Saaya Vaidya
The Bear follows Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), a professional chef who returns to Chicago to run his family’s sandwich restaurant after his older brother dies by suicide. In Season 1, despite Carmy and his team’s efforts, they are unable to keep the restaurant afloat but the season ends on a hopeful note
Among The Bear’s many qualities is its attention to detail. Every element in a frame seems to be included with intention, offering the alert viewer a deeper insight into this world and the people in it. This is true of the recently-released second season as well.
One of the standout episodes in the season is episode five, which takes place when the team is six weeks from the opening. Titled ‘Pop’, it opens with Sydney concocting a dish for their tasting menu while Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) assists her.
Sydney wants to prepare something that represents the five natural elements and incorporates a wild range of ingredients to reflect what has been named the Chaos Menu. (Unwittingly, Chaos Menu is a fitting description for the state of the restaurant at this point since they’re yet to figure out basics like electricity.)
As Sydney works on the dish, the camera rapidly cuts from one shot to the next, as if reflecting her state of mind as her attention ricochets all over the place. The chaos manifests in the final dish.