Grab your fork and knife and order another “The Bear.”
There’s no show more suited to binge-watching than FX and Hulu’s restaurant-based drama-comedy (Season 3 now on Hulu, 4/5 stars). It’s a show to devour as new episodes arrive. Savor the raunchy bickering between characters. Savor the rare moments of emotional clarity. Savor the frenzy of the restaurant kitchen, or you’ll get consumed by it.
“Bear” will return this winter with a mountain of Emmys, Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globes under its belt, graduating from the buzzworthy, meme-prone show of the summers of 2022 and 2023 to bona fide Hollywood heavyweights. Now, it seems there’s nothing creator Christopher Stoller can’t include in the show’s new season, from more A-list guest stars to weird, experimental episode formats to wagyu beef that’s more expensive than you’ll find at Nobu.
The series is much the same as it was great for two seasons: ulcer-inducingly stressful to watch, piquantly written, brilliantly acted, and filled with more trauma processing than you’ll find in a therapist’s office. For 10 episodes, “The Bear” will hold you captive and hold you hostage in its unique world. When you emerge from it, you’ll be calling your friends “cousins” and yelling “hands!” every time you need someone to hold onto something. To say it’s immersive is an understatement.
Season three is a bit like head chef Carmen “Carmy” Belzatto (Jeremy Allen White), who has become a bit over-the-top and self-indulgent after all the hype and praise. The chefs (played by fictional and real people) repeatedly talk about how less is more, noting that too much seasoning can ruin a dish. Perhaps The Bear writers could have cut an element or two from season three.
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I’m not saying this season is bad. Far from it. But this is a show whose characters strive for “everyday excellence.” How can we not judge it with the same eye that Carmy casts on her sous chef’s cooking?
The series picks up after the eventful season two finale, in which a fairly calm preview by friends and family of Carmy and his protégé and partner Sydney (Ayo Edebiri)’s new restaurant was rocked by Carmy’s tantrum after he was locked in a freezer.
The aftermath of the night is huge, causing further cracks in Carmie’s already unstable mental state, straining her relationship with her friend and house manager Richie (Ebon Moss-Bacharach), and disrupting the restaurant’s evening service. In addition to fears of Carmie having a nervous breakdown, the restaurant’s finances are in jeopardy, with a Chicago Tribune review scheduled to appear soon.
Yes, it’s another stressful day in the neighborhood for our fair chefs.
Amid the frenzy of the series’ infamous kitchen scenes, there are also quieter moments — like a heartbreaking look into the backstory of beef-sandwich cook-turned-sous-chef Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas) and guest-star reunions far from the kitchen — that are strong and understated, and they’re the epitome of “The Bear.”
Characters on the show tend to have the deepest conversations of their lives on a nearly daily basis. And that’s a good thing! The show never fails to take itself as seriously as Carmy takes a plate of ravioli seriously. But a few scenes this season cross the line from daringly artistic to pretentious. The season premiere, which Gen Z might simply describe as “atmosphere,” is a lengthy montage meant to put viewers back in Carmy’s mind and mood. Experimental and cool? Sure! A bit self-indulgent? Absolutely.
In a few over-the-top moments, the series goes from a story to a thought experiment about the nature of food, cooking, and life itself. Plot isn’t everything, but it’s the basis of TV. It’s okay to daydream and think big sometimes, but at some point you have to come back to reality. Season 3 can sometimes just drift along, especially in the first and last episodes.
There are still so many stories to tell in this world. Though Tina has been in the spotlight this season, there’s still so much more to know about Marcus (Lionel Boyce), Fax (Matty Matheson and Ricky Staffieri), Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) and the other charming employees in the kitchen. Richie and Carmie still have a lot to contend for. Sydney is only just beginning to realize her full potential. And there are so many more dishes to cook. As anyone in the restaurant business will tell you, the work is never done.
“The Bear” is one of the best TV shows out there right now, and if it sticks to this policy and refrains from over-the-top production, it will cement its place on the list of the best shows of all time. It doesn’t need bells and whistles or soubise bubbles added on top of the meat of the dish. The characters, the kitchen, the relationships and the challenges are what keep people coming back for more.
Give us what we crave.
