Season 3 of Hulu’s extraordinarily popular kitchen series is back for another serving. Here’s our spoiler-free review of The Bear season 3.
There’s something endlessly captivating about the scrappiness of The Bear, Hulu’s kitchen drama starring Jeremy Allen White. The first season captured the stress of a working kitchen perfectly, reducing this writer into a sweaty, teary mess. The second season expanded on Carmy’s goal of turning The Beef into a high-end restaurant.
Much of the third season is defined by the words “What now?”. Narratively speaking, Carmy has done what he set out to achieve, so where can the series go from here?
A lesser series would crumble under the pressure, but director and creator Christopher Storer uses it to his advantage. Now that the titular restaurant is open, things should be hunky dory for Carmy, Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and the rest of the kitchen staff. But Carmy is still unsatisfied, writing a list of “non-negotiables”, which includes changing the menu every day. Carmy is now dead set on getting a Michelin star as soon as possible, another seemingly impossible goal.
The season begins with a dream-like episode in which the past, present and future seem to morph into one big, hypnotising puddle of Carmy’s consciousness. The episode feature only minimal dialogue, favouring stillness and silence. In the world of The Bear, that’s an anomaly. It’s an ambitious way to start the entire season, but things soon return to the normal chaos we have come to expect.
Carmy and Sydney’s dynamic is still the show’s beating heart. Now that Sydney has gained more confidence and runs the pass smoothly, her and Carmy tend to push and pull one another. Edebiri and White are still magnetic presences, and The Bear season 3 really feels like Edebiri’s moment to shine.
Edebiri has also hopped behind the camera for one of the episodes. Episode six, titled ‘Napkins’, clues us in on how Tina came to join The Beef. It’s a warm, empathetic episode which feels like a welcome disruption to the otherwise busy season. Does it add much to anything? Not really, but we’ve grown so invested in these characters that seeing them find their home, their place in the kitchen, feels truly special.
If anyone is particularly short-changed this season, it’s Richie. Ebon Moss-Bachrach has been the MVP of the series since season 1 and season 2’s most powerful narrative belonged to Richie as he found his purpose. Richie takes a step back this season and is mostly reduced to Carmy’s sparring partner. Storer and his team peel the surface of Richie’s anxieties as a father, but season 3 is so plot-driven, there’s little room for stuff like this.
Marcus is another character that was set up for a big season with the passing of his mother at the end of season 2. We see glimpses of Lionel Boyce’s character pouring himself into his work, channelling his grief through layers of caramel, but as with Richie, it doesn’t come to any kind of conclusion. It barely scratches the surface.
There’s a lot to enjoy this season and the stakes, once established, feel high. Will Carmy ever be satisfied? Is he just turning into the vengeful, downright evil chef he worked under in New York? The Bear season 3 feels like an incomplete season, one that raises more questions than it answers, but I’ll be damned if I’m not excited to see where it all goes next.
The Bear is now streaming on Disney+.
