‘The Bear’ season 3 review: Carmy’s crew returns with a messy, indulgent dish that thrills in bits

A still from ‘The Bear’

If nothing else, the first episode of The Bear’s third season is a testament to just how astonishingly confident of his creation showrunner Chris Storer is. The mostly dialogue-less half hour — punctuated only with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ moody, atmospheric score ‘Together’ playing in the background — offers fleeting flashes into Carmy’s (Jeremy Allen White) past and present, a visceral look at what makes him the perfectionist that he is. 

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From his stints at Daniel Boulud’s Daniel and Noma in Copenhagen and developing his skills working with chefs like Luca (Will Poulter) and Terry (Olivia Colman), to his mentorship under the brutal David (Joel McHale) that led to his hyperventilating breakdown inside the walk-in freezer, along with glimpses of his time with ex-girlfriend Claire (Molly Gordon), it’s an audacious choice for a season-opener, much like the food Carmy aims to serve and earn a Michelin star with at The Bear.

But there’s barely time to soak it in; by the end of the second episode, we are fully submerged in the familiar confrontational chaos of the Berzattos again. Carmy’s fractured relationships with Cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) are still recovering from the aftershocks of friends and family night, he still can’t muster up the nerve to apologise and reconcile with Claire, pregnant manager Natalie (Abby Elliott) needs to find new staff, and everyone’s yelling at each other in the kitchen again. To make matters worse, a make-or-break review for the restaurant is due any day now.

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Most of all, despite the stakes being a little lower this time around, Carmy still hasn’t figured out how to deal with the pressure (most of it self-inflicted) and is harder on himself than anyone else. His list of “non-negotiables” (a set of rules to run The Bear) has him obsessively fixated on fine-tuning the menu, spending money brazenly, and constantly being one tiny misstep away from yet another neurotic breakdown.

All these various sub-plots mean that the show tries to pack in a little too much — as opposed to the singular focus of previous seasons — with one of the major casualties being Sydney. Edebiri is outstanding as always, but she doesn’t get the time she deserves to explore Syd’s deteriorating professional relationship and friendship with Carmy, much less the romance that fans were clamouring for. The same goes for pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce) who is grieving the death of his mother, and other members of the excellent supporting cast in the kitchen.

A still from ‘The Bear’

Claire and Carmy’s relationship — so genuinely immersive last time around — also gets a bit too muddled as the will-they-won’t-they wears thin over the course of 10 episodes, while the lighter moments involving the Fak family go on for way too long and distract us from the more pressing issues waiting to be resolved. The finale winds down with a string of celebrity cameos that feel a bit too indulgent and the restaurant’s future hanging in the balance, but the many unresolved plot points (seasons three and four were filmed back-to-back) give us the sense that we have only watched half the picture, and the anticipation frustrates more than it excites.

But then, there are two magnificent reminders — in the form of two episodes — as to why The Bear can be peak television royalty when it plays its cards right. The first is Napkins (directed by Edebiri) propelled by a showstopper of a performance from Liza Colón-Zayas, which shows us Tina’s backstory and how she ended up with the Berzatto family at The Beef. Next is Ice Chips, where Natalie/ Sugar goes into labour and has to turn to none other… her mother Donna (hail the gods, Jamie Lee Curtis is back!) for help in a total humdinger of an episode that sucker-punches us with the same kind of anxiety attack that season two’s Fishes did.

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It’s not quite Richie’s epic rendition of Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’ in Forks, but season three still packs enough of a punch to keep us invested — and even enthralled in bits.

So, onto season four for one more nerve-racking run around the kitchen counters. Until then… chefs, let it rip.

The third season of The Bear is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar