The Bear (Season 3)

⭐ 7/10

A huge step down for me this season.  I heard that this show was supposed to be 3 seasons originally but they got a deal for 4 from FX, and that kind of explains everything you need to know.  For a show that is so propulsive we went basically nowhere, and I am convinced that this season could be told in 3 episodes instead.  One episode is an artistic flashback to recap what has happened so far.  There is a long montage in episode 2 honouring the food industry workers of Chicago.  There is an entire episode that takes place with 2 people in a hospital room.  Felt like instead of flexing on past success they got gluttonous and showed us their massive belly instead.

There was enough to like here that I can't say this was terrible, but the bar was so high after last season.  I am convinced that season 4 will be great and season 3 will feel like a prologue to that, but that's kind of the problem.  They lean so heavily on flashbacks, mainly for Carmy and his girlfriend, but I thought their relationship was one of the worst parts of season 2.  That being said, there is a good flashback episode that originally annoyed me but might actually be the highlight of the season.

It felt like we backpedaled for each of the characters, where emotional progress was made last season and now they are stuck dealing with the same struggles. They try so hard to be funny with a specific pairing of characters and it is so incredibly not funny, saying the same joke over and over.  I have a feeling Matty Matheson felt more empowered as a producer and tried to make himself more important.  There is a cameo involved with this that is so forced and ruins an otherwise decent episode.

Have I said anything good yet?  Richie has somehow transformed into my favourite character, and he gets some emotional conversations that I found subtle and moving. Episode 3 is classic high-intensity bear, and it was nice to see that can still do that whenever they want.  That episode also covered the most time, so no shocker I liked it the most.

I thought the finale was a travesty, basically casting a bunch of real-life big-time chefs and having them be poetic about what cooking means to them.  It was so forced and unrealistic.  The setup for the finale is actually pretty good, and it fell completely flat (minus one scene, where Carmy finally does something good).

This show has not been getting great reviews this season, which is sad to see, but I still have hopes it can right the ship.  Making a season of TV in under a year is impressive in itself, but it feels like this season had nothing new to say.  It ends unresolved, so lots still to come. I still think this is an excellent show overall, and I want to give it a bit of grace considering how it became a hit despite being a small show working in pretty traditional ways. I am connected to these characters and am just frustrated that the writing didn't serve them this season. I believe you can be great without being a jerk and still not compromise your values Carmy.  I believe you can find happiness and purpose Richie. I believe you can find autonomy, inspiration, and camaraderie Sydney.  Stop circling the drain and make it happen!