Just came to post the trailer as I'd only just seen it. Can't believe there's only 4 pages in this thread though, thought more would have watched it.
Television The Bear
- Thread starter Donaldo
- Start date
I avoid trailers but I'm really looking forward to the show!
Yep, feck trailers.
Great news. Love this show.
Because the episodes are really short. If you double them up, or chop other shows episodes in half, they could do the same thing.
Firstly the episodes are short.It’s only 8+ hours of content.
Secondly, they’ve only released 18 in two years so it’s hardly prolific.
Thirdly, most episodes are on very small sets. Even the family Christmas, Denmark, and Forks episode are pretty self contained.
Fourthly, it’s quite a small cast.
I’d also guess that because it’s so expertly written, everything is pretty tight. The method of shooting would add to pace. They’re aiming at chaos, which is an art in itself, but takes won’t have to be as perfect as many other shows. ‘Perfectly imperfect’ is kind of the goal, and if all involved are experienced enough to do it, I bet they shoot across a real small number of days.
Great point.
I checked actually. They shot season one (excluding the pilot) in 27 days. 18 days in the restaurant set that they built.
Link
Yeah it's not exactly a high maintenance show to produce. Biggest issue is probably having the actors free at the same time.
That's basically it, and it might become more complicated considering the actors are more and more in demand (if they want to carry on pumping out seasons), but otherwise it's quite straightforward to produce.
Back tomorrow.
Different! But felt like I was in a little bit of a trance the whole time, in a good way. Something about the way it’s shot is just very engrossing.
Just started this show last week, 4 episodes down. Anyone else have to do a double-take when Molly Ringwald showed up for a monologue? I like the main guy, he's kind of like Nicolas Cage crossed with Adrien Brody. Very much a hangdog face, but he's eminently watchable. Not sure really where the show is going just yet, and we are not fans of cooking shows or celebrity chef culture, so we are enjoying it just for the dramas.
We also started Only Murders In The Building at the same time as The Bear, and we've given up on the former after 2 episodes.
We also started Only Murders In The Building at the same time as The Bear, and we've given up on the former after 2 episodes.
So good. The Bear at its chaotically beautiful best. The editing is superb.
I've not got round to watching it yet but the reviews haven't been good. What's people's thoughts on it so far?
Hmm? It's at 94% on RT.
Yeah the three eps I’ve imdB’d after watching have also been like 9, 9 and 9.2
It's become like Ted Lasso for me, no longer about the food or the kitchen, but more about the characters and their stories.
Really enjoyed the first episode and how it basically served as a recap whilst being a nice flashback episode but did it really need that background music for the entire 36 minutes?
feck me this is stressful.
Nah, this season was bad.
Haven’t watched season 3 yet but the first 2 seasons are some of my favourite ever television it’s sad to see this get mediocre reviews
Seems rushed and unfinished.
True, but reviews are a bit less positive than for previous seasons. Metacritic has the seasons at 88, 92, 81 respectively. User scores on there have also gone way down
I'm sure some people will like it but it's not for me. I will spoiler thoughts but they aren't really spoilers. I just don't want to give anything away:
First episode is a recap. Then most episodes are about the individual characters. I did like the one episode about the latina cook. A lot of the episodes are stressful and anxiety inducing. I get why but i don't need to like it.
Season 1 and 2 are stunning, but reading very mixed reviews of season 3.
Season 3 is a mess.
Personally, I love the opener as a piece of art, if that’s not too wanky. But they should have released it as a one off or a week prior to the rest. It’s a bit of a piss take to open with it, then go straight into the carnage.
Theres lots of good in the rest of it. But The Faks constant overtaking, the Haunting nonsense, desperately shit. It’s massively self-serving more often too.
Also… Carmy is properly dislikeable now. Theres no balance to him being such a prick. Obviously there’s nothing to say that that can’t make great tv. Showing masses of flashbacks of his tutors showing him kindness and compassion, and him to not have onboarded any of it. Or at least him having any ability to tap into it in this season. For what reason? Because he doesn’t have the stones to apologise to a woman he loves? While his restaurant is being bankrolled with a mostly blank cheque, and he won’t see his sisters kid, nor his mother, shouts at everyone, marginalises his supposed protégés, at the same time he can’t even get 12 people to break down cardboard boxes?
The writing, music, cinematography, food scenes, and ratios other aspects of it are still top drawer. The season was still enjoyable.
But Carmy’s internal struggle always had heart. His rage and fear of falling short or feeling inadequate was always balanced by a real love for cooking, food, and the people he was doing it with.
I’ve loads more complaints but I’m probably being overly unfair as I’ve only just finished it.
I’m sure they’ll turn it all around with the next season. A Carmy redemption arc is an easy pathway. Everyone else is getting closer and clearly despise the work environment. It might be a route one arc but it’s surely all got to come together again?
(NB - I appreciate that there’s an overarching narrative linking to abuse and becoming your abuser and shaking it off and such. I just don’t think the season handled that well at all)
Personally, I love the opener as a piece of art, if that’s not too wanky. But they should have released it as a one off or a week prior to the rest. It’s a bit of a piss take to open with it, then go straight into the carnage.
Theres lots of good in the rest of it. But The Faks constant overtaking, the Haunting nonsense, desperately shit. It’s massively self-serving more often too.
Also… Carmy is properly dislikeable now. Theres no balance to him being such a prick. Obviously there’s nothing to say that that can’t make great tv. Showing masses of flashbacks of his tutors showing him kindness and compassion, and him to not have onboarded any of it. Or at least him having any ability to tap into it in this season. For what reason? Because he doesn’t have the stones to apologise to a woman he loves? While his restaurant is being bankrolled with a mostly blank cheque, and he won’t see his sisters kid, nor his mother, shouts at everyone, marginalises his supposed protégés, at the same time he can’t even get 12 people to break down cardboard boxes?
The writing, music, cinematography, food scenes, and ratios other aspects of it are still top drawer. The season was still enjoyable.
But Carmy’s internal struggle always had heart. His rage and fear of falling short or feeling inadequate was always balanced by a real love for cooking, food, and the people he was doing it with.
I’ve loads more complaints but I’m probably being overly unfair as I’ve only just finished it.
I’m sure they’ll turn it all around with the next season. A Carmy redemption arc is an easy pathway. Everyone else is getting closer and clearly despise the work environment. It might be a route one arc but it’s surely all got to come together again?
(NB - I appreciate that there’s an overarching narrative linking to abuse and becoming your abuser and shaking it off and such. I just don’t think the season handled that well at all)
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If the first two seasons were 9/10 with some episodes reaching the levels of absolute kino (6&7th from the second season, especially digested one after the other are nothing but a 10/10 benchmark for me), the third season is indeed messy, too chaotic and overly self-indulgent. I guess it was hard to come up with a plot good enough to follow up on the first two seasons, that's why we have so many retrospections and episodes that don't push the story even a tiny bit. It's still a great show with excellent camera work, editing and some top-notch acting, but it surely is not as fresh as the first two seasons, some episodes I found plain boring
, some jokes and gags were just funnier when you heard them for the first time. Faks (featuring more prominently) and the manchild culture of insecurity-driven Chicago males are still quite hilarious and the dialogues - especially those involving "Unc", what a role by Oliver Platt - are just excellent.
7.5 or 8/10 for the third season, very enjoyable and recommended - I love this show and I wish Hollywood shot more stuff about psychotic chefs instead of superheroes.
I mean maybe I'm not the target audience but the whole episode about Natalie giving birth was a borefest and I barely got through it, felt like it was only written for Jamie Lee Curtis so she can show off her acting skills, which she did
7.5 or 8/10 for the third season, very enjoyable and recommended - I love this show and I wish Hollywood shot more stuff about psychotic chefs instead of superheroes.
I'm on episode 9 and there has been very little actual plot so far. now it's three seasons already of people yelling and falling apart from the start, with most of them being rather unlikeable at this point. I mean, it's no wonder Michael killed himself. if people around me were like this or my family was full of smilar "characters", I'd avoid them as often as possible.
and you know, with all those dramatic close ups you actually forget this is still just a show about cooking. obviously, that alone doesn't work so now they have to spice everything up with making characters that can't behave and function at all, hence the constant screaming like the stakes were life and death.
... which I can accept when it all seemed fresh in S1, early S2. but I'm nearing the end of the third season and I'm starting to ask myself what I am getting from watching it. some of these episodes aren't even short anymore, there is waaay less humour as well. obviously I'm going to finish the season, but if there are another 2 or 3 seasons of this, I'm not sure I'd be interested.
and you know, with all those dramatic close ups you actually forget this is still just a show about cooking. obviously, that alone doesn't work so now they have to spice everything up with making characters that can't behave and function at all, hence the constant screaming like the stakes were life and death.
... which I can accept when it all seemed fresh in S1, early S2. but I'm nearing the end of the third season and I'm starting to ask myself what I am getting from watching it. some of these episodes aren't even short anymore, there is waaay less humour as well. obviously I'm going to finish the season, but if there are another 2 or 3 seasons of this, I'm not sure I'd be interested.
Harsh but fair.7 episodes in and I'm a little disappointed. It feels like the central premise of the show has taken a total and complete backseat to character development at this point. I honestly didn't feel very invested in either of Episodes 6 or 7 and it didn't move forward the plot at all. I feel like the show doesn't quite know what to do at this point. Or they're just trying too hard.
I'm only up to ep. 3 of season 2. Season 1 was entertaining. Season 2 so far has seemed like a different writers' room, with little slapstick moments (the moldy ceiling tiles falling on Ritchie), puppy dog eyes between Sydney and the desserts guy (please no), and Sugar getting shoehorned into scenes as "project manager" seems like just bad writing.
Music has been all over the place. They used the same Refused song three times already, and then last episode they went with Mavis Staples and Counting fecking Crows. I don't know about this show.
Music has been all over the place. They used the same Refused song three times already, and then last episode they went with Mavis Staples and Counting fecking Crows. I don't know about this show.
On ep 7 of the latest season now. Does feel a bit all over the place in terms of where it wants to go. It’s still good and watchable but there’s way too many scenes with conversations that whilst they feel very real, don’t really serve much purpose.
Also too many Faks.
Also too many Faks.
First two seasons are absolute top tier TV for me. But like others I thought s3 was a little disappointing. It didn't seem to advance the plot much at all and felt a little too much like setup for s4. I did like the cameos from the real life chefs and thought the season finale was great but too much of the season felt like fluff, like the first episode was good as a standalone piece but not as the season opener.
Season 3 is Not Good. In fact I'm going to put it in the Bad box.
Makes me re-think a few things about S2 (I found the Christmas episode 50% terrific 50% absolute wank, for instance - now tempted to find it full wank).
It's gone overboard in what it thinks the audience loved about it, losing all heart, connection and emotion in the process. A cardboard cutout of a season - put it in the bin without breaking it down.
Makes me re-think a few things about S2 (I found the Christmas episode 50% terrific 50% absolute wank, for instance - now tempted to find it full wank).
It's gone overboard in what it thinks the audience loved about it, losing all heart, connection and emotion in the process. A cardboard cutout of a season - put it in the bin without breaking it down.
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Not what I wanted to hear. Because I was in the exact same boat about that episode. Only watched first episode of s3 so far and quite liked it.
Stay out of this thread till you finish it, I reckon. I found it a huuuuuuge missed opportunity.
I actually don’t think I’ll bother. Life’s too short to watch TV I don’t enjoy. The comment by @Solius about the Faks made my mind up. They were like nails on a blackboard for me in season 2. If there’s even more of them in this season then I’m out.
The Faks have increased not only in number but also in the amount of scenes they take up.
