People are divided over whether The Bear is a comedy or a drama. Regardless, I will say this: It is absolutely the best show on television that always gives me a migraine.
After several aspirins, I’m working through what I admired—and was put off by—in the first batch of episodes I watched of Season 3 of the Emmy-winning series, which returned this week. (I cannot handle binge-watching this series; if you can, you have a stronger constitution than me.)
The Bear’s greatest strength, and the reason why I think so many people from so many different demographics have come to champion it, is that it is the rare TV show that doesn’t treat viewers like they’re stupid. It trusts them to understand every tonal shift—which, on this show, is a wrecking ball swinging like a pendulum—and narrative departure. It certainly has faith in viewers’ strength and fortitude, parachuting us into the relentless, loud intensity of The Bear kitchen with no easing in or buffer.
