Commentary: ‘The Bear’ Uses Characterization To Build Tension
by Frank Martin
Stories can utilize a lot of different tools to create tension. The easiest form is to build it around the plot. A simple example of this is a mugging. There’s a perpetrator and a victim — each a stranger to the other — but their personal relationship has no bearing on the situation as the plot of the mugging itself is what’s used to create tension. An alternative to this is to create tension through characterization with characters who have a deep connection to one another simply because of their history. The Bear handles this type of tension perfectly and it elevates every scene regardless of the plot around it.
The show focuses on an extremely skilled chef named Carmi (Jeremy Allen White), who returns home to Chicago after his brother commits suicide. He left Carmi his sandwich restaurant, much to the chagrin of his brother’s best friend, Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), who worked there. Although they are friendly and maybe even consider each other family, there’s a very thick tension between them as Carmi makes changes to the shop. Even as they decide to close it down and open a fine dining restaurant, Richie’s grievance about Carmi getting the restaurant over him remains a serious point of contention between the two that just won’t go away.
What’s great about the show is that this tension looms over the characters like a cloud. Even if their history is never brought up or a part of the conversation, it’s still there, underlying every action they take and every word they say. The two of them have venomous arguments over the littlest things simply because of their unspoken relationship. The Bear’s plot moves slowly, but the drama is still high because of character relationships. It’s a masterful use of subtext that exists through nothing more than great characterization.
The Bear is now streaming on Hulu.