The Bear-Season 4

So far it's not as good. And we're only in four episodes so far. But there were two moments in last night's viewing that struck me that I want to write about.

First, Richie. You know, the hotheaded bro called "cousin" even though he's not related by blood.

Richie is played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who I first encountered in the last seasons of "Girls." Ebon played a wimpy, needy folksinger involved with Allison Williams. Everything about this guy bugged me. On one hand he was kind of macho, but he cried and was manipulative and...

Maybe you never watched "Girls." And it's funny how it's now in the rearview mirror. It was of a time and place and it has not sustained, it has not been picked up by the next generation, or maybe HBO/Max has not publicized viewing numbers, megalomaniac David Zaslav too busy being paid. Not that I watched the whole series, but I got hooked on Lena Dunham/Hannah Horvath going to the Iowa Writers' Workshop where she didn't fit in, she was an original and they were not.

And to be honest, Moss-Bachrach's hyphenated last name rubbed me wrong just as much as the character he played. Why are you making it so difficult for us? Just pick one or the other, "Moss" or "Bachrach," the hyphenation is pretentious.

And Ebon played another annoying character in "The Bear." But now, with the fine dining restaurant open, as the maître d', he's started to come into his own, he feels better about himself, he respects himself more, and he feels he's truly an integral part of the restaurant.

But said restaurant is teetering financially.

So one night, after midnight, on the way home Ebon/Richie stops off in a bar for a few drinks and... One thing about Ebon is he's good-looking. Which doesn't quite square with his character. The way he reaches his limit so quickly and explodes. He's normal and calm and then operating at a hundred miles an hour. Anyway, in a usual show the good-looking character goes to a bar and he meets a woman. Happens all the time. But Ebon/Richie drinks alone. And then he goes home alone. And he's lying in his single bed in his downscale apartment and...

Richie was once married. He's got a kid. But his ex is getting remarried, and wants him to come to the wedding to boot.

Richie's got nothing, other than his gig at the restaurant, and he lies on his bed and he tells this to God, prays that the restaurant stays open, that he keeps his job, BECAUSE HE'S GOT NOTHING ELSE!

Nitpickers might claim he's got his daughter. But his ex does not agree with his parenting techniques and if he loses his income he'll lose access and...

I've been there. Sans daughter, but... Whatever you had has now been destroyed or lost. You're living in less than ideal circumstances. You're surviving on sheer will. And you don't know how you'll cope if the little income you've got disappears.

We see all these shows about meeting people, getting married, but after breakup, after divorce...this is oftentimes how it is. You were somewhere, it all worked, and now it doesn't. And you're on the verge of being desperate. The depiction is brilliant.

Also, and to not spoil the series I won't mention names, when one character approaches another and... This is a love relationship. And there's been discord. And eventually they talk it out. Whew, this is right too.

Now on some level I think they should have wrapped up the series already. I mean where are they going to go? On a high level show like this the restaurant could fail, but how would you keep the cast together?

But, they are not painting by numbers. They are still throwing the long ball. And in these two instances, they scored.


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