TV: The Bear

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Two seasons in and I still think this is the best show on TV currently.

 

[Dubi Doo]

I watched it as well and thought this season was not as good as the first, but good (not great) nonetheless. I loved the Richie and Copenhagen episodes, but the Christmas episode was more grating than Uncut Gems. And Jamie Lee Curtis was over- the-top in not a good way. Still I look forward to a season 3.

I've only watched part of season one thus far, but you're the first person I've seen write this. All I see is praise for her performance.

 

[Mario_is_BACK!!]

JLC put on an exceptional performance, man. No clue how that’s seen as over the top. Give her the Emmy now.

 

[kook10]

JLC put on an exceptional performance, man. No clue how that’s seen as over the top. Give her the Emmy now.

No clue how you could not see it as over the top. That seems indisputable to me. The only question is: was it good or bad?

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I do think JLC is over the top ... now whether that's a good thing or bad thing, that's up to the viewer. I lean good. But she definitely is A LOT.

And I think she's going to win an Emmy.

 

[kook10]

I do think JLC is over the top ... now whether that's a good thing or bad thing, that's up to the viewer. I lean good. But she definitely is A LOT.

And I think she's going to win an Emmy.

Frankly that whole xmas episode, while "powerful", was not enjoyable to me. It seemed more than a little self indulgent from the creator/showrunner/director. Overall I am still a fan though.

 

[Mario_is_BACK!!]

The character has a severe mental illness the family tried to work with/work around. Mania can be “over the top” when it manifests. Nothing about it was untrue or too much.

 

[kook10]

The character has a severe mental illness the family tried to work with/work around. Mania can be “over the top” when it manifests. Nothing about it was untrue or too much.

Well we each get only one imaginary Emmy vote. I'll use mine on something else.

 

[eXile3]

JLC put on an exceptional performance, man. No clue how that’s seen as over the top. Give her the Emmy now.

I would imagine they’ve never met someone like that in real life. I’ve absolutely met the type of person she was portraying and she nailed it.

 

[ratmanfu]

I would imagine they’ve never met someone like that in real life. I’ve absolutely met the type of person she was portraying and she nailed it.

I have as well, and agree that she nailed it.

For those who have never experienced being around a person like that, I hope they count their blessings.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

I can't believe how much better season 2 is compared to season 1.... Because season 1 was already f***ing brilliant.


Honestly one of the very best shows on TV right now, maybe one of the best of all time tbh.

 

[ps241]

I have had 43 years in the Restaurant business and the Bear really gets “it” IMO. Love this show and so far all my culinary friends that I have recommended it to love it as well. I have not watched Shameless yet so I was not really familiar with Jeremy Allan White but he is absolutely outstanding.

 

[John Price]

I've been really really busy lately but I will try to finish s1 and start s2. I mean it's not like the show is bad, it's not. I actually think it's quite good.

 

[Felidae]

Honestly thought the Christmas episode was the best of the series. Phenomenal acting all around, and thought it was a great look into why the main characters are the way they are.

Definitely a top 3 season of television this year that ive watched so far. (Can't wait to catch up to succession)

 

[johnjm22]

This show seems to have universal praise.

I watched the very first episode awhile back but wasn't really feeling it. After reading the comments in this thread, I may have to go back and give it another try.

 

[Hockeyfrilla]

Season 2 was great, fantastic show.

 

[I am not exposed]

This show seems to have universal praise.

I watched the very first episode awhile back but wasn't really feeling it. After reading the comments in this thread, I may have to go back and give it another try.

That first episode did nothing for me. Didn't bother continuing.

 

[PK Cronin]

Loved season 2. Definitely a shift in focus but still very compelling. It's one the best and most unique shows that I've seen. The acting is top notch, as is pretty much everything else. Can't recommend it enough.

 

[NyQuil]

I really liked this show. The Christmas episode, the Copenhagen episode, and the Forks episode were all stellar in particular.

I must say though, I was really underwhelmed by the finale, which was melodramatic for the sake of it.

Considering how many solid episodes there were in the season, it fell into contrived situations and tropes to finish the Carmen storyline.

Spoiler

1. My wife works an extremely demanding job. There are times where I barely see her for a month or more. I generally know in advance, and while it sucks, it's a sacrifice she and our family make because it's her passion and it's also lucrative. I don't hold it against her in those situations.

2. Clearly the girlfriend would/did understand if he was absent while he's launching a restaurant. This "focus" thing isn't particularly novel or even rare if you're running your own business. Not to mention, she has a pretty demanding job of her own, so she'd probably get it.

3. Really? The old "locked in the freezer" trope to create an artificial situation where he says terrible things right to her face without knowing it? Ugh. Most locked room scenarios are so artificial and banal, I have to roll my eyes.

4. Not to mention, as I said to Mrs_NyQuil, if she were to tell me the most horrible things in the universe while being locked in a room during one of the most important days of her professional life, I'd probably understand that she was under a tremendous amount of stress.

5. The foreshadowing on the doomed nature of his perfect girl was pretty heavy. But it's something that a call the next day would probably solve, if he was so inclined.

6. Anyway, I get that he has serious mental health and commitment issues, but I just felt that they had to come up with a pretty contrived scenario for it to come to a head.

 

[NyQuil]

I'd also like to mention the soundtrack, which is simply rife with nostalgia for my generation - lots of Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam, REM, Counting Crows, LCD Soundsystem, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, Kim Deal, what have you.

It's a bit manipulative because it creates emotional resonance simply by association.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Bumping this thread because I just started this series earlier this week, on the last episode of Season 1, really liking it so far.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Watched the Christmas Dinner episode in Season 2 last night and holy shit. What a crazy episode. The acting was top notch, the tension was just perfect. A friend of mine remarked "I don't know what's more stressful, when they're all yelling or when they're all silent" and it nailed the feeling of the episode.

I don't like looking at the casting before I watch a show so I was pleasantly surprised with all the big names that came into play in that episode. I see some folks in the thread talking about JLC's performance being over the top or not believable. I work in the mental health field and I've met multiple people like JLC's character in my personal life and I think they absolutely nailed it. A former friend of mine had a mother who acted just like her, especially on the holidays. One minute she's fine, next she's crying, then she's screaming and cussing everyone out. All with a drink and a smoke in her hand.

Again though, I ask myself, in what universe is this show a comedy? Did they use some kind of technicality to get this show into the comedy category so it wouldn't have to compete against other heavy hitting dramas for awards?

 

[Peasy]

Watched the Christmas Dinner episode in Season 2 last night and holy shit. What a crazy episode. The acting was top notch, the tension was just perfect. A friend of mine remarked "I don't know what's more stressful, when they're all yelling or when they're all silent" and it nailed the feeling of the episode.

I don't like looking at the casting before I watch a show so I was pleasantly surprised with all the big names that came into play in that episode. I see some folks in the thread talking about JLC's performance being over the top or not believable. I work in the mental health field and I've met multiple people like JLC's character in my personal life and I think they absolutely nailed it. A former friend of mine had a mother who acted just like her, especially on the holidays. One minute she's fine, next she's crying, then she's screaming and cussing everyone out. All with a drink and a smoke in her hand.

Again though, I ask myself, in what universe is this show a comedy? Did they use some kind of technicality to get this show into the comedy category so it wouldn't have to compete against other heavy hitting dramas for awards?

An alcoholic with mental health issues is never a good recipe. Once they get a drink in them they become a completely different person. Iykyk. I assume the people saying her performance was over the top have simply never had to interact with this type of person before and they should consider themselves lucky.

As for the comedy aspect it's a total farce. I totally believe they're just doing it so they don't have to go up against other top tier dramas for awards. It's extremely cowardish and a bitch move imo. It's also a laugh in the face to actual comedies out there trying to win.

Succession is much more of a comedy and way funnier than anything on the bear yet they nominated themselves for a drama.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

The Bear is very much a comedy....

 

[Peasy]

The Bear is very much a comedy....

Can't think of a single funny line or moment from that show but I can think of dozens from Succession off the top of my head.

(no i dont think the fak bros are funny and frankly at this point it seems like they just try to shoehorn them in to keep that "comedy" tag)