The sandwich shop crew are looking for ways to reopen the restaurant and advance their lives in the first episode of season two of the FX series, “The Bear.” Carmen and Sidney are now working on the menu for their new restaurant which will be called The Bear, but the high cost of renovation and permits is weighing them down. In the end, they have to turn to an old friend for a high-risk, high-reward plan that will either leave them very rich or completely out of the restaurant business.

There are plenty of obstacles facing the new restaurant team, but this ragtag group seems to be resilient. Carmy wants to use the skills he learned at the fancy culinary school while keeping his brother’s own restaurant dream alive. Sidney has come back and been promoted. Instead of being Carmy’s sous-chef she’s now the lead chef since Carmy is the executive chef. And Richie is worried about purpose as the restaurant moves on. Carmy’s brother Mikey was invested with Richie, but now Richie feels left behind and thinks Carmy will be finished with him. He recognizes he doesn’t bring a lot to Carmy’s vision, and his insecurity is palpable.

There are some wonderful, feel-good moments that let the viewer know this won’t be a slog even if they are facing some tough times. Uncle Cicero stands up and decides to partner with the team for opening their new restaurant. It gives them a chance at success they wouldn’t have without his financial help. Sidney also reaches out to Tina to move up to sous-chef. This turns out to be something Tina has wanted for a long time, and she finally sees herself moving up following years as a line-cook at the restaurant. Tina and Sidney have one of the best bonds on the entire show.

This show was a breakout hit in season one and seems to be pushing even more with the heavy drama mixed with dark comedy in season two. I can’t wait to see how each of these characters evolves and what it means for all of them going forward. I can’t wait to watch the rest of the series.

Rating: 5 stars

What did you think of episode one of season two of “The Bear?”

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

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