Every now and then a television show is released and subsequently launches itself into the ether. I happily sit down to partake in said show only to be left looking around like:
"The Bear" sucked. There, I said it so you didn't have to. This is a safe space, the circle of trust.
The acting was fine, that's not my issue with it. I just didn't give a fuck. About any of it. The characters. The story. Plot. The direction in which it might be headed. None of it. And again, like Stranger Things season 2-4, I tried, damnit!
I remember everyone telling me how funny, captivating, and raw it was.
So why did I find myself audibly laughing once? ONCE. Throughout the season. And that was at the expense of a handful of kids knocked out on a lawn taking a Xanax nap.
The main character? We get it. His Cousin Richie? Dude, stop with the yelling. We get it, you're from Chicago.
What piqued my curiosity after speaking with friends and family (who can no longer be trusted) that professed to me their admiration for the show was the realness, the peak behind the curtain of the culinary world. Life in the kitchen.
Well, last time I checked this schtick has been exposed and covered, extensively. Shit, Anthony Bourdain arguably was the first to cast a light on this with "Kitchen Confidential." That was 22 years ago.
Since then, we've been witness to the likes of Gordon Ramsay berating people on national television for 21 seasons, and countless TV shows, documentaries, etc. Additionally, if you wish to be truly entertained whilst facing the realities of working in the kitchen / the life of an individual working in the service industry, watch "Waiting."
Look, all I'm saying is that if the main hook by which to attract people to any particular show is the realities of operating a restaurant, you're going to have to either give me more than that or establish a unique angle. And while I do feel as if "The Bear" attempted to do that, in my opinion, it fell short.
I kept waiting for the moment in which I realized the show had me. It never came.
I tweeted out my opinion on the show immediately after finishing to which a friend replied (paraphrasing here) that this was "the worst opinion on the internet." A badge I wear proudly.
And, no. If you're wondering if I have some inherent disdain for shows simply because they are popular that is not the case. I might be hesitant to start a widely-circulating show at first, sure. But if I like something I like something. I don't let the status quo impact my decision-making.
At least I can say I finished what I started, and now I move on. I now leave you to enjoy your weekend with these profound words of wisdom:
"Welcome to the Thunderdome, bitch!"
