User reviews

I'd heard so much about this show, I had to check it out while I still have Hulu. My inherent interest in a restaurant in Chicago is pretty much zero. The characters are well acted but aren't really grabbing me right now, maybe they'll grow on me.

But I'm still sold on the show after this first episode, why? It's a total kinetic rush like I've rarely seen before. Usually you find this in fast-paced action series like 24.

Also the kitchen jargon gives it the feel of The West Wing or The Wire, where you are tossed into an unfamiliar culture and expected to just catch up by paying attention.

Overall a very promising start!

If you like fast paced, realistic, intriguing pilots... this should be on your list. Even if you dont care about restaurant business life (I personally do) you cant escape the raw emotions you'll face in a kitchen (especially a small, family run restaurant). I guess there's a reason why this series is beloved, the writing is great.

The soundtrack selection, editing, and performances are top notch. Especially the interactions between the 2 cousins are magnificent. Talk about conflicts.

The montages at the beginning with Chicago, the cooking the family photos really helps to understand the situation right away. The goal of our protagonist seems clear: make the restaurant work, make money. But is it? Most likely there is way more under the surface

I'm left with a lot of question marks that makes me want to keep watching... why the bear? What happened to the brother? To the sister? How did our guy win a james beard award?

Clocking at 27 min it's too short though. This is the main issue I have. The fast editing of certain scenes finds a balance with some exposition (the few minutes of the chef talking to his sister says a lot) but, while I do prefer a tight episode rather than a dragged 60 min thing, the impression I have is that I would have preferred an additional 10 minutes of screen time. The part with the ball breakers game feels a bit rushed.

This was a great firs episode to get you into the premise of the show, the characters and the story! After hearing all the positive talk about the show, i descided to check out the show, and so far I am glad I did!

We see the main character, Carmen as the guy who wants to achieve the best result in order to save his death brothers restaurant, and how the other characters respond as they have their own "system" that Carmen has a hard time overrulling!

We also get a sense of the family drama lurking in the background! We know some things have happened but not what!

Overall a great pilot that leaves you wanting to see whats coming next!

Your mileage may vary depending on how much you liked movies like Uncut Gems, but the breakneck pace and electrifying cinematography of this episode had my attention from the first or second scene. The editing team deserves an Emmy, especially for the later episodes in the season but for this one too. The song selection is FIRE in this episode in particular and is probably the highlight of the season in terms of music. It's been a while since I've seen a TV show that felt like it was firing on all cylinders from the start like this one does.

FX doesn't miss w/ their shows for the most part, "The Bear", so far, is nothing short of that. There's a mystery around why Carmen is called the bear, maybe a name from childhood, maybe he's been bullied w/ the name & that's why he has visions or maybe he had some experience w/ an actual bear. Regardless, it makes the show even more interesting than it is and somehow the nickname fits right in with his character. I love the dichotomy between Carm and his workers, its all too toxic but feels all too real when it comes to the food service... Not to mention the dichotomy between him and his cousin who seeming co-owns(?) the restaurant they are all working at. Yeah, they captured what it feels like to work with family here, it's not all stars and stripes. I also love the hardcore and punk music laced throughout the show, Refused's "New Noise" plays through a re-written melody for the sure that just fits like a glove oddly. One of the chefs and family friends wears a Harm's Way shirt and Pearl Jam plays at the end. This show is so oddly infectious it reminds me of how I felt when I first watched Freaks And Geeks, it's infectious but you don't know why, it goes straight for your soul and wants you coming back for more. I'm glad I started watching this after I saw my friends post about the music in the show and how good it is, this show is truly starting to be a gem & its rare to see ratings go up in episodes over a season on this website. Can't wait to watch more.

I've been waiting a long time to watch this show so the hype was real. I finally got my Hulu account and this was my first choice, I can say I got the plattaform speccially to see this series.

The pace is great and a lot happened in just 28 minutes of run time, which talks of great direction. Solid supporting cast, and great camara work. Very akward, yet engaging. Back to the direction, a lot happens in a small location and the way the camera is handled, makes you feel part of that kitchen and gets you into the dynamic of how is it to run a food business.

The soundtrack is catchy and really elevates the excellent cinematography.

8.5.

This show has gotten some pretty solid praise from the critics and has already won some awards. But lets face it. The show has to start somewhere. This episode gives us a quick glance at the principle characters. It gives us background as to why the sandwich shop is so important to everyone or an anathema to others. It establishes a level of intensity that will turn some off. Let's see if this is sustained as we move on. There are a number of internal conflicts that are going to be continued. I'm willing to accept the scattergun approach to shows like this because the promise is something unique and unconventional. I think I'll hang around for a while.

I've heard so much about The Bear, and seeing all the awards it has garnered, well, the hook got planted in my mouth and I finally started watching it.

What a rush, I had a difficult time watching the pilot with all the screaming, the frenetic pace, and really no focus on anything. But I loved it.

I wanted to give it a 10, just for the entertainment alone, but I need to see other episodes to see where it goes, what the issues are and how things are resolved. There was so much going on at the same time in this episode, who's in charge? The contentious relationship between everyone is crazy. I am so looking forward to seeing how it all works out.

I can see after this first episode why this is such a hit. I'm a bit surprised by the overall 7.7 rating. The discussions seem to point in another direction.

I did something I don't normally do, I read the reviews while I was watching the episode. I needed to find out what is going on, and the direction that other viewers thought it was going. I usually watch whatever it is, and input my review BEFORE I read other reviews and my rating.

I so looking forward to getting into this show.

WOW!!!!!!!

Having worked in a few kitchens, I'm familiar with all the conflict and other things that can blow up inside. The writers tried too hard, as did the director, to create a bunch of conflict all at once by rushing everything. Any one of the several things introduced could have made an interesting conflict to deal with in this first episode. Maybe even two, but not ten. Going through all of them at once with break-neck dialog and people talking over each other with kitchen noise does nothing but confuse the story. Give the audience a break. Not everybody knows all the lingo used in professional kitchens. If you slow it down, viewers get more in context. Yes, all these first episode things can happen, but they never happen all at once. I often criticize TV shows for taking a movie script and stretching it out for ten episodes. The opposite isn't better. I'm going to watch the first few episodes to see if it starts to become more coherent and intentional. If it doesn't, it will be sad, because I can tell this series has promise.

As per the title, truly every single moment of this episode was captivating. The pace, music and acting set the tone for the show along with some incredible cinematography choices. A lot of clever show don't tell-ism, and all exposition felt warranted and natural.

All-round intense, fun, funny. Excited to watch the rest of the season and series.

Though the fast-paced tone and action of the show itself is already exciting, the thing that immediately elevates it beyond any random series has to be the compelling character work in regards to Bear. Great work by Jeremy Allen White and the rest of the cast.

For so long now, I've heard the things that people have been saying about this show, calling it one of the best that television has ever had to offer. If a show gets that type of hype it can often lead to some very dubious people not really knowing whether or not to go ahead and watch it, but it always had my attention and curiosity. And now that the second season is about to get a whole bunch of Emmy nominations, it felt right to check it out. And the hype is real as this first episode makes a grand entrance for the show.

It makes quite a splash from the beginning as it shows off its technical skills through some dynamic editing and some quite exceptional cinematography and sound work. The look and the aesthetics of the show are really beautiful and the way they flawlessly navigate through these really small and claustrophobic locations throughout the episode just shows the talent and the planning that must have gone into the making of this show. It's also all about the writing very early on, which borders the line of being a comedy and a drama. It's a nice mix of both as it mixed real struggles and grief with some really hilarious character qualities and quippy dialogue. It never misses the beat for a second and it just goes to 11 so quickly without ever letting the foot off the gas. The episode is set primarily in the kitchen, so you get a great introduction to all of these interesting characters, immediately catching the unique characteristics of them all, including Carmy Berzatto, who is quickly becoming a really fascinating individual who has a lot of things that he's dealing with under the surface. And Jeremy Allen White is already showing off his chops here, again walking that fine line between being a comedic presence and adding to much of the drama present. Ayo Edebiri doesn't get a good chance to stand out yet, but she's definitely a presence, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach is just quickly becoming the show's comic relief source, which I'll just cherish whenever we've got him on.

"System" is a great first episode that puts all of the show's greatest qualities on display in half an hour of dynamic and fast-paced mania. The writing is brilliant and the story of the show seems to be set up without any trouble in such a short time, simply strapping the audience in for quite the ride.

I am also jumping on to this show after hearing a lot of high praise and commotion. Went in pretty blind though. All I knew was it started Jeremy Allan White as a restaurant owner.

This episode alone is just some dang good television. I love the fast pace. Picture all of those cooking shows, how frantic people get about getting their dishes made in time. This felt like that but with even higher stakes, seeing as there's always something going on in this kitchen WHILE everyone is cooking.

I think the writers left just enough interesting interactions and dialogue amongst the characters to keep my attention as well. I'm genuinely curious about Carmy and Richie and everyone working there.

The cast all delivers so far. White is excellent, but I was also impressed with Ebon, someone I've always liked and am happy to finally see in a prominent role for once.

It's also just exceptionally directed, with some great editing and cinematography.

Very excited for what's to come.

Why is Hulu advertising this as a comedy?

Two episodes in, there was one brief scene that was remotely humorous. Everything else is dark and dramatic.

The show is ok and interesting, but dont expect any laughs at all. Its the darkside of a struggling business, and focuses on conflict & not in anyway humorous.

I'm a huge fan of the bear. What made me so in love with the first 2 seasons were the fast paced approach it took. This episode was 35 minutes of a boring montage showing carmys depressing life. I don't care about the symbolism bs, it was straight up one of the most boring episodes of television i've ever seen. I was very excited and optimistic to see the new season of the bear and wished this montage could have been done in 5 minutes. Instead they decided to waste a whole episode of nothing to show what can be shown in 5 minutes. I hope the rest of the season can make up for this lackluster episode.

Everything about this was fake.

The drama was unsupported and unearned. Most of the characters are despicable people that are odious to the viewer.

The directing was sub-par. The writing was trying too hard and missing the point.

The story and characters left me with zero desire to see episode two. That's the hallmark of a bad episode one.