Review: The Bear Season 1

I finally watched The Bear. Friends recommended it to me back in July 2022, but as always, I prefer to wait and see if it stands the test of time.

And it does. I mean, by the time I am writing this only half an year has passed, but enough recommendations from different people came in, so I could be sure it had enough impact on people.

The show itself is about a chef taking over his brother’s restaurant in Chicago. I won’t spoil it too much since it’s only eight ~30-minute episodes. It touches on restaurant life, which I’m not very familiar with, but matches the stories I’ve been told. It also talks about family. Loss. Personal relationships. Empathy. And other human subjects we all are familiar with unless you work in tech.

In a world where characters are written for a zoomer audience, where they are all quirky, woke, hip and whatever-the-new-word-of-the-year is, this show presents a very realistic view of people. Of course, it still falls on a few cliches here and there (as the struggles between Sydney and Tina, the latino woman). But it doesn’t stretch anything enough to make me cringe. The interactions all seem believable, specially in a high paced environment such as a restaurant kitchen.

I couldn’t stop drawing parallels with my experience in tech, and I think a lot is similar ( although we do tend to have more techy solutions to social problems). For example, the protagonist introduces the rule of calling each other “Chef” as a sign of respect. It may sound dumb, but I feel like that would be a start to fight against Impostor Syndrome we often face. Also the high coordination efforts, e.g. saying it out loud what you are doing, warning that you are passing behind someone, among others things, are all aspects I (would) appreciate in tech.

The other thing that captured me was the familiar struggles, that end up being the main thread that unites most characters. I am a bitch for these kind of things. May be the latino roots and watching telenovelas growing up.

Despite the obvious topic of the brother’s relationship, which already hits me hard, other small things pointed here and there were also powerful. Not giving your family enough attention. Running away. Trying to overcompensate for a trauma. Etc. I bet you will also find your own struggles to resonate with.

Speaking about the technical parts, there were lots of close-up shots, making you feel like you are there in the kitchen with them. Lots of shallow depth of field providing a bokeh effect and also the color grading make it feel cool and artistic. Plus the soundtrack with favourite indie bands like Sufjan Stevens, Wilco, Breeders, R.E.M, Radiohead etc. Honestly, sometimes it gets closer to being poser than hip, but it never stays long enough to bother.

I have to mention episode 7 which is made of a single long take. I don’t know if it was really shot like that or just very well edited. In any case it’s such a feat and it works perfectly with the episode’s script.

In conclusion, The Bear is a nice, short series that doesn’t treat you as a dumb person. It has a solid soundtrack, beautiful photography and well written characters. What else can you ask for?

My final review is: I liked it, would watch again and I am looking forward to season 2. Which apparently is coming up on Summer 2023.