“The Bear” is the Best

If you would have asked me about my most passionate obsessions three months ago, I would never have imagined Jeremy Allen White having a panic attack in a dirty Chicago kitchen being one of them. However, “The Bear,” an original Hulu series about the trials and tribulations of restaurant life, has captured my focus.

Season one of “The Bear” focuses on Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, who while dealing with the death of his brother, takes on the ownership of his family restaurant. The extremely dysfunctional kitchen longs for a leader, and Carmy, who has trained as a Michelin star chef, is forced into the role.

This plot, while seemingly unrelatable, is extremely applicable to my life. Following a family from the south side of Chicago, familial obligation, despite dysfunctionality, is a main theme. This affinity towards one’s problematic roots is inescapable in life. Like Richie, who is Carmy’s family friend, many people take pride in their complicated history.

The show also focuses on mental health. Not only is Carmy grieving his brother, but he also has extreme performance anxiety about cooking. His anxiety effects the people around him; he pushes those who care about him away. Especially for someone who has worked in a kitchen before, the characters’ anxieties and tensions are easy to identify with.

Over the course of three seasons, Carmy learns how to deal with his anxiety. Multiple relationships are developed, as well. The character development throughout “The Bear” is enlightening. I quickly picked up that the restaurant symbolized each character: as it faced setbacks, the characters also struggled, and when the restaurant improved, so did the characters.

This development is impeccably performed by an impressive cast. White, Ayo Edebiri and Jamie Lee Curtis are some of the actors that really stand out. Edebiri won an Emmy for her performance as a supporting actress.

When talking about technicality, it is hard to not bring up the cinematography. Every shot is specifically detailed to convey meaning and add to the vibe of the show. Each image of food looks delicious and demonstrates the talent in the show. Even though episode one of season three has hardly any dialogue and is just clips attached to music, I wasn’t bored once.

The soundtrack may attribute to my lack of boredom, though, because it always fits the scene. The music the producers choose is very unique: from recordings of live concerts to punk rock instrumental.

While there are times that the anxiety of this show is almost “unbearable,” I couldn’t think of a more insightful, engaging, and understandable piece of entertainment.