The Bear episode 1 rewatch – a lesson in brevity
Everything you need to know in two minutes
Okay, so full disclosure, I’m getting a bit long in the tooth. But I do remember a time not that long ago when a new series began it was pretty normal to see a first episode as a little taster of what you were going to get. Not the full polished article, but a pilot episode to hook you in. Even more common was a bedding in period, where you would tell your friends “Oh, if you can just get past the first three episodes, it gets really, REALLY good!”.
But with so many streaming channels vying for our attention that first episode has to hit hard and fast. You’ve heard this all before – we’re wired for instant gratification – smart phones, streaming, social media…we want it NOW! (spoiler alert: and we can). There are so many other options out there that a first episode has to work its little socks off.
Yet in that scramble to keep an audience watching, a peculiar thing sometimes happens. We’re led down the storyline path, less with breadcrumbs to follow, but more with giant billboards signposting exactly what’s going on and what we need to think. And to be clear, as an audience we don’t always want to think that hard (Saturday night fun movie anyone?), but it can be a missed opportunity to not let the audience work a little for the story. Being force-fed exposition can make you feel like a foie gras goose – it's unnecessary, uncomfortable and just plain wrong. We don’t need everything neatly presented with a bow on top.
Which leads us to the very first episode of The Bear. With series 4 landing very soon, I decided to revisit episode 1, series 1 to get me back in the groove of all things Carmy. Crikey, what an absolutely brilliant decision that was. You only have to watch the first two minutes to know everything you need to know – such is the skill of the writing, acting, filming and editing. It really is a masterclass in brevity, jam-packed into a high-intensity, tone-setting information slap. Don’t be thinking you can glance down at your phone or take your eyes off the screen to grab a slice of pizza. NO. We’re parachuted into the story, quickly taking stock of where we are, and what we need to know right now. We pause…then whoosh! It’s off into the weeds with Carmy trying to figure out what’s next. Give the audience just enough information, set the pace, then let them come along for the ride. That’s The Bear’s opening two minutes. And it is GOOD.
So, what IS in that first two minutes? Well, let’s break it down *CAUTION: SPOILERS BELOW IF YOU’VE NOT SEEN IT!
We begin with our main character, Carmy, walking on a bridge at night. He cautiously approaches a cage containing a bear, opening the door with calm, reassuring words. As he slowly backs away, the bear pounces towards Carmy – he snaps awake in a different location, sounds of angry traffic, an irritating buzzer. It’s disorientating, yet familiar. The background noise falls away, and we see Carmy sitting, his breath heavy. A close-up of a ticking clock shows 6.05am. A kinetic (and soon to be familiar) soundtrack pulls the audience along with him at 100mph, striding through the restaurant to answer the front door buzzer. The delivery of meat is short. Cut to a dimly lit chaotic desk, showing visual snippets of overdue invoices, final notices, a fan, calculator, and an open Filofax with Carmy on the phone “…so listen. I’m still trying to figure this place out, you know – see how Michael was doing everything, and I want to get you your money…”, a fleeting cut to a remembrance card; Michael Berzatto Nov 15, 1979 – Feb 22, 2022. Carmy continues, “yeah, yeah – I miss him too…”.
And there we have it. A calm, surreal intro on the bridge at nighttime (a thread that’s picked up later down the line), then we’re snapped into a chaotic restaurant setting with our character’s first challenge. In trying sort the problem, we see that the restaurant is in trouble through papers on the desk. The conversation on the phone further corroborates this, with the addition of condolences and a brief visual of a remembrance card. Someone has died, they’ve left a mess, Carmy is trying to troubleshoot. We get to know where we are, why we’re here and what Carmy’s immediate motivation is in two minutes. Just think about that for a second. Two minutes. No laboured set up. Just a hurtling pace, with no fluff and certainly no intention of slowing down. And you know what? I appreciate it. Because it feels like no other series. It’s beyond intense (even in the quiet moments), but there’s enough meat on the bones to keep you watching.
If you’re a fan, like me you’ll have everything crossed that The Bear keeps serving up the same standard of stories we’ve come to appreciate. As Carmy says, “We can’t operate at a higher level without consistency.”
Yes, Chef!
Season 4 of The Bear is available on Disney+ from 26th June 2025
