4 Things I Loved And Hated About Season 3 Of The Bear
Hulu recently launched the highly anticipated third season of their hit comedy-drama series, The Bear. With its intense storylines, complex characters, and striking depiction of the culinary world, The Bear has garnered a passionate fanbase. However, the release of season 3 has sparked controversy among fans, myself included. Here are four things I loved and hated about the new season.
The hit FX series, The Bear, follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a young chef from the fine dining world who returns to his hometown in Chicago after his brother’s (Jon Bernthal) suicide.
He takes over his family’s Italian beef restaurant and must learn to navigate the restaurant ownership business while confronting his past, trauma, and grief.
He utilizes the help of kitchen staff like his childhood friend Richie (Ebron Moss-Bachrach), talented up-and-coming chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), amateur baker Marcus (Lionel Boyce), and fiercely independent sous chef Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) to transform the restaurant into a Michelin-starred business.
The highly anticipated season 3 of The Bear premiered on HULU on June 26th, 2024. The third season follows Carmy, Sydney, and Richie as they work to establish their newly renovated restaurant as a fine dining establishment.
However, the release of the new season has sparked some controversy. Some were disappointed in how character storylines were written, while others enjoyed it.
I decided to form an opinion on season 3 for myself. After binging all 10 episodes, here are 4 things I loved and hated about the new season.
1. Loved: Tina’s Solo Episode
Season 3 features a Tina-focused episode titled ‘Napkins’. In it, we are given the origin of how Tina came to work at The Bear. After losing her job, Tina struggles to find work. Most of the jobs she approaches are looking for someone younger, or with a higher level of education. Eventually, she encounters Michael, Carmy’s older brother, who, after an emotional and vulnerable conversation, offers her a job.
I loved this episode firstly because Liza Colón-Zayas is such an amazingly talented actress who creates magic every time she opens her mouth. To see her bring Tina’s vulnerability and passion to the screen for 40 minutes as she navigated being a 40-something, unemployed, woman of color who wants to feel useful was like watching a masterclass.
Tina is one of those characters that as soon as she appears, you want to know more about. I think Ayo Edebiri (Sydney) who directed the episode did a wonderful job properly introducing us to who Tina is, and what motivates her.
1. Hated: Carmy & Claire’s Relationship Issues
At the end of season two, Carmy gets stuck in the kitchen freezer of The Bear and has a mental breakdown. He expresses to Tina, who he thinks is on the other side of the door, that everything is a waste of time because he doesn’t deserve happiness. Claire, the one who overheard all of this, is heartbroken, and the two break up.
Most of season three is spent with Carmy feeling guilty over what he said, while others around him admonish him for the way he treated Claire.
Frankly, the writers spent way too much time on this storyline. They drove it into the ground.
Carmy struggles with depression and anxiety and seems to have self-destructive qualities so it is not surprising to me that he said the things that he did. Therefore, it is problematic that instead of the writers acknowledging this, they turned it into a “bash Carmy” party.
And no offense to the actors, but it’s not like Claire and Carmy had that much chemistry originally. Their no longer being together is not going to break my heart.
2. Loved: Sugar’s Reconnection With Her Mom
A recurring theme in The Bear is generational trauma. Carmy, Michael, and Sugar’s mom, Donna, is an example of this.
In season two we learned that Donna struggles with alcohol addiction and often has erratic and volatile episodes. As a result, all three of her children (Carmy, Michael, and Sugar) have a strained relationship with her.
In season 3, Sugar and her mother were not initially on speaking terms. However, when Sugar went into labor, the only one available was her mother, forcing the two to reconnect.
This unexpected reunion allowed them to work through some of their issues. Donna admitted that the choices she made as a parent were because of the way she was raised, and supported Sugar as she voiced her fears about following in her footsteps.
In my opinion, these scenes were realistic in the sense that healing and moving forward aren’t always well-structured. Sometimes it’s unexpected, chaotic, and messy. Regardless, it’s a step forward.
I think the conversation between the two was necessary for mending their relationship, allowing Sugar to move past her fears of being a bad parent and break some generational curses.
2. Hated: The Faks
I am not interested in ANY of the Fak Brothers.
One more pops up every season, and I am exhausted. They had a huge jump in screen time this season and at least half of the scenes were unnecessary and could have been used to flesh out other character’s storylines.
No more Faks, please.
3. Loved: Chef Luca
Two words: Will Poulter. What a man. The hair, the tattoos, the face. I could go on.
But aside from his stunning face card, Poulter brings a refreshing change to The Bear portraying Chef Luca. His character is an ongoing link to Carmy’s past, who doesn’t happen to be a verbally abusive jerk. *cough cough* Joel McHale, I’m looking at you *cough cough*.
I also loved his dynamic with Marcus in season two. The two had great chemistry as they worked together in Copenhagen, honing Marcus’ baking skills.
I hope we see more of Chef Luca and his backstory next season.
3. Hated: Carmy’s Lack Of Support For Sydney
At the start of season three, Carmy apologizes to Sydney for leaving her to handle things alone. Sydney is receptive to his apology, asking only that he not let it happen again.
I initially believed Carmy’s apology to Sydney was a necessary step forward in their relationship.
Until Carmy ignored his promises and commitments to Syd and returned to focusing on his issues.
Carmy is checked out mentally and emotionally for the entire season, leaving Sydney to, yet again, deal with things alone. He has demonstrated such disregard for her emotions and concerns, that I am not at all surprised Sydney considers leaving The Bear towards the end of the season.
Why stay somewhere you aren’t appreciated or considered?
Carmy needs significant character development next season to show us that he is learning and growing rather than going in circles.
4. Loved: Richie & Jessica
Did anyone else notice a connection between Richie and Jessica?
After meeting in Season Two when Richie started working at the restaurant Ever, they seemed to have romantic tension between them.
I think the actors’ natural chemistry is what makes their scenes together so engaging, even without any obvious romantic writing. It makes me want to see more of them together.
Hopefully, they will share some scenes in season 4.
4. Hated: Sydney’s Panic Attack
In the last episode of the season, after being overwhelmed juggling The Bear and everyone else’s issues, Sydney has a panic attack.
The reason I hate this scene isn’t because it wasn’t well executed. Ayo Edebiri did a fantastic job portraying the emotional turmoil and destructive nature of a panic attack.
The issue I have with this scene is that it feels avoidable. Throughout the season, Carmy, perhaps unknowingly, had been transferring all of his anxieties and stress to Sydney. Furthermore, he didn’t offer her any support but left her to face things alone.
It is no surprise that it became too much for her and led to a panic attack.
I think at this point, it would be healthier for Sydney to leave The Bear and focus on herself. The restaurant has become a toxic environment, which is unfortunate considering all of the work she put into it.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Season 3 of The Bear offered some inspiring developments, such as Sugar’s reconnection with her mom and Tina’s backstory. However, there is still a lot to work on regarding Carmy’s personal development and his relationship with Sydney.
As the show moves into its fourth season, I hope it can establish its characters in a way that demonstrates personal growth and the efforts of a stable, consistent writing team.
