"The Bear" On Hulu Is A Great Watch For Anybody That's Ever Worked In The Restaurant Business As Well As For People That Haven't

Dante7/14/2022 9:10 PM

FX- A young chef from the fine dining world comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after a heartbreaking death in his family. A world away from what he's used to, Carmy must balance the soul-crushing realities of small business ownership, his strong-willed and recalcitrant kitchen staff and his strained familial relationships, all while grappling with the impact of his brother's suicide. As Carmy fights to transform both the shop and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges kitchen crew that ultimately reveals itself as his chosen family.

Editor's Note: We have dueling blogs recommending "The Bear" from Rico and Dante that were submitted around the same time. So since Barstool is a democracy, we are publishing both at the same time and letting the readers decide which to choose. I guess regardless who gets more clicks or positive comments in this unofficial blog off, the real winner will be "The Bear" for apparently good enough for two recommendation blogs out of the blue on the same day

So I'm not sure if this show "The Bear" has the buzz outside of Chicago that it does in it or not, but it's been quite the talk the past couple of weeks. After finishing Stranger Things, Lincoln Lawyer, and The Offer, I've pretty much ran out of stuff to watch so I decided to give it a whirl. Right from the jump it was an eye-roll inducing gag-fest. (But wait).

For starters, the shows main character is attempting to take what is essentially "Mr. Beef", and turn it into a fine dining establishment... Stay with me here.

It's headquartered in what use to be swanky and posh River North. (Thanks to Kim and Lori those days are a distant memory). Yet in the show, the neighborhood resembles some grimey and gritty blue collar area. I know I'm being picky here but, they bake bread in the restaurant. Something no place in Chicago does besides Subway. And we all know that's not actually bread.

They hang health department letter grades in restaurant windows (something I've never seen in my life anywhere in Chicago). Everybody is fawning over the show's star, Jeremy Allen White, but he came off so forced and unathentic (trust me, wait) at first that it was hard to stay with.

But stay with it I did and boy am I glad I did. Because it's only 8 episodes, they're short, and to my surprise, right around the 5th or 6th episode everything starts to come together. The characters and their relationships start to make sense and you get a feel for how all the pieces fit. The next to last, seventh episode, is one of the better, and cooler, episodes of tv I can remember seeing and I was really caught off guard.

Most of it is single shot and shows, what seems to me at least, to be the most realistic depiction of what a dinner time shift at a restaurant looks and feels like from the back of the house, and it is awesome.

If you watch this show just to watch the seventh episode (titled "Review") it's worth it. The anxiety that's build up swells and swells and swells and has you sweating like you're on the line yourself.

If you've worked in a restaurant you'll smile to yourself for how well they nail it. And if you haven't, it's a great eye opener to how each and every night each team is just looking to survive the night in one piece essentially.