American series The Bear is a phenomenon. This is evidenced by the 23 Emmy nominations for season 2, an all-time record for a comedy series, 11 of which were cashed in this weekend... So, for those not yet hooked...
Text: Annika Hoogeveen
The Bear revolves around Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto (played by Jeremy Allen White), a chef who has it in him to become the next Wolfgang Puck. He has worked under various chefs in Europe and elsewhere, where he gathered the necessary qualities and skills. These have made him who he is, ready for the role of chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant. But a tragic event causes him to put his own career as a chef on hold to save his brother's ailing family restaurant in Chicago from ruin. This turns out to be easier said than done. Raw, chaotic and with a dynamism and frenetic pace that sometimes makes one gasp. Beauty of the dishes is interspersed with human darkness and tragedy.
True chefs praise The Bear for its accurate depiction of kitchen heath. And journalists praise the series' portrayal of unhealthy working conditions in professional kitchens. Authentic, in other words. As are the characters. Some more colourful than others. And the background stories offer a fascinating glimpse into people's psyché and motivation.
The third season of The Bear puts Carmen and his kitchen to the test, especially now that The Bear has a fine dining establishment is. "Carmen is a real perfectionist," explains lead actor Jeremy Allen White. "I myself am the opposite. But I do have enormous admiration for that trait. Carmen deals with this like he always does: evasive behaviour. He is simply not strong when it comes to communication. And that affects his relationships, inside and outside the restaurant. He buries himself in his work and really tries to challenge himself. In doing so, he provokes those around him. It is therefore quite a challenge to be around Carmy this season."
The Bear is a comedy drama series in which grief plays an essential role. It flows like a river through the show's fabric. The death of Carmen's brother Mikey is catalyst for many storylines. Grief as a common thread. It is one of the strengths of the series and touches viewers. "Grief is one of the few things we have in common as human beings. Recognition. The ways the characters deal with it or not."
But there is not only darkness at The Bear. White points out that there are also many light and beautiful moments. And if there is any darkness at all in the script, at least the actors don't take it home. "The set is thankfully a happy place. Everyone cares about each other and we laugh so much that even if we have to go to such a dark place in the morning... two hours later we are sitting together relaxing and laughing while watching a scene back and enjoying each other's company."
To the surprise of White and the rest of the cast, two The Bear specialities have gone viral: the Sydney Omelette and the chocolate cake. As a result, producers Courtney Storer and Matty Matheson (themselves chefs) have put a lot of effort into developing The Bear menu. With the help of various chefs from Chicago and elsewhere, the series portrays the most wonderful dishes. Exactly how important Chicago and its restaurants are to the series, and to the storytelling, becomes clear in this new season. What playing in The Bear has also ensured is that a restaurant visit will never be the same again for White. "I've developed a kind of hypersensitivity to restaurants. That goes for all of us. We look and experience a restaurant visit very differently now than we did before the series."
That The Bear is a phenomenon is evidenced by the awards and nominations he raked in for both the first and second season. That creates expectations and creates pressure. White therefore indicates that the actors talked a lot between season 1 and 2. "We were curious to see if we could find our own little bubble again and return to it after the success of the first season. After all, we had made Season 1 without any expectations. And we were uncertain whether we could bring back that atmosphere. I think we succeeded quite well in this. (The Bear received 23 nominations and eventually went home with 11 awards, including those for best comedy actor (Allen White), best supporting actress in a comedy (Liza Colón-Zayas) and best supporting comedy actor (Ebon Moss-Bachrach); ed) . For the filming of season 3, those same feelings were magnified éxtra. But again, we managed to find creative space and use it well."
As icing on the cake, this season, as in the previous two series, The Bear has opened up a can of interesting actors for engaging guest roles. So you'll slide into the table with Jon Bernthal, Jamie Lee Curtis, Olivia Colman, Will Pouter and Josh Hartnett, among others. So bon appétit!
The Bear season three can now be seen at Disney+. Presentation of the Emmy Awards took place on 15 September.
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