aspect. A very mature depiction of relationships just not working out without there being a villain or morality involved. It just didn’t work!
the show has a tendency to make everything too perfect. Carmy is a good example. Why not just have it that he was at a really good restaurant in NYC on the come up? Having him at the best restaurant in the world makes it so he has nowhere to go but down at his new spot. That plus if he really was good enough to be at the best in the world, he would be able to get outside investors and wouldn't need to bootstrap everything. Still a great show though
I always thought Marcus helping the cyclist represented the fact that it was right for him to be in Copenhagen. He was worried about leaving his mum but him being there meant he was able to help the cyclist. I thought it represented that Marcus was needed somewhere else away from his mother's side
I love so much the amount of meanings Carmie locking himself in the freezer has. He didn't answer the fridge guy due to his trauma of his old boss and thinking he saw the man who put him through so much pain sent him to the freezer in the first place. Every character in the show this season including Sydney grew and evolved but Carmie was the only one who didn't. He still carried his trauma of his past and his brother dying, he started dating his childhood crush and he's still in the kitchen working. I love how in both season 1 with the episode Review and The Bear the show is setting the standard that everytime Carmie explodes and pushes away those he needs (shown when his panic attack is stopped by him thinking of Sydney) he's immediately punished for it. In Review Sydney and Marcus leave him and in The Bear he becomes literally locked away from his success. He becomes the person Richie feared becoming left to watch the world go by him while being stuck where he is. I think for season 3 we'll focus mainly on Carmie and him hopefully processing his trauma of his family, his brother and his boss that still looms over him and prevents him from being "the guy." The way Carmie also acts while locked in the fridge, continuing to bang and scream throughout the service, he comes across as someone who's suffering from addiction and needs a fix. He's desperate, angry and sad all at once. For Carmie, being in the kitchen is his addiciton, and when he loses his escape from all the outside noise, all the mental pressure he puts on himself, he's trying everything to get it back.
Actually cooking being his addiction is such a nice reading of the story. Addiction runs through his family, and if his brother got the substance abuse, he gets the “addiction” of cooking. As we see in the Christmas episode, his mum cooks a wonderful meal, but it’s done through so much pain and toxicity, which I think Carmy is trying to fix.
The bear is prove you cant have AI writing scripts. This show is art. Inspired by the human experiences, expressed in writing, and brought to life by creators and actors who understands what it means to live.
Richie had the best character arc this season, and it really surprised me. I found him hard to love in season 1 and it was so great to see him come into his own and find new purpose. Loved the video! Glad I stumbled across your channel and will be checking out more of your videos.
This is the first time I've sat through a 40 minute youtube show analysis in one go. The line "what is social media but watching a thousand trains leave without you" is just art, and somehow it was just comforting to sit and listen to someone articulate so much about a show that absolutely blew me away. Really hoping they land season 3
I feel like Natalie's character being logical and the character to bounce off of actually, I think, fits her character as because she grew up with such a volatile household, she became immensely attuned to people's shifts in mannerisms and mood, and because she so viscerally has to make sure her mother is okay, she also does the same in her daily life, just on a subtler level because the triggers are much more manageable than her home life for most of her life
The show on its own is fantastic, but the flavor you put into this review is outstanding. Your comparisons are otherworldly. I would have never thought about how Mikey’s death was made to be a Christ-like death for the sake of collective rebirth. To come to such a conclusion is absolutely mind blowing. I hope to write and sound like you one day. I will now watch every video you have ever made.
The opening night started out as a one take, just like episode seven of the first season, then when things start going wrong, at the most pivotal and chaotic moment, it cuts to the clock. This immediately lets you know that its not going to go like it did last time. Marcus, Sydney and Richie have all grown enough to make this time different, and the subversion of expectations by ending that one take shows how this time, they can handle it, even with Carmy shouting from the walk-in
Fun fact from my psycho bread making phase during the pandemic. The steam tray isn't to keep the bread softer per se. It's to make sure the surface doesn't set too early and basically start toasting. If it starts toasting then it starts cracking. Cracks let out the steam that is inside the bread when you're letting it cool. The steam let's the bread expand as much as it can without over setting and browning and cracking. And with the surface as intact as possible, it allows the steam to promote rising in the oven and keeps moisture in while cooling.
I think you highlighted why this show is superior to Ted Lasso. This show has characters that EARN their feel good moments. Episode 7 of this season is legitimately one of my favorite episodes of TV ever because we’ve invested in Richie despite his flaws and finally seeing him realize his potential is so fucking wholesome. Ted Lasso’s wholesome moments more or less come out of nowhere just to make the audience feel good. The characters that we root for in Ted Lasso seemingly have no flaws that are completely their fault. They don’t feel like real people. Richie on the other hand has some massive flaws. I’ve met hundreds of Richie’s in my life. but he works on his flaws. He doesn’t let them define him. He earns his success. Every second truly counts in The Bear.
The best part is Richie’s flaws still shine through after he’s more or less “redeemed” himself. He still cusses and in the finale he has a full blown out argument with Carmy while he was trapped inside the walk-in fridge, after the dinner rush he yells and had to compose himself when he realized that guests were still in the dining room.
I also just wanted Carmy to get back in the kitchen and do what he does best. But I also understand why the insertion of Claire was necessary. I personally disliked all the close up face shots of Carmy and Claire, but I get that we're so up close because it's sort of the way they feel- they have tunnel vision for each other. So their surroundings melt away. In turn it can sort of feel suffocating too, which I suppose Carmy also felt at times- the overwhelming feelings of finally being with someone you were sort of in love with forever.
I like that tunnel-vision contrast to the way the Beef used to feel, especially in Episode 7 last season. When Carmy is with Claire, his world becomes even smaller than that cramped little kitchen that he desperately loves. I think that absolutely terrifies him; he loses sight of the kitchen and Mikey both when he's with Claire.
That love scene (if I can call it that) between Claire and Carmy felt so off, specifically at the end where Carm looks like he's being smothered, I can't even understand if he's in sheets or Claire's arms... That whole scene was off and claustrophobic. Anyways with the Nine Inch Nails music playing, I knew that relationship was doomed.😅
Everywhere Carmy is gets too close, claustrophobic, cramped, and everyone that is there with him will get sucked in too, even Claire. It's why it hits so hard when Richie calls him Donna in the end of the last episode. He does the same as she. He's just still in progress to eventually become as destructive as her, or to own it up and solve it. It's so good
It just didn't feel that Claire had any real dimension to her. She was the girl next door, the perfect girlfriend, the scholar - just archetypes - but who is she as a human? I think she was written in such an empty way to illustrate how Carmy is looking for a perfect escape away from the chaos of his life. Yes , Claire is perfect on paper, but in no way does this perfection help Carmy be his perfect self... the creative chef genius we know he is.
That may be true, but arguably isn't the point. She was brought in to illustrate Carmy's inability to balance work and life, and to illustrate that no matter who the girl is, he's got so much trauma and self-loathing to work through, he can't really have a romantic relationship with anybody, right now.
That’s because she isn’t a main character, and getting to know her as a person independent from Carmy isn’t necessary to the story they’re talking about the restaurant. If they had wasted time on her over Tina, or Ebra, or anyone who works at the restaurant, it wouldn’t have added anything to the story excerpt length.
I thought so too, and while I still think that holds validity I think it’s also true to some degree that Claire’s character maybe wasn’t truly meant to be fleshed out in the way Richie’s or Marcus’ has, at least in this season. Claire was more meant to represent an idea rather than a person; Carmy’s struggle to maintain a healthy lifestyle outside of the kitchen. But more than that I think that Claire was made or showcased to be perfect to highlight Carmy’s inability to think of anyone outside of himself. In Carmy’s eyes Claire was this perfect person who was always witty, smart, kind, etc., something that he struggled with on a daily basis. Claire was his savior, devoid of all the negativities that plagued his everyday life. It’s only in the finale when he completely shatters her heart with his selfishness does he realize that she’s an entire person with flaws and insecurities and worries and most of all a full life outside of his own. Only then does he realize the repercussions of his actions. Despite this it still leaves me unsatisfied knowing that her character essentially served as a vehicle for Carmy’s development and hopefully we get to explore more of her character in a third season.
@@Jen-de9spI feel like the gloves will be coming off in terms of Claire Bear's approach to our broken down Carmy next season. She's gonna hit him with some hard truths about how he gets on with people. What he does with that though, will be very interesting to see. She had a lot of time and sympathy for him this season because it is evident she knew what his home life was like growing up. But now that he's gone full monologue about how he shouldn't have her in his life because she's just a distraction from the life he *should* be living... she's gonna have to get real with him about how skewed his perceptions of reality are. **He's** the one responsible for the fridge fuck up, and **only** him, not her being with him.
Season 1 Richie references Philip K. Dick was one of the super odd one-off lines that really stuck with me. The man is clearly smart, well read but just dealt kind of a shit hand. Forks had me sobbing and jumping up and down.
Also want to point out the motif of FORKS! Which forks to buy. Mike throwing forks. Ritchie polishing forks. Running out of forks. It's this looked down upon item because it's so ubiquitous, yet it's used as the basic tool for eating, as a weapon, as a meditative practice, and something so easily overlooked at within the same season.
The episode with the whole family is so heart wrenching, but relatable in so many ways. It’s the perfect microcosm of Carmen’s learned behavior & the way he acts and feels throughout the whole series.
Watching this review, it hit me. Pete bringing the fish was a joke sure, but thinking back to what their mom said about nobody making anything beautiful for her and he was the ONLY one who actually brought something that showed he thought and cared about her....and then remembering the scene with both of them outside of the restaurant and her validating how good he is was a perfect way to tie it together, but in turn it wrecks him. He gets acknowledged and IS apart of the family in a way that the mother had to damage him fully for it be complete. Dude the writing in this show is something else. Hard agree on the episode highlights as well. 4, 6, & 7 we're just amazing.
I thought Syd had an interesting and unexpected trajectory in the final episode of Season 2. It felt like a lot of the side characters had major, carthartic break throughs while she and Carmy struggled this season, especially in this last episode. Syd was struggling to keep up with the rush, timidly calling out orders, and froze when Carmy locked himself in the walk-in. Richie swoops in and saves the day. When she goes back to start calling orders and realizes the machine printing tickets is broken / out of paper, I think she has a few realizations in that moment that result in her throwing up: 1) Carmy is not a reliable partner. Yet. He could still get there but, despite putting in a ton of work, he consistently let her down this season. And failing to call the fridge guy was the ultimate self sabotage that led to a distaerous first night. 2) This kitchen seems to be cursed. Even though she pivoted to a new position and the team really came through, within moments, the ticket machine stopped working and a whole new stressful problem presented itself. No matter how many proverbial fires she puts out, a new one is inevitable. She never gets to enjoy a win because a new disaster is always right around the corner. 3) Despite a very tumultuous first night, they made it through. They successfully opened the new restataunt and the diners were pleased. This was the thing she has been working SO hard for all this time. Was it worth it? Does she really want this incredibly stressful life? I think her smile at the end is her answer of 'yes' to that question, but I think she had a stress induced existential crisis that forced her to come to terms with all of this and her body couldn't handle it. Season 2 ended on a very low note with Carmy listening to Claire's voicemail and feeling completely defeated. I hope season three will be when Carmy and Syd have their hero's journeys completed in a satisfying way. As an aside, I hope they don't get romantically involved. I can't see that ending well. A complex and deep platonic relationship between a man and woman is something we don't see enough of on TV. I'm here for it.
Beautiful analysis, I just had to ask was the ticket machine broken? Because I saw it as her mind replaying the noise like it was haunting her. It also was the end of the day, so I thought all the ordering was done.
@mars06_ that's an interesting idea! I hadn't thought about it that way but I just went back and watched that scene again and I think you're right. It's kind of ambiguous I guess but yeah, it's like the ticket machine was a representation of her anxiety, self-doubt, etc. Like it was mocking her for failing to do something that Richie could, after hating and discounting him for so long. I think if it was really broken and more orders were coming in, she'd be trying to fix it.
FACTS!!!!!! I see a lot of people shipping the two and i really dont think that would work out well, even Ayo Edibiri who plays Syd said herself she doesn't think theyd go well together
Yoooo mikey as christ figure fantastic analysis. IDK how that hadn't occurred to me before given all the redemption in the show is predicated on him dying first. Wild
Something I don’t hear enough people talking about is the symbolism from every episode leading up to the finale of S2. The episode opens with the dreadful sound of the printer that we first heard in the Review episode, almost as a call to chaos. Another callback to Review, we get a 12 minute one-shot take that perfectly describes the chaotic nature of the restaurant. Something to take notice is that the one-take ends when Carmy is stuck in the walk-in. While the team is thinking “we’re fucked”, Syd and Richie (completing his Hero story) take control and complete the task at hand. Something peculiar I noticed is how they left Carmy in the walk-in, with no one to try and help or even keep him company. It may be a callback to the trains, and how the world moves on. Carmy being stuck in the freezer is a metaphor to him being stuck in his ways of digging deeper into the lonely hole he dug for himself. Sorry for the long explanation, let me know if I was just rambling lol
My favorite element of the biker in Honeydew being a representation of letting go is the big hug between them. Showing there's no love lost with the act of letting go.
@@datura_preworkout I understand that we may have been seeing Claire through carmys POV but I think her character was very rushed. We don't really know who she is, carmy doesn't even remember that she sat behind him in class or her name when they met in ep 2, so we kinda had to just remember that she was maybe important a long time ago. Also, I kind of just wish we could've seen what would happen if carmy never picked up that phone call from Claire and flaked on Syd in ep 3(?)
I think if they would’ve showed Claire during the Christmas episode it could of possibly given her and her relationship with Carmy a bit more depth. I too, hope we don’t see Claire again…she seemed like a distraction for Carmy and the restaurant.
@@nikekid009 yes! I think it would've given us more insight on how she interacts with his family. But her name is brought up by Mikey and Richie while Carmy is getting cornered and panicking so we don't really see how he genuinely feels in that moment
@TheBerlinEdit Wait. Didn't he *claim* he didn't remember her, but then it was revealed he was actually drawing pictures of her in the Christmas episode that he lied about to her when she asked what the drawings he used to do were of? Or did I just hallucinate that part? I thought it was an attempt to show how self-conscious he was about just *how much* he remembered her. So much as to make him nervous about admitting it in case she thought he was a creep. So he pretended he remembered her less, to over compensate for his fears.
Claire was more Carmy's fantasy of a woman rather than the actual woman. Often times people like Carmy with childhood trauma carry over the childhood disassociating, the fantasy in the imaginary world they relied on, into their adult lives. This shows itself in the individuals they tend to choose as partners. Then when patterns are established in that person's life, it's very difficult to break the patterns without lots of processing and therapy. Claire happened to be his crush at a stage in his life that was formative, so when she presented herself it felt familiar to him. Where Claire went wrong was to not take note of why he gave her a false number. Either she was very astute and realized he was just being being flaky Carmy, whom she knew in school, or she lacked enough emotional maturity to say oh hell no and let him go- from the jump. Her continuing to contact him even after he gave her a dog ate my homework type of excuse shows something in *her makeup. Two unhealed people together rarely work. She seems together because she's a doctor but in that one choice she made, she set herself up for the hurt. The question becomes: Is it love or co-dependency? (I have this posted on my bathroom mirror). Claire was a way to show the viewer that Carmy is emotionally confused and dysregulated and needs a lot of emotional healing before he can get into a healthy relationship. His focus is on the restaurant and the viewer's should also be; the love angle is always necessary to spice up a script. It adds to the addictive roller coaster of drama that fuels the series, much like life.
this is a great video analysis of the show, appreciate you making this. As for my favorite part of the season i feel it's almost impossible to watch the taylor swift scene without a big dumb smile on my face and happy tears. Finally seeing some direction and clarity in Richie's life after all the instability and strife that he goes through with everything up until that point is great to see. Also I think that's the best use of a pop song in a tv scene ever, up there with the "run away with me" scene in Mr Robot.
one of my favorite things about the bear is their use of needle drops. there's this scene where in the background (!) of the main conversation you can hear fak talking about the replacements album to hold up the engineer. i think he says something along the lines of 'one of my favorite albums, _pleased to meet me_ which has _can't hardly wait_ in it, which is one of the best high school songs of all time'. and then later on we see claire take carmy to a party, where carmy kind of mentions missing out on this sort of house party experience because of being laser-focused on becoming a chef. it's a very cutesy moment where they put these characters in their thirties (i assume) into this very youthful and carefree environment. and guess what song is playing in the background !!
There's just something about redemption stories that I absolutely love, and ep. 7 "Forks" for Richie is just... PERFECT man. Like damn, That dude literally just flipped his switch and became my favorite character with just how he acted with all of that and the factors leading up to it. Love that guy
I feel like the issue with Sydney and Carmy in this season is that it's their middle chapter, and they're both stuck, unable to grow. That's often hard to watch. The show countered it nicely with this incredibly moving, almost fairy-tale episodes of Richie and Marcus transforming. And meanwhile, Sugar, Tina, and Ebra all grow, or get second chances. That all served to balance how stuck the two main characters are. People came away with the idea that Carmy's relationship with Clair is a dangerous distraction from his "real" work on the restaurant, but that seems like a toxic notion. Carmy isn't distracted because of the relationship, he's distracted because he doesn't know how to balance work and life, because he's never had a life. So he doesn't know what to make of actually enjoying his time with someone he adores, and how it makes the restaurant feel like even less of a joy, even more of a burden. And more importantly, he sees love as a constant state of emergency. He can't see his time with Claire as restorative and rewarding, even though that's exactly what it is. When he thinks about it, all he feels is a sense of impending disaster, because that's all love has ever been for him. Love means waiting for a car to drive through the wall. Love means waiting for bad news. Love is the feeling you have before catastrophe strikes. So of course, even though catastrophe wasn't going to strike his relationship with Claire, his fears bring about the thing he dreads. Meanwhile, Sydney is so desperate to succeed, and succeed right now, she sabotages herself too, taking on more than she can handle, and then freezing, unable to endure the stress. Luckily, she's not alone. She had the whole team to back her up, which is what a good leader always wants. But she's greedy for success, and for the success to be hers. She's desperate to prove to her father that she can do it. So she's always trying to run before she can walk. And when Carmy, or anyone, tell her she's not ready, or her effort isn't perfect, or she's made a mistake, she gets angry with them, or she gets angry with herself. The problem with being unable to take criticism is that you get stuck, unable to improve. And that seems to be where Sydney is now, stuck in a pattern of wanting to prove she's ready to lead, showing that she's not, and then getting angry at everyone, including herself, for letting her down, rather than simply working on improving. There's been some chatter about a romantic connection between Carmy and Sydney. I suspect there's something to that, and we'll see the two try dating next season. But I don't see it going well. Once again, in the Swiss-watch craft of the show, each character represents to the other their most toxic desires. In Carmy, Sydney sees the ideal she wants to achieve, ignoring what a mess he is. And in Sydney, Carmy will see a way to get his love needs met by the restaurant industry. I suspect that may be the source of the next season's core drama.
this is a really great analysis! as for sydney’s arc i felt like it was an arc of frustration and slight growth on purpose. watching her doubt carmy and hers partnership was needed as it clearly wasn’t equal at all this season and it felt like she was doing pretty much everything. it was so frustrating to watch the first turn into this when she is excited to go try foods with carmy and he’s not answering her and just straight up ghosts her, that frustration with him carried through the rest of the season and i think without carmy she couldn’t grow as much as she has the potential for because he wasn’t picking up the slack he was SUPPOSED TO. so she had to compensate for all he wasn’t doing instead of completely focusing on how to be a better leader and chef. i also think that syd and camrys relationship will progress slow but surely into something romantic. if not for the little things then for two big things 1. the thought of sydney calming down carmy during a panic attack about claire and his family and 2. the table scene and gift scene. especially when she talks about melting and he says he won’t let her then she looks up at him and they stare a eachother for a couple seconds while he shakes his head. really excited for the next season!!!! a perfect show.
If Carmy’s going to have a romantic relationship in the show it only makes sense to me that it should be with someone within the business, someone with the same level of focus required to make the restaurant a success, to me, the only person that meets that standard is Syd.
I actually really hope that doesn't happen as I think there are too few shows that show deep platonic, non-romantic friendships/partnerships between men and women. Also I don't think mixing business with romantic partnership is necessarily a smart decision.
@@Tony2dH I agree with you. I think people are so used to the main characters falling in love that they start shipping Syd and Carmy, but I don’t see them fitting together romantically. I also would like to see a show where a man and woman can grow together in platonic relationship.
Cant stop introducing people to this show. And when they tell me that they've finished the first season I cant help but get even more excited because truthfully, the first season is all setup and S2 is a lot more payoff. Especially with the episodes you highlighted. Brilliant television
This is a very insightful view of the show, particularly eps 6 and 7. Nice catch with the "Last Supper"/13 people & Christ-like references. Very interesting and had not thought of those before. Generational trauma for sure. The ep with Richie finding his purpose and getting inspired again after so much loss was beautiful. Would like to know how Donna got that anxious (or mentally ill--driving a car through a house goes beyond garden-variety anxiety). And the big mystery of the show--WHERE is Carmy's, Mike's and Nat's DAD?? It's implied that he's still alive and that his flippant choice to become a "restauranteur" may have caused the stress for the mother and therefore, for Mikey and the Beef.
I too wanted more food scenes like the omelette one, which I suppose we did get from Marcus in Amsterdam and also at Chef Terry's restaurant, but I think I wanted more.
@@skwibblez9239 yes!! i love that and also love that richie reading murakami is now canon. i wonder if they had the book somewhere in the background of his apartment in episode 7
Carmie teaching Sydney the ASL "I'm sorry" sign was a key part of this whole season for me. I've actually taught it to my grand daughter as something you can use when tempers are high but you want to say "Let's talk later."
Here’s where S2 fails for me; Claire is a plot device and not a character. Everything we know about Carmie in S1 has established he has one singular purpose and that is to maintain the restaurant his dead brother left behind. No romance, not even really references to Carmen’s romantic past, and yet we are supposed to believe he will so quickly drop the ball reopening the restaurant for a girl who he grew up with? Who is still friends with his friends? Claire gets no real personality developed, despite the best efforts of her actress, because she only exists to create conflict between Syd and Carm. I find it to be the biggest blight on this otherwise well-written show.
It’s a real bummer, but a lot of people in this industry have the exact same mentality as Carmy, you can’t be the best if you have something else on your mind. Give up on family, give up on health, give up on happiness, nothing else matters. There’s a reason chefs are notorious for drug and alcohol abuse, why we die young, and why we’re so depressed.
Man, this show is so great. I also loved Forks, that was my favourite episode too. It was a difficult season to watch, especially bc I feel so connected to Carmy. He was… not at his best this season. I think there’s a lot of feeling like Claire was poorly written or there was no point to her character… honestly, I thought she was incredible in the sense that she embodied a plot device perfectly. I felt deeply uncomfortable watching their scenes and I think that was intended. It all felt kind of unreal. I think Carmy might have felt like she was helping him move forward, but being so intrinsically linked to his traumatic childhood, suggests their relationship might be more of a regression. His whole family loved her so much and wanted her for him, which feels like ‘not a good sign’, considering their dysfunction. In the end, Claire was a teenage fantasy that wasn’t grounded (or grounding) in reality. Too intense. Too fast. We didn’t get to know her more because her character only really existed inside Carmy. That scene of her working felt like a pretty representation of what Carmy imagined her work-life was like. She’s kind and clean, gentle, and in control. Didn’t feel at all like the ER medicine she described. She also hinted at her past, managing drunk people at parties, and shoplifting as a teenager. Feels like Carmy might perceive her (and us, through his eyes) as something she isn’t. Seemed like there was an edgier, obsessive streak in her, but he idolised her, which is why he/we didn’t see it, thus her character not feeling ‘real’. I don’t think you can have a healthy relationship in that kind of dynamic, so, I gotta say, I hope we leave her in Season 2. I think she served her purpose and truly aced the role. He’s gonna shut down big time after this, but he’ll have to learn he can’t live his life by beating himself into submission, or escaping into fantasy. Balance - like you said. I hope in the next season he’ll find that balance with the people in his life who are real and grounded in reality. I think that’s his little family at The Bear.
I think that's a good observation about Claire. Personally, I would be totally OK with Claire coming back as long as they develop her character more. She was that idealized version of a person when a relationship is new and you're madly in love with the person --you think they are--. Once you get over the "honeymoon" stage and get to know them better, things change. I have all the confidence in the world that this team of writers can develop the imperfect side of Claire and make her a more real and interesting character in season 3 if they wanted to go that route.
I appreciate that analysis tbh and I really, really hope that is the path moving forward with Claire! Very good thinking. It definitely seems too idealistic. I think a big portion of my personal disliking regarding Claire really is the fact her presence and her scenes really do just feel... out of place almost, 'too idealistic' as I mentioned. Maybe that's the point, whatever, but it still feels out of place purposefully or not. Almost corny in a way. Overall though, there was a lot more convenience and melodrama and obviously staged moments (the wall falling down as Sugar is talking about a secret she didn't want anyone to know, the dramatic TV show pauses in between dialogue, the entire walk-in scene, etc.). Maybe this was a thing in season 1 too but idk, I notice it a lot more in season 2. It's just off-putting because s1 was so real, so visceral, and easily connected to any average day working in a real life kitchen, and s2 loses a bit of that, especially with Claire.
These video essays so often completely miss the mark and are full of pretentious bullshit. Beautiful job providing actually meaningful and substantial thoughts about the show. You couldn’t have captured the genius of it better. Bravo.
I scrolled through the comments, of course everyone's talking about this "masterpiece" of a series. I'm sure there are some, but none that I saw talk about how you shared your thoughts on what you watched and admired. I will, your talk so poetically detailed was just wonderful, from Aristotle references to making connections to Christlike death and rebirth for the sake of the common good. brilliant thank you for your keen eye.
Your channel needs more attention. This was some of the most thoughtful and intelligent analysis of a piece of art that I've seen in a very long time. Your dedication to the craft and consumption of storytelling is abundantly apparent throughout this video. You gave me tons of insights into things I barely noticed before, and I tend to be a super observant viewer! Well done, I will be binging all your videos for sure
My husband and both of my sons are professional chefs in fine dining, baking, and private catering respectively. It is challenging to see this career so often glorified on television. It’s easy to romanticize, but can wreak havoc on the personal lives of those who answer this calling. It IS a calling for some and I’m grateful for this show’s more realistic approach. It should have been noted that the Copenhagen episode was directed by Ramy Youssef. His work is so apparent throughout and responsible for so much of the subtle, but deep emotion. He has a real gift for bringing out the beautiful complications of modern men. I’m the happiest for Richie this season, but Copenhagen was my favorite episode. I felt so much from even just the hug from the cyclist. Absolute masterpiece.
Forks was so good. Really don't like Taylor swift, which actually made the big music drop of the episode effect me even more, because I got so into it for the first time and just let go my of cynicism, my like Richie in that moment. It was beautiful
So I rewatched Fishes, twice (I'm pretty twisted from a whole bunch of shit, don't ask). First time, I knew immediately that shit was going down, because I have had many a Christmas like that, pounding a beer and chain-smoking cigarettes out the front for a bit of peace and quiet, away from the impending chaos and looming eruption. Walking back into that house, is like being the person at the end of a zombie movie or horror movie, and having to go back into the madness. I felt that. I still felt like I was walking into the House of the Dead the second and third times, but it's like when you've played a game from start to finish, you know what to expect and roughly when to expect it. That's what it's like for them, having to be packed into that house with all that venom and Donna looming over you like the last boss who dips in and out over the course of the story. Kinda like Albert Wesker in resident evil, to be honest, LOL. They all gave insanely good performances, but that episode is pure emotional trauma.
I have seen "Forks" 4 times already. And I started watching the show only 2 weeks ago. If I ever need inspiration, I used to watch the first episode "Curahee" of Band of Brothers. Now I also have "Forks".
2 criticisms for me. The first few episodes were slow and couldve been combined rather than cut up into 30 min segments for each side character. Given it all drops at once tho that doesnt matter too much tho. Just felt like weak short episodes. Main criticism is the casting of mulaney who stuck out like a sore thumb taking me out of the story every time he spoke, and fishes was so damn good if he was replaced with a better actor it wouldve been PERFECT
And also...ep 5 with the party...can we talk about Kyle the Ambien-guzzling, cell phone-stealing, suffers-from-fixations firecracker-setter-offer friend from high school?!?? Random bit of levity in an ep about Carmy's shyness and disconnection from friends and dating. Who thought to write in such specific weirdness about this totally minor character?? Lol.
Actually that episode reminded me of Garden State, reconnecting with hometown school friends and feeling that shockwave of just how much distance and growth youve had and realizing how optional it is
@@Progressunlikely Interesting point. Do you mean...that it's an indicator to Carmy how some people remained stunted for 20 years, cueing him to realize that he too can choose to think and act like a responsible adult in his work life and personal life, thus working on his mental health issues? After all, Nat encouraged him in S1 to go to the Al-Anon support groups and he does, 2-3 times, so he's already starting to work on that long before we see this potential contrast you're alluding to, with Ambien/cell phone/firecracker guy. Also, have we figured out how old Carmy is? He seems educated and experienced enough in his profession to be 31-35ish, and it's established that Richie is 44-45 in S.1, and Mikey and Richie are peers. Nat seems to be the middle sister. But Claire looks young, is just finishing her residency, and she's a classmate of Carmy's. Don't doctors who go on a straight track from Bachelor's degree to 4 years of med school, to internship, then to residency, get to residency around age 28-31? Are we to assume Claire maybe took some time off in the middle of her studies, if she's 31-35, having graduated with Carmy? And Mikey/Jon Bernthal doesn't look 15 years older than him. (Though Jon Bernthal is 46 IRL, actually.)
@@L_O27 Good catch about Richie being an only child (which compounds that character's loneliness). Carmy was probably getting the drywall quote from Richie's ex-wife Tiffany's brother.
I feel like not many people see Carmy and Sydney together, and i understand why, but when I think of it, of their mutal efforts to comunicate greatly, their dreams and their aspiration to not be alone ("you're not alone Carm" "Neither are you Syd."), i feel like they would be great together. because they both have this way of understanding things, while still keeping space for themselves, without getting drowned in this universe of the other person, and it hink that it could be the balance that they both need. Sydney trust Carmen, because she knows he wants, and has been the best, and that's what she wants, and in my mind, that's why she wants a michelin stars; when Carmy wants to feel like he belongs, i feel like he is so tired of feeling this fracture between him and the others, and for me, this season, showed that this need to belong, driving him away from what he does, felt like he will need to be more careful with who he decides to belong with, because he cannot belong with someone "perfect" like Claire. She cannot understand, nor manage the chaos nor the anxiety: "sometimes there's no other shoe". Anxiety isn't rationnal, it's an unreasonnable fear that you have to manage, but it's not going away. I feel like she wouldn't have been able to help him, because of the fracture of their two worlds. But, when he freaks out, before the opening nights, and rethink about the intimacy he had the previous night, with her, the thing that comes to his mind, that seems to soothe the panic, is Sydney. At that moment, the music calms down, everything fades, and he just sees her, when she arrived at the restaurant, when they talked, and talked and talked. And i think that it tells us more than we need to know about what she brings him. Anyway, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
This might be one of the smartest videos I’ve seen on the internet, especially the breakdown of the Forks episode, truly spectacular, I had some inclinations about the scenes between mentor/mentee but your inclusion of the meaning of Pequod and Murakami's character about the trains is something that hit me really hard, kinda why I went back to those scenes over and over again, you put into words what I couldn't articulate, thank you so much for this 👏👏👏
As a chef, it was a surreal moment for you to describe the field as sometimes violent. I always thought that but could never quite put a name to it, the way your body reacts after each shift is very much akin to having just been in an intense fight. Anyway, rest of the video was great, thoroughly enjoy your analysis.
The Bear also doesn't fall for the same tropes so many other shows do Relationships aren't as stylized as most shows portray them Carmy and Claire start hanging out. Another show would probably have them hooking up in the first episode they make contact. But The Bear treats its audience with respect, and portrays this relationship as one should. Carmy is dealing with a lot. And just being outright horny and having sex immediately makes no sense in his mindset. Instead it shows them building and talking before they even have any intimacy at all It's funny that after a couple of decades of gritty crime dramas, stories of motorcycle gangs, and plastic surgeons doing insane crap, FX's best show is about a kitchen and the people within
This video was absolutely fantastic. The attention to detail and clarity with which you broke down this show’s narrative was just amazing. I’ve never seen one of your videos before, but I will 100% be hitting that subscribe button after watching this. Stupendous job. 10/10.
This is my new favorite RU-vid channel - I love that you did Station 11 too, along with The Bear we're talking about the best TV show of 2021 (Station 11), best TV show of 2022 and 2023 again (The Bear) edit: actually on 2nd thought probably in 2022 season 2 of Reservation Dogs is higher in my list than season 1 of The Bear... that's a show you should totally explore in its third and final season, coming up in a few days...
you’re quickly becoming my favorite video essayist. i honestly eat up everything you say! please keep making videos, i enjoy them so so much. lovely work❤
Great video! Agreed with pretty much every single one of your points. As much as I liked season 1 of the bear, season 2 caused me to absolutely love this show, and I can’t say enough about how what initially seems like a simple comedy show about the stresses of working in a restaurant has become a show that has made me laugh, cry, and root for everyone’s success, even when they do things that make you want to pull your hair out. What an amazing show, I can’t say enough about it! And your videos, which are amazing as well! Great job
Thanks for the commentary, which made me realize that "Every Second Counts" is a motto that the writers, actors, and showrunners take seriously too...they show us, the audience, respect by making sure every second of our time devoted to their creation...counts.
Wonderful analysis! I want to expand on the murakami reference that Richie makes in episode 1. You described Richie's interpretation of the book that he didnt finish reading. For most of the novel, the main character doesnt actually know why his friends abandoned him. His identity after that incident is shaped by loss and by a lack of self identity. On a journey to reveal the truth of what happened back then, the main character is also finding meaning, or "color", for himself. Similarly, Richie's character in S1 is suspended in a state of reacting to major losses in his life. The relationships that he thought defined him have fallen away and he becomes colorless. He has no purpose and no momentum. At the start of S2 when Richie is recounting The Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki, he has projected his own experience onto the character. From his own perspective, Richie is worthless and everyone leaves because he'll never be enough. But Richie didnt finish the book! And what we see unfolding with his character in episodes 6 and 7 mirrors the journey of Tsukuru. Richie slowly learns to accept and move on from the loss of his friends and family, and finds a quiet strength inside himself that was always there.
It's always a pleasure to see Gillian Jacobs in things. Britta for the win! On a more serious note, these episodes were easily the most striking in a very impactful series.
Love the shots at Ted Lasso lmao. I liked TL at first but season 3 felt like the writers saying "Fuck you for caring, we have already moved on" to my face. Lowkey like D&D in season 7-8 of GoT.
Loved to see the diagram of "The Hero's Journey" ... I felt with the finale (and throughout season 2), they were definitely trying to keep the star chef (Carmy) with his hands tied behind his back through his rekindling with Claire & his trauma and panic attacks. He was always shown on screen with a lack of focus and needing to move from one issue to another (without resolving the former). For the purpose of the story, it helps elevate the characters around him, specifically Syd & Richie, to give them purpose to rise above their own issues to have a relatively successful opening night. I feel like next season, for The Bear to truly be profitable and (possibly) get a star - and if we're using sports analogies - they will need their star, Carmen, in MVP form. He has to also rise above his past, repair his relationship with a great stage-to-be in Richie, welcome something good in Claire, and truly be a better leader - the kind he wish he had in NYC - to Syd. There was great foreshadowings and dialogue of Carmy's brilliance in Marcus & Richie's training in Denmark & NYC and for the viewers, we haven't quite seen much of it in either seasons of The Bear. Looking forward to his moment soon, hopefully. But not every story is optimistic or sunshine and roses....We've seen Carmy's mother not have anything resolved since "Fishes" and continues to portray herself as an awful mother. Is Carmy the Kendall Roy to Dee's Logan?
Anyone feel weird aeeing jamie lee curtis so....broken? Everytime ive seen her in movies or tv she seems so funloving and full of life. Almost motherly in how warm she is. Seeing her as donna I didnt recognize her at first. Donna was an antithesis kf everything ive seen jamie in. She legit scared me when she snapped.
This is spectacularly good "criticism". I use the scare quotes because criticism in this sense isn't the common meaning of the word. "Wide-ranging analysis " is probably closer to reality, but unfortunately, there's no job title that fits that,
I just found your channel today and have already binged three of your videos within the span of 3 hours. Loving your work and thoughts and series. Would you ever consider giving your thoughts on the walking dead? I feel like you’d have such great thoughts on it.
@@jrrtalkin awesome! I’ll say the first half of The Walking Dead is so much more then just a stereotypical zombie series and is all about the character drama, but the second half of the series unfortunately becomes a stereotypical zombie series. And of course 🖤
fantastic show! fantastic breakdown and insight on your part! I finished season 2 last night and literally have found it hard to watch anything else since. Nothing matches the perfection of this show, writing, editing, acting, production design, directing, sound, musical score, lighting...on and on! Incredible casting, incredible show! Thank you HULU for offering such a quality show. Cried when I had to say goodbye to Ted Lasso, but then I found The Bear! ps...I subscribed, too.
This is one of those shows that I started because I knew people talked about it. And when I started it I couldn’t tell why I wanted to keep watching. And by the time I got to season 2 I realized that it was mainly because of the characters. It’s similar to how I felt about watching the show Lost, I was more invested in the characters and their growth rather than the overall plot line. Although The Bear definitely has an engaging plot line. The other thing that caught my eye was how amazing the pacing and overall vibe of the show it. Shows often leave a lot of open space for lines to land with audiences, but I love when dialogue doesn’t let you breathe, it makes you pay attention. I also love how impressive the one shot takes are. I don’t know how many in total there are in the show, but it feels like there was more than 3 (someone pls let me know if you know the answer). When I was watching the haunting of hill house there was like a 15 minute one shot scene or something and it was very impressive. But it was very advertised with a lot of behind the scenes and it was really the only big one of the show. Which is fine and absolutely still worth praise and admiration because any one shot is not easy. But the easy flowing nature of The Bears one shot scenes really amazed me. It was like you didn’t notice it was a one shot because it just felt like you were watching real life chaos
Great review! In my opinion, the Bear is the most captivating and thoughtful show of all time. “Every second counts” perfectly encapsulates how the show is created, the amount of subtle references and meticulous detail put into every little shot is unparalleled. There might be shows that are more enjoyable to watch, but I’m not sure that there are any objectively better made. From the writing, to the camera work, to the top-tier acting and perfect casting choices, the show really has no fat on it. “Every second counts”
The relationship between the chacters is like in Bobs buguers is chaos but haves respect and love.. I don't know if FX still do Archer.. but if still just cancel that and make more show like the bear ot bobs buguers
