Round Two: The Bear

The Bear: Season 1, Episode 2 “Hands” (B+)

It was very jarring to see just how hellish life was at the restaurant Carmy used to work at, with no form of encouragement being given and instead him being told by Joel McHale’s monster chef that he should be dead. It’s possible that wasn’t entirely a memory and rather a nightmare based on the abuse he endured, but things are definitely very different in his newfound culinary home. I wasn’t entirely sure if this show was a comedy, but then we got hilarious moments like the inspector responding “He doesn’t look dead” when they were talking about the owner. Richie continues to be the biggest thorn in Carmy’s side, having a suspended license that was good enough for him to drive into work in the morning but not for him to go run important errands that were very necessary. Pairing him up with Sydney was an interesting choice, since she has a far sunnier attitude but also recognizes that she deserves to be paid for the work that she’s doing. I was thrilled to see Oliver Platt in the cast as Uncle Jimmy since he always plays terrific characters, and I also want to mention Abby Elliott, who I remember watching on the short-lived sitcom “Indebted,” who portrays Sugar, who knows just who Carmy is and how seriously to take his stories about throwing up every day before work. That episode-ending realization that he was the one who left his cigarettes there when he was doubting others’ commitment to safety and cleanliness was a great way to remind him of how much of an uphill battle he’ll still have to fight.

What I’m Watching: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 3, Episode 4 “Hands!” (B+)

It’s so interesting to see how Joel and Midge really are a better couple now that they’re not married. The notion that he would be so up for just flying out to see one of her shows when him finding out that she was doing stand-up comedy was one of the reasons for the dissolution of their marriage is really crazy, and he was so complimentary after he saw her. That couldn’t last so long, of course, since Midge was far too casual about the fact that they got married while they were drunk after spending such a long time in the process of getting divorced. His newfound relationship with Mei really is in his infancy, but he’s much more tethered to reality – and one more place – than Midge, though she is enjoying tremendous success in her traveling tour. Susie is also doing well for herself despite having few clues to start, like her lack of knowledge about gambling and tricking two Broadway producers into meeting with her by putting on a Katharine Hepburn voice. I couldn’t peg who it was playing big star Gavin Hawk, and it turns out it’s Cary Elwes from “The Princess Bride” and “Psych,” who I imagine we’ll see more of if Sophie deems him attractive enough to be her costar. Abe and Rose living with Moishe and Shirley was indeed a terrible idea, since the Maisels make the Weissmans, with all of their eccentricities, look completely sane. Waking them up at 5am to move their car or wash the sheets they’re physically sleeping on is absurd, and even Zelda wants to hide out with them in their bedroom. I’m not sure how long that can last, but Abe and Rose have never been great about getting out of the situations in which they’re trapped.

What I’m Watching: Sons of Anarchy

Sons of Anarchy: Season 4, Episode 10 “Hands” (A-)

Things have been getting ugly lately, and now they’ve reached a new low as the club dynamic becomes transformed in a devastating way. Clay’s inability to cancel the hit on Tara led to a horrifically botched abduction that actually created a situation worse than Tara’s death, with her unable to use one of her hands, effectively ending her surgical career. The attempted abduction was rather frightening and fast-paced, and Jax sprang into action right away to at least save her life. She seems, understandably, extremely bitter about her predicament, and her comment about how he wouldn’t leave and now she couldn’t stung. Gemma being so furious at Clay leads to an unprecedented explosion of tension and violence between the two of them, prompting the game-changing proclamation by Gemma to Unser at episode’s end that Clay can’t be saved and has to die by the hand of a Son. Something tells me it’s going to be Jax since he’s the only one that Gemma can trust. Clay has gotten himself in over his head, unable to cancel the hit since Romeo and Luis still believe that she is a threat and needs to be killed. Jax chose an unfortunate time to tell Opie that he’s leaving, and Piney’s murder, reframed ever so calmly and meticulously by Unser, is sure to be discovered soon. Linc’s deal for Juice won’t end well either, and when Roosevelt feels the need to apologize to him for the way things played out, you know something’s wrong. Fortunately, this season is so exciting that it’s been deemed worthy of a fourteenth episode to close out the season.