Louisa Kung Liu Chu 朱功蕾
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Louisa Kung Liu Chu 朱功蕾
@louisachu.bsky.social
1.2K followers 520 following 28 posts
Restaurant critic at @chicagotribune.com
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Reposted by Louisa Kung Liu Chu 朱功蕾
ninametz.bsky.social
Bottom line: Season 4 doesn’t feel like a tonal or thematic departure from Season 3 … meaning all the things that viewers liked — and criticized — about S3 are present in S4

That’s 20 eps over 2 seasons. The show’s writers are taking their time! It’s fair to ask if they’ve used it wisely

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‘The Bear’ review: With the threat of closure imminent in Season 4, can the restaurant live to cook another day?
The ongoing misadventures of Carmy & Co. as they work to sustain a viable fine dining establishment in Chicago.
www.chicagotribune.com
June 26, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Reposted by Louisa Kung Liu Chu 朱功蕾
ninametz.bsky.social
Carmy has recreated the same toxic workplace conditions he disliked so much at the height of his career before coming back home, and I wish the show had committed to exploring that irony … and the idea that it was worth pursuing over the idea of serving high quality affordable food to da masses
The world of "The Bear" is insular, so much so that it has all but forgotten about the vague notion of neighborhood regulars who kept The Beef in business. That it was once a fixture of the community and affordable for anyone.
June 26, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Reposted by Louisa Kung Liu Chu 朱功蕾
ninametz.bsky.social
The series has become more of a character study with only occasional nods to plot. S4 is an extension of that and could have been condensed to fit into S3, leaving room for more propulsive storytelling this time

But mostly it had me longing for the qualities that made me love it’s initial outting
I miss the ragtag, kinetic, blue-collar energy established in the first season, when it was a collection of sweaty, frazzled, oddball personalities banging around in that grease-stained, beef juice-spattered kitchen and trying like hell to figure out a way to work together. Here's how Richie remembers the old place: "At the beef stand? You walked in, and that place was rockin', alright? It was alive and you were part of it and it was a vibe in there." And there was a dark comedy coursing through so much of it. Or as the Tribune's food and dining writer Ahmed Ali Akbar told me last year: The show was originally a story about "Carmy's big head trying to fit itself in that small kitchen and every individual having their own reasons for resisting him. But ultimately, they can't, because he owns the place."
June 26, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Reposted by Louisa Kung Liu Chu 朱功蕾
ninametz.bsky.social
www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/02/c...
Nina: Let me go off on a quick tangent: One of my critiques of a show like HBO’s “The White Lotus” is that it’s not an effective satire because it has no interest in the experiences and (likely scathing) point of view of the people who do all the manual labor that keeps these five-star resorts in pristine condition. The housekeeping staff see everything (and are tasked with cleaning it) and they are often treated as invisible — or worse. (“The Chambermaid,” which was Mexico’s 2019 Oscar submission, is a great corrective.) To that same end, I was curious about the dishwashers at The Bear. Who are they? What are their stories? Are they new hires or holdovers from The Beef? What do they make of all the shouting in the kitchen? (Maybe they don’t care about any of the drama!) I’m curious about all the facets needed to run a restaurant, so I’m interested in other things beyond the “sexier” work of devising these intricate menus. Do dishwashers ever socialize with kitchen staff, or is there a pretty clear class line dividing them? Where does the waitstaff fall in terms of status at a restaurant like this? Ahmed: I also want to learn more about them! It’s a bit hard to say with any broad generality, but I’d certainly want to know how this particular set of dishwashers relates to the rest of the staff. In my experience, you’d get some of the most interesting stories about restaurants and the industry speaking with dishwashers, cashiers and other behind-the-scenes workers. The show is torn between its interest in workplace dramedy and character study on grief and family. I miss longer seasons of TV where those characters could be breakouts if they had more space.
June 23, 2025 at 6:29 PM