Hulu: “The Bear” Season 2

Caution: this review of “The Bear, Season 2” contains spoilers!

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The fork seems to be an ongoing metaphor for Season 2 of “The Bear” (Hulu). Characters either polish them, throw them, run out of them, or face forks in the road at every turn. This keeps the series interesting and unpredictable, which kept us watching and raises hopes for Season 3.

Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), the executive chef, won’t give up on his dream of transforming a former Chicago dive into a Michelin-starred restaurant. He’s going to need financing from investors like Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt), a vaguely Mob-connected businessman. But he’s also going to need the 1000-percent commitment of his staff, starting with Sydney (the phenomenal Ayo Edebiri), an idealistic sous-chef who is so devoted to haute cuisine, she makes herself sick if she falls short.

The brilliance of Season 2 is reflected not only in the food-related titling (e.g.,” “Sundae” “Pasta” and “Fishes”) but in the focus on one particular character per episode and the challenge each faces. Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas) and Ebra (Edwin Lee Gibson) are sent to culinary school but only one of them flourishes—and excels at karaoke, btw. Marcus (Lionel Boyce) travels to Copenhagen to polish his pastry-making skills at the hands of a master (Will Poulter). Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach ), the bad-guy, obstreperous “cousin” undergoes a weeklong baptism by fire at one of Chicago’s Michelin-starred restaurants where he’s given the ignoble task of polishing forks.

Few episodes in recent TV history, however, will match the Scorsese-esque drama of “Fishes,” which portrays a dysfunctional Italian-American family at Christmas Eve dinner. Featuring such bold-faced names as Jamie-Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk and Jon Bernthal, this episode alone is a shoo-in for a 2024 Emmy (too late to make this year’s festivities unfortunately.)

Questions do remain after this season’s finale, “the friends and family dinner”: What will become of Carmy’s burgeoning romance with Claire Bear (Molly Gordon)? Will the restaurant be destroyed by a less-than-stellar review? Will we have a Season 3 at all? Lots of forks in the road. Just remember, while we’re on the subject: salad fork on the outside, and never throw one.

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