Review: Just say 'Yes, chef!' to 'The Bear' Season 2

Beware, "The Bear" has returned.

That's not to say that FX and Hulu's restaurant drama is a show you need to avoid, by any means. It's one of the best shows on television right now − modern, unique and deeply affecting. No, the reason you need to be wary of "The Bear" (now streaming, ★★★½ out of four) is that the high-strung series has the ability to stress you out faster than a line cook could sear a duck breast. And Season 2 takes the stakes (and steaks) of Season 1 and ratchets them up to an 11/10. You think it was anxiety-inducing to watch these characters try to run a restaurant last year? Well, now they’re opening a new one from scratch. 

Whether the characters on screen are able to pull off their culinary venture isn't immediately clear, but the team behind the series has pulled off a second season that doesn’t disappoint after the widely-acclaimed first. The frenetic pace, naturalistic dialogue, deeply flawed but lovable characters and muscle-spasming tension of the first season all return. There is hype, certainly, for the 10-episode sophomore season to live up to, but unlike other recent returning series (“Ted Lasso” for one), “The Bear” hasn’t buckled under its own expectations. It grabs a ladle and whacks the heck out of them. 

Season 1 followed prestigious chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and his attempts to revitalize his family’s Italian beef sandwich joint in Chicago after his brother Michael (Jon Bernthal) dies by suicide. After discovering a cool $300,000 hidden in some tomato cans, Carmy, his partner chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), sister Natalie (Abby Elliott) and childhood friend Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are trying to flip The Beef sandwich shop into The Bear fine dining establishment. And it’s not going well. 

"The Bear" is Murphy's Law as a TV show − for this sweaty group of Chicagoans, anything that can go wrong will. There’s mold in the building. The permits aren’t coming through. They can’t hire staff. Sydney and Carmy can’t come up with a menu. And there’s a ticking clock until opening night. It is a true testament to the writers and actors that the series remains riveting and rhythmic amid the chaos. In lesser hands, the mayhem would be just that. In the hands of creator Christopher Storer and his writing team, it is a well-choreographed, foul-mouthed ballet. Just trade point shoes for chef’s knives. 

And while the pandemonium in the kitchen is what put “The Bear” on the map, Season 2 has some really lovely, quieter moments that stand out. Pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce) goes to Copenhagen for training, and it’s a wistful character study that slows down the pace of the series in a calming, pleasant way. A real strength of the season is the spotlight given to other supporting characters, although Carmy and Sydney remain a joy. Elliott has far more to do and a much better chance to shine. And Moss-Bachrach can still scream obscenities better than any other actor on TV. 

For all its culinary terminology and workplace tension, “The Bear” is really a show about family. The new episodes dig deep into how we are shaped by the families we’re given and the ones we make, and how family trauma follows us for the rest of our lives. And it’s not just Carmy who has the ghosts of loved ones following him around. 

Like a well-crafted meal, “The Bear” mixes all the sweet, sour, salty and bitter parts of life together to make something delicious.

What's the hype about?Read our Season 1 review of 'The Bear'