Drama, pain, food porn: The Bear is back... Funny how it’s called a comedy

WATCH / The Bear

Jeremy Allen White (Carmy) and Ayo Edebiri (Syd) in The Bear.Credit: Disney+

How’s your stress level? So high you’ve accidentally locked yourself in a walk-in cooler at your new, high-end restaurant? This is where season two of the critically acclaimed TV series, The Bear, left its hero, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), in the final episode, with Syd (Ayo Edebiri) holding the fort. It was nail-biting stuff, but was it comedy? I only ask because as the award-wreathed show enters its third season, it will once again compete at the Emmys in the best comedy category. Sure, it’s funny in parts – Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Richie and Matty Matheson’s Fak are the double-act du jour – but The Bear is other things, too: a story about trying to overcome the pain in your past and finding a new way forward as well as being a vehicle for some of the best food porn on TV outside of Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy. It might not make me laugh like a real comedy should, but what it does – like any good restaurant – is leave me wanting more. And lucky for us, as season three gets under way, we learn that season four has reportedly already been shot. Yes, chef! From June 27 on Disney+. Louise Rugendyke

LISTEN / He said, she said

Mining new depths of dysfunction: the 10-part true-crime podcast Beyond All Repair.

You think you have a dysfunctional family? Beyond All Repair will make you feel better. The podcast from Boston journalist Amory Sivertson – former producer of Modern Love and Dear Sugars – tells the jaw-dropping story of Sophia Johnson, who was convicted of the brutal murder of her mother-in-law two decades ago and sentenced to 43 years in jail. And the witness who sent her down? Her brother, Sean Correia. The more Sivertson digs, the more she discovers that no one in the family is telling the whole truth and everyone is hiding something – even Sophia. Did she do it? Did Sean do it? Or did someone else do it? Each episode will leave you suspecting someone different, while you risk whiplash taking in all the twists and turns.
Barry Divola

All Fours is Miranda July’s first novel in close to a decade.

READ / Act Two

Prepare to laugh – and then blow up your entire life. Writer, artist and director Miranda July is at the peak of her powers in All Fours (Allen and Unwin; $33), which has been dubbed the “first great perimenopause novel”. An unnamed, semi-famous, 45-year-old artist from Los Angeles reckons with her mortality and marriage in this provocative story that pushes readers to consider the lives they’re not living. July has honed what made her debut, The First Bad Man, a hit and created a funny, erotic and raw book that is truly original. If it’s any sign of the word-of-mouth traction this novel is getting, the list of friends asking to borrow my copy just keeps growing.
Melanie Kembrey

WEAR / Bag it up

Australian designer Christopher Esber’s “Gondola” tote.

Investing in head-to-toe looks is a great way to support Australian designers, but when it comes to covetable bags, most shoppers still buy offshore. Now Sydney-based Christopher Esber has added leather goods to his range following their debut in his Paris runway show last September. His minimalist Gondola tote (christopheresber.com.au; from $1100) encapsulates the Esber aesthetic: angular, clean lines and long, narrow straps for easy shoulder action. Available in three sizes and four colours, the “it” bag category has a new, homegrown star.
Melissa Singer

STAY / Little treasure

Scandi-inspired lines at Newcastle’s 181-room Little National hotel.

Non-verbal cues are often the best way to judge a hotel. In the case of Newcastle’s Little National, open since April, these include T2 tea and a Breville coffee machine in your room; cow, almond and oat milk in the bar fridge; inviting communal spaces; room tech you can actually get your head around; and a palatial ground-floor gym. The third in the Little National chain (after Sydney and Canberra), the 181-room hotel has a minimalist Scandi vibe and an affordable luxury ethos that translates into a pocket-sized room with a floor-to-ceiling window looking out over the harbour. While in town, dine at Humbug, get your croissants at Baked Uprising and go for a dip at the 100-metre Merewether Ocean Baths. Rooms from $189 a night (beware the $35-a-day carpark slug).
Katrina Strickland

SHOP / C’MON ON, HEAR THE NOISE

Farewell, office prattler: the Sonos Ace headphones offer a noise-cancelling option as well as “lossless audio”.

I love my little, super-convenient in-ear headphones, but every so often I crave total, over-the-ear immersion in warm, rich sound – an electric blanket, if you will, instead of a hot-water bottle. Enter Sonos Ace ($699), the American, home-entertainment company’s first foray into the luxury, personal-listening space. We’re talking minimalist, pillowy cups (in black or beautiful, soft white), app connectivity and two attributes that truly elevate the listening experience: “lossless audio”, which basically means incredible sound, and the ability to toggle between Aware mode and Active Noise Cancellation (adieu, annoying office prattler). And if you already inhabit a Sonos ecosystem at home, you can easily swap your TV audio from the compatible soundbar to your new cans. Oh, and once fully charged, you’re looking at 30 hours’ playtime. In short, Sonos is gonna have to send in the heavies to rip this review pair from my head: I’m in love.
Sharon Bradley

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