FX’s The Bear has been one of the most popular and critically acclaimed television shows of the past few years. Season One burst onto the scene in 2022, showcasing an incredibly high-paced and chaotic style which was thrilling for viewers. Season Two slowed the pace slightly and shifted the focus onto emotional depth and character building which was a refreshing change. Just like everybody else, I loved the first two seasons and was eagerly awaiting Season Three; unfortunately, it largely disappointed.
My main issue with Season Three was its complete lack of direction compared to the previous two seasons. Season One, for example, was laser-focused in its pursuit of Carmen trying to whip ‘The Beef’ into shape whilst Season Two followed the transformation of ‘The Beef’ into ‘The Bear’. Now that ‘The Bear’ has been set up, Season Three is left with minimal material for a clear plotline. There were some attempts at plotlines such as Carmen’s “non-negotiables”, Sydney’s career crisis and the impending review of the restaurant but none of these narratives were given sufficient attention for them to be engaging and it honestly felt like they were thrown aside almost immediately. So much of the screen time was devoted to montages of Carmen’s trauma which was interesting and evocative initially, but after a few episodes, it became boring and repetitive and it became clear that this obsession with Carmen’s traumatic past was drawing attention away from the arguably more interesting characters like Marcus and Sydney. The deployment of the Faks as a cartoonish comedy duo was once again, funny initially but then became irritating and felt like it was filling time that they couldn’t be bothered to devote to more complex and engaging plots and characters.
Despite its lack of direction and coherence, the season has some really beautiful moments and a few stand-out episodes. Like Season Two, this season has entire episodes dedicated to expanding the more minor characters which shone brightly amongst the muddiness of the rest of the season. Episode Six, titled ‘Napkins’ and directed by the show’s own Ayo Edebiri, follows the character of Tina and her journey from being laid-off at her job to finding a home at ‘The Beef’. The episode was filled with gorgeous emotional moments which showcased what The Bear does best. Similarly, Episode Eight, titled ‘Ice Chips’ follows the birth of Natalie’s child to which she reluctantly invites her mother. Natalie is such an underrated character so it was great to see a bit more of her and the reappearance of Jamie Lee Curtis as Donna Berzatto was just as compelling as it was in Season Two’s standout episode ‘Fishes’. In many ways, ‘Ice Chips’ felt like a follow-up to ‘Fishes’ as it added even more context and depth to the family dynamics of the Berzatto family which was really interesting.
Overall, Season Three of The Bear was disappointing but mostly due to the high quality of the previous two seasons. Season Three wasn’t bad it just wasn’t nearly as good as it should and could have been. As a fan of the show, I would say that it is still worth watching for the rare moments of excellence but it unfortunately falls well short of expectations.
