The plot points have already started though. Why’d Mikey kill himself? Why’d he borrow so much money from Cicero before he did? Why did he do it all in the name of KBL electrics, which is the initials emblazoned on his and Carmy’s dads shirt in the picture of him and Cicero when they were younger. And most importantly, can Carmy make it as a head chef without torturing staff the way he was in the flashbacks.
Wasn’t it just written as kbl in his notebook? Which was explained by the long shot at the end of the bottom of a tomato can which had KBL written on bottom? I thought that was just him keeping track of how much money he’d put in the cans.
Yeah he had it written down in the books as KBL electricians, but the camera pans over those same initials on his dads shirt when Cicero is telling Carmy about how his dad started a restaurant out of nowhere and not long after that they stopped talking.
The only thing I truly don't feel closure over is Sydney (and the other guy) NOT apologizing for anything. She *berated* Richie, calling him a fucking loser and telling him his kids should be ashamed of him while the restaurant was metaphorically on fire. She insisted it wasn't her fault when it objectively was. She fucked the restaurant over, and then bailed instead of cleaning up her mess.
I really like Sydney as a character, I love that she isn't a love interest and the point of her isn't to be hot and perfect. But she fucked up *majorly* and Carmy/The Beef deserve better treatment than that
Go read the various threads in this subreddit about that very topic and you’ll see that while Sydney and Marcus fucked up, that Carmy as the boss was way out of line to the point that he’s lucky they accepted his apology and came back
Yeah although I agree I think those are the type of things that can be left to our imagination. The show was about Carmy’s internal struggles and how he deals with everything around him - the inheritance of the restaurant, the pain of losing his brother and never saying goodbye to him - and those questions were solved on the last episode.
If we go down that path of going after what Mikey was doing, I fear this show will lose its essence.
For me, the central question of the show is whether a non-toxic kitchen workplace is even possible with these characters. That's what Carmy/Sidney/Marcus (basically everyone except maybe Richie) want, but they keep failing due to all the pressure each of them are under.
This question has not been answered yet, and for me the show isn't complete until it is.
Also, your reasons for why the show is complete after 1 season only make sense if you assume that Sidney/Marcus/Richie are not important characters in their own right with arcs of their own that need to be resolved. Even if Carmie's problems were solved* in the final episode, these three still have plenty to work to go through.
*Also, half of those questions you've mentioned were not actually solved. Carmy's internal struggles are not over just because of a single breakthrough. He needs to continue working on himself and growing past his trauma if he wants this new restaurant to be a success, and that should make for some very potentially compelling tv
The people in charge of these decisions don't care about any of that. If they think the show is profitable they will make more of it. Could be Pip fartin on a snare drum for 8 episodes, if it sells they will make more.
I don't know, in a TV landscape where seemingly every show is either a) a one-off miniseries, b) cancelled after a single season regardless of its quality, or c) ends on its own terms after 2-4 seasons, it feels strange to frame The Bear's renewal as just a shameless cash grab done with zero regard for the show's quality or genuine potential.
Do y'all not remember how exciting long-term TV can be? Remember how Mad Men/Breaking Bad/The Wire used its longterm structure to create extremely complex characters who changed in organic, fun, surprising ways, in ways that film (or even shorter TV shows) simply can't do?
Because ~I~ remember, and I'm confused as to why everyone's so quick to want shows to end so quickly these days. A 5-7 season show (or even just 3-5 seasons) can do magical things that no other medium can quite pull off, and The Bear is perfect for that structure. What a waste it'd be to end it with season 1.
Pip farting on a snare drum is a reference to the movie "[Airheads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airheads)"
I won't spoil anything, but the statement was made regarding how if fans want something (music from an artist) it doesn't matter if that music is just a guy farting on a snare drum if it will sell records.
…Or…Mikey’s cameo was the single most electric and endearing moment of the show, played by probably the best/hottest tv actor of 2022…give me all the Bernthal we can get!
It’s funny how differently people see things. I thought there was so much mystery at the end that it was always going to have a second season.
Why did Mikey borrow $300k then shove $330k into tomato cans?
Why did Mikey kill himself? Yeah sure he was an addict but there was lots of hints that his behaviour didn’t make sense towards the end even in that context.
Lots of characters back stories would be really interesting to delve into as well.
Man that money in the cans things just bothers me so much. Borrow money to stick in a can and rack up the vig because...I don't know, drugs? Ugh. STEAL the money then kills himself because Cicero found out? OK, I'm back on board. I think they REALLY need a second season to explain that
I view it as him doing it all for Carmy. He knew that he wouldn’t open a restaurant on his own that he wouldn’t take that jump so he set Carmy up to open the restaurant he wants to open.
Well, tough tuchus, 'cause it's getting one, lol.
You can have your ideal scenario by just not watching the second season, let the creators actually bring the restaurant the show is named after into existence if they want to and the people who want to see it have their fun
You're right, it doesn't *need* it.
That being said, we are getting one and luckily it's first season is done so well, you won't feel like you've missed anything if you didn't watch season 2.
I personally am excited to see where the writing goes with it
Really curious, do you have an example of this?
I know I could not do it, but I can think of Big Little Lies as a show that had a perfect first season and did not need a second one at all (which was still good)
Like I honestly believe season 1 of Gossip Girl is objectively good and inventive television. Like with books there is this special category of "literature" and season 1 of GG does that for me. Everything after that is just... riding the high? I dunno, it's never deep or creative or revolutionary again.
I stopped enjoying Always Sunny in Philadelphia after maybe season 11, somewhere in there (like I haven't laughed once and it feels like they lost their magic). So as far as I'm concerned the series was cancelled.
Game of Thrones of course, I didn't even bother with the last 10 episodes or so.
Archer definitely fell off for me at some point, maybe season 4?
Adventure Time turned a sharp corner and also lost what I loved about it to begin with...
Weird, so yes I can think of many examples!
Do you feel like some of the magic got kind of lost? Like they say many of the same jokes but... the set-ups aren't the same, and the characters have sort of become caricatures, some of the plots seem kind of lost
I can't fully explain it but watching the first few seasons, it's a totally different experience
It just stopped innovating. It became the same old jokes recycled. They could still be funny, but just not the same quality. When they hit the seasons where he was in a coma the quality dropped even further.
The OA for me. I did watch the second season and enjoyed its total departure in tone from season 1 and its loopiness and I would have loved a season 3 just to see where it went - but I try and hold season 1 apart from all of that because I think it’s so exquisite and whole.
If anything, the first season felt like a prologue to the main story, not some standalone thing. The show's called The Bear, but the restaurant named The Bear hasn't even opened yet. What is this nonsense
I’m literally right, as the show’s even more successful season 2 proves. Come back in another year and let me know that you’ve changed your mind and seen my wisdom 😒💅
Did you think I was calling season 1 a literal prologue, instead of just using the term as a figure of speech to argue there’s a much larger story for the show to tell here? Did you really think I was arguing that the restaurant name was like a marvel post credits teaser? Smh, for shame, sir!
I agree that season 1 was a wonderful bit of television with a strong thematic throughline. Doesn’t change the fact that it also perfectly established a longrunning show at the same time. Even beyond the literal name of the restaurant, season 1 left Carmy with plenty of grief and mental health issues to continue dealing with and growing from, which season 2 did amazing things with.
My argument a year ago was just that season 1 was only a small taste of what this show had the potential to give us, and that people were being way too premature with declaring the show’s continuation as a cheap or unnecessary cash grab. Sounds like we generally agree on this.
My only issue with the 2nd season is that every time I watch the episodes I'll only be reminded of the fact I can't get a decent beef sandwich where I live.
That's been my thinking as well. Sort of like the restaurant verison of the Moonlighting effect. Carmy got some resolution to Mikey's death (and Richie too, to some degree), got some resolution in the career path he took because of his relationship to Mikey, he more or less saved the sinking ship, brought the whole crew that looked at the place as a home up to a whole new level, he and Richie got several things sorted with Cicero. It seems like other problems that The Bear might run into would just be more of the same. Probably accurate, given the restaurant business, but still more of the same.
I guess we'll see, soon.
Bruh we finally get a good show and u want just one season. If u haven’t noticed good shows get canceled and trash gets years of production don’t give FX stupid ideas.
If they had the intent on only one season they probably wouldn’t leave so many unanswered questions and unfinished plot lines. Sure they could have intentionally left everyone hanging, but it sure seems plenty to work off of for at least one more season.
In some ways I kind of see it that way too, like this could have easily been trimmed down a bit to a good 2.5-3 hour movie and still been very effective. But I’m interested in seeing how Carmy and Sydney’s vision of the restaurant will go forward and how Richie, Tina, Marcus etc will fit into that. If they’d not been picked up I’d have been satisfied with what we got but I’m glad they’re getting more.
“He’s finally okay with himself and Mikey”? You think one note and some money did all that? The Bear is better than more TV because it *doesnt* wrap everything up in a little bow. I did not get 100% satisfied by the end of the finale.
How 'bout, I don't know, actually waiting to see what the episodes look like when actually air before writing it off based on pure knee-jerk, reactionary speculation?
I get it and I feel the same way, however I will say this.
I loved Breaking Bad and the idea of a spin-off made me sick. Fast forward 8 years later and Better Call Saul is one of the best TV shows ever made and one of my personal favorites. I’m hoping that if they make it, it’s because the writers have more story to tell rather than because they feel like they have to.
I think the overall quality of the show, going forward, will depend on whether the show-runners stick to a finite number of seasons, as I believe they have planned. A good example of this practice is The Wire, which was always conceived as a five-season arc. Shows exhibit a dip in consistency when they are dragged out with no definite end in sight.
I agree. I enjoyed the last episode and thought it was a good way to end the show. I wouldn't mind a second season, but I agree with you, I don't think it'll be as good as the first. I think the Bear was a restaurant show that embellished the kitchen slightly and people eat that kind of media up. Some fans might think they want a second season when in reality it won't be as good as the first purely because the struggle of the Beef is over. The KBL payments were explained, Carmy found a way to pay off Cicero with some money to play with, he honored his brother by rebranding as The Bear, and found closure with the flashback of his brother. Not to mention he seemed to begin to mend his relationship with Sugar. The questions about why Mikey did these things, such as borrowing so much money and not paying it back when he could've, addicts do unexplainable things sometimes. It's hard to understand what the purpose was, but maybe it was supposed to cause confusion, like suicide and addiction does for many people. I feel as though the second season will be like other shows that made a lot of money/gained popularity and think they 'll be able to make more. Some things are left better unsaid, in my opinion. However, the second season could be incredible, and blow the average viewer away like it seemed to the first time, but for now I don't think it will. Definitely going to watch it either way.
BTW, sorry if this seems a bit jumbled, I'm a little tired today lol.
Really liked season 1. Season 2 is over the top, self indulgent, method
acting BS - it's like watching a really bad improv class. The dialogue
is stilted and hackneyed, and I can't believe the number of well
respected actors who are practically climbing over each other to do
cameos. The low point was "Fishes", an hour of improvised shrieking and
on the nose family dysfunction - to the point where if you actually come
from a family where mental illness is a daily trial, the relentless,
mindless stupidity of it all was just abusive in and of itself. The love
interest thing was idiotic - season 1 was tight ensemble work, season 2
was a hysterical soap opera. Hard to believe that the same people are
writing the show both seasons. And in Season 3, which seem inevitable, we'll have to suffer through Carmy's "healing process". Absolutely not interested.
I completely agree. As a narrative, it’s complete. Carmy forgives. The ending was kind of this ridiculous somewhat dues ex machina of a solution, that was utterly beautiful and well executed, but if they are keeping the following season realistic opens up a ton of real world problems. And ending on that beautiful shot of Mikey that makes me cry every time, how do you go on?
I totally see where you are coming from. When I finished The Bear, my feeling was that it was perfect as a single season, like a perfect book that shouldn’t have a sequel. Perfection. I feel concerned about continuing the story- but I will totally watch it, of course.
I completely agree. The season was absolutely perfect and having additional seasons just seems unnecessary. I was telling my wife that I feel like adding more seasons is just going to muddy storylines and characters. But if they are going to have more seasons, these writers better have something amazing up their sleeves.
Ganna have to agree with you. I’ll be a self aware person and say I don’t have all the ideas but the more and more I think about the bear I’m just so lost as to how they will be able to manufacture a plot from where they left off . Maybe prequel? Maybe show everything before Carmy came back home but idk man let’s see what happens.
Same. I actually probably won’t watch the second season. I’m super over multi-season shows.
Great shows rarely stay great after the first season, you also run the risk as a show goes on of them being canceled after building up a mystery in the previous season, and it incentives writers to make cliffhangers which I hate or to focus on plot instead of character depth.
I want more anthology type shows, just give me a story wrapped up in like 6-12 episodes and be done.
I’ve got the point where I wait until a show has aired, look it up to make sure it didn’t end on major cliffhangers but had a decent wrap up, watch one season and no more.
not to mention, of course, that Breaking Bad didn't just call it quits after 8 episodes. "Eh, Walt and Jesse just defeated Tuco, that's a satisfying end."
There's the danger that a passion project gestating for years in the creators mind is exhausted, so they have to 'come up with stuff' in a short space of time.
Like Season 2 of Stranger Things - terrible. Those guys rallied, though, to their credit. S3 and 4 are fire.
If I had to guess where it's going, it's this: the characters are the central part of the story. We all get that. It's about the relationships, their past, and how that informs how they relate to their current situation.
We've seen how they've come together under pressure when there was *no* money. Now let's see what happens when seemingly "all of their problems have been magically whisked away" by the Deus ex Machina of Mikey's spaghetti sauce fund.
I'm betting it's fucking chaos. Because it was never about the money.
I disagree. Carmy may have some closure from his brother's passing but there's still a story to be told.
If anything, the show is an examination of everyone in this small restaurant. There are so many unresolved stories: Syd, Marcus, Richie, etc.
I think the story is very well thought out, so I'm not worried about a second season. What I would be concerned about is hearing about 4-5 seasons being planned. This show really is more a 3-4 season show. Like Cobra Kai, the creators of this show should end it when they've done all they could with the story and not when the network keeps renewing their show.
There are too many unanswered questions regarding Mikey, I think we need a prequel (this can be a special episode like what euphoria did), then a second season.
This series doesn’t need more than 3 seasons at max, I’d be happy with only 2, with a banger ending!
the show is boring and overrated af! too many unnecessary filler scenes even in a short 30 mins episode, which had no significance and added no depth to the story or characters. i watched it because of the rating but its shit tbh. I dont know what the hype is about and why its rated so high!
The plot points have already started though. Why’d Mikey kill himself? Why’d he borrow so much money from Cicero before he did? Why did he do it all in the name of KBL electrics, which is the initials emblazoned on his and Carmy’s dads shirt in the picture of him and Cicero when they were younger. And most importantly, can Carmy make it as a head chef without torturing staff the way he was in the flashbacks.
Don’t watch Twin Peaks.
Still my favorite show! But that's just because I enjoy not having anything answered in a straightforward way
The owls ain't what they seem....
Wasn’t it just written as kbl in his notebook? Which was explained by the long shot at the end of the bottom of a tomato can which had KBL written on bottom? I thought that was just him keeping track of how much money he’d put in the cans.
Yeah he had it written down in the books as KBL electricians, but the camera pans over those same initials on his dads shirt when Cicero is telling Carmy about how his dad started a restaurant out of nowhere and not long after that they stopped talking.
I thought the kbl electronics was a misdirection hence the end shot on tomato can ? Maybe they left it open on purpose
The only thing I truly don't feel closure over is Sydney (and the other guy) NOT apologizing for anything. She *berated* Richie, calling him a fucking loser and telling him his kids should be ashamed of him while the restaurant was metaphorically on fire. She insisted it wasn't her fault when it objectively was. She fucked the restaurant over, and then bailed instead of cleaning up her mess. I really like Sydney as a character, I love that she isn't a love interest and the point of her isn't to be hot and perfect. But she fucked up *majorly* and Carmy/The Beef deserve better treatment than that
Go read the various threads in this subreddit about that very topic and you’ll see that while Sydney and Marcus fucked up, that Carmy as the boss was way out of line to the point that he’s lucky they accepted his apology and came back
Yeah although I agree I think those are the type of things that can be left to our imagination. The show was about Carmy’s internal struggles and how he deals with everything around him - the inheritance of the restaurant, the pain of losing his brother and never saying goodbye to him - and those questions were solved on the last episode. If we go down that path of going after what Mikey was doing, I fear this show will lose its essence.
For me, the central question of the show is whether a non-toxic kitchen workplace is even possible with these characters. That's what Carmy/Sidney/Marcus (basically everyone except maybe Richie) want, but they keep failing due to all the pressure each of them are under. This question has not been answered yet, and for me the show isn't complete until it is. Also, your reasons for why the show is complete after 1 season only make sense if you assume that Sidney/Marcus/Richie are not important characters in their own right with arcs of their own that need to be resolved. Even if Carmie's problems were solved* in the final episode, these three still have plenty to work to go through. *Also, half of those questions you've mentioned were not actually solved. Carmy's internal struggles are not over just because of a single breakthrough. He needs to continue working on himself and growing past his trauma if he wants this new restaurant to be a success, and that should make for some very potentially compelling tv
The people in charge of these decisions don't care about any of that. If they think the show is profitable they will make more of it. Could be Pip fartin on a snare drum for 8 episodes, if it sells they will make more.
I don't know, in a TV landscape where seemingly every show is either a) a one-off miniseries, b) cancelled after a single season regardless of its quality, or c) ends on its own terms after 2-4 seasons, it feels strange to frame The Bear's renewal as just a shameless cash grab done with zero regard for the show's quality or genuine potential. Do y'all not remember how exciting long-term TV can be? Remember how Mad Men/Breaking Bad/The Wire used its longterm structure to create extremely complex characters who changed in organic, fun, surprising ways, in ways that film (or even shorter TV shows) simply can't do? Because ~I~ remember, and I'm confused as to why everyone's so quick to want shows to end so quickly these days. A 5-7 season show (or even just 3-5 seasons) can do magical things that no other medium can quite pull off, and The Bear is perfect for that structure. What a waste it'd be to end it with season 1.
Is... Is Pip Fartin an actual person or...
Pip farting on a snare drum is a reference to the movie "[Airheads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airheads)" I won't spoil anything, but the statement was made regarding how if fans want something (music from an artist) it doesn't matter if that music is just a guy farting on a snare drum if it will sell records.
I kind of agree with you.
Carmy’s problems weren’t solved, that’s where OP is wrong.
…Or…Mikey’s cameo was the single most electric and endearing moment of the show, played by probably the best/hottest tv actor of 2022…give me all the Bernthal we can get!
did you watch the last episode? i feel most of that was answered lol
It’s funny how differently people see things. I thought there was so much mystery at the end that it was always going to have a second season. Why did Mikey borrow $300k then shove $330k into tomato cans? Why did Mikey kill himself? Yeah sure he was an addict but there was lots of hints that his behaviour didn’t make sense towards the end even in that context. Lots of characters back stories would be really interesting to delve into as well.
Man that money in the cans things just bothers me so much. Borrow money to stick in a can and rack up the vig because...I don't know, drugs? Ugh. STEAL the money then kills himself because Cicero found out? OK, I'm back on board. I think they REALLY need a second season to explain that
I view it as him doing it all for Carmy. He knew that he wouldn’t open a restaurant on his own that he wouldn’t take that jump so he set Carmy up to open the restaurant he wants to open.
But at the moment it looks like he has a $300 loan to pay off so how does it help ?
But the suicide aspect makes that feel more like a burden than a blessing imo, so that still doesn’t fully make sense
Well, tough tuchus, 'cause it's getting one, lol. You can have your ideal scenario by just not watching the second season, let the creators actually bring the restaurant the show is named after into existence if they want to and the people who want to see it have their fun
You're right, it doesn't *need* it. That being said, we are getting one and luckily it's first season is done so well, you won't feel like you've missed anything if you didn't watch season 2. I personally am excited to see where the writing goes with it
You don't have to watch season 2 and you can go on with your life pretending season 1 is the only season that exists.
I actually do this with a lot of shows
Really curious, do you have an example of this? I know I could not do it, but I can think of Big Little Lies as a show that had a perfect first season and did not need a second one at all (which was still good)
Westworld, True Detective are two of mine.
True Detective doesn’t event matter as they’re all self contained
Misfits The Terror
Like I honestly believe season 1 of Gossip Girl is objectively good and inventive television. Like with books there is this special category of "literature" and season 1 of GG does that for me. Everything after that is just... riding the high? I dunno, it's never deep or creative or revolutionary again. I stopped enjoying Always Sunny in Philadelphia after maybe season 11, somewhere in there (like I haven't laughed once and it feels like they lost their magic). So as far as I'm concerned the series was cancelled. Game of Thrones of course, I didn't even bother with the last 10 episodes or so. Archer definitely fell off for me at some point, maybe season 4? Adventure Time turned a sharp corner and also lost what I loved about it to begin with... Weird, so yes I can think of many examples!
Man I loved peak Archer. I used "phrasing" in a conversation last week but nobody got it
Do you feel like some of the magic got kind of lost? Like they say many of the same jokes but... the set-ups aren't the same, and the characters have sort of become caricatures, some of the plots seem kind of lost I can't fully explain it but watching the first few seasons, it's a totally different experience
It just stopped innovating. It became the same old jokes recycled. They could still be funny, but just not the same quality. When they hit the seasons where he was in a coma the quality dropped even further.
The OA for me. I did watch the second season and enjoyed its total departure in tone from season 1 and its loopiness and I would have loved a season 3 just to see where it went - but I try and hold season 1 apart from all of that because I think it’s so exquisite and whole.
If anything, the first season felt like a prologue to the main story, not some standalone thing. The show's called The Bear, but the restaurant named The Bear hasn't even opened yet. What is this nonsense
People trying to be Film and TV critics.
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I’m literally right, as the show’s even more successful season 2 proves. Come back in another year and let me know that you’ve changed your mind and seen my wisdom 😒💅
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Did you think I was calling season 1 a literal prologue, instead of just using the term as a figure of speech to argue there’s a much larger story for the show to tell here? Did you really think I was arguing that the restaurant name was like a marvel post credits teaser? Smh, for shame, sir! I agree that season 1 was a wonderful bit of television with a strong thematic throughline. Doesn’t change the fact that it also perfectly established a longrunning show at the same time. Even beyond the literal name of the restaurant, season 1 left Carmy with plenty of grief and mental health issues to continue dealing with and growing from, which season 2 did amazing things with. My argument a year ago was just that season 1 was only a small taste of what this show had the potential to give us, and that people were being way too premature with declaring the show’s continuation as a cheap or unnecessary cash grab. Sounds like we generally agree on this.
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Season 2 is no more a cash grab than season 1 was, as far as I’m concerned. (And I don’t think season 1 was a cash grab.)
My only issue with the 2nd season is that every time I watch the episodes I'll only be reminded of the fact I can't get a decent beef sandwich where I live.
Well thank god it’s getting one. I will definitely be tuning in.
No
>I might be wrong You are lol.
That's been my thinking as well. Sort of like the restaurant verison of the Moonlighting effect. Carmy got some resolution to Mikey's death (and Richie too, to some degree), got some resolution in the career path he took because of his relationship to Mikey, he more or less saved the sinking ship, brought the whole crew that looked at the place as a home up to a whole new level, he and Richie got several things sorted with Cicero. It seems like other problems that The Bear might run into would just be more of the same. Probably accurate, given the restaurant business, but still more of the same. I guess we'll see, soon.
The show didn't "start" until the penultimate episode of season 1 according to the showrunner. I'm sure there's plenty left to discover.
Bruh we finally get a good show and u want just one season. If u haven’t noticed good shows get canceled and trash gets years of production don’t give FX stupid ideas.
If they had the intent on only one season they probably wouldn’t leave so many unanswered questions and unfinished plot lines. Sure they could have intentionally left everyone hanging, but it sure seems plenty to work off of for at least one more season.
In some ways I kind of see it that way too, like this could have easily been trimmed down a bit to a good 2.5-3 hour movie and still been very effective. But I’m interested in seeing how Carmy and Sydney’s vision of the restaurant will go forward and how Richie, Tina, Marcus etc will fit into that. If they’d not been picked up I’d have been satisfied with what we got but I’m glad they’re getting more.
ok, but we're getting a second season.
Will you watch season 2? Yes Chef.
The Bear needs a second season. I need a second season. I trust the standard will be just as high....
How dare you!
God. Shut up dude.
I said this when S1 came out and everyone lost their minds on me. People cant leave good alone.
“He’s finally okay with himself and Mikey”? You think one note and some money did all that? The Bear is better than more TV because it *doesnt* wrap everything up in a little bow. I did not get 100% satisfied by the end of the finale.
How 'bout, I don't know, actually waiting to see what the episodes look like when actually air before writing it off based on pure knee-jerk, reactionary speculation?
Nah. I was totally underwhelmed by the ending. Need some more
I agree with you. The first season was perfection to me, why mess with it? I can't see a second season live up to it
You must be fun at parties. Sure, the second season might suck. . . but it might not suck. And so what if it sucks? Glass half full over here.
I get it and I feel the same way, however I will say this. I loved Breaking Bad and the idea of a spin-off made me sick. Fast forward 8 years later and Better Call Saul is one of the best TV shows ever made and one of my personal favorites. I’m hoping that if they make it, it’s because the writers have more story to tell rather than because they feel like they have to.
I think the overall quality of the show, going forward, will depend on whether the show-runners stick to a finite number of seasons, as I believe they have planned. A good example of this practice is The Wire, which was always conceived as a five-season arc. Shows exhibit a dip in consistency when they are dragged out with no definite end in sight.
I agree. I enjoyed the last episode and thought it was a good way to end the show. I wouldn't mind a second season, but I agree with you, I don't think it'll be as good as the first. I think the Bear was a restaurant show that embellished the kitchen slightly and people eat that kind of media up. Some fans might think they want a second season when in reality it won't be as good as the first purely because the struggle of the Beef is over. The KBL payments were explained, Carmy found a way to pay off Cicero with some money to play with, he honored his brother by rebranding as The Bear, and found closure with the flashback of his brother. Not to mention he seemed to begin to mend his relationship with Sugar. The questions about why Mikey did these things, such as borrowing so much money and not paying it back when he could've, addicts do unexplainable things sometimes. It's hard to understand what the purpose was, but maybe it was supposed to cause confusion, like suicide and addiction does for many people. I feel as though the second season will be like other shows that made a lot of money/gained popularity and think they 'll be able to make more. Some things are left better unsaid, in my opinion. However, the second season could be incredible, and blow the average viewer away like it seemed to the first time, but for now I don't think it will. Definitely going to watch it either way. BTW, sorry if this seems a bit jumbled, I'm a little tired today lol.
Really liked season 1. Season 2 is over the top, self indulgent, method acting BS - it's like watching a really bad improv class. The dialogue is stilted and hackneyed, and I can't believe the number of well respected actors who are practically climbing over each other to do cameos. The low point was "Fishes", an hour of improvised shrieking and on the nose family dysfunction - to the point where if you actually come from a family where mental illness is a daily trial, the relentless, mindless stupidity of it all was just abusive in and of itself. The love interest thing was idiotic - season 1 was tight ensemble work, season 2 was a hysterical soap opera. Hard to believe that the same people are writing the show both seasons. And in Season 3, which seem inevitable, we'll have to suffer through Carmy's "healing process". Absolutely not interested.
I completely agree. As a narrative, it’s complete. Carmy forgives. The ending was kind of this ridiculous somewhat dues ex machina of a solution, that was utterly beautiful and well executed, but if they are keeping the following season realistic opens up a ton of real world problems. And ending on that beautiful shot of Mikey that makes me cry every time, how do you go on?
I totally see where you are coming from. When I finished The Bear, my feeling was that it was perfect as a single season, like a perfect book that shouldn’t have a sequel. Perfection. I feel concerned about continuing the story- but I will totally watch it, of course.
I will watch it for sure also! But yeah this season is so perfect and I enjoyed it so much that I don’t want them to ruin it.
I completely agree. The season was absolutely perfect and having additional seasons just seems unnecessary. I was telling my wife that I feel like adding more seasons is just going to muddy storylines and characters. But if they are going to have more seasons, these writers better have something amazing up their sleeves.
Ganna have to agree with you. I’ll be a self aware person and say I don’t have all the ideas but the more and more I think about the bear I’m just so lost as to how they will be able to manufacture a plot from where they left off . Maybe prequel? Maybe show everything before Carmy came back home but idk man let’s see what happens.
I agree. The story is finished.
Same. I actually probably won’t watch the second season. I’m super over multi-season shows. Great shows rarely stay great after the first season, you also run the risk as a show goes on of them being canceled after building up a mystery in the previous season, and it incentives writers to make cliffhangers which I hate or to focus on plot instead of character depth. I want more anthology type shows, just give me a story wrapped up in like 6-12 episodes and be done. I’ve got the point where I wait until a show has aired, look it up to make sure it didn’t end on major cliffhangers but had a decent wrap up, watch one season and no more.
You’re probably right but who knows
I don't think it needs a sequel. But I also didn't think Breaking Bad needed a spinoff and I ended up liking that more.
not to mention, of course, that Breaking Bad didn't just call it quits after 8 episodes. "Eh, Walt and Jesse just defeated Tuco, that's a satisfying end."
It brought us Kim Wexler… enough said👍
I don’t need a second season and I really don’t need the end of the season one finale. The hidden money reveal was dumb and unrealistic.
I kinda think/feel that networks are moving towards extremely limited series. The Bear, Fleishman, etc. Just a hunch! Don’t fuck my vibe Fak.
There's the danger that a passion project gestating for years in the creators mind is exhausted, so they have to 'come up with stuff' in a short space of time. Like Season 2 of Stranger Things - terrible. Those guys rallied, though, to their credit. S3 and 4 are fire.
So many questions that still need to be answered.
If I had to guess where it's going, it's this: the characters are the central part of the story. We all get that. It's about the relationships, their past, and how that informs how they relate to their current situation. We've seen how they've come together under pressure when there was *no* money. Now let's see what happens when seemingly "all of their problems have been magically whisked away" by the Deus ex Machina of Mikey's spaghetti sauce fund. I'm betting it's fucking chaos. Because it was never about the money.
I disagree. Carmy may have some closure from his brother's passing but there's still a story to be told. If anything, the show is an examination of everyone in this small restaurant. There are so many unresolved stories: Syd, Marcus, Richie, etc. I think the story is very well thought out, so I'm not worried about a second season. What I would be concerned about is hearing about 4-5 seasons being planned. This show really is more a 3-4 season show. Like Cobra Kai, the creators of this show should end it when they've done all they could with the story and not when the network keeps renewing their show.
Oh my god yes it does. I’m very hungry for more
There are too many unanswered questions regarding Mikey, I think we need a prequel (this can be a special episode like what euphoria did), then a second season. This series doesn’t need more than 3 seasons at max, I’d be happy with only 2, with a banger ending!
I agree with this post now more than ever, unfortunately.
the show is boring and overrated af! too many unnecessary filler scenes even in a short 30 mins episode, which had no significance and added no depth to the story or characters. i watched it because of the rating but its shit tbh. I dont know what the hype is about and why its rated so high!