The Bear
The speed of light may be faster than the speed of sound but in Christopher Storer’s The Bear, it’s all about the sound hitting you first. Even before we get a glimpse of the opening scene we hear the familiar clicking of the gas stove before it lights. Immediately followed by the moment we first see Carmine ‘Carmy’ Berzatto crossing the bridge towards the caged bear and hear his footsteps among the sounds that play metaphorical games as often happens in our dreams. The rhythmic whispers to calm the beast can double for the hissing we hear when passing a steaming manhole cover on a damp city street. The growling bear purrs like motorcycles revving in the distance and all the suspenseful sounds come to a crashing climax when the beast’s attack is unleashed with a symphony of horns and sirens at mega decibels. Right from the start all that is audible becomes a main character of this show and it’s intense and beautiful.
This show is like a love letter to Chicago, its food, and the cooking of said food. Watching the scenes unfold felt like some sort of homecoming. My parents both moved to Chicago when they first arrived in this country from Honduras and Cuba. Chicago is where they met, got married, bought a first home and had their children before deciding to head to a warmer west. The professional growth opportunity was the chance they needed to move away from the severe winters that were beginning to tire a mother of a newly expanded family of four. Layers of sweaters and snowsuits to zip up only to have to re shovel piles of white frozen fluff from the driveway before loading into the car felt like a million miles away from the whitest, softest sandy beaches of Havana. We moved to San Diego where it was sunny and warm all year but we kept cheering for The Cubs, The Bears, The Bulls. We ate Mexican food but we missed Vienna hot dogs, Italian Beef with Gardiniera, Deep Dish pizza. My mom romanticized all she left behind, constantly comparing the skyline she missed and recounting the details of Melrose Park. As the Joni Mitchell lyrics go, “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”. Not that it was a mistake but it was certainly different and missing the family left behind was the hardest part. Luckily, there were more family members to follow us and enough left behind to keep us going back often. Eventually San Diego truly became home but living in America’s Finest City means we can head over to Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria anytime to get a taste of our beloved, Windy City.
Back to the sounds and the soundtrack itself. The music choices and direction are perfect. I love how ‘New Noise’ by Refused, which opens like a new version of ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ mixed with hints of electronic tension, hits just right, building in intensity and follows the fast pace of the show. The song cuts away before the screaming starts and flows into sounds from a video game arcade machine and right into ‘Old Engine Oil’ by The Budos Band. First I thought, “funny they didn’t use their ‘Chicago Falcon’ song” but the choice made was the correct one. ‘Chicago Falcon’ gives more of a confident disco strut like a scene out of Saturday Night Fever whereas ‘Old Engine Oil’ gives more of a prepping for a boxing match and stepping into the ring with a more rock than disco feel. Race against time, old Chicago family photos, the Loop, Carmy wheeling and dealing, negotiations with Levis swap for much needed ingredient inventory. These two songs keep mixing into each other like a shared theme, it’s like a DJ and his mixing board are right offscreen following the storyline. Next, we get Chicago based rapper, Serengeti’s ‘Don’t Blame Steve’. A good beat to hang with the chaos and conflict and work family drama. There’s resistance to change, demons to run from or defeat, points to prove, teaching, learning, sabotage, trust, mentorship, trauma and ptsd. The material is heavy but there’s tenderness and vulnerability at the center. Which brings us to another Chicago artist, Wilco with ‘Via Chicago’. The show hits many dark topics and some viewers might benefit from a trigger warning list. ‘Via Chicago’ is the exact right note for an emotional moment. The sacrifice Carmy makes in coming home is like the hero’s journey formula we’ve read or watched countless times before but laid out in this setting is so wonderful and unexpected yet familiar at the same time. Of course there’s also plenty of comedic moments. The banter between the kitchen family, the hilarious moments with Neil played by real life chef and co producer Matty Matheson and moments like the cosplay video gamers waiting in line for Italian beef/arcade heaven will definitely have you laughing.
Jeremy Allen White, you may recognize as Lip from Shameless leads the cast and like his character in the show he is an amazing anchor and leader. The whole ensemble is amazing and leave you wanting more in depth from all of their individual lives. Cousin Richie played by Ebon Moss from Girls is stubborn, complicated, loud, argumentative “fake cousin” as I call them. We all have them, the siblings best friend or the parents’ best friend’s kid adopted into the family and called cousin without any blood relation. Sydney played by Ayo Edebiri, comedian, writer and more showing a dramatic side, she is a wonderful addition to the story and cast. Her talent may seem to make her over qualified but her heart and loyalty led her to this team and she followed. Marcus, Lionel Boyce, plays the perfect wide eyed protege. You can feel his enthusiasm to learn and celebrate culinary creativity and accomplishments. I love the scene in episode 3 with Carmy, Marcus and Syd when discussing the preparation of a dish with plenty of plums. As Marcus would say, “So fire!”. Tina is feisty, mouthy, brings Latina heat to the kitchen and isn’t afraid to express doubt about some of Carmy’s new ideas. She’s an OG on this line and like Richie, outspoken and resistant to change. The cast is rounded out by Matty Matheson, Abby Elliott, Chris Witaske, Edwin Lee Gibson and Richard Esteras. Guest stars include Joh Bernthal, Joel McHale, Molly Ringwald and Oliver Platt.
The Bear is a sizzling sensation. Fast paced and frantic with the precision and impressive slicing, seasoning, sautéing, chopping and kneading at times only to slow to emotional moments full of detail in every direction. Buried under inherited debt and family guilt, Carmy’s stress simmers until it boils over like a pot of sauce on the burner at the wrong setting. Will the pressure get to him or will he save Mikey Berzatto’s place, The Original Beef of Chicagoland, while he brings it new life? Just as the first episode opened with the caged bear, it closes with ‘Animal’ by Pearl Jam. Perfect bookends representing the wild and raw nature of this series. The Bear brought to you by FX and available streaming on Hulu is a must see. Make sure all your foodie friends, cooks and Chicago lovers know about it. If you live in San Diego you’ll want to visit Lefty’s to complete the experience.
More about Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria: Lauren and Brendan Hodson, a number of Seans and the rest of the crew transport you back with just one taste of anything off their menu and the laid back, family feel at either of their locations (where you’re likely to catch a Chicago sports team on the tube) will cement the back in the neighborhood experience. This family run restaurant is an integral part of North Park and Mission Hills, their generosity to the community is well known and admired. The menu has something for everyone but if you want the famous stuffed pizza be sure to give yourself the proper one hour wait time. Whether it's beer you want or a can of pop, the selection is great for beverages and the brown paper bag of crispy fries is a must every time. You’ll want to run over and order an Italian Beef sandwich after watching an episode of The Bear. Better yet, get yourself a to-go order ahead and you have the perfect pairing for your night in. Mangia!
