Why The Bear Feels so Different Now

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[@bethanyreynolds7270]

First

[@2nd3rd1st]

Did you look at all into the influence of the meat industry on shows like this, who is aiming to influence consumers to increase meat consumption? Do you know about the actual Cyber-Command Center of the meat and dairy industry they're using to monitor the internet and social media for anti-meat and vegan content, to create counter-content and formulate strategies for their political lobbying efforts? Google 'beefboard digital command center' and read The Guardian article about it.

[@michaelhaydenbell]

@@bethanyreynolds7270 Good job!!!!!!!!

[@KKKsWaronDavid]

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[@meikgeik]

Were we watching the same show? It felt like they were doing the opposite of glorifying the restaurateurs. To me it felt much more like they're showing just how flawed the current fine dining system is, and how it's destroying lives. There is SO MUCH DETAIL played to "time" as a concept in the show. They show people waking up at 6am to go to work, and being there until midnight. "Every second counts." Carmy having ZERO time for Claire, how often does he say "I don't have time for this?" I genuinely feel like you were looking for something in this show and found it because you wanted it to be there. My partner and I both feel like the next season, they are going to bust their asses to get the star, fail, and pivot back to just being "The Beef" because the people was the point, not the food. Like you said, it's not over yet, and it feels like they're showing the burnout so we can properly appreciate the pivot when it happens. I would be shocked if this is just as simple as a "comeuppance" story... I feel like thinking that is drastically insulting the writers.

[@jimmypickles1123]

Yeah, I was a sous-chef at a semi-fine dining place in a ski resort town when Covid hit. The owner received a government grant to help her through the shut-down. We were technically allowed to remain open for take out. Instead, she kept the money, closed the place, and laid everyone off. Almost everyone I knew in the industry got screwed and left the restaurant business forever. None of the Chefs I apprenticed under still work as chefs. This is why I think the whole "nobody wants to work any more," whine-line, so often puled by restaurant owners, is utterly laughable.

[@ulizez89]

"nobody wants to work any more" should be updated to "nobody wants to work any more, under the conditions I want them to work."

[@radfoxuk8113]

@@ulizez89 or " People have self respect now! :( "

[@ytgytgy]

Same in Healthcare. We were unappreciated and severely underpaid. I went from being a cna to going back to school for what I want to do. And since what I want to do has 0 jobs in America, I'll probs leave the country once I graduate and maybe never come back 😊

[@EvilWeiRamirez]

They don't deserve our sacrifice. I've been trying to hollow out the industry for over a decade. Society doesn't deserve our sacrifice. They do not value us. They do not even offer us reasonable poverty. They want infinite hours with infinite passion and offer only the promise of more work.

[@DroolRockworm]

Nice, good story

[@twig8523]

The reason I've been avoiding The Bear is cuz everyone recommends it when they hear I'm a line cook... but I completely derailed my career with a decade of IV heroin addiction. 😅 (3 days away from 6 years clean tho!)

[@unnwean]

Yay, congratulations on being clean!

[@Bubbles603]

6 years?! Holy shit dude that’s amazing!!❤

[@PankoBreading]

Congratulations for being clean 6 years!!!!!💐💐💐🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@MystiqMiu]

Happy 6 years!!

[@gateauxq4604]

Congrats on 6 years clean!!

[@MegaElijah21]

As someone who works in a restaurant, it does bother me that the show has fallen into this idea that the stress of working in a kitchen is because of an asshole chef and not because every daily process of a commercial kitchen is built around making as much money as possible. You know why you can't take a break? Could cost money. You know why the restaurant lets customers berate and treat staff horribly? Because it could cost them a sale if they don't. You know why you have to make a dish as fast as humanly possible? So we can get these people out of here and sit more people to make more money. There is no intrinsic reason as to why restaurants need to be this stress inducing other than profit maximizing.

[@achimdemus-holzhaeuser1233]

I don't work at a restaurant but I got curious one day and calculated how many Meals the Kebab Shop in my Street had to sell per hour just to make Rent and pay the Workers. in reality it was mostly guessing based on the price of the basic Kebab but it lead to a lot more appreciation of the work people in the food industry have to do.

[@zkme2734]

you copy and pasted this comment didnt you

[@franklyevo]

To push back slightly, I think they highlight fairly well that The Bear is under huge financial stress from Uncle Jimmy wanting his returns back quickly, hence why Sugar and Richie are always trying to find more turnovers, increase profits, etc. It's then compounded by Carmen's toxic obsession to have what he thinks is the best stuff, the micro-veg, the special plates. The show could definitely fall into the trap in season 4 that, although Carmen and Co might finally get some therapy and treat each other more nicely, Uncle Jimmy will get off scott-free despite all the pressure he has clearly put the whole restaurant through for his arbitrary goals and need for quick return on his investment.

[@arghjayem]

Yeah but this is a distinctly lAnglo-American approach to restaurants, as purely money making machines. Go to Europe and there’s an entirely different approach to restaurants and dining. It’s not about the money, in fact places will seem so unbothered by you as a customer you’d think they don’t want your money! 😂

[@CarlosERamos-ey1lj]

thing is, carmy is a shit chef bc of the stress induced by his uncle who just need the place to make money

[@russlcorey]

I’ve been a line cook for 15 years. Management dangles the fantasy of climbing up the ladder to keep cooks grinding but 80% will never get promoted.

[@EvilWeiRamirez]

Moving up only means you will be convincing young people to enter into a world that will never reward them, and to become part of a class that society seems not worthy of value. They demand our sacrifice, and offer nothing except the ability to sacrifice your body longer. We must all move on. Society does not deserve us.

[@robderiche]

That’s the danger of being good at one’s job, especially when it’s the hard work-you become irreplaceable and get stuck in that role.

[@Zoroasterisk]

@@robderiche Also, kitchens are usually run like miniature sweat shops. I've got a cushy gig now, but I'd go back to a warehouse before stepping foot in a kitchen

[@robderiche]

@@Zoroasterisk Yep. Been there.

[@msjkramey]

Yep! I busted my ass at several dumb low-paying jobs before I learned my lesson. There's only so many times that you can dangle that carrot in front of a person and have them still fall for it But when I started working as an aid in public schools, that was actually way different. I had a very involved mentor who got me into professional development programs and was holistically supportive and encouraged me to go back to school, so that I could get a higher paying job, and said if there was a better opportunity for me somewhere, not to hold myself back for it. That kind of person really is what makes students shine and she was a pleasure to work with as a paraeducator

[@tamagothchic]

The idea that passion and dedication to your craft excuses toxic workplaces and exploitation of those passionate workers is one of the most harmful and pervasive myths in any artistic industry, and it's very heavily linked to the equally toxic myth of the "tortured artist" producing superior work despite literally endless proof of the exact opposite. The world has been deprived of the most incredible art and people because of these incredible hurtful stereotypes

[@gatogelato0037]

The show condemns this in both Carmie's experiences with his past chef, and Sydney's experiences with Carmie now.

[@GiggaGMikeE]

I don't think the toxic workplace enviroment is excused at all in the show. Carmy is constantly being called out on his bullshit, and its clearly shown that his hang ups tend to be due to the same kind of toxicity he experienced during his training.

[@gnocchidokey]

Not only do I completely agree, this comment was genuinely well-crafted.

[@sperry8399]

And is SOOOO sexist

[@DaughterofDiogenes]

It’s the same for teachers. Our entire society punishes teachers and uses our care for the children as the whip to keep us working. What happens to the children if we walk away. It’s pretty disgusting and every single person in society will be feeling the brunt of this as this younger generation ages with little compassion, education, imagination or understanding of a solid social contract because the work of being a teacher is so shat upon that all the good ones are getting driven out of the profession. I just got back in and I love it more than I did pre Covid. However I see the adults literally screaming in the kids faces all day and a million videos online talking about how the kids today suck. You know the kids who have phones and can see all these adults who were supposed to care for them and guide them leaving and then making money just straight trashing their former child students. It’s so gross. I was raised poor as hell so my teacher salary is great for me. I can raise my salary by 10th and for getting my national board certification. A $2k investment that is totally worth it. I can raise my salary an additional 7 grand by getting a phd something I really want to do. And I can catapult my income into six figures by consulting and writing curriculum which is something I am currently doing just for funsies to use with my students. If my curriculum does what I think it will do…I will be making a pretty large sum of money in the coming years. I love what I do. Every day is an adventure. The kids are crazy as hell but so am I 😂😂😂. I’ve got the audhd and I couldn’t imagine working in another field and having this much fun every day. Oh yeah and I work at a very low income school. The babies can barely read. They have terrible home lives but when they come sit in my room every single one of them is royalty. a future king or queen. My job isn’t to get kids to score a certain way on a test. My job is to inspire the future generations to be great and I stand 10 toes down on that.

[@nokeechia]

Really confused how so many people watched season 3 and think that the bear restaurant is a good place to work and beneficial to the workers. They will probably lose the restaurant and multiple people have stated that carmys menu is not great, and the beef / window is the only thing making money. The fact the window is snuggled at the back of a Michelin star wanting restaurant says everything you need to know.

[@rachelh2816]

It's also interesting that when The Bear started, the dishes (while still fancy pants) were also based on Carmine's Italian heritage, but now they're just generic fine dining dishes with no innovation and a different menu every day just because michelin star.

[@Nitenshi]

People do think that? When I watched season 3, I could help but see people working at the Bear were really disatisfied by the new conditions they have to work with and Carmy's whim about "one different dish every day". They couldn't keep up and felt so miserable. During all the season I excepted someone to say something, like Tina or Sydney and make Carmy coming to his senses. But no, nobody said anything.

[@MrJonesCEO]

@@NitenshiNobody said anything and that’s why their restaurant had terrible reviews at the end of Season 3. That was the cliffhanger. Now they won’t have enough money to pay off Uncle.

[@Dycehart]

@@rachelh2816 i havent seen s3 yet but literally a huge part of getting a star is consistency ????

[@wen6519]

Lol this reminds of the telenovela La Casa de las Flores, where the drag bar made all the money that kept the Upscale Flowershop afloat 😂

[@_vcctv_]

that line "... social mobility can only be sold in an unequal society." really stands out, echoing in my head rn

[@johnbrandimore9011]

Having worked in a fancy restaurant and done a pretty good job at it if I may say so myself. I am reminded of something Acolytes of Horror said in their essay about The Lighthouse: "I like the work. But the work doesn't like me back." And that pretty much describes every job I've had as an adult. I like doing the job and will feel good about doing it well. But the fact that I can't afford rent just drains any positivity out of me.

[@VultRoos]

Ha. Reminds me of that Hannibal movie quote from Lecter to Clarice: "You fell in love with the Bureau, - with The Institution - only to discover, after giving it everything - that it doesn't love you back. That it resents you, more than the husband and children you gave up to it ever would."

[@giornogiovannax4124]

EEeeey , I remember that video., Best video source of existential crisis in recent memory. Thanks for remining me abt that

[@msjkramey]

​@VultRoos I like the message of the beginning of that but not the implication that marriage and children are necessary to be fulfilled for a woman

[@johnbrandimore9011]

@@msjkramey JD Vance has entered the chat.

[@VultRoos]

@@msjkramey I think in this context, it's specifically that Clarice did want to also have a family, the way many of her male counterparts are able to in the same field. But the sheer amount of sexism, not just in her way career-wise blocking her way and forcing her to sacrifice tons more of her personal time, but existing outside of work has made all of it a choice she's forced to make. Whereas the men at her job don't even have to think about it. (Crawford, and her own father, for example) She became an agent to protect people, but the sexism of the world forced that to be a personal sacrifice. The fact that 'women have to choose between career and family' is still such a dominant concept in some circles is.... Not great. Tldr, it's less about what is needed for happiness, and more about Clarice's specific situation that is being accurately illuminated by the worst person in that situation.

[@aquathelynx962]

"It's Dystopian Butter?" killed me holy fuck

[@95mudshovel]

best line of season 3

[@maliksmith9003]

I almost collapsed during a pushup 🤣

[@ph34rx]

I was drinking coffee during that line and choked on it 🤣

[@Ayshafr]

Truly the most iconic line of the season and maybe the whole show

[@Arminian100]

Tina's flash back episode was the realest working class depiction I have ever seen in TV. It made me so emotional.

[@lllinai]

I felt her anxiety, because I have been there. Willing to do anything, but not given an opportunity.

[@serenity6831]

Tina's episode was so real and so beautiful. Ayo did a beautiful job directing it, and it reminded me why I fell in love with the show.

[@highwind1991]

Considering what happened in season 3, I kind of feel like the show might end by going back to its roots in the final season

[@manestreambeauty]

Ditto! The Beef is the only thing making money. I hope this happens. I just don't see how they can turn it around in one season, which is already shot and a conclusion to the first half of the season 3 story arc. It doesn't seem likely, but I wish it was the plan.

[@Doomsword0]

I certainly hope so

[@dariusboccaccio7688]

i agree, there's no way this show doesn't end in a skewering of the american dream

[@andrewfarrell6120]

I hope you're right.

[@dabluflcn]

This is my hopes for the show. Something where the Beef is an improved restaurant without needing to be a fancy pants place.

[@craftyluna6381]

Exploitation is the norm in any creative industry. I've worked an unpaid internship at a summer stock theater company, working 90+ hours a week building sets. It was a competition to get chosen for this "honor" and we even paid our own room and board! We had the privilege of working with Broadway designers and directors, but still, that whole season was built, lit, and dressed entirely by unpaid labor. Then there's sci-fi/fantasy/gaming conventions. I'm not sure how it is with the industry-run events, but fan-run conventions rely entirely on unpaid labor as well, except the people who run it of course. They get paid. And it's well-known that animators, writers, game developers, etc. are all underpaid.

[@EvilWeiRamirez]

This is why we should never accept unpaid labor, especially artistic labor. The opportunity is just their opportunity to exploit us. If they want a professional, then pay for professionalism. If they want free labor, I will show up and put forth whatever I feel like putting forth.

[@tintincruz8660]

Sounds a bit like our first architecture internship. Working for a starchitect is supposed to be an honor in itself, while they pay you 4 dollars an hour. And the work doesn't stop after office hours.

[@Flameclaw123]

I write and edit as a freelancer and yeah, this is absolutely rampant in my industry too. Even though I get paid for my work, there's no way I could afford to support more than just myself with the rates I'm paid. Plus there's a routine underlying expectation that I'm available every day of the week which is so prevalent in creative fields. It's exhausting with my current clients, and it was even worse when I was working for a ghostwriting company before I wisened up and got out of there.

[@Jennifer-my5dm]

@@Flameclaw123 I always had to work a regular job as a freelancer. The only people I know who can solely support themselves by freelancing are either supported by their parents or are married to people who make really good money.

[@Jennifer-my5dm]

I've dealt with so much exploitation as a creative person, the micromanaging, the gaslighting, the nepotism. That's why my creative projects are just things I do for fun and fulfillment while I work a regular job.

[@andrewfarrell6120]

I am a fan of The Bear. I am also a member of the low-income working class. I am firmly a lifelong progressive living in a Chicago neighborhood that is an ongoing victim of rampant gentrification. I have been aware of this issue in our society since I was a teen, been aware of redlining, the destruction of urban neighborhoods by way of highway building, of the replacement of local infrastructure with chains and big boxes. It's nothing new to me. However, this critique of The Bear went completely over my head. I don't understand how I missed it. You are absolutely right. The trajectory this show takes mirrors in every way everything that is going wrong in American society. Thank you for opening my eyes. The Bear is great TV. "Fishes" was probably the single best episode of TV I have watched and the episode where Sugar gives birth, which also unsurprisingly features Jamie Lee Curtis, is shattering. But something about this new season was bugging me and I think you hit on it. It's yet another "bootstraps" narrative that is super toxic. I won't look at this show the same way again. Again, thanks for that.

[@Juggninja24]

So is that why season 3 kinda sucked?

[@GordonRamseyIsMyLifestyle]

What neighborhood if you dont mind me asking?

[@Dinx45]

I'm 6 minutes in and I can't agree more with every word just said above by Andrew. I would just be repeating them.

[@Calavera_15]

How is it a bootstraps narrative?? You can clearly tell no one is happy in season 3 despite the visual success of the new and renovated restaurant. The renovation changed nothing, they are still operating under a lot of stress and Carmy’s PTSD from his last chef school has been recreated at The Bear. There’s nothing toxic about the process in which Carmy transformed the Bear, he had years of experience and got the loan from his uncle. Now they’re trying to make ends meet with the restaurant but are mostly failing so far bc of profit and carmys attitude

[@viclavigne259]

The restaurant in the show is in River North and his uncle is giving him copious amount of financial help. I personally don’t understand how this fits the narrative of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” or how anyone thinks a boujie neighborhood in downtown Chicago can be gentrified. When the first season came out my first thought was “that’s so unrealistic that the Beef would be in such an expensive area.”.

[@sowhatphie]

My assumption is Carmy will finally realize that the expensive elite restaurant life isn't for him and to embrace the comfort and simplicity of The Beef, combining his skills and knowledge with the original establishment. I do hope season 4 reflects my assumption.

[@sowhatphie]

Even small details like Sydney using potato chips in one of the recipes hints at the importance of the simpler things

[@gigachad3925]

I love this concept. And also, that route doesn’t necessarily put him at odds with his goal of “getting a star”. For all the ways the show is very timely, it does have a fairly outdated view of what a “Michelin starred restaurant” is. Nowadays plenty of small spots that specialize in one or two food items (like beef sandwiches) are being recognized with stars. It’s about absolutely mastery of a specific, basic dish.

[@coquimapping8680]

@@sowhatphie Eh, if I want an omelette, I just want an omelette and nothing else. Also, I’m kinda meh on chips since they’re really processed.

[@YodielandInhabitant710]

@@coquimapping8680 Peeled, sliced, fried, salted. I'm gonna go on a limb and say that most of the stuff you buy that's not completely raw is processed way more than that.

[@aviatornic2839]

narratively it makes a ton of sense

[@WilliamAfton-n7d]

Imagine some restaurant formerly known as "the beef" ending up being the reason your rent is getting raised lmao

[@jessemanning5409]

Good morning, I think you meant to say, '.... being the reason your rent is getting bRAISED.' 👀 Get it? Braaaaiiiiiisssed? As in braised beef? Cause it's called the beef aaand ...... I'llllllllll just show myself out now. 🤔 🥸 Hope you are well and take care 😀

[@semajsga]

As a chef, it's absolute bullshit. The hours suck, the pay sucks, there is no love in this work.

[@zkme2734]

why do you do it tho

[@flimby872]

​@@zkme2734 gotta get that bag, man

[@OCMOOO]

​@@zkme2734Rent, bills, family + so fucking exhausted after working 5x12hrs that on days off you can only focus resting It's hard to see an out

[@SuburbiaScreen]

If you find no joy in it, maybe it's best to stop. My first job was in an Italian restaurant, and the chef there was a grade-A jerk. I stopped working there within two weeks, but I got a job at a salad restaurant where the Culinary Leads (chefs) treat me with respect.

[@abraxasjinx5207]

There is love, it's just rarely reciprocated, and mostly exists among those in the trenches with you. From one industry shleb to another, I love you dude. Don't let the industry take you away from a real life. There are exit doors, and better ways to make the rent. (At least I hope, fuck.)

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

Tale as old as time: show thats vaguelycritical of certain... things and systems, stops or waters itself down because of those very same things and systems

[@thefatherinthecave943]

Pay lip service to progressive ideas and then show how “convoluted” they are in ways rhat only make sense on television

[@stevematthews4489]

Being 70 yrs old, I've watched the "American dream" go from promising a decent life for the working class, to (since the Reagan 80s) "anybody that works hard can get rich and escape this working class nightmare, and if you don't, it's your own fault for being lazy". It's all BS.

[@EddieCaplan]

Exactly right.

[@ellaineesteller7496]

Thank you for giving that perspective, it’s reassuring to know that it doesn’t just feel like we’re being gaslit and it is true

[@toyosibee.mp3]

I keep saying it, but I fear the only option is for The Bear to burn down during S4...Maybe just the upscale part, with only the window where they still sell sandwiches for The Beef surviving. That feels like the natural arc for this show to take-for Carmy (especially) to realize that chasing upward mobility isn't his actual dream as a chef.

[@YouAreDreamingRightNow]

🎯🎯🎯

[@drgrey7026]

Or alternatively for the review at the end of season 3 to not be good and that lead him to be forced to focus on the beef window.

[@danhill3302]

You hit the nail on the head of why I started to dislike the show, I could no longer afford to eat at the restaurant.

[@newtagwhodis4535]

Same.

[@froggiepie]

“Its Orwellian.” “Its dystopian butter ????”

[@jessenorman91]

best joke in season 3

[@SiatkazBiedronki]

@@jessenorman91I also liked ‚I’m a Pirelli guy’.

[@nicolaslabra2225]

@@SiatkazBiedronki Richie i forwards you these flashbacks form the brittish grand prix 2013 where pirelli tires where a worldwide laughingstock, sorry.

[@CielBlanche]

Most working class people running a restaurant don't know a friendly millionaire like Carmy does

[@zzzhin9501]

FACTS

[@James-nv1wf]

Carmy knew all along he'd spot him lol

[@docsaico]

“This is THE BEAR. The show you’ve been afraid of watching cuz you’re afraid it’ll give you a panic attack.” SIR. 😅 I did not expect to be called out IMMEDIATELY.

[@docsaico]

(I currently work in a pizza kitchen and the first ten minutes of this show nearly did give me a panic attack, I had to turn it off, lol)

[@akshayde]

The bear isn't even that stressfull. There is another chef movie and a show that follows it... I think its called boiling point or something.. Stephen Graham. I have tried watching that movie 3 times and I always turn it off after 10-15 mins. It makes me so uneasy with this undertone of dread of something erupting any moment. And its not even fast paced or edited like the bear. Its slow and takes it's time but goddaamnn😅

[@ShesquatchPiney]

For REAL.

[@gateauxq4604]

I’ve only done fast food and known several chefs and it did me in too! I really want to watch it but I would much rather not be plagued by anxiety 😭

[@someangel-shape6797]

@@akshaydeyeah boiling point is so much worse. The stress in the Bear is highly stylised and intercut with lots of sentimental music choices and sweet scenes; Boiling Point is just relentless. It’s like a war movie set in a kitchen.

[@lima3689]

In S3 they bring part of the Beef's old staff back. The metaphor looks clear as water. A working class oriented restaurant being the financial backbone of a fine dining restaurant, where most of the working class people wouldn't be able to eat, that runs on the verge of insanity of its working class originated staff. The only way forward is going BACK.

[@bigoltits1880]

And what's wrong with the picture you've painted here? Working class people tend to not enjoy fine dining, along with not being able to affford it. The Beef is still open, it hasn't raised its prices, its cheap sandwiches are more delicious than ever. Let different types of people eat what they want to eat. When was the last time a working class Avg Joe bemoaned his inability to eat at french fine dining Michelin star restaurants to you lol? Let them eat their sandwiches. Carmy hasn't fired any of his old staff, he retrained the ones that WANTED to become fine dining chefs. The rest he is STILL employing for The Beef. There's nothing wrong with Carmy pursuing his dream of fine dining.

[@buteverybodycallsmegiorgio]

When I saw the conversation in the Tina episode, I immediately commented that this is what the show better be aiming at: the realization that The Bear destroyed a community-centered institution in order to establish a capitalistic tool due to the hubris of an egocentric basket case. If not, this show is a neoliberal wetdream. Either Carmy wakes up to see the real cost of his ambition, or the show is crap.

[@SuperAaronx3]

I sure hope so the entire of the third season I spent mostly yelling at Carmy through my tv lol

[@Den3girl]

I really hope it has that self awareness. But I am not confident it does. It really sunk its teeth in in S3 in deity-izing the whole restaurant business. I have never been more pissed at a show than I was at Episode 1. Like why are we wasting precious minutes in a 10 episode season not advancing the story in any way, how much fancy plates do I have to see to understand that it’s pretty! And the insertion of the real life chefs in the final episode felt very on the nose. So I can hope but I am not hopeful.

[@GAHAHAHH]

I don't know; if the restaurant catches fire and everything burns to ashes with everyone's work being for naught, I think that would make for a pretty "good" ending even if no one within the story truly understands why it happened. But I haven't actually seen the show so maybe I shouldn't talk. I had little interest in it before and even less interest in it now that I know the restaurant was not some one off episode and small piece of a much bigger show about venture capitalism doing more harm than good but instead is what the entire show is focused on and I have yet even less interest knowing they can easily screw things up and make it one of the most downright offensive shows I have ever heard of, continuing to play into the "neoliberal" misinformation/disinformation campaign to make people believe that "this" is what "success" should be. I suppose the show could also end with some sort of protest ( successful or otherwise ) but I don't think "Carmy" needs to "learn his lesson" for the show to have a decent ending. But if I am honest I don't think I would even care if the show did end up having a "good ending".

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

@@GAHAHAHH I was more interested in maybe seeing the show before I realized it wasn't only partly run by the same guys who are STILL running elite dining establishments, so it's ultimately from a POV of being successful within the system by default, but they brought in even more high dining fancy-pants chefs to spotlight as guests. Lionizing these people undercuts any other message or critique the show could would make. I worked in the industry, on disability now, & food insecure still though thankfully out of acute crisis after losing years. People keep telling me I'll love it, bc I'm a writer who worked in food services for many years before & sometimes during my writing career. Anyways basically everyone & their dog has told me to watch this show & told me how much I would love it bc of my background. But also I cannot watch it now bc of the same background they think would make me want to watch it. I had some harrowing kitchen experiences & I'm frequently hungry --- why would I want to trigger myself so much by watching a show featuring capitalist torture + food I can't eat?

[@fujifilm5127]

Yeah, people need to get back in place. Ambition is horrible

[@dwc1964]

Sounds like what happened to _Shameless_ - it started off with a lot of community solidarity/resistance, there was a whole thing about a Starbucks-type coffee chain moving into the neighborhood & the reaction to it, but then the show got more focused on the Gallagher family drama with decreasing focus on the community, and then Fiona joins the petit-bourgeoisie with the restaurant and laundromat and then becomes a landlord and I stopped watching, never did see the last season.

[@kevinw712]

like the first 3 seasons of SHAMELESS I regarded it as practically the best show on TV. then it was getting WAY to repetitive for me, and whichever was the season where the Dermot Mulroney character relapses on heroin right at the end, that was the last major plot line I remember seeing before I finally bailed

[@abraxasjinx5207]

I just never bothered because it's an American remake of a British show that wasn't that great to begin with.

[@toulouse1]

This was word for word my exact thoughts on shameless, even the part abt skipping the last season, literally no one in the fanbase seemed to understand how fiona becoming part of the oppressive class wasnt really a win character development wise, im so glad to hear it from someone else i thought I was losing it

[@JustinStarrPhotography]

There’s something that’s off in your analysis of the show: The show has been pretty explicit that Carmy wasn’t trying to *escape* where he came from. He wanted nothing more than to work at The Beef with his brother Mikey… but Mikey wouldn’t let him. Carmy thought it was because he wasn’t good enough so he did that whole culinary tour of self-betterment in search of his brother’s approval.

[@charliedalencour5141]

as someone who's worked as a server for the past 5 years bouncing from gig to gig, it's 100% the food they remember. it's rare that any of the customers are straight up rude (unless they have someone to impress) what's more common is that we're viewed as set dressing. and hey, that's the job I guess, but the problem is when the managers have that same mindset. I work for a temp agency and it's immediately obvious if we're viewed as people or we're viewed as "temps". working at a place where you're valued is rare and incredibly vital

[@202cardline]

I’ll try to empathize, I work in animation and nobody really notices the work unless there’s something wrong. I think that’s like good service, it’s appreciated - but my taste buds remember almost every meal I’ve ever eaten at a restaurant 😅

[@charliedalencour5141]

@@202cardline hey i studied animation for a bit (switched to music last minute) so i can definitely empathize lol. i remember all of my favorite bits of animation tho! animation fans can tell 🫡

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

@@202cardline A lot of what's called "craft", like being good at your craft, is about making labour + effort + care so imbued as to be invisible & frictionless for an outsider to consume as a product or service, & any crack in the illusion points to "bad work". Like, you aren't supposed to notice "good design". A "good story" carries you along like a river. But I think it's a little sinister to make the efforts other human beings put into something you want or need disappear & call that a good thing.

[@moonielivee4836]

Its obvious that the rich idiots dont value food

[@moonielivee4836]

​@@202cardlineshow me

[@thomasdegroat6039]

I think I will always be confused about the messaging of The Bear. Great show but they want to have their cake and eat it too. Syd and Carmy are constantly talking about wanting to break the cycle and be better than their last bosses. I mean they both have PTSD-esque flashbacks to their last job. But anytime someone offers an alternative they’re immediately shot down because “that’s not how they do it at the other Michelin star restaurants.” You can’t both criticize the work environment then turn around and praise the people who create that work environment. I guess Syd and Carmy just happened to work for the only two toxic fine dining head chefs in the world and every other one is kind and gentle and willing to spend weeks of their life teaching random amateurs.

[@peacekeeperbabe]

It's a lot like people who have been abused. They don't know how 2 behavior in a way that is not abusive. They become the abusive party.

[@varunsharma8371]

That's kind of realistic. Victims often perpetuate their abuse. Because most of the time that's all they have known and they don't know any other way to parse their information/environment. Even when presented with a healthier alternative they may not understand it or even perceive it so. I say kind of, because this is a fictional show with fictional characters and they can absolutely write them getting better with time and seeking therapy or help after they realise what's wrong.

[@thomasdegroat6039]

@ it’s more than just repeating cycles of abuse, it’s a near complete contradiction from one episode to the next. They keep saying that working in high-end dining is tantamount to abuse, but anytime we leave the Bear to go to another restaurant other than the Bear in S2, they make them seems like the restaurants are great workplaces with maybe one comedically angry guy. You can’t have an episode exploring Syd’s trauma from Alinéa, then the very next episode have a different cast member self-actualise because of the work ethic at a similar restaurant.

[@clarapilier]

I haven't watched the show, but I think this is a prequel to The Menu.

[@abraxasjinx5207]

That movie was perfect. I saw it with my sister, who is also an industry survivor.

[@thru_and_thru]

lol

[@Videomorgue]

That should have been season 4.

[@zoe_astra]

The thing that really turned me off the bear is that in the first season the characters felt so real to me, the conversations they had felt real, but the most recent season just felt like one inspirational speech monologue after another, it no longer felt like real people talking to each other. Or at least that’s how it felt to me, I’ve never really been much into all the that follow your dreams motivational stuff so it started to grate on me after a while.

[@benpinner6535]

And I feel like so much of the quick snappy dialogue that felt like a reasonable part of the show's DNA, is now being leant on like a crutch, being overused and now feels deeply unrealistic.

[@zoe_astra]

@@benpinner6535 Exactly, everyone screaming at each other now feels more like shtick than genuine reactions.

[@tomfoolery-4444]

It sort of felt like being in a cult to me. I hope season 4 ends up taking the stance that actually these people are wrong and they've got their heads up their own asses! And returns to reality

[@benpinner6535]

​@@zoe_astra Literally the scene where Carmy and Richie are shouting "Fuck you!" Felt so forced when they dragged it out. I started assuming that it was becoming a joke between the two of them, but the show tried to play it as a serious moment.

[@mentalkay]

SAME! I remember watching the scene where Carmy was trying to explain/get his cousin to sign the new contract thing. It was just 5 minutes of them saying fuck you to each other. I thought at the very least all the bickering would lead to him not signing it or something, but no. He still signed it. The problem with the banter is they forget to make it apart of the conflict and just make it fuller while they drag a 4 episode story into 8.

[@rhaegartargaryen9315]

It felt undercooked, half a season stretched into one. And, worse is that nothing gets resolved and story for most characters is stuck for the month. Except for Sugar and Donna, that was good!

[@gsmprodofficial]

I agree wholly. Sugar and Donna is the one episode that still stands out to me as someone who watched S3 right as it came out. I also really enjoyed S1 and S2 so S3 being a let-down was a little upsetting but here's hoping S4 will be alright.

[@rachelh2816]

Also Ritchie and Carmine still haven't resolved their issues and everything with Sydnie is up in the air. It just felt as divided as service from the kitchen staff at the bear. I liked s3 a lot but it definitely felt different. Also the Faqs were so annoying!

[@thomaswillard6267]

S2 Richie: "I have elevated myself and am committing to elevate others around me" Carmen: "I can't let me drive for perfection stop me from being a responsible leader" Sydney: "I messed up, but I am committed to making something better going forward" S3 Richie: "F*k you, I'm not above yelling at people" Carmen: "F*k you, we are going to destroy any stability in pursuit of a star" Sydney: "F*k this, maybe ima dip"

[@maryparker5486]

I'm a working class person who started in bars and dives as a server. Getting my first two fine dining server jobs changed my life and increased my income by about $20k per year. It has also given me a great appreciation for how much the BOH busts ass to make "perfect" food instead of just "good enough." The majority of fine dining guests are not very wealthy. They are splurging, and it's my job to make them feel like their experience was magical and worth the price. I have also watched restaurants I worked at with fine dining aspirations have to do a lot of cutting corners and become more "upscale casual" because it is HARD to fill seats in a fine dining restaurant for the long term. I first watched season 1 and 2 of the bear while I was at one of those struggling restaurants. I really connected with the inspiration everyone tried to give eachother to make the dining experience perfect, but still struggling behind the scenes. I think season 3 of the bear shows how these types of restaurants really struggle to not only attain but also maintain an audience, while everyone tries hard to keep hyping up the experience while everyone is balls to the wall and struggling. Season 3 is just as realistic a depiction of restaurants as seasons 1 and 2

[@ratgurl1]

I agree! I think getting renewed for S4 mid-production allowed this season to end on an unresolved note, which many viewers have taken as an endorsement of Carmy’s intentions. The show did a fair job focusing on the Chicago community and how The Beef window needed to remain, but the characters don’t really acknowledge the effects of gentrification which may or may not end up being a disappointing oversight on behalf of the writers. I’m holding off judgement until the series finale, but S3 was not nearly as elitist as people seem to think. I really enjoyed it as a part-time server who’s also in the medical field :)

[@theimpaler98]

I agree. As a person who did try to break into fine dining and left, this video implies unduly that the moral cost of gentrification is the fault of restaurants, which is quite unfair. From my experience of the food scene, its more young and working class people who are into the types of cooking that The Bear would put out.

[@tomfoolery-4444]

Season 3 felt like a negative arc to me. Or a "let's try this misguided thing" setup for a positive one. The heart of this show is with regular, ridiculously hardworking people, and it ought to underline that by valuing more laboring-class clientele. To me, a happy & satisfying ending would have the restaurant earning its star, followed by Carmie realizing this is *not* what he's really about. His old boss was abusive and he was wrong! Carmie "made it" to something not worth making. Then he pulls back and returns the restaurant to something like its sandwich shop roots. He's still committed to excellence, and he can give it to regular people. Also he learns how to take a break. That's what I want. I think it's the most authentic ending. But in a country that worships getting rich, I somehow doubt that's where season 4 is gonna land :/

[@Seasonal-Shadow_4674]

@tomfoolwery-444 authentic ending doesnt always equal good ending

[@xaveij]

Last season did indeed feel like a negative arc therefore it would be amazing if this negative arc could continue, that all relationships explode under the pressure of trying to achieve excellence, when the popular set up was a success in it self, and have the viewer at least come to the conclusion that Carmen has failed his innate talent by pursuing and replicating such a selfish and negative aspect of the industry. To me, that would wrap things up nicely. Let the nice characters free themselves from the toxic work environment.

[@dabluflcn]

I really expected the show to broadly be about Carmy using his professional skills to improve the Beef and split the difference between the hole in the wall food stop and fancy pants monocle adjusting star rated restaurant. Like he’d learn to appreciate that salt of the earth clientele while offering a better sandwich. Suffice it to say the show went in a pretty disappointing direction.

[@k1df1n]

The show really stopped carrying about the working class when it dropped the subplot of Richie being charged with Aggravated Assault. Even if they wanted to wave it away by saying the charges got dropped, he'd still have to appear for court which means he'd have to take time off of work which would lead to a fight with Carmy who would need him to do something bc he's the boss and Richie works for him and that's Richie's problem, not Carmy's.

[@sodalis]

Here is an interesting aside: The number of Chinese restaurants in the USA is in decline as children seek careers driven by degrees they attained instead of taking up the family business. As the parents age, the venues simply close as the generations seek professional careers in medicine, engineering, law, etc.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Accidentally borrowed a fantastic Canadian public television series from my library a few years ago that maybe dated back to the 90s? The host traveled the world, every episode he'd visit a family-run Chinese restaurant with a long history in its community, so it basically told the story of the Chinese diaspora thru specific restaurants opened + run by multigenerational families entering specific communities, usually as the first or among the first/only Chinese families in those locations, from a whistle stop in Saskatchewan to cities in South America, Africa, the Arctic. Everything from the personal recollections to the examination of how the menus blended Chinese cuisine styles with whatever the locals developed a taste for, so each had a unique "micro-cuisine", was so good. I bet fewer than 50,000 people even saw that series. My library took it out of their catalogue, I have no memory of the title, the people who made it were workaday public television folks so I don't have a standout name or company to latch on to, it predates social media, & the search terms are maddeningly generic so every time I've tried to find this superb series again I get reams + reams + reams of results, none that are what I'm looking for. Anyways I can't tell you what it is but if you ever see this series watch all of it, absolutely fascinating piece of television.

[@sodalis]

@@picahudsoniaunflocked5426 I'm so glad I commented, and that you replied. This sounds like a fantastic series. Amazing.

[@NJGuy1973]

My local Chinese restaurant is now half staffed by Mexicans.

[@mw14324]

​@@picahudsoniaunflocked5426 Is it Cheuk Kwan's Chinese Restaurants? He uploaded all the episodes onto KZbin: youtube.com/@cheukkwan?si=nMAkXVcwoCeqBgIn

[@ashwinp5518]

​@@picahudsoniaunflocked5426 There's a 2006 docuseries called "Chinese Restaurants" that sounds like what you described. There are full episodes of the series on the host's KZbin channel: youtube.com/@cheukkwan

[@corbinm1514]

Looking back. Richie was right.

[@Zokolov]

100 percent

[@reubena7854]

right about what

[@Noodlyk18]

I honestly loved every season so far, with a few highs and lows depending on the episode), but as it went on all I could think was "I would've been in The Beef multiple times a week, and then probably never been able to eat there after it changed." I kinda wish they included the impact that may have had on the neighborhood, it's all well and good to follow your dreams and become better at your craft, but could've showcased what was lost in the process. The only reason I root for The Bear to succeed is that they kept, and invested in the original staff, otherwise yeah fuck em.

[@PangolinMandolin]

This dotted much better than I could the "i" of "i didn't enjoy this season as much as I did the others".

[@Joniness]

Nothing I love more than class commentary

[@Zokolov]

The weirdest thing is that Shameless made fun of and criticized gentrification of Chicago throughout most of its run while The Bear is almost like saying that "yes we should absolutely have a restaurant be unaffordable to 99 percent of the regulars" 🙃

[@michaelahurt]

It's just telling a story. It's certainly not saying turning The Beef into The Bear was a good thing. If anything it takes the opposite viewpoint. But Carmy never wanted it. He didn't want the restaurant, he didn't want Chicago -- he wanted to leave and go be a new person and then had to put his dreams on hold. But those dreams never went away. He still wants that recognition and to prove himself. And it's well established that he's pretty self-involved. He's worried about himself and his goals. He's not a complete narcissist -- he certainly seems to genuinely care about others -- but he's also not thinking about gentrification or the regular customers. He wants a star for his own ego and the restaurant is simply a means to an end.

[@nik28402]

what a terrible interpretation lmao

[@cheesecake134]

I actually thought to myself “is this show…..PRO gentrification….???” while watching season 3 😂

[@sl4tra]

It's very endearing that you're this proud about being an idiot

[@jonahharris1122]

Having just finished the finale last night my partner and I were pretty disappointed. The turn this season where it becomes professional chefs esentually self felatting about how what they do is important and how little actually happens between the characters is apparent and it was done in sacrifice to what the show was originally. I dont need a 10 episode ad about professional chefs. I liked the stories before

[@raygedd9693]

YES exactly. that was always *kind* of part of the show, but this season was alllll about how “important” being a chef is, romanticizing the profession to an absolutely silly degree

[@sjbrooksy45]

My wife has worked in food service for 15 years. There is no way a tv show would portray it accurately. It would be too harmful to people's perception of capitalism.

[@joshuabohnert1891]

Selling jeans to pay the rent, but they’re not Levi’s Archival, they’re American Eagle, so you sell plasma too.

[@St_Fish]

Literally minutes before it came up in this essay, I did some googling to see if Alex O'Keefe was still involved in the show, since I remember him being an outspoken organizer during the Hollywood strikes. After I got my answer, Skip Intro covered the same info in the essay. Satisfying. I wonder to what extent the class composition of the writers team also influenced the future direction of the show.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Glad Skip mentioned it & played the clip.

[@Val--H]

I feel like people may be jumping the gun. Because it seems to me there are lots of seeds being planted in season 3 to suggest that the dream Carmy is trying to live out for the restaurant isn't what it's cracked up to be. It feels like a setup to the dream being abandoned for something "less ambitious", but soulful, real and more importantly conducive to everyone being healthier and happier and that becoming a boon to the neighborhood it serves as a result. Am I weird for thinking that's what's happening?

[@mari98_]

I’m hopeful for this, season 3 shows a lot of Carmy repeating toxic cycles that harmed him and repeating the harm to the folks around. It’s like he’s trying to put a square peg in a round hole and I’m realllyyyyyyy hoping the writers don’t continue to lose the plot and come around to a breaking the cycles and that there’s another way

[@sha8photo]

I loved Ritchie’s arc in season 2. He didn’t need to be gentrified, he needed to grow up and take responsibility. For him, that’s what it looked like.

[@johnnyoldenjr.]

Facts

[@Broccolilover]

exactly. thats what i was thinking too

[@hagbardceline7118]

I've avoided this show cause I'm a cook and I don't need a drama about my job

[@rfldss89]

Totally understandable. Who wants to get home after a grueling shift in hospitality to only have to relive through all of it on TV...?🥲

[@EvilWeiRamirez]

Me too. I left the industry to go private a decade ago, and the thought of returning to watch others endure this endless torture is not something I am interested in. Our time is better spent attempting to free ourselves from this cycle, even just a little, even if it only puts tiny pressure on the industry to change.

[@mr.pavone9719]

It's like those veterans who flinch at hearing fireworks. When I was working in fine dining the manager asked me why I never came in to eat as a guest. I told him, "I'd never be able to relax."

[@evanevans5428]

Holy fuck bro me too lol wow😂 I always figured I was the only one

[@hagbardceline7118]

@mr.pavone9719 also if it's fine dining, I'm pretty sure no one working in the kitchen could afford to eat there.

[@TheWinterscoming]

Holy shit, my brain is so KZbin cooked when you said "Dies by suicide" i was actually shocked it wasnt "unalived himself" or something like that

[@jonesjones6279]

5:07 Customers of The Beef, still eat at The Beef. It was shown multiple times to still be operating during lunchtime hours by Ebraheim. It was the only profitable side of the restaurant too.

[@Mothmaninist]

I will say as a line cook I’ve avoided this show specifically because I’m worried it’ll give me a panic attack so kudos for the correct assumption. Though I’ll prob watch at least S1 soon

[@abraxasjinx5207]

Take a Valium or smoke a bowl before you do. Especially the episode where the ticket printer sounds throughout the entire episode. Nightmare fuel to anyone who has been there.

[@spiraljumper74]

It made my ticket printer dreams come back. I’ve been out of the industry five years. 😂

[@addammadd]

Left the industry 10 years ago. Skip this shit.

[@R4ks0]

I always thought they were going back to the sandwich business and in the last season get a Michelin star for their new sandwich, "The Mikey" . Hopefully they go back to their roots.

[@Progressunlikely]

This was my thought as well but then with the finale episode of this season I fear they may have drunk the fine dining koolaid and fallen for the glamour and elbow rubbing given all the cameos. 🤮

[@bigoltits1880]

Carmy's roots ARE in fine dining buddy. That's what he was trained in, for years and years. His brother Mikey is the one whose "roots" are in serving cheap sandwiches. Carmy does not enjoy making sandwiches, he tried in season 1 and didnt love it, remember? Let Carmy be Carmy, please.

[@blane2472]

It's sad because the first season could be seen as Carmy leaving the inauthentic world of fine dining to find a place where food is made for the love of food and not to charge as much money as possible. But then in season 2 the show starts acting like no, love of food is ONLY found in places like the ones Carmy came from. Basically it tells the audience Carmy was right to look down on the Beef.

[@gpeddino]

This hits the nail on the head for me. That's why the first season is by far my favorite.

[@questionablespamaccount3996]

The point is none of that matters. They goin to the top

[@Videomorgue]

The transition from season one to season two gave me whiplash. I stopped caring about the restaurant and its employees when they all started huffing their own farts.

[@lazyfish7675]

I've never seen a show that so actively made me not want to watch it solely on the basis that it every clip i see gives me flashbacks

[@enokii]

Haven't seen any clips but why would I want to watch a show that I lived through? Been there, done that.

[@rfldss89]

​@@enokii that's valid, I wouldn't wanna watch a show about a toxic relationship that exactly mimics the abusive dynamics I fell victim to either.

[@purpleblah2]

I figured out what rubbed me so wrong about the 3rd season, it's that they changed the menu to generic fancy cuisine instead of putting the focus on their authentic Chicago-style beef sandwiches. Hole-in-the-wall restaurants and street food stalls have gotten Michelin stars because it's about the quality of the food, not how pretentious it is. But, to give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe they're setting up a story arc where the fancy restaurant fails and Carmy learns to be less domineering and gets a star by making their world-famous beef sandwiches.

[@J.Soffer]

I was a server for many years. I honed my craft, I learned different levels of service, and I loved it. But, it didn't love me back. You go above and beyond to make magic, and so few even notice or understand the pursuit in the first place. You're giving someone an experience, and it matters to you that it's a good one. I worked long enough to retire. But that sort of thing is out of the question, and all that dedication and effort ultimately left me with nothing and burned out. Tip your servers, people. Often, that tip gets divided, so 20% is ideal and standard.

[@MegaElijah21]

I do find myself sometimes wondering what the ultimate message of the show will be, because to me it sometimes teeters into this gray area of like "ya, fine dining and restaurants in general are ultimately super toxic work environments, but you know, maybe that stress is worth it in order to be great" Like it depicts how awful the service industry can be, but does it in such a way where it sometimes comes of as an ever so slight glorification rather than a critique, at least imo. Like so much of what makes a restaurant horrible to work in is because every daily process involved in running one is optimized not to make workers lives easier, but to make as a much money as possible, and I think sometimes this reality gets lost in favor of this pretentious, self aggrandizing views of restaurants the show can have, despite all the work it does to also depict the bad side of them. For every person I see praising the show for its realistic portrayal of restaurant culture, there's also a Gen X dad out there who really loves Michael Jordan and Gordan Ramsay praising Carmy for doing what needs to be done in order to be "great."

[@bigoltits1880]

Looks like you havent seen season 3 then. because the show tackles exactly this in a scene of season 3. The scene where carmy confronts his toxic teacher, who actually has the temerity to say "you're welcome" to Carmy. Carmy learns that a toxic work culture is NOT worth it, and he should NOT want to end up as his toxic cynical teacher who is very famous and successful, but universally hated by everyone around him. Watch season 3. If you already have, then i must call into question your ability to comprehend art

[@TheMan-zj3oq]

Looks like you havent seen season 3 then. because the show tackles exactly the point you made, in a scene in season 3. it's the scene where carmy confronts his toxic teacher, who actually has the temerity to say "you're welcome" to Carmy. Carmy learns that a toxic work culture is NOT worth it, and he should NOT want to end up as his toxic cynical teacher who is very famous and successful, but universally disliked by everyone around him. Watch season 3. If you already have, then i must call into question your ability to comprehend art. What The Bear does glorify, is hard work and big dreams. That's all. "Every Second Counts" is literally good advice in both work and life. That's what this show glorifies. The lady chef character in the show who comes up with the "Every Second Counts" line is not toxic at all. She's a successful chef who is also good to her employees. She's portrayed as the ideal chef. Carmy's toxic teacher chef is NOT portrayed as the ideal chef at all

[@Paincomplicatesbelief]

I feel like richie's arc would have been so much more impactful if his experience in meaning-making and service was translated into the mundanities of everyday life. The insistence on meaning being paired with exceptionality/particularity/wealth/beauty is not only shallow and cliche (like a reagan-era film might have shown), but it's a cynical reflection of american decadence. I want a show about meaning, family, addiction, cycles of abuse that is critical, not of the moral character or individual beliefs one has about themselves and the world around them, but using belief to challenge or highlight contradictions in culture, family, and economy

[@Paincomplicatesbelief]

The other thing is that such observations and critiques should be used to explore repair, not just personal optimization

[@Paincomplicatesbelief]

Okay... I'll finish the video now lol, I apparently had to vent

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

The beauty of the routine + mundane is sublime to anyone who was lucky enough to survive crisis + chaos. I agree they went wrong there.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

@@Paincomplicatesbelief Glad you did, Stranger. Valuable comment.

[@ChristopherCraven]

Also, how depressing is the whole "I didn't know where I belong, but now I do and i feel great." Becoming a simp for the rich and giving them their best experience. Was heartbreaking when I saw that clip.

[@bigoltits1880]

he's also continuing to feed poor people through The Beef, which is not closed, it's still open in the back of the building. Let him do what he enjoys doing, you judgey sad boy

[@ojiilemon]

this reminds me of the restaurant i worked at right before the pandemic hit. it started to get like this. chefs chasing “excellence” while the workers were starting to get exploited and the customers felt like they weren’t being listened to. It was a restaurant that was literally southern comfort bbq in the north. it was affordable and good quality. and all if a sudden, prices were being gouged (sometimes it was the supply chains but other times, it was management buying ingredients we definitely didn’t need for recognition.) it was super obnoxious. anywayyyyyyyt :) i will never go back to a service job and i will never work in the mainstream creative industry. if im gonna have low pay and instability, might as well do indie and rely on my community and let big business crumble in under its own weight

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

I can relate to a lot of what you said here but also the "fine casual" places I worked at were JAMMING those tables in by the time the 'demic hit. I fought with the owners so much bc our customers were an arm's length from other tables. It got so hard to serve in & it also gave our fatphobic addict abusive chef an excuse to go in on any server who wasn't an elf. For dinner that was expensive, like entrees were 20-40 & we were the kind of place where a typical diner did apps, drinks, desert, everything, so a typical meal for 2 on a Wednesday would be between 100-150 depending on drinks. Can you imagine sitting in the least comfortable chairs in the middle of a loud room being able to reach out & touch other diners in 4 directions paying that much? Glad the 'demic at least halted that nonsense.

[@jessenorman91]

i really hope the show comes full circle and the bear fails and the beef returns and succeeds but this time with a more tight-knit work environment and better communication. that would do wonders for everybody and everything in that story

[@Littlestraincloud]

I worry that The Bear is going to be the next Ted Lasso: - standout, refreshing first season that is a return to TV's roots (simple story with interesting and complex characters, largely episodic, and stakes that everyone can understand) - second season ramping up the underdog narrative, giving us some great standout episodes with high emotional intensity - wet fart third season I hope it doesn't go the way of Ted Lasso and deliver an ultimately nothingburger of a story

[@ratgurl1]

bruh i will never forget how fake-progressive Ted Lasso ended up. the last season wasted so much time and good-grace in order to compliment the characters rather than the intention of deconstructing toxic masculinity. i’ll always love Coach Beard and the ethos of second chances, but nothing pisses me off like Sudeikis’s regurgitation of buzzwords for cheap jokes (and the penis string scene oh my lorddd)

[@HuntingViolets]

@@ratgurl1 I can't look at Sudeikis since seeing part of _Horrible Bosses_ or whatever it's called at someone's house. Maybe I can live without the Ted Lasso attempt.

[@radicalpasta7040]

"The table is tilted folks. The game is rigged. Nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care... Its called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it" George Carlin

[@Meelameels]

I’ve been saying that the bear had the perfect ending at season one. They could have left it up to the viewers to imagine what they did with the money. When season 2 finished it literally felt like they made it just to fit as many celebrities in the show as possible. It just wasn’t what the show was anymore

[@bigoltits1880]

The episode in which they crammed as many celebs as possible was literally the best episode of the entire show though. It was a tour de force of ensemble acting. You are complaining about literally the best episode of the show right now.

[@corykwan4472]

To me, season 3 is the setup to the last season. It shows that the gang is ultimately unhappy, angry with eachother and losing lots of money every day. You see a glimmer of happiness in the flashback with Mikey and it’s literally said that the only thing that is making money is what’s left of The Beef. Now that Carmy had that confrontation with his abusive mentor, I think s4 is going to be about how they return to their center, find happiness and hopefully get a michelin star.

[@DSAhmed]

This is probably the most thoughtful and insightful critique of the show the Bear that i've seen. good work.

[@thegammelier]

Was a server for years, interviewed at the then-top restaurant in Chicago, Next. Interview essentially ended when I learned you make a set amount a night that was less than I’d make at a pizza place on a weekend. Their excuse was, ‘after you work here, you can punch your ticket anywhere!’ No thanks, I’m not gonna do top level service for less.

[@mosslings]

This went completely over my head when watching the newest 2 seasons. I really enjoyed the characters and the drama in the season. It's true that the "passion" theme seems very heavy in the show, but we also see how it leaves the characters to rot. The few steps that Carmy takes to actually get better, get swallowed by his "dream" and ego, his search for approval, and he loses his way. The opening of The Bear is not a success. Which makes me HOPE that it means next season will show us that making the bear a michellin restaurant was a mistake. But I am now more scheptical about this. Because you are right, it might have lost its path on the way.

[@derek7710]

amazing work especially on Cabrini-Green, the famous story of refusing the architects nicer looking and cheaper plan of numbered placards for more expensive stencil work specifically because it made the place "not look too nice, which would upset wealthier citizens"

[@S1ipperyJim]

Small correction @11:00 Richie was not actually washing the forks because he would have slowed down their existing dishwashers who were "the best in the business". He ONLY polished the already washed forks.

[@calc7074]

Reminds me on how I've read a lot of "wholesome" isekai which kind of follows this plot. The mc makes everything better for everyone with their modern day knowledge but often it goes to the degree it seems they are just gentrifying things in chase of royal recognition. Or just straight up reinstating a capitalist system and or colonisation.

[@bobaorc7839]

As someone who has worked in the food service industry, some of the back and forth feels real compared to the Gordon Ramsey reality TV slop

[@yowhatitlooklike]

It would be so sick if prestige TV could borrow from A Cool Million but the main emotion that kind of story elicits is bitterness. I think Mad Men is the closest we've come to that in recent memory but it also balanced out bitterness with nostalgia and celebrated the seductive aspects of social climbing.

[@Pantsinabucket]

A big issue: the idea that Camry and his family are “working class” is proven to be a complete lie during Fishes. Their family home is a mansion in Wilmette, basically the richest old-money area of Chicago’s suburbs.

[@Diptera_Larvae]

14:55 Dystopian Butter is still my favourite moment

[@m.d.1395]

As someone who worked adjacent to a fine dinig establishment, spent many years in hospitality, and saw their favorite Chinese restaurant close and get replaced with another fancy restaurant, I've avoided The Bear for a long time.

[@Oli3TB76]

Stellar breakdown, you put into words what I'd been feeling but wasn't fully aware of

[@monovatherealest]

The 4th season is the final season?!?!? NOBODY TOLD ME ANYTHING 😭

[@oomas7209]

the only way that this show could end after season three that I would feel makes thematic sense is the bear fails. Everyone decides fuck this fancy shit and goes back to making beef sandwiches and then they’re only happy with working in the industry when they work for their community inside and outside the restaurant.

[@MrMeta28]

Man, thank you so much for this great video. You were able to put into words thoughts I've been having about this show since season 2. Keep up the good work!

[@Owesomasaurus]

I think part of the problem is that prestige television is inherently a bougie medium made by would-be upwardly mobile creatives. If the screenwriter, director, producers etc are all chasing that brass ring that attitude will naturally filter into the project.

[@AccoSpoot]

I used to work as a potwash in a michellin star restaurant. I so fucken hated it that I don't ever want to even acknowledge shows like The Bear even exist

[@abraxasjinx5207]

Read the "Dishwasher" fanzine by Dishwasher Pete. He had a mission to wash dishes in every state of the US. Great writer, and very relatable to us dish-dogs. I personally loved washing dishes in the right restaurants, and never would have moved on to other positions if the pay had ever been adequate. It also sucks as a tall person, stooping over a scrub sink, so I probably couldn't have carried on forever anyway.

[@luistenma85]

I just want to say this was the analysis I needed, and thank you, you have a new subscriber. I've been very obsessed with The Bear in the past days because I think it's so very well made, but somehow I had some mixed feelings I couldn't get to grasp entirely. Because I was well aware of how the first season worked so well in the way it did and made me feel like I was watching something that addressed the struggle of working people. I seriously hope the fourth season comes around all of this arc as something that was a wrong dream (which coincided with Carmy's wrong idea of pursuit of excellence in expense of his happiness) in some way.

[@CynthiaMcG]

This video pops up on my feed right in the middle of me caramelizing onions. Coincidence?!? (fwiw, it's kinda difficult to deal with a lot of onions when the Food Bank comes around to my complex and drops off a 50# bag of produce to everyone.)

[@jaceylong8646]

Obviously the universe is telling you to gentrify a restaurant

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

No one should ever be hungry. We shouldn't need them but until humanity gets it together, bless Food Banks & the people who receive + give. We're often the same people at different times in our lives. May you always have enough nourishment to feed, sustain, + satisfy you.

[@boomukboo]

This is ART. Thank you so much!

[@capybararancher8638]

Respectfully, i think this critique is a bit half baked. i think the Bear and season 3 especially has gone out of its way to shit on the rise and grind mentality of the american dream and the restaurant industry. I think you may have interpreted subversion and depiction of the industry as endorsement. The main characters are miserable and struggling and they haven't even succeeded yet! Only the beef has been making money and if it was full on gentrification then having it still exist would undermine that narrative bc it is the community that can't afford to eat at the bear that keeps the bear runnning, they haven't been run out yet. They literally end the season with Carmy's mentor shutting down her successful restaurant because the grind fn sucks. Napkins was an entire episode dedicated to how meaningless the grind is for dreams because everyone is so desperate. I think if you believe the show is glamourizing the restaurant industry and not highlighting how it completely runs people into the ground youre not paying attention. The issues brought up bout gentrification and poverty are valid and I agree with them, I just don't believe the bear is the right show to focus those issues through. You could easily have made this argument through a show like Sweetbitter but the bear just feels like an easy target because it hasn't finished yet and is topical. I think there are a bunch of great ways to critique the bear like how it doesnt really feature the internal struggles for its black and brown characters, or pacing, or how it doesn't examine how the restaurant plays a role in the community with its transformation but i feel like the bear is critiquing some of the exact things you think its endorsing.

[@Owesomasaurus]

Not having seen the show, I can't know if this is deliberate subtext. How much does the show deal in subtext? How deliberate is it with deploying subtext?

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

I was wondering why themes of intergenerational conflict weren't coming up? Intergenerational themes seem inherent + organic in many of the BIPOC characters + situations as well as historically within their Chicago setting --- particularly juicy stories for the BIPOC characters --- but the show doesn't seem very narratively centred around their POVs. S01 was sold to me by friends as an ensemble diverse cast, gritty/realistic but artful, working class-centred story also exploring creative labour/"callings". By S03 silence + bafflement from friends who raved about first season; glowing critic reviews again yet somehow the critical praise seems to describe a totally different show than my friends who told me to watch it after the debut.

[@addammadd]

Tell me it doesn’t valorize the life.

[@spiraljumper74]

Straight to the sun with Will Guidara.

[@snakegriffon2298]

They literally still serve beef sandwiches at the Bear. It doesn't alienate their old customers.

[@nochannelmusician769]

This video directly contradicted itself on that note too. And Ebra’s apprehension is just as much about the restaurant being too bougie as it is about his own self worth.

[@donalvarez4006]

Anthony Fantano’s little brother back at it again 😂

[@ic5889]

Me clicking on this video: "ehhh I've been avoiding watching it anyway so idc about spoilers" Video: so I'm gonna start by calling you out,

[@cjcman87]

As someone who lived in Cabrini Green, 41-deuce hold it up, I watched the first season, loved it, and in the middle of the second season became sharply uninterested. Probably bc i went back after being away for a while and was shocked at what i saw. The row houses are still fenced around. Hundreds of houses, vacant for 20 years. With high-rises going up in little vacant lots i used to play four square in. The only thing still over there is Mr. Beef. With them "bettering" it in the show really hurt my heart. It not just Cabrini, Wicker Park, Logan Square, Ukrainian Village. Fulton Market also is completely changed from mom and pop butchers and produce stands to bars and fancy restaurants. Not all change is bad but i dont see as many black and brown people around to experience it.

[@jeffersonclippership2588]

Dude I fucking love the Hostile Work Environment Show!

[@cboehm24]

See, I feel like this season is saying the opposite of the American Dream. The message is not about "Trying to be rich is better," it's about how helping others should be first. THAT was the message of "Every Second Counts." Richie and Carmy have switched places from the first season. At first, Carmy was gently and positively influencing those around them while Richie lived in denial. This season, Carmy is denying his impact on the people around him for the external validation of a Michelin star, while Richie is calmly being a rock star. You mentioned the Beef sandwich window. It's another sign of embracing people over fame/the admiration of people who don't care about you. I hope that next season Carmy comes around in time to keep his uncle from closing the place.

[@theactorjohnlarroquette]

You are perfectly articulating why I never liked this show. I was working in a kitchen when it came out and I just saw it romanticize the most pernicious, manipulative, and exploitative aspects of upscale restaurant culture

[@bluishblow]

i chose to interpret this season like a set-up for a last season where carm comes to term with his origins instead of trying to adapt to this high-class norms

[@Caitlin_TheGreat]

I watched the first handful of episodes of the first season. It was good. But I didn't go back to it, and partly because it felt like maybe it wasn't going where I'd like it to go. I could have been wrong, but since they apparently decided to ditch the writer who was bring the focus on working class in favor of those who'd refocus the show on _work ethic,_ obedience to your boss, and how _cool_ the rich people are.. yeah, I'm not going back to it. A shame. I guess it could pull it out in the last season, but given the trajectory of it, that seems unlikely. More likely it'll have gone from gritty but believable telling of being a working person in America, to fantastical fairy tale about how you too can become a rich capitalist if you just keep working hard enough (and luck into inheriting a restaurant and have connections, and are actually just a character in a show).

[@EtherRainbow]

Dang, I didn't expect someone who looks so much like Thought Slime to also be as cool as her! This is an amazing video, and my first time taking a look at your channel! Really enjoyed the watch a lot :)