What I'm Watching: The Bear. Elemental, Frameline 2023, and More

On three shows, three movies, one book, and a perfectly retro live event.

Jeremy Allen White, The Bear, FX/Hulu

Here’s the rundown on everything I watched and wrote about this week.

The shows:

• I was sick for a good chunk of this week, so one of the only non-embargoed shows I watched was the phenomenal restaurant-set series The Bear. Luckily, season 2 of the FX and Hulu series is a whole meal in itself. I had a hard time suspending my disbelief when it came to the season’s onslaught of flashy guest stars, but I otherwise adored the new episodes. I especially liked the ways in which the show loosened up and let itself take a breath, stepping back from its more fatalistic tendencies to let something sweeter flourish. Here’s my full review.

• Now that the full season’s out, I can safely say that Watcher’s new YouTube series Mystery Files is a hoot. If you’re sick of exploitative true crime but still like having your curiosity piqued by weird true stories, this comedy series about strange cases (from the dudes behind Buzzfeed Unsolved) is a great alternative to the traditional grisly murder shows. Come for the mysteries involving cryptids, creepy noises, and leather-clad strangers, stay for the stupid and hilarious banter between the hosts.