TV Review – The Bear Season Three

The Bear Season Three (2024)
Written by Christopher Storer, Matty Matheson, Courtney Storer, Will Guidara, Catherine Schetina, Joanna Calo, and Alex Russell
Directed by Christopher Storer, Duccio Fabbri, Ayo Edebiri, and Joanna Calo

Fairweather fans always seem to balk at season three. I remember when Mad Men Season Three premiered, and slowly but surely, people who had loved it for the first two years decided that elements of the show they had enjoyed were suddenly not good any longer. I found it to be one the best seasons in the run, finally allowing its characters to face the unwelcome truths in their lives. Lost Season Three is still maligned by so many when it has probably the best season finale of the entire show’s run. The best television moves at its own pace. You are either in rhythm with it, or you are not. In an era where plot and IP-driven television seem to dominate the landscape, it is refreshing to have something that chooses character over plot.

Season Three opens with some bold choices. We get an episode that unfolds non-linearly, picking up after Carmen (Jeremy Allen White) is freed from the walk-in after getting locked inside during opening night at The Bear. Carm reflects on his career and the chefs who had a profound influence on the way he cooks. By the end of this long, dark, early morning of the soul, our protagonist has shaped a vision for himself & the restaurant going forward. The menu is going to change daily. That’s one of a list of non-negotiables he presents to the staff when they come in. Carm’s goal is to get a Michelin star, and his hopes of a relationship with Claire are gone.

One of my favorite things about watching The Bear is that each episode feels like a surprising dish brought to our table. I’m familiar with the ingredients – stellar acting, sharp editing, beautiful cinematography – but how these things are arranged on the plate makes all the difference in the world. It moves at a pace that feels far more like real life than so many other dramas out there, a refusal to insert unnecessary melodrama to the point that some might call it aimless. That wandering nature is what makes me love it.

There have been so many accusations that season three lacked character development, and I have to ask myself if we were all watching the same show. Many critics and viewers use “character development” as a synonym for plot. It makes sense; with a lot of popular entertainment, we see melodramatic nonsense as a substitution for character. The people on screen react with such intense emotion that we must be seeing them “develop.” Nah, that’s just reacting. I look at a character like Tina and this season’s “Napkins.” It’s a beautiful flashback episode that tells a story so many people in the US can relate to right now – being of a certain age and struggling to find work. It’s gorgeously shot, and the performances are given room to breathe. It is a joy to watch these actors working with each other. 

That’s what appeals to me the most about The Bear, the performances. I don’t need cliffhangers or shocking developments. Two people sitting and talking, being in the moment, being authentic, that’s what I love about theater/film/television. Seeing Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri blossom as actors on this show has been such an honor. This season, they are tasked with much more emotional weight to carry, letting the tension build, reflecting the genuine way anxiety can deceptively coexist with seeming serenity. We hold back the full bore of our emotions when the family we create around us needs a solid foundation. But, as the season finale asks, what is the cost of holding back over time?

Carmen’s confrontation with his former mentor/abuser, David (Joel McHale), is done with absolute perfection. Series creator/director/writer Christopher Storer lets the tension build for the first half of the episode, like a napkin being twisted just under the table. I know I can relate to Carm’s resentments that just boil up inside him, though I think it’s rare that they have ever come out of me with the intensity that Carm unleashes them. His argument with David was such a beautiful piece of writing, the sort of character development that so many seem too dense to understand.

The cost of being the “guy at the top” is that you don’t get to have good mental health. You become a cold person; you lose your family, and your life becomes nothing but work. It’s a vital lesson for Carmen, pushing him to the moment of catharsis he’s been seeking for years. But that doesn’t mean all his mental health issues are resolved. That’s not how real life works. We have moments of emotional plateau, but you are scaling another mountain sooner or later. Having Carmen realize he can have a Michelin star or meaningful relationships with the people around him is an essential moment of character development. The “have it all” myth is toxic and disguises the fact that it puts your work before your life. What inevitably goes first in the “have it all” person’s life is that eventually, you have to sacrifice something, and it is typically the relationships that bring us meaning. 

I love The Bear for being the anti-sitcom. Should it be categorized under comedy for awards shows? No. But do I care that much about awards shows? Nope. From the first season and its refusal to let there be ongoing animosity between characters for gags (a la Cheers), I knew we had something special. I don’t think anything about The Bear has changed for the worse. I think something is wrong with the critics and the audience. The United States is a world where contemplation & meandering are somehow triggers for so many. It makes sense when you refuse to reflect on what is happening around you and just keep plowing through. The Bear refuses to plow through. It moves at its own rhythm. You can meet that rhythm, or you can not.