The Bear season 3 review: Frenetic drama feels stuck in a loop of its own creation
Get Free Breaking News Alerts Delivered To Your Inbox. Sign Up Now!
Get Free Breaking News Emails Now
I want to receive emails about promotions, happenings, and news from The Independent. Check out our privacy policy.
It's often advised not to go grocery shopping when you're hungry, as you'll likely end up purchasing pricey items like Calabrian anchovies, Manchego-stuffed olives, and crates of quails' eggs. The same goes for watching Disney+'s The Bear, which is back for its third season. Be sure to have a snack on hand while watching, or you might find yourself trying to flambe cherries and accidentally setting your house on fire.
We come back to The Bear, which is now revitalized as a high-quality restaurant, and see that it is open for business. Carmy and Sydney are trying to maintain their professional relationship while dealing with challenges, while Richie is adjusting to his new job despite having issues at home. The family, including pregnant Sugar and Uncle Jimmy, are still backing the restaurant, but Carmy is feeling the pressure of running the kitchen. Having left high-pressure kitchens in the past, can Carmy handle the stress this time around?
When The Bear first came out, it was called a "comedy-drama". The creator, Christopher Storer, had worked with comedians like Bo Burnham and Hasan Minhaj, and had also produced Ramy Youssef's show Ramy. The Bear has always had funny parts, with Richie played by Moss-Bachrach and Fak played by Matty Matheson adding humor. However, as the show gained more recognition, it also became more ambitious. The first episode of the third season is just an ASMR video of people making ravioli and garnishing flowers on foam, setting the tone for what's to come. It's very experimental, like a confusing dish on a fancy tasting menu, and it risks becoming boring.
The blog discusses a change in style that reflects the transformation of The Bear restaurant, which Carmy and Sydney are making into a popular spot in Chicago. A customer expresses a desire for simpler food, creating a tension for The Bear's staff. They are torn between offering a fancy nine-course menu and sticking to the classic hot sandwiches that the family business is known for. This dilemma is also faced by Storer, who must decide whether to delve into deeper analysis of troubled minds or continue to capture the fast-paced, almost comical chaos of a busy kitchen.
There is no denying that The Bear is extremely passionate about food. It is seen as an art form, but also as a calling. Sometimes, the approach is very calculated, with Carmy explaining how he is constantly changing the menu. However, food is often used as a metaphor for the meaning of life. Famous Chef Terry emphasizes that people remember the experiences and connections they have over the food itself. This is evident at a wake for a celebrated restaurant, which mirrors a previous funeral in the series. The restaurant is depicted as a complex entity, made up of individual egos and a sense of community, all centered around different types of food like scallops, asparagus, dill, pasta, fennel, and beef.
Despite continuing to showcase impressive visuals and the frenetic energy of the kitchen, the latest season of The Bear falls short in some aspects. The stakes seem less urgent now that the restaurant is up and running smoothly, and Richie has found purpose in the front of house. If the first season focused on reconnecting with one's roots and the second season delved into transforming those roots into something refined, what is the driving force behind this third season? The cast, particularly Moss-Bachrach and Edebiri, deliver outstanding performances, but the show is starting to feel like it's treading familiar ground. A critic from the Chicago Telegraph notes that "The Beef evolves with the city," highlighting the new restaurant's adaptation to its surroundings. However, The Bear seems to be trapped in a cycle of its own making.
Being too successful can sometimes be a problem. In "The Bear," the third part of the show may not be as good as other episodes, but it still has great food. Will people get tired of the focus on fancy plating? "MasterChef" with people from Illinois arguing loudly is unique, but it needs to show that it's more than just a passing trend.
