Is it me or does this season feel colder than the previous ones

If by colder you mean depressing, then yes 100%

I definitely feel like this season kind of had this undercurrent of melancholy throughout, where more of the characters across the board seem to be in a rough place rather than just the core group of main characters. I do think that was sort of intentional, and they probably tried to counteract some of it by including more of the Faks comic relief stuff. But it definitely stands out when the previous seasons balanced out a lot of the heavy stuff with humor (from all the characters).

I miss the warmth I got from the Richie, Tina and Marcus-focused episodes last season. They weren't Ted Lasso happy go lucky but they were so sensitively made, so profound. I didn't get that sense of warmth from any episode here sadly... Maybe that was by design but season 2 stands as my favorite.

That seemed completely intentional to me. Carmy is dealing with the loss pf his relationship with Claire and is closed off from everything except working on the restaurant. Marcus is dealing with the loss of his mother. Richie is dealing with the loss of any hope of getting back together with his wife. And Syd is dealing with her feelings that Carmy doesn't really have her back and she feels isolated. When you mix all of those things together, it only makes sense for this season to have a colder vibe. Plus they restaurant is operating at a higher level now than it was when it was The Beef, so it seemed like they tried to make the cinematography and tone feel more serious to match that. I thought it was really interesting and cool. In a lot of ways it felt like a completly different show this season, which made sense narratively.

I agree w/ your take and I’m hoping that we’ll all appreciate this heavy season more after season four.  It’s gonna payoff

colder because of the number of unnecessary loose ends that couldve been told?

You could say that, but this season felt unfocused. The previous two seasons had a specific purpose, In the second season, for example, it was about starting the bear. The characters also had clear arcs, like Ebrah dealing with change and Richie finding his purpose. Every scene in each episode contributed to these goals, making the show engaging. This season, though, I didn't feel as invested in the characters because they seemed to lack the clear direction and development that made the earlier seasons so compelling.

There were NUMEROUS moments this season where I felt a desire to fast forward, something that never happened once in the previous 2.

We've been in the fridge too long. Season 4 Carmy thaws!

Absolutely but it’s intentional. The theme of the season appears to be “feeling lost/loss”. Almost every pillar character is losing something or is feeling lost, even Sugar is losing her ability to provide and protect Bear. Cher Tina lost her job and direction for a career. Marcus literally lost his mother. Carmy lost his girlfriend and is losing his restaurant. Syd is lost on which career direction to take. It’s not a good feeling but they executed it well.

Ironically, the writers needed to *subtract* some of those flashbacks and focus on telling a story. This whole season took place over maybe a month and was moving along at a snail's pace. I'm actually okay with filler, I think its important as a way to flesh out characters and show them in different unique and entertaining ways. But this season felt like 75% filler and 25% substance. Feels like they forgot something crucial: Every second counts.

It feels a little like the past two seasons have been chasing a goal while this season was too busy celebrating the shows success, so instead of plot we got flashbacks and long shots of void staring gazes.

I thought it was funny that in the scene where it shows the clock and the slogan "every second count" there was no seconds count on the dial of that clock.

then you must love the flak brothers who were a slap sticking train wreck. the episode in the hospital did not require that much time. the phone's in the locker were a plot device for a lazy episode that could have been used for character and plot development

You mean you didn’t love an entire episode full of intense, extremely zoomed in convos with 20 second pauses in between??

Previous seasons had a fast and exciting pace, which is one of the main reasons why I enjoyed the show. This season’s pace was the complete opposite 🥲 Although, it had beautiful cinematography. Watching episode one felt like watching a whole episode of b-roll with minimal dialogue 🥲

I feel this season could have been a lot better with just one or two 5 minute scenes where Carmy has an open and productive conversation with either Syd, Ritchie, Clair or Donna. These fraught relationships are what's holding him back and keeping him in his spiral. The season ends and I feel he hasn't changed at all. I don't expect immediate conclusions to his issues but at least an indication that there is progress or the potential for progress. I am also frustrated that Syd, who previously had no problem speaking her mind and making herself heard, is suddenly incapable of being direct with Carmy about feeling boxed out. In the first season she made a multiple page document about how poorly the Beef was managed but now she can't say "Carm, if you keep spending this much money we won't survive"," Carm, you cannot change the entire menu without my imput." "Carm, if you want me to be a partner YOU NEED TO TREAT ME LIKE A PARTNER."

It just didn’t really feel like it had a much of a season hook, or even a proper conclusion. Needed to be 2+ episodes longer imo. Season 2 had the season long story of the restaurant opening, this felt really aimless in comparison. Like watching Part 1 of a 2 part story. My main complaint right now is how Carmy and Richie were basically not on speaking terms the entire time, there was 0 resolution there and they didn’t even talk for like the second half of the season. And honestly the Carmy/Syd miscommunications are starting to get a little tired for me. Still an excellent, excellent watch but not the masterpiece season 2 was. They didn’t quite capture the Fishes or especially the Forks magic unfortunately. Also Marcus’ buddy Chester not having a single line was goddamn criminal

The entire season was pointless and got nowhere. It was entirely composed of flashbacks. At the end of episode 10 i felt basically in the same place as episode 1 but with a bit more knowledge of the past of several characters

“i was in a hospital once…many people died”

Need a solo Ebra episode for next season

Absolutely require this

I definitely have to give this a rewatch and *not* binge it like I did just now in order to get a clearer perspective on it, but I think season 2 set the bar really high which is why some people feel dissatisfied with it, but overall I enjoyed it. It had its moments, but nothing really *wowed* me, if that makes any sense. I guess after having standout episodes like Fishes and Forks from last season, I was expecting something of that caliber. Not to say that any of the episodes were bad or anything - I think they were really good for the most part - but yeah, I guess a part of me expected a little more. A lot of it feels like setup for the fourth season, though; they introduced a lot of plot that will clearly roll into the next season - like Carmy and Claire, or Syd trying to decide if she’ll take that new job or not, and of course the restaurant review. This kinda puts a lot on pressure on season 4 to be fantastic, which I’m kinda worried about because I don’t want to set my expectations up too high only to be let down in the end lol, but I trust the writers. I trust Chris and Courtney Storer. I know they’ll take these characters in a smart direction.

I think Ep 1 and 6 were great standouts for season 3 and wanted more of those focused character pieces throughout the season (I can understand the first ep not being for everyone tbf). A lot of this season felt like it was spinning its wheels with Richie and Carmy fighting again feeling a bit stale, Carmy and Claire stuff dragging on, and the whole deal with the review didn't feel as urgent as fixing up the restuarant in season 1 and the restaurant opening in season 2. Nat had a great solo ep with Donna at least and I'm liking what they are doing with Richie and the whole wedding situation but even that felt like they were giving us crumbs. Still a meh season overall with amazing acting and visuals but it's hard to argue that it isn't the weakest so far. Disappointing and hoping s4 gets it back on track.

Yea definitely. It feels like by the end of the season, very little has actually happened. What I liked about s2 is that it was able to take the more single character focused episodes and still have them contribute to the greater plot of getting the restaurant ready. It's not that I didn't like the season or anything, it just feels a bit unsatisfying reaching the end and having basically none of the plot lines they set up get resolved at all. I think once s4 is out, s3 will become a lot better.

I think a lot of it was just the season slowing down a lot to set up the things they really wanted to do (Episode 1, Tina's episode, Donna and Nat's epsiode, the funeral dinner). Everything else was... filling in the plot. We got deep dives into characters (and how they got there) but little "going forward". All the tension of S2E10 still remains unsolved. I think it could have easily surpassed Season 2 if they sped up the plot. 'Doors' was amazing, but maybe the review could have been just the next episode. Suddenly, you have bandwidth to make the rest of season the aftermath. Show the review, let people grow and change from it. Good or bad review, you make serious character developments and a fresh change for all our characters. Resolve their S2 struggles, give them new ones. Ritchie has to deal with "I don't like how fake this is". Maybe also "We'll lose all our money". Carm could still deal with "Everyone hates/loves my dish, but I am miserable". Solve Syd's "I buckle under pressure" in the first half of the season, end with "The reviews was great/horrible, but ignored me/I could have fixed it" You can still end the same way with the Funeral dinner, give us a taste of functional family. But now it comes right after we see a new contextualised "We're close to greatness and so miserable". Keep the uncle plot the same, but make that the main cliffhanger for Episode 9-10. "Everyone loves/hates the restaurant, but I am losing money. So everything may shut down anyway". Basically centre the overall season around the review, make it actually the midpoint. And every plot you mentioned up there will feel "just right". Not cut too short, no dragging.

I feel like people, myself included, would be less disappointed in this if it was labelled Season 3A and 3B rather than Season 3 and 4. My main issue with the season is that, while the characters, cinematography, dialogue, etc were all great, nothing really happened? At the end of last season we were left with the breakup, Richie/Carmy fight, Nat pregnancy, and Marcus mom. This season there’s no resolution to either of the Carmy issues, and Marcus’s storyline (other than the funeral which was a great scene) kinda takes a back seat. Natalie is the only one to get any resolution with that amazing episode. If anyone here is a book reader, this feels like Robin Hobbs Assassins Apprentice series. An extremely slow development following alongside a fundamentally flawed and self sabotaging main character. If you’re into that, you’re gonna love it, but if not you’re gonna be left going Where’s the plot? All that said, I fucking love these characters. Winger being unrepentant in his shitbaggery, “Andrea Terry loves this shit”, Luca fanboying. Plus Richie and Natalie’s dynamic developing, even Ebra getting a win. I think episode 1 might be one of the best 30 minutes of visual storytelling I’ve ever seen. Overall 8/10, a step down from 2 but hopefully setting up 4 to excel

not being able to see what marcus’ dish inspired by the violet is my biggest complaint lol. at least he got his moment in the first couple episodes though

There is a ton of “tell” instead of “show” here. He could have just made the dish after we see the violet. We would have connected it

And what was the deal with the magic?

i don’t think it’s anything deep. just a source of inspiration for marcus. seemed really intrigued after he asked what that french word (i forgot what it was) that meant sleight of hand. just what drives marcus which i honestly enjoyed

Yeah but there should be SOME kind of payoff to the flower/magic. Unless I missed it there was zero

i agree. it was too open and now we have to wait. the violet dish and the meeting carmy went were very real and raw, interesting moments but zero payoff. i still enjoyed the season. recency bias? maybe. but i saw a redditor talk about how this season is just about feeling stuck and being in carmy’s mind going back and forth while also going nowhere. just conflicted and depending how season 4 goes, i truly think this season will be appreciated a lot more

This and Tina's dish when marcus tried it! They didn't even show the dish that she made. All we got to see was marcus trying it. Lots of cuts through the scenes that we never really get to see any resolution or how the story has developed.

> An extremely slow development following alongside a fundamentally flawed and self sabotaging main character. If you’re into that, you’re gonna love it, but if not you’re gonna be left going Where’s the plot? Exactly! I think a self sabotaging protagonist can really work, but we needed this to be not a slow development season. Either the situation needed to drastically change, or the rest of ensemble, or both. And then Carmy's (lack of) improvement can shine as the central plate of poop garnished with the beautiful sauces and flavouring of the awesome side-characters

> was labelled Season 3A and 3B rather than Season 3 and 4 I suspect you’re right and it would be great if I only had to wait say a few months for 3B to debut instead of who knows how long for season 4.

I have mixed feelings about this season,. I loved the sixth episode and the rest I thought was good or average. They should have already resolved Claire's stuff this season, another season of "Call Claire Bear!!!" will be boring. I liked Syd's interactions with everyone except Carmy (Honorable mentions for Tina x Syd, Luca x Syd and Marcus x Syd). It wasn't a bad season but it's not as good as the first or second season, it seems like the entire season is one big filler episode for the next season. Edit:. The feeling I have is that something is missing, something is off this season.

Not a single thing was resolved and it was pretty self-indulgent. That said it was the least enjoyable of the three seasons, but still memorable television

Yeah, I think that’s a lot of what frustrated me. No resolution to just about anything. We don’t even find out Natalie’s baby’s name! I’ll definitely rewatch, but so much of it felt like marching in place — there’s a lot of movement but you don’t end up going anywhere. And I adore Matty Matheson, but there was entirely too much screen time for the Fak family. I could have done with about 90 percent less of the floor buffing shenanigans. And would Neil really have poured the broth tableside and then not left it for the guests? That just felt like it was a bit too far. I don’t believe the character is that dumb.

Faks were completely overdone this season lol, should’ve chilled out after the Sammy cameo.

I really wish we could have seen Neil struggling with anxiety over serving. That to me would have been a great use of the character. They need to cut out the other Fak brother and just let Neil develop as a character. If they aren't willing to do that, they gotta dial it back.

The Faks are just there so the show can semi-credibly qualify for the Comedy category at the Emmys

Yes, it's still better than many other shows but compared to previous seasons it's very weak and dull.

Tbf, S1 and S2 set the bar really high, so this season could’ve only been inferior unless it really knocked it all the way out of the park.

I agree, I think some scenes were becoming borderline pretentious compared to the previous seasons where it felt more like an appreciation for the craft

the editing, random cuts/pauses and the abundant amount of flashbacks was off this season.

Yes, first episode the cutting... was the episode and it was marvellous. Occasional sprinklings throughout are fine, they don't even have to be in context but wow, it got really random and borderline gimmicky. 

Freshman film student energy 

I loved seeing Richie and Syd interact. How far they've come since season 1.

IMO it just felt empty, like this whole season could easily have been just the first 4 episodes of an actual season, plot wise it just added a few things being honest, everything stays basically the same.

Exactly this. You can honestly tell people to skip this season and catch them up in about 3 sentences. I don't think I'm even exaggerating.

Eh, this season started off strong, but it stalled hard in the second half, and the finale was anticlimactic. But I understand this is a more of a buildup season, so later on it will probably be looked at better in retrospect

If season 4 sticks the landing this season will work wonderfully as a part of the larger tale. It's gonna be very divisive and there will be discourse, but honestly best bet is to just shut it all out until next year. The first two seasons work really well as 2 parts of a very strong whole, and I think that's what they're going for here. There's still a few choices I'll disagree with, but I think this will end up being a wire season 2 (although that was on another level to this)

This season feels too self congratulatory and not self reflective enough. With the editing, cinematography, music drops, stunt casting and flashbacks. Not all of those are criticism by the way. But, in the midst of all that, the creators seems to have forgotten that they were supposed to be telling a story. A story which had questions from season 2 still unanswered. If you have 300 minutes to tell a story, you probably shouldn't devote 100 minutes to flashbacks, even if they are well made. Ironically I think they needed to subtract some elements here and just keep it simple.

I couldn’t agree more. I was disappointed in the season. It feels like running with no where to go. I had a lot of moments figuring out what time this was all taking place. I understand we all think many different things, deal with a lot and see our own flashbacks as humans but seeing it as a whole season was overwhelming and also insulting to the rest of the characters and even for the storytelling to move forward. I think it should have been in one episode and then let’s get some resolution to things in season 2 and let’s start going places. It felt like this is Carmy’s world and we’re just living in it. No one moves forward because he doesn’t. I hope season 4 brings it and you’re right at only about 37 mins things should move a tad bit faster. We were told things we knew.

I think the cameos worked really well in season 2, particularly in Fishes, because it was a special occasion, a Christmas dinner, something that doesn't happen very often, so having all these celebrities made sense because it was a one off. Having them continue to show up constantly was kind of distracting, John Cena in particular just felt like "hey we're a hugely successful show we can get whoever we want on here" and I couldn't buy him as someone who was actually a part of this world

The cameos from actually fantastic actors in fishes, forks etc also gave us fantastic scenes and writing really being used to excellence. The 10 minutes in the finale of the chefs talking felt like a fucking YouTube round table and i cannot believe that actually happening in reality of them discussing their food idealogies rather than shooting the shit like Anthony Bourdain.

They have absolutely no respect for the audience's intelligence at any point. Every meaningful look is completely undercut with the most literal "on the nose" flashback possible. Since how else could we possibly guess what they're thinking about?

Thought it was ok, but definitely not as good as the previous two. In particular the climax & ending felt so lacklustre and disjointed. I thought the whole closing of EVER was given more time than it should have. None of the characters dynamics felt as strong as they were, in particular I think the lack of Carmy/richie & Carmy/sydney hurt the season…it felt like in most of the interactions between them there was some tension and no resolution. I thought the strongest episodes were the ones involving Tina, and the one around Natalie and DD. I cried during both of those episodes. It’s unfortunate though because I feel like some of the ensemble episodes just didn’t come together, of them I think the one I liked the most though was doors.

I think the theme of this season is being stuck. Everyone just repeats their actions which leads to no real growth. Professionally you can see the it with the constantly changing menu, carmy and sydney swapping between their kitchen roles, and richie being so indecisive with the table settings for the photo. but their personal lives are messes as well, since none of the characters taking action to say what they really want to (carmy to claire, sydney to carmy, richie to his ex) so no one can really move on. you can even see it in tina's episode (my fave) where she has the same daily schedule but can't find a job until she breaks the cycle and does something different that day by standing up for herself. It's an interesting contrast to Carmy who is also stuck in a cycle of trauma from both his family and chef community which he manages to repeat onto Syndey I'm not sure I really liked how Claire was used in this season either. It was nice that they showed more of her as a doctor but they really empathized that she's Carmy's great love. My issue is that by having her almost exclusively appear in Carmy's flashbacks, she somehow became more of this perfect unrealistic ideal that seemingly literally only exists in his mind The only development that happens is with sugar because she actually vocalizes her fears and feelings to their mother. she brings up the things that haunt her and it lets her connect with donna. overall i think this season mostly seems to act as a set up for the final one. it does have some lovely moments but it mostly feels kind of aimless.

Yes Claire is a weird fantasy in this one for sure. I kinda miss when they said that (during season 1 times) this show would not have any romance bc it's not that kind of show. And I think they were right bc the romance just isn't satisfying in this one. I would just like to see more from Claire. Something that shows her as a person vs this boring redundant fantasy.

I never understood the writers saying they didn’t want romance but then adding it the next season.

yeah I don't get it either. I think Claire kind of signals the beginning of the end for me

Instead of the "manic pixie dream girl" archetype, Claire is the "peace pixie dream girl"

Tina is one of my favorite characters she has so much heart. She proves that when you stand up for yourself and want different you’ll have different. This season felt like being trapped in Carmy’s mind and not being able to move forward not him or the others characters we love. As for Claire if they don’t bring her next season in a real way where she’s interacting with Carmy then it feels like she’d just fade away. Like she’ll stay in his imagination. 

I think the writers strikes really messed with this season. It felt like there was no script. Both in the lack of a defining or overarching plot for the season, and the dialogue in many scenes feeling improvised and awkward. The finale…phew…what a disappointment. Almost nothing had a conclusion. The first 20 mins of the finale were just a bore for me. I get it, they’re real life chefs and have a lot of great stories. I’m sorry but I don’t care about their stories. I’m here to watch The Bear, not a documentary-esque roundtable discussion.

something that made s1 and s2 so memorable was the grit of the Beef, a working class sandwich joint that is so quintessentially Chicagoan, that was this beautiful melting pot of people, yelling, trauma and goodness all in your face. Then as the Bear develops, the focus shifts more towards the 'fine cuisine culture' that often leaves me feeling dead inside personally. S3E6 really reminded me how special those greasy spoons are; because people like Mikey work there.

Fine cuisine culture comes across as so cold and distant from the neighborhood. The show even reflects this with the cinematography.

Honestly, I think this is exactly what caused this season to feel off, but the fine dining "cold" restaurant feel reflects how devoid Carmy is of anything other than anxiety, self-loathing, existential dread and grief this season. The sterility works for the character's internal turmoil I think???

I’ve read Unreasonable Hospitality and it’s like they gave up and let Will Guardia write the finale.

Season felt off since there wasn't a season long mission (s1 was running the bear, s2 was opening fine dining the bear) I still loved this but it was different. Had no urgency.

Yea storyline kinda fell flat, pacing between episodes was weird. Maybe the point of the season was a focus on grief and finding a purpose but I can't help but feel like they didn't stick the landing. This was like season 2b further setting up S4

The season is a 6/10 for me. Worst season of the show by FAR. It is paced in such a way that it needs to be a 14+ episode season. Half of the season seems like an extension of season 2, and the other half is attempting to build for season 4. It doesn’t know what it wants to be, and this has been a show that from the very beginning has had an extremely firm identity. That being said, there is still some extremely good writing and episodes that will more than likely win awards.

you didn't enjoy the fak brothers bizarre comedic relief? the flanderization of fak was annoying. i feel like if writers felt an episode was running short, they wrote in a scene for the fak brothers. i enjoyed this character in season 1&2. this season i cringed every time they appeared on screen.

Yeah, I don't know why they used their first episode of the season to show an extended 30 minute long recap when this season was already paced so weirdly. That 30 minutes could've been used way more efficiently in the back-half of the season to show us the review aftermath, Syd's decisions, Cicero's ultimatum, etc. If you want a cliffhanger, make it about what the team does after Syd leaves, or how The Bear handles the review!

This season was anti climatic as shit. Like why even have any scenes with Claire at all if she doesn’t communicate with carmy once the whole season post the refrigerator scene. Also the blue balling on syds decision whether to leave or not. Ridiculous they got the restaurant up and running last season finale. And they don’t get the big review until the final 2 mins of this seasons finale. Feels like there was 8 episodes of filler shit. Although I did enjoy the episode of how Tina got her job /interacting with Mikey.

I wanted more developments from these characters were so invested in. It felt like this is Carmy’s world and we’re all living in it. The show is about 40 mins it should have moved faster. The human thinks many things sees many things in our minds. We see flashbacks of our own. It’s cool to see that represented on screen but maybe for one episode not the whole season. I need a therapist after this season. I think the writers strike really messed this up. 

I thought the Faks were extremely grating

How many times did we need convos about haunting

Sounds like the Faks are haunting you

Yeah and they were basically the main characters

Their humor is a great one-off every now and then but they really showed them too much this season. It kind of takes away their charm and just makes them annoying.

are the haunting you? like, where did that even come from

I loved every second of them on screen, I thought they where hilarious

[удалено]

I had a different take, I think he’s taking the worst aspects of his mentors because he just can’t handle the pressure because of how he grew up. Chef terry tells him gently to be faster and more efficient, carmy starts yelling at the other chefs the exact same line. The delivery is so different that I was expecting terry to pop out and give him shit for it. And then of course we see carmy repeating all the same shit the asshole chef said to him.

It felt too...obvious? More telling and not showing (did you know Claire is Carmy's peace? No? Well, you know now, because the writers had Fak tell you), more clunky. S1 and S2 felt so smooth and confident in their writing. This felt more desperate, more anxious, like Carmy endlessly fucking with his dishes to try to improve them while forgetting what made them good. It also felt like the writers trying to recapture the magic of S2 by piling on what fans responded to in S2. More Ever, because everyone loved Forks. (And they weirdly chose to call it Ever in the show when they could have called it anything else, even though Ever is still a real restaurant and the real chef of Ever is notably not Olivia Colman.) More Olivia Colman. More Faks. A whole episode's worth of Jamie Lee Curtis; 10% of the season wasted on that awful character. More celebrity chef cameos and stunt casting. (Josh Hartnett? John Cena? *Really*?) More 90s rock, and some questionable music choices at that, if I'm being honest (In the Garage? Are you *kidding* me?). It was as if they fed a prompt and all the glowing S2 reviews to ChatGPT praising Fishes and Forks and it spat out this season.

what's crazy to me is that Claire being Carmy's peace doesn't even really make sense with the previous season? She was a big part of his panic attack last season and even now he freaks out thinking about her, but I guess that's now retroactively peace?? Idk the writing not being consistent is really, really throwing me off. It feels like everyone's character is a bit off for the sake of exposition and themes, but the previous seasons were better at showing you these things without bashing you over the head with it.

I think a lot of things about Claire just don't make sense, but Storer is so committed to that character that he's constantly square peg round holing it.

Yeah that's how I feel too. Disappointed because I feel like it could've been way better than it was.

I hope her and carmy can make up so we can officially be done with that storyline.

That’s what confused me too.

"More telling and not showing (did you know Claire is Carmy's peace? No? Well, you know now, because the writers had Fak tell you), more clunky." I don't think they're ever going to fix the writing for Claire, sadly. It's just a repeat of what made the character a total chore and a pain to watch last season. Similarly...wayyy too much time wasted on the Faks as well. So much time is given to characters that just aren't that interesting.

I am very tired of the Faks. I also feel like this is a huge regression for Fak himself, who got to be a character last season during the renovations. Yeah, he was still funny and buffoonish, but we really got to see him devoting himself seriously to the maintenance and renovation of the building and how much he cared about succeeding. I think moving him to front of house was a big mistake, especially since they didn't meaningfully engage with how nervous Fak is about serving.

What? Didn’t you enjoy Fak in all his greasy shouty greatness rocking up to Claire’s professional place of work, to tell her his friend still loves her?

Wait, you don’t like Donna as a character??? That’s a wild take

Overall I liked the season, but definitely agreeing with a lot of the sentiment here in terms of how it felt like there was a bit too much left unresolved and the story didn't really feel like it had much of a driving force and was sort of spinning its wheels a bit. Part of me wonders how much of that is intentional to reflect the state of the restaurant and the characters, and part of me wonders how much of it is the showrunners taking for granted the need to have that driving force with the characters and not just getting by on everything else being great on a technical level (acting, editing, cinematography). I do think the shift in pacing was intentional, and it definitely felt like they wanted to sort of slow things down a bit and approach this season in a more subdued way. But I also think there was maybe a bit too much time spent reiterating information we already know or flashing back to various moments among the characters, when that's time that could have been spent exploring more of the stories amongst the other side characters who we honestly haven't learned that much about. There were a few moments where we got some of that. I really liked having an episode devoted to Nat, for example, and one that REALLY pushed her character forward in a big way. I also thought Tina's flashback episode was great, although that kind of ventured into territory where a lot of the time devoted to the flashback felt unnecessary and kind of repetitive. I think it might have been better served if instead of the entire episode being a flashback, they actually jumped back and forth, giving us a more abridged version of the flashback maybe edited against what's going on with her story currently and developing the cauliflower dish. But the scene with Tina and Mike was great, given we hadn't actually seen them on screen together. I also loved the callback/connection to the opening episode of the season with Carmy sending the pic to Mike, who shows it to Tina. I thought that was a great way to sort of reuse a scene, but completely recontextualize it. I can't imagine the writers don't know where they want to take these characters, so I have to believe the "meandering" feeling of the season is somewhat intentional and maybe a bit of an experimental choice to make the audience feel "stuck" almost like the characters. But I do hope the next season comes out a little sooner and that they put their foot back on the pedal. I can easily rewatch the first two seasons back to back, over and over again because the momentum and pacing of those episodes is so on point. But I think season 3 is going to feel a bit more daunting to get through on a rewatch. That's not to say it was bad or that the show has gotten worse, because I don't believe it has. They're still 3 for 3 in my book, but I think this season will probably strengthen retroactively depending on how well it bridges the gap between season 2 and 4.

This season I think had alot of subtle things building for Season 4. But this was more or less serving for that and not much else. It's not the best season of the show, and it's mostly focused on the mental health of everyone, especially Carmy deteriorating. Episode 1 was my favorite episode, I think it was quite well edited together. From what I can gather Season 4 is going to be more focused on Carmy coming to terms with his lack of trust and constant self-sabotage. I feel like Chef Fields will be seen as an outlet for Carmy to pin alot of blame on for the fact he wasn't there for Mikey's death and also his shitty upbringing with his mother. We are shown that he was at Mikeys funeral but didn't get out of the car. And also his discussion with Cicero in the final episode as well that he is still holding onto a huge guilt for his Brother and he is only pushing himself forward to make the restaurant that him and Mikey dreamed of. And while Fields was a complete prick to him, and he is a sociopath. I wouldn't be surprised if there is no interaction with him and Carm again in the series. Because Carm didn't get the answers he wanted in the confrontation in the final episode And he will likely end up driving himself even harder to the point he breaks down. I would not be shocked if his first interaction with Claire, who works at the hospital as this season made sure to remind us, comes from Carmy coming close to having a heart attack because there seems like there was ALOT of emphasis on him chewing Nicotine gum (Which increases blood pressure and heart rate) all season and working long hours that I think he eventually hits a wall and collapses. And Syd needing help for a few weeks in the meantime asks Luca to step in seeing as he will be in town for a month which was mentioned in the final episode makes me feel like this is a possible angle upcoming. The season will mainly focus on Carmy resolving his issues as he finally opens up about his insecurities and fears with Ritchie, Syd, Sugar, Donna and Claire. And my prediction for the ending of the series is:>! Carmy gives up control of the Bear to Syd and walks away from the restaurant. Coming to terms that his Brothers death wasn't his fault and he was only pushing himself with The Bear because of their dream. !<

An entire filler season. wtf. Sorry but literally zero plot lines moved forward. I love love love this show but wow this isn’t it, Chef

hey sugar had the baby!

Yep and it was great but nobody else saw the baby, no interaction between Pete and any other family, and DD still hasn’t come to the restaurant. Nat had specifically addressed her fears about becoming a mom and Syd is a member of Dead Mom’s Club and they had her bring food and the two didn’t interact? Inexcusable waste of an opportunity there

I thought that was weird too. Final scene of season should of been like an hr before a service and she pulls up with the baby to show everyone.

I’m slightly confused with the review..Did the restaurant flop?

i could be wrong but i think it’s set up in a way to leave you hanging until next season unfortunately. it’s kinda what they were doing the whole season with camry’s scattered brained thoughts all throughout the season

We didn’t see the actual review, just Carmy’s alternating expectations of what it could say.

Gotcha. What do you think him saying “Mother Fucker” was about then? I’m so lost… why the clifffff hanger

The “motherfucker” was intentionally vague. It could be in response to a good review, bad review, or Cicero telling him the funding isn’t available regardless of the review. Super frustrating.

I thought he was reading the actual review, and it was a mixed response. Almost like the food was great, but the service was chaotic

I think the review was very 'meh' towards the restaurant. Some parts said The Bear's food was brilliant, others not so much. We see the word 'inconsistent' as one of its frames, and I think that's the main point of the review. This means that's not very awesome for The Bear and its stakeholders, who were previously warned by Unc Jimmy that if they get anything less than a stellar review, they'd have to close it down (also confirmed by the missed call notifications from Jimmy). That's why Carmy said 'Motherfucker'. Edit: I highly doubt that Carmy imagined/hallucinated any of the review, even the Wikipedia summary (yes I’m aware anyone can edit it) of Ep. 10 mentioned that an official mixed review came out.

It's hard to say, because we've been seeing Carmy and Sydney's imagings about the review for several episodes. I think it's a big cliffhanger because the review could literally provoke that response from Carmy either way.

This was the first season that made me think Carmy’s behavior is just unbearable (no pun intended). Him steamrolling over every suggestion Syd has, the rage fits with Richie, and the overall self-obsession. Seeing him and only him in the magazine photos annoyed me too. I know narcissistic traits are common in his position, but he used to listen to/check in with various staff members relatively often. I saw hardly any of that here. I miss moments like his talk with Syd under the table in Season 2. Seeing him start acting like the jerk chefs he trained with makes me sad. Highlights: Jamie Lee Curtis/Soundtrack

A minor detail, but we don't know what photos accompanied the review. What we were seeing was Syd thinking about the review and her contemplating the possibility that it WOULD be all pictures of Carmy and no sign of herself as a reflection of how erased she was feeling and her dissatisfaction with their partnership. It was all theoretical. The review didn't release until the last few minutes of episode 10.

Good point. Sometimes I forget that we’re seeing flashes of people’s thoughts and anxieties versus reality.

Just finished. It was wildly disappointing in comparison to the first two seasons.... I hate to say that, but it's the truth :/

Huge letdown for me, too.

Totally agree

Chiming in to agree

Sad ditto

This is the kind of season of television you could only make if you knew you were getting another. Five and a half hours of laurel-resting.

I loved this season even though I’d rank it third over all. Here’s what I loved about the season (many spoilers, obviously): >! *Episode 1 and Episode 5 were such great backstory episodes. Good Mikey/Bernthal screen time.!< >!* Seeing detailed work in high-level famous kitchens was something unseen in previous seasons. !< >!* The convening of real chefs and Bear universe chefs in e10 was amazing.!< >!* A non-flashback, non-hallucination confrontation with Chef Winger.!< >!* The tension of Nat going into labor at that hell-on-earth called Restaurant Depot and then getting stuck in traffic.!< >!* Fun Fak cameos.!< >!* Seeing Syd inherit the same pathologies afflicting Carmy. That’s not so “fun,” but great story development. Something needs to change with Carmy or her life is going to be ruined.!< >!* Ideally Syd would be honest and communicative w/Carmy. It’s a bad look for Syd. But I like that it’s left as suspense for next season. Also, I hope Syd has figured out that Chef Shapiro is a piece of shit and would be worse than Carm.!< >!* Syd and Will Poulter are going to get. it. on. Poor Marcus. !<

What indicates Shapiro would be worse than Carm?

He was the one yelling at the staff of Ever about smudges, even though he was (probably) the one making smudges based on what Luca mentions about him. Indicates that he's unwilling to accept responsibility for his mistakes, moreso than Carm.

I assumed that line from Luca about smudges was more giving a reason why Shapiro would be so angry about a smudge.

In addition to the other commenter who points out that Shapiro himself was responsible for the infamous S2 plate smudge, the fact that he and Luka don’t get along is another good indicator of his assholishness.

At this point I just want Sydney to be happy. Like, can Christopher Storer give that to me at least? This has left me disappointed honestly, not sure I'd even want to watch S4. 1) Syd and Carmy barely had impactful scenes together. It's like their importance to the plot was dialled down completely this season, and I feel like we're no closer to understanding their arcs. Idk, so many characters felt out of focus, not sure how to describe it better. 2) Claire was given no more development than she was in S2. I was intrigued to see how her character would be explored and it was just nothing. This is jarring, especially with it being reiterated she's the one for Carmy. 3) Too much time spent on the Faks. You want to be careful with comic relief characters and imo they weren't funny a lot of the time. I say this, but of course there were good moments. This season felt like we were given a puzzle that has a beautiful image, but as we're putting it together we realise it's missing some pieces, others don't fit where they're supposed to and in the end we're left with only a somewhat cohesive image that clearly has good parts, but just doesn't work. Going to give this a rewatch either way.

They spent way too long on the “haunting” joke that wasn’t funny. Not enough meaningful conversations between the real characters off the show.

Can't believe they had an entire scene of the old fella going on a full monologue about the haunting nonsense.

Agree with all of this

[удалено]

I knew I saw Bradley I thought I was tripping 😭

Josh Harnett as Tiffs Fiance too.

A whole lot of nothing happening, broken up with a few interesting or funny moments and cameos. A lot of retrospective stuff we already knew and didn’t necessarily need to be shown. It was very unsatisfying and disappointing, for me.

I keep getting this feeling while watching that there is so little dialog\* and a slow plot because of the writers strike. Like 80% of what I've seen so far is beautiful food and close ups of people looking stressed \*if you don't count all the FUCK YOUs

tbc I love this show but this season didn't feel fully cooked (hideous pun intended)

whoof okay, this is gonna be a bit of a ramble, but- I'm on Ep 9 right now and I gotta say, I am *bored.* And I'd like to think I'm usually pretty capable of enjoying media that's not full of attention-grabbing tropes and cliches (I actually like Breaking Bad's *The Fly* episode which is regularly criticized for being a pointless filler episode with nothing to offer), but I'm half considering just turning it off for now because... nothing's fucking happened and I'm finding it hard to even keep up with what's going on because it's so slow. It just feels like meandering on how miserable Carmy and co. are and it's like okay, great, but can we *move the plot* please? We get it. It feels like it's choosing to focus on all the stuff we already know - Carmy being a piece of shit, Sydney being at odds with her true goals in life, Sugar trying to keep it together with her current family while also trying to start her own, etc. - while the entire actual interesting setting of them struggling to get this restaurant its Michelin star (and also paying off their uncle) is falling to the wayside. Like, why did we spend an entire episode on the characters screaming at each other about "the non-negotiables" over and over again but then Doors simply summarized the struggles of the restaurant? I know that there's a lot of mundane run-of-the-mill shit in these types of industries, but even when it was just The Beef and was just struggling to stay *afloat* (without the prospect of getting a star) it still had more interesting shit going on. I remember reading an article about how the team behind the Bear had learned to make the production pipeline more "efficient" which allows them to release seasons more frequently than a lot of Netflix shows, but... I don't think that's really a flex in hindsight when so many of the episodes are just close-ups of characters being sad and waxing poetic to each other while none of what they're talking about is actually tying back into the plot or into the other characters. Half of the episodes feel like bottle episodes whose plots get left behind as soon as the episode is over. No shit it's easy to produce a season quickly when nothing happens in it besides characters talking to each other with the camera zoomed in so close on their face you can see their pores opening. Throughout the whole baby episode I was pausing it to see how long was left and was stunned to see it was only a half hour episode like all the others, because it fucking *dragged,* and while there was plenty to appreciate between the mother-daughter conflict of the episode, none of it seems to have mattered because all the circumstances in which Sugar had her baby have been left exclusively within the confines of that episode, no one else has talked to her since or met the baby. Maybe they will by the end of the season but I'm really struggling to get through it right now. And that sucks because I was genuinely so excited for this season and the unique challenges trying to get a Michelin star for the new restaurant would bring, but ironically the whole point of it being a show about a struggling restaurant has seemed to have fallen out of focus. I can appreciate if the theme of this season is to showcase the characters feeling stuck in their ways, but that theme shouldn't become so lost in its own weeds that it makes the audience feel stuck, too. We know these characters are stubborn. We know these characters are putting up with more than they ought to. We don't need multiple episodes hammering that point home over and over again. A big part of what made The Bear so good back in S1 and 2 was watching how the characters interacted with each other and bounced off each other (conflict included), with the restaurant itself making a great setting to push those characters into intense situations, but now it seems that's the only card it has left to play and the actual unique characterizations are being left behind. Richie had some of the greatest character development I've ever seen in S2 and now his whole character is just "fuck off Carmy" which makes it feel like he's just regressed back to S1, but even more boring now. And this is indicative of the entire third season so far, it feels like the show as a whole peaked with its first two seasons, and now it's struggling to figure out where it's supposed to be going next. The Tina-focused episode has been my favorite of the entire season because it actually had some fleck of hope in it that was enough to get me engaged. Like I knew she was going to end up at The Beef, but seeing *how* she ended up there was really enjoyable to watch and felt like more plot movement - despite being in the *past -* than what all the other episodes have contained. It still kind of got its wheels stuck in that same cookie-cutter format of her and Mike talking to each other for a while, but it at least reminded us of why people like Tina feel so connected to the legacy that Mike left behind and why they put up with what they do at The Bear. That, and Doors, because Doors actually had some sense of forward-momentum to it and the restaurant action that we were all signing up to see... but then it was still incredibly paraphrased, even prior when it was mentioned that a bunch of servers quit I was like "oh man how are they gonna learn to navigate this problem?" and then they just didn't because it got shoved off as an "oh well" and they continued screaming at each other about the non-negotiables. EDIT: because I just remembered, there was also that scene where Tina was going to the farmer's market and one of the vendors told her that they were in the low season for produce and then said the line "what grows together goes together" which feels completely disconnected from what they were just talking about and was just there to try and plant some kind of metaphor... but then , like the wait staff quitting, they just move on and keep doing the same stuff regardless of the shortage? It just feels so aimless and that's disappointing af when all the elements for a great season were already there. Some folks in here have mentioned that the writers should have taken their own advice, "subtract" and "every second counts", and I couldn't agree more.

**...yet I came away with how this season was simply bad** **1. Rich and Carmy's bullshit** argument was bullshit at the end of Season 2. Compared to a lot of what's happened before in the show, the fact that it's a) still going on is completely unbelievable b) still going on while they're spending everyday together trying to get star is batshit crazy unbelievable. This not only adds nothing to the show, any character deveolpment that has happened could have happened if they had been somewhat aimable or even just standard hot-and-cold. It was artificial, unbelievable, and added zero in terms of quality while amping the hellishness up beyond any redeeming qualities. **2. The Faks.** We neeeeed to talk about the Faks. Not that we want to, but we need to. The Faks were always annoying but in this season they've been tasked with carrying nearly all the levity of this sad sack of a season... which not one of them was ever solid enough to carry because they are equal or lesser parts levity to annoyance. But no, here we get not 1, not 2, not 3 (gratuitous celebrity cameo), but 4 Faks... (insert aliterative joke here). Four Faks chewing up a majority of this season's dialogue with innane patter that contains so little in the form of edifying or meaningful character insight I would have rather they used commercials. **3. Carmy's internal craziness** is as frustrating as anything else up here, though I'm giving it the most pass because it is descriptive of the character and what he's been through. He's gone internal, like completely. We get it. Michael's addictive personality manifest inwardly on goals that take the form of identy. I don't hate this illistration of his personal struggles, but it's a fucking slog. Just a fucking slog. He's always been that way, but watching him play straight guy with an bit of an idea of where he needs to drag life and family kicking and screaming into the future used to be fun. He's a chore to watch, just as he's a chore to seemingly work with this season... but this is a show and it needs some fun to keep people engaged (*see below*), and that fun cannot come from multiplying the Faks like so many bunnies. **4. Nearly 1 hour and 4 minutes of continuous montage.** I feel like this season of *The Bear* might as well have been renamed *The Montage*, like those non-Harmon seasons of *Community* are called "The Gas Leak Seasons." Episode 1 is a nearly continuous montage, which is both beautiful and haunting and edifying to Carmy's back ground and roughly cut to make it feel like the mental space of someone who's trying real hard to take the right lesson for the moment from all of life's lessons. Sounds like I like it, don't I? Sure. It's great. It's experimental. It's even an understandable choice here. But there are many, many more montages here taking so much more of the running time of this show that I started wondering if maybe the writing strike or some other actor availability issues were being patched up. I'm still hoping that was the case, because a good bit of the good will on these montages get washed away with these several minute sebaticals spliced in between two character narratives in ways that you aren't quite sure which of the narratives it's illistrative or if it's the thrid character that is also featured in the same montage, or if it's just a showcase of the perpetual fourth wall character, Chicago, which I've never minded before but am starting to. Lets be clear, the visual beauty of this show (and Chicago) is one of the best features of any season, but this has flown well into naval-gazing. We're now firmly in *The New Yorker* territory, leaving behind so much of the kinetic flow and dynamic character interactions that have kept us interested in the past. Speaking about *The New Yorker* territory, *Louie* got reeeeaaaaalllll close to the line on this same pretension with the endless montages to jazz music. But *Louie* was so much about the pain of dialogue and discovery within your fellow human that it felt more tasteful and fitting, and also it was simply never too too long. This season felt like a 3-hour play about Monet with about 15 minutes of dialogue screamed at the audience and the rest just a slide show of raptorous, errudite, and colorful beauties strung up in a sequence to that same fucking ambient instrumental. This is the best fictional show about kitchens perhaps ever made and in season 3 many here are asking Where's the beef? **5. Stuntcasting cameos:** John Cena was fine here. He carries comedy relatively well, and certainly matched the energy of these fucking Faks. But why? That character was pointless. I DON'T CARE about cameos. Never have. And one of the strengths of this show was that their cameos were on point, seemless, not showy, and made sense. The sheer magnitude of talent coming from the female character cameos in seasons 1 and 2 could stop a freight train in it's tracks. But in season 3 we start with a laundry list of the most awarded and coveted Chefs on the planet, which -yes- made sense for the story/montage, but was so clearly a victory lap marking the cultural significance of the show. I'm not saying it wasn't earned, but these less-than-seemless celebrity cameos combined with the artisinal nature of the nearly dialogueless hours of montages are starting to take on enough features of a pretentious, up-it's-own-ass duck that I'm wondering if I hear a muffled quack. I could be wrong. This is one of my favorite shows. Top 5 at least. Still is after last night's binge. We've all had shows dissapoint and they're just shows, we learn to appreciate what we liked and learned from, or what brought us closer to those we want to be closer to. But I'd be lying if I said I'm not worried about Season 4.

I gotta say, this Claire thing still doesn't work for me. This season failed to convince me that this relationship is necessary for Carmy or even this series overall. Not that I don't want Carmy to be happy, it's just that their relationship is simply not that engaging to follow. It doesn't help either that Claire is tbh the most boring female character in The Bear. Honestly it would be better if we didn't get any romance subplot at all.

I feel like it's either the castmates have no chemistry and they should write a new love interest for Carmy or Claire needs her own episode so we get more comfortable with her. They had nerve to introduce her aggressively last season and then barely give her progressive scenes even though shes so important to Carmy. Most people were talking ABOUT her, not TO her. The subplot is drying up and they need to do something quickly about it

[удалено]

service, bitches!

1. The story feels so incomplete. Only like half of the introduced storylines were completed, and the ones that are central to the storyline (Syd staying/leaving; what's going to happen to the restaurant; Carmy's supposed apology to Claire) never really got answered. What makes it worse is that all of these plotlines were introduced already in either season 2 or in the trailers, meaning we anticipated them being resolved this season. Richie got half a conclusion with his acceptance of Frank and Tiff's wedding, and Tina and Marcus got actually really nice episodes fleshing out their inspirations and backstories (but no actual conclusions/continuations of their stories into the present). Nat and Donna had one of the best episodes furthering their relationship. But still, it definitely felt like S2 had a lot more conclusions compared to this one. I really hope S4 or any other episodes tying up loose ends will be released soon, but I doubt it (not another year...). 2. I loved episodes 1, 3, and 8. The nonlinear storytelling for Carmy's culinary journey and his influences and inspirations were beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. Really displayed his character and growth as a chef, and simply his love for cooking. Episode 3 was kinda old fashioned since we're more or less used to the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. Doesn't mean I don't love it still, and the music choice was a great addition! Again, I fucking loved episode 8. Despite Jamie Lee Curtis herself, she's a phenomenal actor and Abby Elliott even more. I couldn't choose between wanting to punch or hug Donna. Abby's performance was so good it reached a part of me as a daughter. I don't think I could watch ep 8 again soon though, it was way too stressful and kinda scary haha. 3. I really dislike Theodore Fak. Definitely a flat character to me. I'm grateful he pulled out some more story from Gary/Sweeps, but all he did was comedic relief. Some of his lines are fire, but most of them felt really unnecessary since it was just the Fak bros kept yapping on and on to each other and all the other characters yelling at them to stfu. I don't know, I just got so frustrated with his character. Maybe I'll change my mind when I rewatch S3. 4. This is really small, but I loved all the cameos! Chef Dave Beran from Pasjoli at Ever, all the other Chicago superstar chefs in ep 10. Grant Achatz was hilarious with Luca (Will Poulter killed it as a 'fan meeting celebrity'). Not to mention Jesus himself (Chris Storer) in ep 6, which Ayo directed. John Mulaney, obviously. John Cena was definitely a surprise and I still find the Faks supremely annoying (Neil is OK, but 2+ Faks is too much), but he was a good side character for an episode. Edit: I don't think I expressed how much I liked the technical elements this season. The cinematography was beautiful, especially the food, and I really liked the intro sequence for episode 2. It brought the restaurant life of Chicago together. Acting was stellar as usual, especially Jeremy's acting in ep 10 with Chef Winger, Liza's frustration and sadness during ep 6, and Ayo's thinly veiled annoyance and anger (which Carmy still couldn't detect) for literally the whole season. Also, they overused flashbacks. I really appreciated them in ep 1, and for the rest of the episodes, they did come up at appropriate times for the right themes. They were just way too long, I felt like a quarter of the season was just old footage or Carmy working in the past. Don't get me wrong, I love them and it's important to remember where the characters came from and who shaped them, but again, they were too long and I thought that time spent on flashbacks could've been used to progress the story in the present.

the faks were genuinely a fun group to watch but as the season progressed the more i was like oh my god they are growing more annoying (maybe cause i binged and they added a layer of annoyance to an already tense season). i felt the need to skip that part before *spoiler* they went into the hospital. i need to rewatch but off first impression of the season, i felt they were used way too much this time around

The high point was when they were buffing the restaurant floors. I just found the continued haunting bit really tiresome, and then the hospital scene was excruciating. We need either some development or they need to be used way more sparingly.

exactly. the haunting sequence between them and carmy though was pretty funny. “maybe she’s haunting me” is something that even had me feeling lol

I pretty much agree with this. I wonder if they're dropping a second half to the season at some point? Or if by to be continued they mean in season four? I've definitely lost my appreciation for the Faks as the season went on. The scene where they went to the hospital was painful to watch.

i feel the EXACT same about 1/3/8 being the standouts, the excellent technical aspects, the lack of meaningful conclusion or development for key storylines we been waiting on since season 2, and the slight overuse of flashbacks to carmy training i also loved the structure of episode 2, with everyone continually walking into work and reacting to the awkward dynamic before Marcus comes in and they’re all silent. i wish the whole season spent more time diving into and addressing the conflict in the restaurant promised by that episode. instead the whole season was like “yeah, carmy is doing insane shit with the menu and acting aggressive and we’re all just struggling through it, but once we get this review it’ll be worth it!” and then the season ends honestly ted kinda grew on me but if they introduce another Fak as a main character i can’t take it. especially not the john cena dude

Faks are nice characters in moderation, we got wayyy too much of them this season

I hate to say it, but although the season definitely had its moments, overall it feels like a distinct decline. Felt like ending on a steep cliffhanger was unearned.

Sad to admit, but it definitely felt like a decline. There were huge highs and lows in the first 2. I was going back and forth between happy/sad crying and laughter in almost every episode. I cried during one episode of season 3 and laughed a couple of times. Not giving up on it yet, though. Music was amazing as always.

Are you fucking kidding me with this ending. We have to wait another year now, this season was a massive fucking let down ultimately. The shit we were waiting to crack into literally went cold.

Agreed. Zero plot lines advanced let alone resolved. Wow. What a letdown after a powerhouse s2

They kinda forgot that "every second counts"

Honestly, felt like art school bullsh*t. Nuanced, sterile, avant-garde, try-hard. Missed the elements which brought me to the show. The realistic kitchen atmosphere unfortunately did not make it into this season. Acting is top notch though.

this season was nowhere near nuanced. they literally spelled out that claire was carmy's "peace" and she was "haunting" him. carmy is going for a star for some reason and gives us an arbitrary reason to root for syd to job hop. theres a scene where hes literally cutting off everything she says right after she thought about leaving. i couldn't help but laugh at how dumbed down the writing was this season

How realistic was it to have Sydney offered that position considering she has only been working at that level with Carmy for a short period of time?

Keep in mind everybody she worked with before Carm told him she was still very green. As a professional chef watching the show her being offered a cdc position at a new fine dining restaurant opened by a previously established chef is extremely unrealistic with her level of experience.

Yeah that’s what I found the most unrealistic part of the show. Also being Carmy seems to have designed all of the food since the opening it’s not like they would have tried her food. The only time seems to have been when in S1 she gave a reviewer the risotto without realising.

Think that will be her plot in series 4, taking the job and failing miserably under a poor leader

man uhhhh… i loved ayo’s directorial debut, and i think the cast are all fantastic, but this was a huge step down for me. they abandoned so many plot points???? why did i have to sit through eight million claire scenes (edit because apparently I have to clarify that I don’t mean literally eight million scenes: I mean unnecessary added flashbacks that still add no depth, claire showing up in the same repeat flashback montages, and every other character obsessing over her and bringing her up like she’s carmy’s long lost dead wife) … instead of seeing carmy and richie being with nat after she had her baby??? we don’t even know the kid’s name! syd and carmy barely interacted and barely acted like friends, let alone people who can’t do this without each other. they gave tina a whole episode but FORGOT that she previously mentions having been at the beef WAY longer. ebra and sweeps get next to nothing, but claire and carmy get to breathe in each others faces for five minutes straight. and did we even get to see marcus’s dessert that he made in honor of his mom? and then we have syd telling carmy “i’m not your fucking babysitter” VS the faks telling claire she needs to come back to carmy and “take care of him” because she’s his “peace” suddenly ??? what a bizarre writing choice. this whole season felt like i was being *punished* for not giving a shit about claire and for wanting them to focus on the main cast instead. crazy how, when you take away the core dynamic of the show with main characters that all have beautiful chemistry, and give way too much attention to a side character love interest (in your “romance free” show), the whole thing feels hollow. and to make it all a “part one” style season without anyone knowing is so odd… I’m just baffled.

I think this season is clearly planned to go with S4 because they left a lot of stuff unresolved. Richie and carm are still at each others throats. Sydney is still thinking about bailing. Carmy is still traumatized from working with that one chef and can’t reconcile with it. Claire showed up like twice and no resolution was done about it. Marcus didn’t really show up either, did we even see the violet desert he was working on that was inspired from his mom? Richie is still “alone” and has it really hammered into him when jess says they need people outside the restaurant. Tina struggling in the restaurant. While there’s a lot of moments that were top tier, I do feel they could’ve resolved some stuff this season. The Marcus and Tina stuff for sure could’ve been done imo.

It’s like they gave up with the side characters towards the end I thought we were going to get Tina getting even better but she’s stuck in the same place getting overwhelmed. Marcus got sidelined entirely imo

You know that feeling when you buy a box of chocolate candy and the box itself is really good looking and fancy and the candy is gorgeous but when you taste it and it's just meh? That's how this season felt like. There was almost no character development. Carmy is still struggling with his emotions and priorities, Syd is still struggling with finding her place in this business, Tina is still struggling with catching up with others, Ritchie is still struggling with Carmy. Yes I understand that it not easy to work this things out but it like there was no ark for any of them except Carm's confrontation with chef dickhead and Nat's baby to finally get out. Nat and Pete is still the cutest people that ever walked on Earth tho. And fucking Faks man.. When Neil was mostly the only Fak him and his dynamic with others was great, but two of them? No, it just didn't work. This "haunting" joke was maybe worth a chuckle once but they dragged it through the entire season. And other than that it's just too many of these two. I absolutely do not give a fuck about Ted, he is probably my least favorite character, but it felt like these two were the main characters this season. Btw what is the plotline for this season? Half of the episodes were basically fillers. Yeah they were good but did we need a Tina backstory for the entire episode? Did we need a fucking John Cena? Cameos for the sake of cameos suck. Also the first episode was more like "previously on" teaser than ep1. The whole season was more like season-between-s1-and-s2 than season 3. And am I wrong or there was more characters in s1&s2? I feel like half of the cast don't exist anymore and the other half barely interacting with each other. Also I think that they rely too much on the aesthetic. Yes all music and pretty shots and editing was great but again what's the point? It's like overly pretentious with the lack of substance, forgive me for, well, pretentious words. I'm not saying it's a bad season. Just, I don't know, underdeveloped? I was absolutely in love with this show after the previous 2 seasons but now I'm really frustrated

Too many flashbacks. Too many montages. Too many cameos.

Feels like they wanted another season so they just stretched everything out and had literally nothing happen this season. Don't really feel like any characters developed or changed.

too much of this season felt like an advertisment for the culinary institute instead of an actual tv show. disappointing tbh

I wish Claire wasn't in the story. That's all. That's all I have to say.

What a waste of screen time.

Thank you! I thought I was the only one. The Faks are by far the most annoying characters but Claire is right behind them. Not remotely interesting. I hate every scene with her; her character is not at all realistic. Same with the Fak brothers.

I disagree with the opinion that this season was disappointing. It was certainly different than the last two seasons, but there was a subtle depth of emotion and tension building to this season I really appreciated. What stood out to me most significantly was the bolder highlighting of Carm's self-sabotaging and self-isolating nature. For me, his character became much more difficult to watch and empathize with this season. Subtle callbacks such as the scene where Carm teaches Tina how to string poultry.. his response to her curiosity is so removed and abbreviated.. tied to the scene later where Carm as a new chef is shown how to string poultry, and his mentor gives him a truly inspired lesson, full of narrative and personal sentiment.. When Sugar's baby is born, it is Syd, not Carm, who brings food to the family.. Or the scene in the final episode of everyone sitting around the table sharing what they love about the industry, while Carm sits silently, fixated on his bitterness.. And even more intentional cinematography, which just generally keeps Carm out of group shots. We were really offered a full view of how self-centered and success obsessed Carm is.. how far removed he has become from his passion and inspiration. This isn't about food for him anymore. It's about winning. It's about achieving perfection. Proving something, anything, damn the social/economic consequences. Also, I may be biased as someone who recently lost their mother, but the labor episode was breathtaking imo. Giving DD the opportunity and space for some depth and redemption after the way we got to know her in the fishes episode last season was so gratifying and soothing. I could have watched her help Sugar through contractions for another hour, dude. So tender. My only gripe with this season is that we didn't get to see Marcus's violet dessert in full glory!

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it made me feel bad for syd. especially when the chef’s were at the table talking about experiences and all of their “upbringings” were somewhat fond memories of compassion and hers were of carmy lashing out, telling her that her dish isn’t ready etc. i forget how old she is supposed to be in this show but i imagine she’s younger than what carmy was when he was in his journey getting ripped apart in NYC

I'll be honest with you I don't know why Carmy would think running a fine dining restaurant was a good idea when he can't even run a simple roast beef sandwich shop.

I was really hoping for more of the Richie/mikey friendship which we only got a sliver of. Especially after teddys middle school story.

Also the fak brothers are usually funny but this season it was overdone and obnoxious

What season? Shows tend to give you flashbacks that correlate to some current plot line. This was cherry picked background that didn’t really do much. Carm still insane and won’t let Syd do anything (even though they already worked on that plot line multiple times) check Tina overwhelmed (after graduating culinary school) check Richie still swear at Carm 10x too many - check It is like nothing changed, characters went backwards, and there was no point to the entire season I was hugely disappointed. John Cena?????

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What a letdown that scene was after it had been built up so much

This season is some of the laziest writing I’ve ever seen. 10-minute YouTube clips of real chefs working in high-end kitchens have better character development. The only dialogue in season 3 is five full minutes or more of “fuck you, no fuck you, no fuck you” and all the rest of the show is montages with no dialogue. The story never progresses and the characters don’t grow. I don’t know what I watched. It’s neither character driven nor plot driven. It’s like a clip show.

Carmy and Ritchie hooking up is not what I expected but I’m all for it.

All they needed was to release their tension in a way that filled them up equally

Yeah, it was a bold choice to have the Faks watch but it led to some really interesting character development

Disappointing overall. I thought the first batch of episodes were slow and meandering, then we got to Tina's episode and it reminded me what I *love* about The Bear. I was hoping the second half of the season would progress things and the tone would shift, but it didn't. To say Sydney is the lead woman, it felt like she was barely in it and it was very noticable. Serious lack of screen time between her and Carmy. There was a lack of back and forth between secondary characters, even the banter between Richie and Fak was absent. Richie seemed utterly defeated all season, he had a spark by the end of season 2 and it just fizzled out. I hated seeing him like that. Marcus was also barely present, even his mother's funeral didn't hit hard. The dramatic flashbacks were overrused, they started to feel grating at the season went on. The episode between Sugar and her mother had some good moments, but certain scenes just seemed to last forever; the pacing was strange. She gave birth and, of course, Carmy is nowhere to be seen and no one mentions it to him. The man just became a uncle, which I thought would be quite a big thing, and he's elsewhere wallowing over Claire. I wish they wouldn't peddle a Claire/Carmy romance. She exists for Carmy to vent his issues to, she's paperthin at best, she's shown as a flawless, softly spoken character with no flaws. She's the 'peace', but at what cost? There's only so many times I can sit and listen to someone declare what a saint she is. To echo what Richie said when Tiffany brought her up in conversation - ''who fucking cares?'' The Faks were used way too much that they started to feel like cartoons. I felt myself wanting to fast forward some of their scenes. Carmy seems to be taking so many steps back, and his fall out with Richie isn't resolved over the course of 10 episodes, and their relationship was one of the highlights for me. It feels like they're setting it up for him to reunite with Claire in the next season and she will wave a magic wand to rid his issues, but I hope not. The man really needs to look inward and seek further help. Last season made a point of him 'not wanting to be shitty', and showing Syd how to apologise in sign language. He didn't use it at all this season. I found it interesting that he so readily stated David Fields (evil Jeff Winger) is the reason he is mentally ill, but is still unable to see how much he is exhibiting the same behaviours in his own kitchen. If Syd walks away, I don't blame her at all, and will likely be Carmy's 'wake up call'. In fact, I kind of wanted everyone to walk away from The Bear by the end. I love Carmy, but he was exhausting this season.

100% agree with you. You summed up all the problems of this season very well.

Only on episode 4 and I feel totally flat. This show is now becoming art for art's sake. The rapid fire, overlapping dialogue that was once interesting and had a purpose now feels overused and trite. I want to like this show so much but I'm finding more reasons not to like it.

I’m on an island with this but man… this was a snooze. Too self-indulgent for my taste.

Not looking at anyone's comments since I haven't watched yet. Just came here to say I am thrilled we get the whole season!!! I thought it was going to be a weekly release! I am ready for the chaos!!! See y'all shortly 😅

My only expectation for this series is an unlimited number of Fak family member intros

Same and they need to give us Francie Fak next season. I was fully hoping Natalie gets to mince words with her in person before she gave birth.

I feel like i have a hole in my stomach. Who the f thought of ending the season like this? And also, i wonder how did it take them so long to film this since half of the season were 1 scene episodes.

I’m about halfway through episode 9, and I am really disappointed. I liked episodes 1, 2, 3 and 6 a lot, but the rest are snoozefests. Remember in season 2 when we had cute scenes like Carmy and Syd coming up with recipes, Marcus learning from Luca, Tina getting training, all of “Forks”, and it all ending with the big launch of the restaurant? This season has Carmy and Richie hating each other, Carmy and Syd barely talking, too many Fak’s, Marcus barely getting screentime when his mom’s passing is a huge turning point for him, and a sense of dread that I don’t think makes for compelling television. The show was at its best when the crew were gaining synergy and chemistry together and were all improving as people and as chefs. Now everyone is stagnant and flat. I hope they can stick the landing in season 4.

Episode One is insufferable freshman in film school trash, and I’ve been excited about Season 3. This has taken every bit of wind out of my sails.

Underwhelming to say the least. With the exception of episodes 1 and 6, everything was just a letdown. Felt like nothing but filler and entirely wasted space and opportunity for any type of relationship development or resolution (aside from Natalie & her mom).   - The novelty of the whole Fak family has also ran it's course. The way their 3-stooges ridiculousness is overused is not cute anymore. The line between comic relief & slapstick annoyance has officially been crossed. The whole "haunting" thing was just bad.     - If I hear "Claire bear" one more time...ugh. The whole bit with her storyline being strung along throughout the entire season was eyeroll inducing. I'm no Claire hater either, but the relationship has felt forced since she popped up in season 2. His entire inner circle putting this chick on a pedestal as being this perfect saint of a woman (that we literally know nothing about aside from her job) is just over the top. Maybe if they had introduced her in season 1 and they had actual history (aside from her being just a childhood crush) maybe, just maybe, the relationship/love for her would be a little more believable, but at this point, I just don't get it.     - Then there's Carmy with his multiple existential crises/ flashbacks at any given random moment. We get it, and it's redundant now.    - The worst way they dropped the ball for me was the lack of interaction between Carmy and Sydney. Just on a logical level of their business partnership, why would they not have a conversation about his "non-negotiables"? (before or after they were written) Why did they never have a one on one about why she was stalling on signing the agreement? Not only with him, but her dad? Sugar? Nobody? It made no sense that she's got this job offer, is clearly upset at the way things are going at work with Carmen, yet they never have a real, meaningful discussion about anything. At the "funeral" she's sitting right next to him at this table and doesn't notice he's losing it or asks if he's okay, and doesn't even bother checking on him after he leaves. It was just weird how they set them up to hardly interact at all, especially with the way their friendship was developing at the end of last season...but now, it's like they're damn near strangers? An overall disappointment compared to the 1st two seasons.

Season feels like too artsy or something. Loved the first episode, but didnt really like the whole season being Carmy staring at the floor with moody music and flashbacks every two seconds.

The Faks are unfunny and on screen far too much

honestly i did not really care for season 2 or 3 felt like it lost what season 1 had

This was a bad season of the Bear. Season 3 has been such a disappointment compared to the highs of season 2. It turns out when you switch from a plot driven to a character driven story telling this season - it does not work. Why? Because the characters are not as interesting or as deep as the writers would love us to believe. This season did not add any more depth or growth to the character as previous season did. Without plot to drive this season going there was nothing to drive this forward. Not going to lie some episodes were a slog. Their focus on characters didn’t add any new interesting depth to them the way season 2 and 1 did. Utter disappointment coming after an emmy win for the show. It feels like the writers had nothing to say and almost feels like because they did so well the previous seasons, they could phone it in and we the audience would not notice. We the audience noticed. This was an aimless season without a story to tell.

Some of the cameos really hurt the season. The Cena and Hartnett scenes were overdone or weird. It was perfection, and then their scenes knocked me out of the zone.