The Bear Season 2 Is Full of Family Drama and Celebrity Cameos
The Bear is back for season 2!
The first season of the FX show introduced us to Carmen (Jeremy Alllen White) and the restaurant he inherited from his late brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal). In the heart of Chicago, we explore the inner workings of a real kitchen with the complex relationships behind the family business.
Season two picks up right where we left off, with the team finding the money to fund their new restaurant. They start demolition on the building and plan for a new upscale Michelin star worthy restaurant tied to their deep Chicago roots. Carmen barely has the money to fund his new project and enlists the help of his rich Uncle (Oliver Platt), further entangling the family into the business. Throughout the season, the Berzatto family struggles to fix up the old sandwich shop while digging into deeper plot lines for each character.
Marcus (Lionel Boyce) explores his culinary expertise with Chef Luca (Will Poulter), all while caring for his sick mother. Balancing his dreams and love for his family has him in a constant mental struggle pulling his focus in opposite directions. We also get a closer look at Mikey’s struggle with addiction and his mental health before his eventual passing. Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) questions his future at the Bear through a job at Chef Terry’s (Olivia Colman) world class restaurant while finding his purpose professionally and personally. Getting a closer look into Carmen’s past and his attempt at a romantic relationship further humanizes the character as he tries to balance his entrepreneurial spirit and legacy pressure.
The middle of the season features a full hour flashback episode centered around the family’s Christmas celebration. This episode is by far the best in the entire series. We see cameos from John Mulaney, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk, Gillian Jacobs, and Sarah Paulson as we follow Carmen and his extended family, giving us a peek behind the curtain to his past. From the cinematography and editing to the incredible acting performances, you feel like you’re sitting at their dinner table. The writers created the most realistically chaotic scenes. It was an incredibly difficult episode to watch, but a real and raw representation of how complicated family relationships can be.
All in all, The Bear season 2 was emotional and played a lot with the character's backstories, giving the earlier episodes a lot more context. The show doesn’t try to get you to fall in love with any specific character, but rather explores the flaws and complexities of real people. This show pulls you in and creates a world that is so honest and realistic, you can’t help but want to jump in and become part of the kitchen crew.
The Bear season 2 is streaming on Hulu.
