Add tribalistic "Us vs Them" mindsets. The obsession with a consensus and popularity. Aversion to analytical or introspective criticism. "Culture war" And etc. This era should be absolutely great for discussion but reality is so very far from kind.
That's NOT the internet. That's _people_ on the internet. It's all the immature fascistic dialog that conservatives _love_ to push. This is the fruit of, "waaaa, the world is changing and I don't like it!" while capitalists like Elon and Facebook Boy LOVE to foment. They LOVE getting people riled up for money. Petulant children make for close-minded adults. Greedy adults make unwise decisions. The world is ran by greedy, petulant adults. This _is_ a complicated problem, but the root cause is not complicated at all: Horrible people have been greatly enabled, and good people have been greatly stifled.
I think this season was the calm before the storm. It was all about setting everything up for the finale, it was definitely slower and less dramatic that the previous seasons but I really enjoyed that.
I haven't watched this newer season but season two was less to my liking than the first one. It definitely loses the grittiness of the first season for a more expansive and emotional take that didn't always work for me. I just don't find Marcus and many of the side characters outside of Carmy, cousin and Sydney that interesting,but idk, need to watch 3
@@SX1995able Valid. Maybe S3 will change your mind about the side characters, it really Zooms in on some of them in interesting ways, one of my favorite episodes in S3 is just a conversation between 2 side characters that I was pretty apathetic towards & it changed my outlook on them for the better , maybe it'll do the same for you.
I think in the grand scheme of the show, this season will be looked at more fondly but after waiting so long and having to wait another year or two for continuation is leaving a sour taste in peoples mouths. Right now it's tough because it didn't move forward enough for people's tastes but I believe it'll work out eventually.
i agree with your analysis of how this season will be perceived once the story’s complete, but this show has consistently released a new season every june 3 years in a row. in terms of high quality writing, directing, editing, great storytelling, and a consistently great soundtrack, this show is on another level given how quickly it pumps out 8-10 episodes. what other show has another season come out *before* award nominations for the previous season?
I think this season's legacy will depend on the next season. We have a much deeper connection with the characters now, and appreciate the stakes for each of them. I can acknowledge that it was slower, but that's not necessarily bad.
The most annoying thing about modern internet culture (though is it REALLY modern, or has culture always been like this?) is the requirement by everyone who engages with media to have a “take.” You can’t enjoy a show, you need to have a deep-seated reason that it’s objectively the best thing ever. You can’t dislike something, it needs to be a severely overrated and embarrassing example of the worst of humanity’s artistic expression, etc. You can’t just find something emotionally engaging because it speaks to you, you need to show how your opinions are objectively correct and defend your opinion to the death
I thought it was a solid season. It accurately portrayed the feeling of spinning wheels and endless work that feels like it's going nowhere. It was introspective and explored nostalgia as something that holds you in place.
Want to know the problem? One of the writers for The Bear was constantly mistreated and underpaid, O´Keefe has been vocal about working conditions. The Bear seemed to be about personal struggle to overcome trauma, the incident was Carmy's brother's sui ci de but now it's a show about extremely expensive food for rich people with the intention to appeal to rich costumers who care about Michelin stars. All the while showing that passion is more important than paying your employes (Sydney is giving it her most and not receiving merit or money), one of the producers for the show is a super famous restaurant owner who made an apperance as a writer in the Forks episode, so this is a season about mantaining the status quo not challenging like it seemed in the 1st season. It doesn't mean it's not well executed it just mean that maybe it lost its heart on the way
This season had some incredibly powerful character moments. It didn’t have a clear and coherent self-contained arc, but the individual moments were better than they’ve ever been. That’s fine with me tbh.
You know that tweet that’s like, “y’all say things so definitively idk man I think it’s complicated”. That’s how I feel about this season. There was definitely a lack of forward momentum that I actively noticed while watching it. Like some of the episodes run together for me. Also unfortunately Carmy’s arc revolving around Claire doesn’t work for me because I’m not emotionally invested in her or their relationship. And I don’t think an entire season of set up is a good idea just kinda in general but absolutely the moments that worked fucking sang. Like bawling my eyes out
Thank you for saying that you don’t feel connected emotionally to her or their relationship, I thought I was going crazy about how much I didn't care about it. For a show about flavor, Claire is extraordinarily bland. Which I feel is a big issue I have with the show if her and Carmy's relationship is so important and is obviously meant to be. It's so odd, the women are written great in the show to the point I never said that as compliment to the show......., but Claire is almost alien to me. Who is she? Is she just that nice? Why does she like Carmy? Why does everyone keep telling me she's kind? Is her purpose just a "good thing" Carmy can't keep?
@@asaladwithoutcrutonsispoin437 like at this point i’m asking is it intentional ??? is claire supposed to be bland??? because you’re right, it’s not like they have a problem writing women or character relationships. so what’s going on here
@@asaladwithoutcrutonsispoin437 i'm assuming claire is meant to represent something like symbolic. like she's bland on purpose for the sake of symbolism?
Season 3 had some great moment (Tina meeting Mikey) but overall was a step back from what had been 2 seasons of almost perfection. I have faith they'll find their form again next season.
Pretty much every show I've watched on both paid streaming sites and the less-than-legit ones has looked better on the free site. It's pathetic. And that's before we get to actual downloaded torrents and how high quality they often are compared to everything else. Torrents are the only time I've actually been able to use my 2k monitor outside of gaming.
this season felt like a reflection on the previous one to me. instead of moving the story forward we slow down to focus on individual characters, often going back in time to get more context on who they are and where they're at emotionally. idk i thought it was neat
I feel like S3 comes off like a lot of the main cast grew so much in their careers, that they weren't available to be all in the same room at the same time a lot, so the creators leaned into the flashbacks, the visual emotional storytelling, the occasionally great standalone character pieces (I agree Sugar and Tina's episodes were standouts), and a lot of expertly executed tone poem vibes that had very little substantial plot happening, but had very strong themes. Kind of like when Tina went to the farmer's market and there was hardly anything there, so she tried to figure out how to make it look and taste as good as possible, and ended up doing something very fine dining, minimalist, with lots of technique. It wasn't filling, it wasn't hearty, but it was very pretty to look at and an exciting bite. I think you gave as balanced and honest assessment as is probably possible. It's not terrible, it's well made TV, there were great scenes, good episodes, but it wasn't a good season and left a lot of people feeling like there should be another half season coming. It feels like the show could have devoted several episodes to this direction, interspersed with the supporting character episodes, then have the finale be the mid season finale, where the characters are getting their big wakeup calls that this (within the show) is not going to work as it's going and decide to change, move one, whatever. I think if they had done that and then focused the narrative the second half of a season, people might even be talking about how the weird vibe of the first half was genius, because it made the audience feel like how the characters within the show were feeling. But I fully admit that's all hindsight and armchair quarterbacking
I haven't seen the previous seasons, but I caught 3 episodes of this season while my parents were watching, and despite not having context from the previous seasons I immediately caught on what character roles were, and what tensions were slowly brewing... and the fact that at any point you can jump in, hear a conversation between characters, and pick up on the story without making a bunch of assumptions or asking for context, seems like great writing in my book. The second one I caught was the flashback of of how one of the older chefs from the original beef joint got her job there, and it was like a freaking novella. I think I gotta go back and watch the whole thing just because of that.
Interesting observations. And yes, absolutely, go back and watch the whole thing. It's interesting how things that happened in her episode help explain things she does in season 1.
@@chrisdelisle3954the Christmas episode was cathartic, (minor spoilers)))) my mom didn’t do the car bit nor addiction, but so many minor moments were so on point even with Odenkirk, I want to just watch it for Christmas this year with my family lol
I enjoyed this season a lot, and thought it was great in a lot of ways, but it definitely feels like it's just the front half of something. As much as I liked it, I can't help but think that season 4 will retroactively make season 3 great or bad in the popular consciousness. I loved some of the more contentious things (e.g. the first episode being 99% montage set to a Nine Inch Nails instrumental), but also felt some of the major complaints to my bones (e.g. The Faks really needed to be dialed back in my opinion. Frequently it didn't work for me; it didn't feel like comic relief, but just a complete tonal clash. The times it would work at first, it still would greatly overstay its welcome). All-in-all, I'm excited for season 4, because it feels like it'll really just be Season 3 B, a 20 episode season.
The whole slate article reads to me as someone reveling in getting to call a thing people like “not good any more”… almost exactly like how similar reviewers treat restaurants. Actually exactly how food critics and bloggers treat restaurants. The only entry more exciting to write than “I found this awesome new place nobody has heard of” is “this place used to be good and now sucks.” There’s no money in “yeah it’s still pretty decent”. It’s either “new and hip” or “old and shit”.
Anton Ego in Ratatouille basically encapsulates that idea of there being enjoyment in tearing something down from on high. "We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read."
I feel like people don't like when shows slow down for a season and just let the characters exist in there world, which i find odd because those little moments are what make the bigger ones feel so special, I personally love that stuff but I guess people don't want the leisurely drive that enjoys the scenery, they just want the race.
I love moments like that, but a season of minimal character progression feels especially dull when they seem to want to give the Faks so much screen time. I think the first episode of the season is “letting the characters exist” done to absolute perfection. But giving us two episodes with meaningful character arcs and insights only to spend entire episodes with John Cena and all the characters in the same spot feels like the show wants to do both. By committing to neither it feels half baked either way you slice it.
@@davismorgan99 I can see that, personally it just doesn't bother me, I just like these characters existing in this space, if I ever re-watch I know that those episodes will be the ones I'll come back to, but everyone has different viewing tastes I guess.
i loved a lot of this season, but by the end i felt like a few threads were kinda lost, and though individually the episodes were great, i was a bit disappointed on the end
So this is something I experienced while watching the show. I have not finished it yet because my Hulu is the base package so I get ads. The amount of ads that Hulu has now is insane! It’s impossible to want to watch something when every 5 minutes there’s yet another ad. I know their goal is to make me pay more, but it just makes me want to cancel my subscription. So if the goal is to make me watch the show, all the ads aren’t helping them. I remember nothing of the three episodes I watched. And it makes me want to not watch the rest because I know the ads will drive me crazy. Subscription companies need to realize their behaviors are going to backfire.
This whole season was a setup for the 4th season - putting things in place, while also indulging in artistry in direction and cinematography much like high end dining. Seasons 1 and 2 were more like the Italian Beef Sandwich.
I think a lot of the negative perception of this season comes down to the binge watching landscape that we've grown accustumed to lately. There was a time when shows used to have 24 episodes per season, a one hour-long episode each week, and a lot of those shows barely progressed the overall story each season, if at all. And people didn't complain about it the way you would've expected. Now we get seasons that are not only half as short, but that are often released with every episode at once. Episodes that don't even have ads or commercial breaks. Viewers have become conditioned into having less patience. People now want the appetizers, the main course and the dessert all at once, but even worse than that, they don't savour anything. There was a lot of value in enjoying a show week to week, because even when there was an episode that you thought was slow, you were still forced to sit on it, and think about how maybe there was more to it than you first thought. Now people would instead just move on to the next episode. I'm sure the streaming services also want people to move on to something else, and continue watching and consuming. This is really a bigger problem for seasons that don't have a lot of payoff, like season 3 of The Bear. And I think it's fair to want payoff in a full season, a movie, and even a single episode. But some people have been conditioned to only want payoff.
i do agree with you but wouldn't that be the result of the networks creating these shows? and the downfall of cable tv because of people choosing to pay for streaming platforms (mainly netflix) which advertised themselves as a mega library of movies and tv where you could watch anything anytime and without ads
@@astromo17 I think most of the shows and movies that are made for streaming are designed to fit into that short attention model. They wanna grab your attention as quick as possible, and then try to keep it as long as they can without letting go by having slower episodes or seasons. Shows like season 3 of The Bear are the exception, and they get a mixed reception because a lot of people don't have the patience for them anymore.
what u said, all well and good, but you still have to explain why season 2 was received so much better then season 3 despite everything you mention also applies to people who watched season 2 when it came out one and a half years ago.
@@RoderickThe13 The Bear didn't start as a "hangout movie" with slow plot progression. It only apparently became that in season 3. Therein lies the problem.
@@TheHidalgo99 Season 3 focused more on character development than what you call plot progression. When a show is slow, in my opinion that's based on how much time passes between set-up and payoff for each storyline. The show this season didn't have the payoff that it promised based on the finale of season 2 and the premiere of season 3. For comparison, season 1 is about introducing the characters, and Carmy dealing with Michael's death and what the restaurant should mean to him. Both those things are dealt on the season 1 finale when he reads the letter. Season 2 is about preparing for the restaurant to open. That also happens by the end of the season. Season 3 by comparison was set-up to be about Carmy confronting his feelings for Claire, Ritchie and Carmy dealing with their own relationship, and Sidney deciding on her future with regards to the restaurant. None of those things happened this season, which is why I think people feel underwhelmed with this season despite the writing and the acting being just as good. I just compare this to when shows back in the day also didn't have immediate payoff each season, and that wasn't automatically bashed by critics and audiences, which leads me to think that people have been conditioned into needing that payoff as soon as possible.
For me, each season has had such a different feel. To me it seems that seasons 3 and 4 are more meant to be one instalment (especially as they filmed them back to back), and that (if season 4 delivers) we will look back on this season as a nice exploration of the themes in preparation of their conclusion, like watching the chefs prep the food before we’re served it. Can’t wait to see what they do next!
There is NO sane world in which we can categorize The Bear as bad. That's simply idiocy and that article is trying to masquerade as thoughtful critique when it's just trying to criticize the show for clicks. The season was about adding depth and context to the world of The Bear. The fact the season opens with a lot of scenes that fill the gaps from earlier points in the timeline of the show should be a telltale sign. "Set up" seasons from great are always maligned when they air, because a lot of the audience don't think that giving characters time to breathe and showing us more of their layers is good storytelling. Narratives can have all kinds of structures, yet people think that TV can only have the same formulaic upward trends of character development or neat answers to questions raised on its own seasons. They forgot that the Bear S04 is part of a whole story, not a self-contained narrative that keeps recycling every season (like a lot of TV shows end up doing and get stale after a few seasons). The show is a character-driven story and people are criticizing it by telling a character-driven narrative.
i mostly enjoyed the season yet i can definitely say it left me wanting more. the artistic flair it went for is entertaining in its own right, and i enjoy its slow linger on thematic elements and tone over tying up plot-lines, but it felt as if it did so to stall for time at expense of narrative progression. the show didn't need to magically resolve every plot thread but it could have stood to move things forward at least a little bit to justify how much emphasis was getting put on stylizing and meditating within its world. at the very least, if it wanted to shift focus that way and not go the 'obvious' storytelling route of tying up its loose ends, it could have at least presented its comedy better. the show is a dramedy, where the chaos and discomfort of everything said and done is not just something serious but something hilarious, like laughing through an uncomfortable situation, laughing through the pain. season 3 barely let itself do that and, worst of all, felt like it was relying on the fak family to rosencrantz and guildenstern every episode out of non-stop gloom. their role in the season, to me, was emblematic of the show kind of over-relying on the viewers' love of this world and knowledge of its characters/language to fill in blanks that the writing itself wasn't giving. but i understand that sort of opens a can of worms of "how much does the art OWE its audience?" or "how much does the audience OWE the art?" so i won't go much further. i'm going into next season with an open mind and assume theyre gonna take the criticisms to heart and make some wise adjustments
Season Three is a step down from the wall-to-wall excellence of Season Two, but it's still in the higher echelon of TV this year. "Tomorrow," "Napkins," and "Ice Chips" were all great, but perhaps what throws the audience off with this season is that it doesn't have a sense of internal resolution. Season 1 & 2 aren't the whole of the story, but the seasons themselves manage to resolve character arcs and throughline narratives. So to suddenly receive a season that feels half-baked on a character arc level feels incongruous with what came before. And sure, multi-season plotlines are not a new concept, but it hasn't been done thus far in The Bear, and it leaves the season feeling...incomplete.
Me and wife were in awe of season 3. None of our friends liked it and it broke our hearts. It felt really cathartic for us which maybe says more about our situation but we still rarely have seen something shot like this show.
I truly don’t understand the actual hatred and vitriol I have seen for Season 3. I agree with the sentiment that it left some stuff unfulfilled and felt more like set up for the next season, but it wasn’t BAD. It wasn’t nothing (compared to some other shows that have released recently). But people are acting like this season killed their dog and fed the corpse to them.
You don't need an "elaborate model" to explain the problems with Season 3. The creator, Christopher Storer, said from the beginning he envisioned this show playing out as a 3 Act structure. Season 3 was supposed to be the final season, but FX offered a lot of money for a 4th Season. So, Season 3 pt. 1 had to get stretched by exploring characters, especially side characters, in order to slow down wrapping up a lot of the series' arcs, that otherwise all would have been concluded in a very punch-y fulfilling way. The intended 3 Act/Season structure is why each season starts with "The Bear Part 1" and "The Bear Part 2" etc and why Season 3 is the only season that ends with "To Be Continued." The Bear "Season 4" will actually be The Bear "Season 3 pt. 2" which is also why both of the final seasons were filmed at once. That's it. It's that simple.
I liked your analysis, especially about the spacing, but I feel like it's missing one big aspect of the evolution of the bear: how concentrated it is on its main character. Season 1 was centred around Carmy. Which made a lot of sense because he was both the subject and our entry to the subject aka The Beef But season 2 used the scraps about the other characters and made The Bear a series about an ensemble of characters that work in the same kitchen. Syd got her episode. Marcus got his episode. Richie got his episode. They became main characters and arguably just as important as Carmy. Seven Fishes wasn't just a backstory episode for Carmy, it was also a deeper dive into Richie and Nat's past. And in my personal opinion, the show became even more interesting that way, because the bouquet of main characters allows for an exploration of different personalities and backstories, and more importantly how they clash and resolve themselves. Even in season 1, the relationship between Syd and Tina was an arc in itself, and it had nothing to do with Carmy. So I'm not mad that Carmy stayed in the same place during this season. I'm mad that we stayed focused on him during this time. And I think this is a feeling quite shared because I've seen a lot of people agreeing on "Napkins" being the best episode. And it's all about Tina and the history of the restaurant. Maybe we just don't need yet another story about a tortured artist that becomes toxic himself. Maybe what makes The Bear is not Carmy, but the claustrophobic yet loving community (the restaurant) it portrays. After all, it's called "The Bear", not "Carmen".
Look I just missed the class commentary. Now is about the dreams and like cute but what i loved at the beginning was the class struggle so something is missing for me.
I actually enjoyed tomorrow very much as the opener for season 3 - it was a fantastic episode that explores what Carmy is. My main beef with season 3 was its inconsistency - it had some fantastic episodes but it felt like they werent sure which direction to go in and then we had that cliffhanger ending with no resolution to any of the plot strings they had been dangling.
I'm waiting to hear what people think about season four. Right now, the consensus seems to be that the Bear is almost saying something profound but can't seem to figure put what thing it's trying to say. Once it says what it's trying to say I'll see what I think about it. Honestly, though, I doubt the showrunners have the guts to let the story say what season 1 set it up to say but we'll see.
I'm finding it VERY hard to get into this season - I'm stuck a few episodes in and dreading having to keep going. The HIDEOUS pauses in action for ad breaks and the grossly edited little cutaways to pad them have thrown me very hard. It feels like a writers strike season - less character influence on choices and more decisions driven by what the plot needs, less interesting scripting, more standard tv pacing and episodic crap. It feels like a show which moved to a commercial, broadcast, advertiser first platform which, as a streamer, is baffling to me. The first couple seasons felt gritty and exciting and tense and fresh. Now I feel a buildup to a mini-climax three times an episode, and instead of feeling the tension build alongside it my gut just tenses waiting for the inevitable cut to black and 3 second montage for an ad break that doesn't exist.
I found this season frustrating but not for the reasons I see most people complain about. I’ve worked in and around kitchens and the realistic way they’re portrayed has always been a draw of the show. I genuinely enjoyed listening to the chefs in the season finale talk about their work history and what motivates/ inspires them. People just want drama I swear. People want Carmy and Sidney to be in a relationship 🤦♀️ despite the fact that they have no romantic chemistry but they do generally have a great professional relationship. I want people of opposite sexes to be able to be platonic. I thought the Faks were genuinely funny. This season had a lot of drawn out tension our just extended moody scenes and I liked the levity they brought. I know comedy is subjective, but I wasn’t bothered by it. So many people loved the ice chips episode, but it made my skin crawl. It was well acted to be sure, but I’ve dealt with narcissistic people in my life and it was just too close to reality there. I would have loved a breather from just sitting in the room with Sugar and DD. I definitely want resolution and am impatient for the next season, but I also don’t think it was a total miss of a season.
I had to watch Ice Chips in 5 separate sessions. It was the most painful thing I've seen in a long time. DD definitely doesn't have NPD, but the narcissistic traits are there all the same.
I think Ice Chips handled it well because Sugar didn't end up forgiving her mother or even accepting her into her life. She was just there for that one moment and there's no guarantee that she will be allowed back into her life full-time.
@@lyricbot8513 I think narratively it’s fine. It was just a really hard watch for me. I’ve seen a lot of praise for the episode and I think it was acted/ executed well but I still struggled to get through it. I suppose that was the point, but I would have still loved to have a nurse come in and coach or support Sugar or tell DD to leave the room or something. I mean she asked for the damn lights to be dimmed at the very beginning and nobody ever did it. I’ve had multiple children so I’m looking at it from a lived experience that not everyone has, but the second DD starting laughing about her butt during the contraction I was internally begging Sugar to have her removed from the room. Or just something other than intense close ups of them talking. I don’t know, I’m not a filmmaker, I just didn’t seem to enjoy it the way everyone else has.
@@sarahwickersham It felt pretty spot-on to me- I have a similar relationship with my mother. The constant tension between walking on eggshells and trying to be honest with someone with borderline behaviors. Hard to watch for sure though.
I liked the Faks at the start, but the jokes they had got old really fast. All the moments of them js shouting the same words at each other, got really annoying towards the middle of the season. They were funny, but annoying.
I used to care a lot about writing in movies and television, an original story was something I used to consider essential to a compelling experience. As I've gotten older my tastes have changed drastically, I still think there's an inherent value to a good plot, but I try to consider all aspects when judging a piece of visual media. Factors like performances, cinematography, editing, tone, all of these play a crucial role, if you haven't got a grasp of the basics then story is irrelevant. Media literacy is on the decline in recent years and with that there are more and more people insisting that every piece of media conform to a very rigid structure, in that landscape it's hard for a show like The Bear that doesn't rely on huge stakes and over-the-top dramatic plot twists to appeal to mainstream audiences. It doesn't help that it's one of the most highly-regarded shows out right now (almost certainly a chunk of the negative reviews are from people who only began watching the show after it became popular), it means that now they're not just trying to satisfy their own audience, they've got to deal with all the normies who just showed up halfway through the party and are complaining that there aren't enough snacks.
Well, I just want to understand how we went from "the struggle of the working class and the valorization of small businesses" in the first season to "gentrification is ok if you're following your dream" in the third one.
Where did you get the message that 'gentrification is ok'?? Furthermore why are you romanticizing the idea that Struggling as a working class citizen is maybe better?? S3 does nothing but consistently show how the restaurant is negatively affecting some characters despite the success, with the nail in the coffin being that the Copenhagen restaurant literally closes down becos the owner isnt satisfied with her life despite the success, and Carmy's whole arc is about how that same success he's pursuing isn't worth what hes losing out on in life The show doesnt explicitly touch on gentrification as a topic but there's a clear display of the positives and negatives of it, for you to walk away from it saying the show is saying 'Gentrification itself is good' literally feels like you weren't paying attention to the show and the main charactwr specifically
Something that I've seen come up more and more in conversations these days is the reality of how detrimental the status of 'Gifted Child' truly is for those it's inflicted on. So many people who grew up as 'gifted kids', myself included, had severe problems either caused or worsened by that supposed gifted status. It took me until I was in my mid-20s to ask my doctor about my potentially having ADHD despite having friends for years upon years tell me I showed so many signs of it, and what do you know, after doing some testing my doctor emphatically agreed. But I didn't take it seriously, because despite consciously knowing that being successful in school doesn't make you immune to learning disorders, that I had legit trauma from my childhood in direct connection to being labeled a gifted kid, that I wasn't any of the terrible things my parents repeatedly accused me of being, deep down I'd had it drilled into me that all of my symptoms of ADHD and Depression were actually because I was an inherently lazy and selfish person. I despise that notion that people who are greatly successful are fucked up people because you have to be to become that successful. Even if it were true (and it's not), that sort of framing just sets the stage for apathy, for saying "that's just how it is" instead of actually trying to do something about it. Not every successful but garbage individual has some sort of terrible trauma in their past, but many do, and it should be addressed as it should be with anyone, no matter how successful they are.
The Bear is not a cooking show. I love cooking shows, but I love existential shows even more. Season 3 cements The Bear as an existential show, a show that depicts the human experience. To me, that depth, that care, that subtlety in the intense and over the top, makes this a great show within a beautiful cooking frame. I wouldnt say it's the best thing ever for everyone because not everyone enjoys observing and experiencing humanity like I do. The actors did a great job, the runners did a great job, the writers did a great job. Whether you like it or not, you cant deny that it's good TV... at least so far
The people who think this season is objectively bad typically want to be serviced by the show. They want satisfying conclusions: for Carmy and Claire to get back together. For the restaurant to get a good review so magically succeed. For Sydney to sign the partnership agreement. For Carmy to find the love/family vibe for the kitchen and end the chaos. There is a sense that all of these things will eventually happen. Just not this season, like how it does in every other sitcom. The critiques like this seem as shallow as they make out the lack of narrative progression seem. It is a bit of a let down that we ultimately get the feeling we know how all of these things will end up and it's like we're left dangling for inevitable conclusions. I do hope that we can be surprised in how some of these narrative threads can be resolved. As in season 1. The bear does have a way of foreshadowing the resolution (for those paying attention to the details). But this season it seems it will be hard to challenge us with how these threads will end. So atm, I'm not anticipating next season as much. Perhaps we may be surprised though. So I do see this season as very much a two parter. I think the main weakness of this season is the reliance on characters telling stories. It's not good story telling to see an actor give a monologue about a story that we could just be shown in flashback, or better yet, give you an insight to a character that can be played out via the narrative. I know some people loved the little chefs sharing their stories in the funeral service. But I felt it was a waste of time.
I felt very similar to you, this season would be right up there with the first two if it didn't cut away from what it was building up to so abruptly. Thinking about why some people might hold the first season up to a different standard may have some validity even though I don't agree its meaningfully better than the other two. The first season (the way I think about it) sort of sets itself apart somehow in a "pre/post The Beef" kind of way. The dynamics, the stakes, the end goals, they sort of shift gears as they try to get that star. The show changed as the restaurant did, and I can see if that change was too much for some people.
Thank God that Slate writer isn't writing the show. I don't want a show to excuse shit behaviour because a persons genius is worth it. Being fucked up does come from trauma. You don't have to be fucked up to be a genius.
Oof... It's not impressive that you think that in today's world a television show has something to do with being in or out of the loop @TheRockerX . You might want to get off screen for a bit.
I think this season is gonna be viewed a lot more charitably by the series' end, once the entire narrative plays out. But as a single season of TV I'm not sure it works all that well
"A bad season of great TV" That's exactly how I felt. I really like a lot of the elements and the way that they express things to the audience, but I found a lot of those same things to get increasingly tedious as the show went on and nothing was resolved. I think the show runners are very good at compelling, thoughtful, creative ways to tell the story, but this season felt like there just wasn't a story to be told and it felt really hollow to me. By the 15th scene of the Fak brothers saying incomprehensible gibberish about hauntings for 6 minutes straight I was just kind of checked out.
I have watched a single episode of The Bear. "Tomorrow", the first episode of this season. It was legitimately an enjoyable experience. When the next episode started, I felt like the story was complete and the show had moved on to a completely different setting, so I walked off, leaving my family to watch without me. I can tell you it was well made and enjoyable. It felt like a short film trying to explore how to convey emotion through everything that isn't dialog. For as much "film school pompousness" you could accuse it of having, it performed excellently as a film. As a work on its own, it was excellent. Can't say any of the other episodes were good or bad, but that one was *very* good and creative.
I read in an artical that they decided to end the series with season 3 having 12 to 15 episodes. But after the shoot began the episodes came out longer than they expected (each is 1 hour ). So, made a decision to split the story into two seasons. And also, they already shot almost half of season 4. Season 4 may come by the end of this year.
@@PillarofGarbagejust watched it the title had me scared. You made some great points I definitely agree that’s this season good have been better but that’s not a reflection of the whole show
Season 3 seems a bit SPREAD THINNNNNNNN. Seems like the creator wanted to wrap things up in 3 seasons and FX begged for a fourth. So stretch out the arc in Season 3 and end with a suspenseful what was the review?
This season feels like a tension tighten for some cathartic finish in season 4. Building Ritchie's relationships in the industry outside of The Bear, watching Syd and Carmy become slowly at odds. I think this is building the parts for the engine of the bigger tension of how does Carmy resolve his inner turmoil and how do these effect everything now.
One thing I've noticed in my viewing habits in the streaming era, where one can binge an entire season in a week or two, is that my critical thought about a show takes a little time to catch up. In the past we would have a week to ruminate about the last episode and let it sink in. Now, if a show starts off with a couple of good seasons, it takes me more episodes to realize the show might be waning, since that time between episodes to reflect tends to be shorter. This is kind of how this season of The Bear was for me. I still enjoyed the season, but the flaws haven't necessarily jumped out at me without talking about it with friends and family. Now that some time has passed since I watched Season 3, a lot of those criticisms have been able to congeal.
I have not yet watched season three, but I will comment on the idea of accepting Slate as an arbiter of culture. Slate has always been a hacktacular nest of smarter-than-you contrarians. Sometimes they are correct, but this is because sometimes things suck, not because they are perceptive critical geniuses but rather because if you keep pointing at things and saying 'nu uh' , you will be right once in a while. Slate might be right this time, but anyone who makes a decision about whether or not to watch something based on what Slate thought about it is trusting the wrong people. In fact, I am not gonna read their article because it's a mistake to allow something like Slate to influence your own POV, to set up their biases in your head. Don't let Slate ruin The Bear for you. The Bear, by being spectacularly good, has earned the right to be ruined or not on the show's own merits. Don't let a clickbait hungry 'media corp' that is so famous for their bad takes that 'slate pitch' is industry slang for a terrible idea influence your tastes.
I HAAAATE when show runners decide to write and film two seasons back to back. The first one will always only be a setup for the second one. That doesn't necessarily make that first season bad, but it does make it severely frustrating. And if it was bad or not, can really only be judged after the second one aired. So do I think season 3 was bad? I don''t know! Ask me next year. Might be all great setups. Might all be garbage that goes nowhere. Who know? Ya can't!
I honestly could see this season being looked at as one of the best seasons when the show concludes. I feel like this season has a lot of major character moments that in isolation don't amount to much and don't have resolution this season, but could have huge implications going forward. This season is ambitious and moving, something that I think will be appreciated more overtime, that is if the future of this show sticks the landing. But I have faith that it will.
I haven't seen the Bear but that fact that there is a divide between the critics and audience on RT is always a red flag. If The Bear was a movie, the audience rating would have more credibility, but it isn't. Which makes me believe that season three of The Bear probably isn't a bad season not even a bad season of good television.
James Gray recently said “If you’re getting a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, you’re doing something wrong.” I don’t fully agree with that but I think he’s on to something. Nowadays it feels a bit easy to get something in the 90’s as a score, maybe cause the bar is so low. Filmmakers should not be afraid to risk confusing, alienating or angering their audiences. And audiences likewise should risk being confused or alienated once in a while and then interrogate WHY they might be feeling that way, it can often be the most rewarding experience. I don’t think this season totally worked, I would have liked more plot or character development, but I’m glad Storer took this risk at the height of his own show’s popularity. One thing The Bear has always been committed to is making you FEEL what the characters are feeling, no matter if it’s stress, joy or even boredom.
I really can't get a full consensus of what to say about this season but one thing I can say is that developing the third and fourth season at the same time was a total mistake.
I loved this season but was upset that it didn't have more episodes but that's mainly because I think it's so fantastic. While I did wish there was a bit more resolution in the built up plot threads I really loved Carmie's interaction with the chef that had been haunting him all series. It felt like her finally realized how he had become someone he hated and I'm excited to see how that revelation changes him and the restaurant in season 4.
Love the show but season 3 was hard work! Season 1 built anxiety but then relieved it with the final episode. Season 2&3 for the most part have piled on the ‘all too real’ anxiety, with very little happiness…
This is why I had to stop watching season 3. I just got way too stressed out and frustrated with how the characters were spiraling. And feeling very little relief
I'm really glad you said right off the bat that Ice Chips and Napkins were on the same level. I see both perspectives too, but my two favorite episodes were these by far, and they were the only ones that really stayed with me and reminded me of why I loved the first two seasons. I don't mind the lack of resolution as much as others, but I do think this season relied too much on montages, flashbacks, telling instead of showing, and the Fak brothers.
Is it as good as previous 2 season heck jo but is it bad not even close, I loved Ice chips Jamie lee Curtis showing off her chops and it's just them in a room talking but it's still an amazing episode showing what can tie you together as a family. I'd say that season 3 focuses a lot on Psychology of the characters. Camy dealing with the anxiety confronting he's biggest trauma and slowly getting past it, but it's much more slower with a lot more " filler" a term i'm not a big fan of. Not every episode in a series needs to push the story further some can be used to expand on aspects of characters and just take their time with it. It's a lot slower and it feels like its treading water for a bit. It feels like a setup season for the bigger plot lines for the next season
Any statement that starts “I think we can all agree that a lot of great artists are assholes” will quickly and relentlessly burrow itself into needing to fuck all the way off.
No. No it’s not bad now. It’s a great show. It’s different, but it’s not ”bad”. I get what you’re saying and sure, there are a few things that were left hanging, but BAD; no.
What about the third side-can’t watch because of the point of view? I can’t handle watching it, the kitchen scenes give me anxiety. It sucks because I like the writing and the actors, just not fun to have anxiety when I’m trying to enjoy myself. 😭
I feel like season 3 was a bridge from season 2 to season 4. And I cant help thinking season 4 will be either really sad ( carmy will earn a star. Yet cant get over his history and his break-up and Everybody leaves the toxic environment.) or will be genius. (Carmy gets over his breakup and flips his restaurant into a sandwich shop once again being happy and the staff decide to stay because of the happy environment)
I came to a similar impasse... I enjoyed moments and themes and the visceral energy and atmosphere, but felt slightly underwhelmed, come the season finale. Even the best TV, The Wire had a season that didn't quite fulfill its promise (season 5).
As a longtime arthouse film enjoyer, I have the following to say. Arthouse movies are always polarizing and the people who dislike them alway have the same criticisms. It's too slow, it's like watching paint dry, it has no story/plot, it's pretentious etc.. To me the polarization is because there are two kinds of people who watch movies/series. People who just watch for escapism and those who want to explore other people's experiences. The former wants stuff to happen and the latter wants to find meaning in the mundane. For me season 3 is possibly the best season yet. There is so much meaning in everything that happens, the episodes feel like they're 10 mins long, I laugh hard, I am moved and I wouldn't change anything about it. You may dislike this season for legitimate reasons. But that doesn't mean that it isn't a masterpiece, it just means that it isn't for you. And that's okay. If you changed this season to be more about story/plot, you would most likely need to compromise on things I love about it and I would like it less. It wouldn't be better, it wouldn't be worse, it would simply be different.
They're really stretching believability with how long they haven't been able to get that bear out of the kitchen. Just because the show hinges on his presence, doesn't mean we'll go along with it forever.
Is the first episode of this season good television? I would most definitely, because it does some of the most important things a first episode of a new season can: it shows results of the previous season and gives a view of what this current season has in store.
I had a problem with how pretentious and self serving some of the scenes were. The magic/filmaking montage scene that “inspired” Marcus to make better desserts and the 15 minutes of people talking about what food means to them at the funeral dinner. Also I didn’t really buy into Sydney wanting to leave again. It’s rehashed from season 1 and felt boring.
Hopefully season 4 is karmy realizing chasing that michelin star isn't all that it's cracked up to be, and goes back to the restaurant's roots, as serving a cheap, hearty sandwich to mostly working class people.
I think that the failure to resolve major plots in this season using a cliffhanger was upsetting. Part of what worked for me personally was the tension and then the release of that tension making it worth it, so not having the plot threads resolved was upsetting. It wasn’t bad by any means, just… it’s complicated for me. It stressed me out a lot and then didn’t resolve.
i don't think that this season of the bear was necessarily bad, but it did heavily focus on being a character-driven narrative where the previous seasons balanced character and situation pretty evenly. to me, that was something the first few seasons had that were really special: character informs situation, and situation causes character to react, and it happens in a constant ouroboros-like feedback loop that explains why the characters aren't really able to grow until they experience a new situation. season 3 is very much a character drama, which is fine, but not nearly as interesting as the previous. it certainly feels like a set-up season for a bombastic s4.
This season felt like it was affected by the writers strike and the episodes where there's cinematic shots of a city for what seemed like half the episode speak to that.
My impression of the 3 Season is that they wanted to tell a little bit different than 1 and 2 . So it felt for me while watching because this time i had moments i related with i didnt expect and where i did expect to def. relate it wasnt that big. But the more ep. i watched i understand for me what the show wanted to give me. The ep. "Ice Chips" ..OMG ! again for me! it was everything because i have mostly the same issues with my mother, and i love her really much ...but^^....and espacially in the play of J.L.Curtis and all the others i cried my heart out. So i think The Bear is a serie which becomes more personal wether you have the feeling its good or bad. =) ....thankfully i have so so many moments i can relate and enjoy and i hope in the next season there will be a little more payoffs in some characters. p.s sorry for mistakes i come from germany =)
Maybe I'm looking into it to much but this season is kinda supposed to make you feel left hanging like something is missing because thats how the characters feel. All of season two was the excitment and build up to the restaurant and what they wanted it to be. And now they got what they wanted, the restaurant is open and its pushing them to their limits but none of them seem happy or satisfied. I think the final chat with Carmey and Chef Terry is a great example of what everyone has been feeling. They opened the restaurant but the goal post is always moving. How do you stay motivated when you've gotten to where you wanted to be. Sometimes the outcoming is not what you thought it would be and just like the characters we feel as if there should have been more pay off and I think this season capitalizes on that
What if the lack of satisfying "meat" to the season is a reflection of carmy's dishes in the bear? Its an interesting metaphorical move but that would make it make sense why it feels like the only things that happened were set ups for a hopefully more substantial season 4
This video is sponsored by Aura - get your two-week trial here! aura.com/pillarofgarbage
And spoilers for all 3 seasons of the show!
Was the Bear season 3 affected by the Writers Strikes? It could explain why the season is kinda aloof.
Internet really is making it incapable to have an opinion that isn’t "the worst thing known to man" or the "greatest thing ever"
Add tribalistic "Us vs Them" mindsets. The obsession with a consensus and popularity. Aversion to analytical or introspective criticism. "Culture war" And etc.
This era should be absolutely great for discussion but reality is so very far from kind.
For real, why can’t a show be “slower and less engaging than previous seasons, but still pretty solid”
That's NOT the internet. That's _people_ on the internet. It's all the immature fascistic dialog that conservatives _love_ to push. This is the fruit of, "waaaa, the world is changing and I don't like it!" while capitalists like Elon and Facebook Boy LOVE to foment. They LOVE getting people riled up for money.
Petulant children make for close-minded adults. Greedy adults make unwise decisions. The world is ran by greedy, petulant adults. This _is_ a complicated problem, but the root cause is not complicated at all: Horrible people have been greatly enabled, and good people have been greatly stifled.
or "mid", which is somehow worse
People are definitely over reacting. Season 3 was great and people are acting like its season 8 of GOT.
I think this season was the calm before the storm. It was all about setting everything up for the finale, it was definitely slower and less dramatic that the previous seasons but I really enjoyed that.
I haven't watched this newer season but season two was less to my liking than the first one. It definitely loses the grittiness of the first season for a more expansive and emotional take that didn't always work for me. I just don't find Marcus and many of the side characters outside of Carmy, cousin and Sydney that interesting,but idk, need to watch 3
@@SX1995able Valid. Maybe S3 will change your mind about the side characters, it really Zooms in on some of them in interesting ways, one of my favorite episodes in S3 is just a conversation between 2 side characters that I was pretty apathetic towards & it changed my outlook on them for the better , maybe it'll do the same for you.
It ain't doing that at all bruh. Source: I know people on the show.
with the multiple years shows are taking to release seasons now, you cant have an entire fucking season be a setup for another season.
@@kheath580the bear has been on a yearly release grind since it started
I think in the grand scheme of the show, this season will be looked at more fondly but after waiting so long and having to wait another year or two for continuation is leaving a sour taste in peoples mouths. Right now it's tough because it didn't move forward enough for people's tastes but I believe it'll work out eventually.
Well I think season 4 is filmed it should be here sooner
You’re spot on mate
i agree with your analysis of how this season will be perceived once the story’s complete, but this show has consistently released a new season every june 3 years in a row. in terms of high quality writing, directing, editing, great storytelling, and a consistently great soundtrack, this show is on another level given how quickly it pumps out 8-10 episodes. what other show has another season come out *before* award nominations for the previous season?
I think this season's legacy will depend on the next season. We have a much deeper connection with the characters now, and appreciate the stakes for each of them. I can acknowledge that it was slower, but that's not necessarily bad.
The most annoying thing about modern internet culture (though is it REALLY modern, or has culture always been like this?) is the requirement by everyone who engages with media to have a “take.” You can’t enjoy a show, you need to have a deep-seated reason that it’s objectively the best thing ever. You can’t dislike something, it needs to be a severely overrated and embarrassing example of the worst of humanity’s artistic expression, etc.
You can’t just find something emotionally engaging because it speaks to you, you need to show how your opinions are objectively correct and defend your opinion to the death
I haven’t seen the Bear, so I’m watching this video to find out how I feel about it
Based
Preach brother, let others form opinions on things we didn't even bother touching, for us.
I haven't watched either. Doesn't get my attention.
I didnt even know it existed
Ain't nobody got time to watch a show they might hate.
I thought it was a solid season. It accurately portrayed the feeling of spinning wheels and endless work that feels like it's going nowhere. It was introspective and explored nostalgia as something that holds you in place.
Too much Faks, they're only funny in small doses. The haunting bit got really old. I liked the other stuff.
Yet some people claim the faks were the only good part of the season. People don't know how to enjoy things anymore.
Me personally, I fall on the first half that believes The Bear to be a great show.
no.
Yes, it is a bad show. Over the top drama. They're chefs acting like theyre marines in Iraq.
@ThatGuy-lv7h _no._
@@ThatGuy-lv7hfpeople can get like that in real life too
Want to know the problem? One of the writers for The Bear was constantly mistreated and underpaid, O´Keefe has been vocal about working conditions. The Bear seemed to be about personal struggle to overcome trauma, the incident was Carmy's brother's sui ci de but now it's a show about extremely expensive food for rich people with the intention to appeal to rich costumers who care about Michelin stars. All the while showing that passion is more important than paying your employes (Sydney is giving it her most and not receiving merit or money), one of the producers for the show is a super famous restaurant owner who made an apperance as a writer in the Forks episode, so this is a season about mantaining the status quo not challenging like it seemed in the 1st season. It doesn't mean it's not well executed it just mean that maybe it lost its heart on the way
Yeah definitely feeling a loss of soul and passion with its own ambitions to be "prestige tv"
I think in the end, the last season will tell, if what you are saying is true. But we need the conclusion to see where they are going
This season had some incredibly powerful character moments. It didn’t have a clear and coherent self-contained arc, but the individual moments were better than they’ve ever been. That’s fine with me tbh.
You know that tweet that’s like, “y’all say things so definitively idk man I think it’s complicated”. That’s how I feel about this season. There was definitely a lack of forward momentum that I actively noticed while watching it. Like some of the episodes run together for me. Also unfortunately Carmy’s arc revolving around Claire doesn’t work for me because I’m not emotionally invested in her or their relationship. And I don’t think an entire season of set up is a good idea just kinda in general but absolutely the moments that worked fucking sang. Like bawling my eyes out
Thank you for saying that you don’t feel connected emotionally to her or their relationship, I thought I was going crazy about how much I didn't care about it. For a show about flavor, Claire is extraordinarily bland. Which I feel is a big issue I have with the show if her and Carmy's relationship is so important and is obviously meant to be. It's so odd, the women are written great in the show to the point I never said that as compliment to the show......., but Claire is almost alien to me. Who is she? Is she just that nice? Why does she like Carmy? Why does everyone keep telling me she's kind? Is her purpose just a "good thing" Carmy can't keep?
@@asaladwithoutcrutonsispoin437
like at this point i’m asking is it intentional ??? is claire supposed to be bland??? because you’re right, it’s not like they have a problem writing women or character relationships. so what’s going on here
@@asaladwithoutcrutonsispoin437 i'm assuming claire is meant to represent something like symbolic. like she's bland on purpose for the sake of symbolism?
Season 3 had some great moment (Tina meeting Mikey) but overall was a step back from what had been 2 seasons of almost perfection. I have faith they'll find their form again next season.
Only bad thing about the bear is HULUs dogshit image quality
just gotta wait several minutes for each episode to preload before I watch it
Torrent
I alredy did, it doesn't change the fact that hulu sucks and depth of field is blocked to hell
The Disney Plus bundle is a better option.
Pretty much every show I've watched on both paid streaming sites and the less-than-legit ones has looked better on the free site. It's pathetic. And that's before we get to actual downloaded torrents and how high quality they often are compared to everything else. Torrents are the only time I've actually been able to use my 2k monitor outside of gaming.
this season felt like a reflection on the previous one to me. instead of moving the story forward we slow down to focus on individual characters, often going back in time to get more context on who they are and where they're at emotionally. idk i thought it was neat
I feel like S3 comes off like a lot of the main cast grew so much in their careers, that they weren't available to be all in the same room at the same time a lot, so the creators leaned into the flashbacks, the visual emotional storytelling, the occasionally great standalone character pieces (I agree Sugar and Tina's episodes were standouts), and a lot of expertly executed tone poem vibes that had very little substantial plot happening, but had very strong themes. Kind of like when Tina went to the farmer's market and there was hardly anything there, so she tried to figure out how to make it look and taste as good as possible, and ended up doing something very fine dining, minimalist, with lots of technique. It wasn't filling, it wasn't hearty, but it was very pretty to look at and an exciting bite. I think you gave as balanced and honest assessment as is probably possible. It's not terrible, it's well made TV, there were great scenes, good episodes, but it wasn't a good season and left a lot of people feeling like there should be another half season coming. It feels like the show could have devoted several episodes to this direction, interspersed with the supporting character episodes, then have the finale be the mid season finale, where the characters are getting their big wakeup calls that this (within the show) is not going to work as it's going and decide to change, move one, whatever. I think if they had done that and then focused the narrative the second half of a season, people might even be talking about how the weird vibe of the first half was genius, because it made the audience feel like how the characters within the show were feeling. But I fully admit that's all hindsight and armchair quarterbacking
I haven't seen the previous seasons, but I caught 3 episodes of this season while my parents were watching, and despite not having context from the previous seasons I immediately caught on what character roles were, and what tensions were slowly brewing... and the fact that at any point you can jump in, hear a conversation between characters, and pick up on the story without making a bunch of assumptions or asking for context, seems like great writing in my book. The second one I caught was the flashback of of how one of the older chefs from the original beef joint got her job there, and it was like a freaking novella. I think I gotta go back and watch the whole thing just because of that.
Interesting observations. And yes, absolutely, go back and watch the whole thing. It's interesting how things that happened in her episode help explain things she does in season 1.
And if you liked HER episode....wait to you see Marcus' episode, Richie's episode and the flashback Christmas episode from season 2.
yeah Tina's episode was the best one of season 3 imo
@@chrisdelisle3954the Christmas episode was cathartic, (minor spoilers))))
my mom didn’t do the car bit nor addiction, but so many minor moments were so on point even with Odenkirk, I want to just watch it for Christmas this year with my family lol
I enjoyed this season a lot, and thought it was great in a lot of ways, but it definitely feels like it's just the front half of something. As much as I liked it, I can't help but think that season 4 will retroactively make season 3 great or bad in the popular consciousness. I loved some of the more contentious things (e.g. the first episode being 99% montage set to a Nine Inch Nails instrumental), but also felt some of the major complaints to my bones (e.g. The Faks really needed to be dialed back in my opinion. Frequently it didn't work for me; it didn't feel like comic relief, but just a complete tonal clash. The times it would work at first, it still would greatly overstay its welcome). All-in-all, I'm excited for season 4, because it feels like it'll really just be Season 3 B, a 20 episode season.
The whole slate article reads to me as someone reveling in getting to call a thing people like “not good any more”… almost exactly like how similar reviewers treat restaurants.
Actually exactly how food critics and bloggers treat restaurants. The only entry more exciting to write than “I found this awesome new place nobody has heard of” is “this place used to be good and now sucks.”
There’s no money in “yeah it’s still pretty decent”. It’s either “new and hip” or “old and shit”.
Anton Ego in Ratatouille basically encapsulates that idea of there being enjoyment in tearing something down from on high.
"We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read."
I feel like people don't like when shows slow down for a season and just let the characters exist in there world, which i find odd because those little moments are what make the bigger ones feel so special, I personally love that stuff but I guess people don't want the leisurely drive that enjoys the scenery, they just want the race.
Less is more.
I love moments like that, but a season of minimal character progression feels especially dull when they seem to want to give the Faks so much screen time. I think the first episode of the season is “letting the characters exist” done to absolute perfection. But giving us two episodes with meaningful character arcs and insights only to spend entire episodes with John Cena and all the characters in the same spot feels like the show wants to do both. By committing to neither it feels half baked either way you slice it.
@@davismorgan99 I can see that, personally it just doesn't bother me, I just like these characters existing in this space, if I ever re-watch I know that those episodes will be the ones I'll come back to, but everyone has different viewing tastes I guess.
i loved a lot of this season, but by the end i felt like a few threads were kinda lost, and though individually the episodes were great, i was a bit disappointed on the end
It's been two seasons of nothing much happening. They could replace almost the whole cast and it wouldn't matter.
So this is something I experienced while watching the show. I have not finished it yet because my Hulu is the base package so I get ads. The amount of ads that Hulu has now is insane! It’s impossible to want to watch something when every 5 minutes there’s yet another ad. I know their goal is to make me pay more, but it just makes me want to cancel my subscription. So if the goal is to make me watch the show, all the ads aren’t helping them. I remember nothing of the three episodes I watched. And it makes me want to not watch the rest because I know the ads will drive me crazy. Subscription companies need to realize their behaviors are going to backfire.
This whole season was a setup for the 4th season - putting things in place, while also indulging in artistry in direction and cinematography much like high end dining. Seasons 1 and 2 were more like the Italian Beef Sandwich.
I think a lot of the negative perception of this season comes down to the binge watching landscape that we've grown accustumed to lately. There was a time when shows used to have 24 episodes per season, a one hour-long episode each week, and a lot of those shows barely progressed the overall story each season, if at all. And people didn't complain about it the way you would've expected. Now we get seasons that are not only half as short, but that are often released with every episode at once. Episodes that don't even have ads or commercial breaks. Viewers have become conditioned into having less patience. People now want the appetizers, the main course and the dessert all at once, but even worse than that, they don't savour anything. There was a lot of value in enjoying a show week to week, because even when there was an episode that you thought was slow, you were still forced to sit on it, and think about how maybe there was more to it than you first thought. Now people would instead just move on to the next episode. I'm sure the streaming services also want people to move on to something else, and continue watching and consuming. This is really a bigger problem for seasons that don't have a lot of payoff, like season 3 of The Bear. And I think it's fair to want payoff in a full season, a movie, and even a single episode. But some people have been conditioned to only want payoff.
i do agree with you but wouldn't that be the result of the networks creating these shows? and the downfall of cable tv because of people choosing to pay for streaming platforms (mainly netflix) which advertised themselves as a mega library of movies and tv where you could watch anything anytime and without ads
@@astromo17 I think most of the shows and movies that are made for streaming are designed to fit into that short attention model. They wanna grab your attention as quick as possible, and then try to keep it as long as they can without letting go by having slower episodes or seasons. Shows like season 3 of The Bear are the exception, and they get a mixed reception because a lot of people don't have the patience for them anymore.
what u said, all well and good, but you still have to explain why season 2 was received so much better then season 3 despite everything you mention also applies to people who watched season 2 when it came out one and a half years ago.
@@RoderickThe13 The Bear didn't start as a "hangout movie" with slow plot progression. It only apparently became that in season 3. Therein lies the problem.
@@TheHidalgo99 Season 3 focused more on character development than what you call plot progression. When a show is slow, in my opinion that's based on how much time passes between set-up and payoff for each storyline. The show this season didn't have the payoff that it promised based on the finale of season 2 and the premiere of season 3. For comparison, season 1 is about introducing the characters, and Carmy dealing with Michael's death and what the restaurant should mean to him. Both those things are dealt on the season 1 finale when he reads the letter. Season 2 is about preparing for the restaurant to open. That also happens by the end of the season. Season 3 by comparison was set-up to be about Carmy confronting his feelings for Claire, Ritchie and Carmy dealing with their own relationship, and Sidney deciding on her future with regards to the restaurant. None of those things happened this season, which is why I think people feel underwhelmed with this season despite the writing and the acting being just as good. I just compare this to when shows back in the day also didn't have immediate payoff each season, and that wasn't automatically bashed by critics and audiences, which leads me to think that people have been conditioned into needing that payoff as soon as possible.
For me, each season has had such a different feel. To me it seems that seasons 3 and 4 are more meant to be one instalment (especially as they filmed them back to back), and that (if season 4 delivers) we will look back on this season as a nice exploration of the themes in preparation of their conclusion, like watching the chefs prep the food before we’re served it. Can’t wait to see what they do next!
There is NO sane world in which we can categorize The Bear as bad. That's simply idiocy and that article is trying to masquerade as thoughtful critique when it's just trying to criticize the show for clicks.
The season was about adding depth and context to the world of The Bear. The fact the season opens with a lot of scenes that fill the gaps from earlier points in the timeline of the show should be a telltale sign.
"Set up" seasons from great are always maligned when they air, because a lot of the audience don't think that giving characters time to breathe and showing us more of their layers is good storytelling.
Narratives can have all kinds of structures, yet people think that TV can only have the same formulaic upward trends of character development or neat answers to questions raised on its own seasons. They forgot that the Bear S04 is part of a whole story, not a self-contained narrative that keeps recycling every season (like a lot of TV shows end up doing and get stale after a few seasons).
The show is a character-driven story and people are criticizing it by telling a character-driven narrative.
i mostly enjoyed the season yet i can definitely say it left me wanting more. the artistic flair it went for is entertaining in its own right, and i enjoy its slow linger on thematic elements and tone over tying up plot-lines, but it felt as if it did so to stall for time at expense of narrative progression. the show didn't need to magically resolve every plot thread but it could have stood to move things forward at least a little bit to justify how much emphasis was getting put on stylizing and meditating within its world. at the very least, if it wanted to shift focus that way and not go the 'obvious' storytelling route of tying up its loose ends, it could have at least presented its comedy better. the show is a dramedy, where the chaos and discomfort of everything said and done is not just something serious but something hilarious, like laughing through an uncomfortable situation, laughing through the pain. season 3 barely let itself do that and, worst of all, felt like it was relying on the fak family to rosencrantz and guildenstern every episode out of non-stop gloom. their role in the season, to me, was emblematic of the show kind of over-relying on the viewers' love of this world and knowledge of its characters/language to fill in blanks that the writing itself wasn't giving. but i understand that sort of opens a can of worms of "how much does the art OWE its audience?" or "how much does the audience OWE the art?" so i won't go much further. i'm going into next season with an open mind and assume theyre gonna take the criticisms to heart and make some wise adjustments
Sounds like its a pacing problem like with the new season of True Detective
Season Three is a step down from the wall-to-wall excellence of Season Two, but it's still in the higher echelon of TV this year. "Tomorrow," "Napkins," and "Ice Chips" were all great, but perhaps what throws the audience off with this season is that it doesn't have a sense of internal resolution. Season 1 & 2 aren't the whole of the story, but the seasons themselves manage to resolve character arcs and throughline narratives. So to suddenly receive a season that feels half-baked on a character arc level feels incongruous with what came before. And sure, multi-season plotlines are not a new concept, but it hasn't been done thus far in The Bear, and it leaves the season feeling...incomplete.
Me and wife were in awe of season 3. None of our friends liked it and it broke our hearts. It felt really cathartic for us which maybe says more about our situation but we still rarely have seen something shot like this show.
I truly don’t understand the actual hatred and vitriol I have seen for Season 3. I agree with the sentiment that it left some stuff unfulfilled and felt more like set up for the next season, but it wasn’t BAD. It wasn’t nothing (compared to some other shows that have released recently). But people are acting like this season killed their dog and fed the corpse to them.
You don't need an "elaborate model" to explain the problems with Season 3. The creator, Christopher Storer, said from the beginning he envisioned this show playing out as a 3 Act structure. Season 3 was supposed to be the final season, but FX offered a lot of money for a 4th Season. So, Season 3 pt. 1 had to get stretched by exploring characters, especially side characters, in order to slow down wrapping up a lot of the series' arcs, that otherwise all would have been concluded in a very punch-y fulfilling way. The intended 3 Act/Season structure is why each season starts with "The Bear Part 1" and "The Bear Part 2" etc and why Season 3 is the only season that ends with "To Be Continued." The Bear "Season 4" will actually be The Bear "Season 3 pt. 2" which is also why both of the final seasons were filmed at once. That's it. It's that simple.
I liked your analysis, especially about the spacing, but I feel like it's missing one big aspect of the evolution of the bear: how concentrated it is on its main character.
Season 1 was centred around Carmy. Which made a lot of sense because he was both the subject and our entry to the subject aka The Beef
But season 2 used the scraps about the other characters and made The Bear a series about an ensemble of characters that work in the same kitchen. Syd got her episode. Marcus got his episode. Richie got his episode. They became main characters and arguably just as important as Carmy. Seven Fishes wasn't just a backstory episode for Carmy, it was also a deeper dive into Richie and Nat's past. And in my personal opinion, the show became even more interesting that way, because the bouquet of main characters allows for an exploration of different personalities and backstories, and more importantly how they clash and resolve themselves. Even in season 1, the relationship between Syd and Tina was an arc in itself, and it had nothing to do with Carmy.
So I'm not mad that Carmy stayed in the same place during this season. I'm mad that we stayed focused on him during this time. And I think this is a feeling quite shared because I've seen a lot of people agreeing on "Napkins" being the best episode. And it's all about Tina and the history of the restaurant.
Maybe we just don't need yet another story about a tortured artist that becomes toxic himself. Maybe what makes The Bear is not Carmy, but the claustrophobic yet loving community (the restaurant) it portrays. After all, it's called "The Bear", not "Carmen".
I found it to be a lot slower, but I didn't think it was worse. There are a lot of really great moments.
Something great can only be great for so long before it is only good, at which poiont, it looks bad. And is considered as such.
Look I just missed the class commentary. Now is about the dreams and like cute but what i loved at the beginning was the class struggle so something is missing for me.
I actually enjoyed tomorrow very much as the opener for season 3 - it was a fantastic episode that explores what Carmy is. My main beef with season 3 was its inconsistency - it had some fantastic episodes but it felt like they werent sure which direction to go in and then we had that cliffhanger ending with no resolution to any of the plot strings they had been dangling.
I'm waiting to hear what people think about season four. Right now, the consensus seems to be that the Bear is almost saying something profound but can't seem to figure put what thing it's trying to say. Once it says what it's trying to say I'll see what I think about it. Honestly, though, I doubt the showrunners have the guts to let the story say what season 1 set it up to say but we'll see.
I'm finding it VERY hard to get into this season - I'm stuck a few episodes in and dreading having to keep going. The HIDEOUS pauses in action for ad breaks and the grossly edited little cutaways to pad them have thrown me very hard. It feels like a writers strike season - less character influence on choices and more decisions driven by what the plot needs, less interesting scripting, more standard tv pacing and episodic crap. It feels like a show which moved to a commercial, broadcast, advertiser first platform which, as a streamer, is baffling to me. The first couple seasons felt gritty and exciting and tense and fresh. Now I feel a buildup to a mini-climax three times an episode, and instead of feeling the tension build alongside it my gut just tenses waiting for the inevitable cut to black and 3 second montage for an ad break that doesn't exist.
The fak scenes need to be cut
It’s me, the one Bowie fan who made it here to cackle at your Lodger joke. Great analogy, too, I appreciate this nuanced take on Bear s3.
I found this season frustrating but not for the reasons I see most people complain about.
I’ve worked in and around kitchens and the realistic way they’re portrayed has always been a draw of the show. I genuinely enjoyed listening to the chefs in the season finale talk about their work history and what motivates/ inspires them.
People just want drama I swear. People want Carmy and Sidney to be in a relationship 🤦♀️ despite the fact that they have no romantic chemistry but they do generally have a great professional relationship. I want people of opposite sexes to be able to be platonic.
I thought the Faks were genuinely funny. This season had a lot of drawn out tension our just extended moody scenes and I liked the levity they brought. I know comedy is subjective, but I wasn’t bothered by it.
So many people loved the ice chips episode, but it made my skin crawl. It was well acted to be sure, but I’ve dealt with narcissistic people in my life and it was just too close to reality there. I would have loved a breather from just sitting in the room with Sugar and DD.
I definitely want resolution and am impatient for the next season, but I also don’t think it was a total miss of a season.
I had to watch Ice Chips in 5 separate sessions. It was the most painful thing I've seen in a long time. DD definitely doesn't have NPD, but the narcissistic traits are there all the same.
I think Ice Chips handled it well because Sugar didn't end up forgiving her mother or even accepting her into her life. She was just there for that one moment and there's no guarantee that she will be allowed back into her life full-time.
@@lyricbot8513 I think narratively it’s fine. It was just a really hard watch for me. I’ve seen a lot of praise for the episode and I think it was acted/ executed well but I still struggled to get through it. I suppose that was the point, but I would have still loved to have a nurse come in and coach or support Sugar or tell DD to leave the room or something. I mean she asked for the damn lights to be dimmed at the very beginning and nobody ever did it. I’ve had multiple children so I’m looking at it from a lived experience that not everyone has, but the second DD starting laughing about her butt during the contraction I was internally begging Sugar to have her removed from the room. Or just something other than intense close ups of them talking. I don’t know, I’m not a filmmaker, I just didn’t seem to enjoy it the way everyone else has.
@@sarahwickersham It felt pretty spot-on to me- I have a similar relationship with my mother. The constant tension between walking on eggshells and trying to be honest with someone with borderline behaviors. Hard to watch for sure though.
I liked the Faks at the start, but the jokes they had got old really fast. All the moments of them js shouting the same words at each other, got really annoying towards the middle of the season. They were funny, but annoying.
I used to care a lot about writing in movies and television, an original story was something I used to consider essential to a compelling experience. As I've gotten older my tastes have changed drastically, I still think there's an inherent value to a good plot, but I try to consider all aspects when judging a piece of visual media. Factors like performances, cinematography, editing, tone, all of these play a crucial role, if you haven't got a grasp of the basics then story is irrelevant. Media literacy is on the decline in recent years and with that there are more and more people insisting that every piece of media conform to a very rigid structure, in that landscape it's hard for a show like The Bear that doesn't rely on huge stakes and over-the-top dramatic plot twists to appeal to mainstream audiences. It doesn't help that it's one of the most highly-regarded shows out right now (almost certainly a chunk of the negative reviews are from people who only began watching the show after it became popular), it means that now they're not just trying to satisfy their own audience, they've got to deal with all the normies who just showed up halfway through the party and are complaining that there aren't enough snacks.
Well, I just want to understand how we went from "the struggle of the working class and the valorization of small businesses" in the first season to "gentrification is ok if you're following your dream" in the third one.
Where did you get the message that 'gentrification is ok'?? Furthermore why are you romanticizing the idea that Struggling as a working class citizen is maybe better??
S3 does nothing but consistently show how the restaurant is negatively affecting some characters despite the success, with the nail in the coffin being that the Copenhagen restaurant literally closes down becos the owner isnt satisfied with her life despite the success, and Carmy's whole arc is about how that same success he's pursuing isn't worth what hes losing out on in life
The show doesnt explicitly touch on gentrification as a topic but there's a clear display of the positives and negatives of it, for you to walk away from it saying the show is saying 'Gentrification itself is good' literally feels like you weren't paying attention to the show and the main charactwr specifically
Something that I've seen come up more and more in conversations these days is the reality of how detrimental the status of 'Gifted Child' truly is for those it's inflicted on. So many people who grew up as 'gifted kids', myself included, had severe problems either caused or worsened by that supposed gifted status. It took me until I was in my mid-20s to ask my doctor about my potentially having ADHD despite having friends for years upon years tell me I showed so many signs of it, and what do you know, after doing some testing my doctor emphatically agreed. But I didn't take it seriously, because despite consciously knowing that being successful in school doesn't make you immune to learning disorders, that I had legit trauma from my childhood in direct connection to being labeled a gifted kid, that I wasn't any of the terrible things my parents repeatedly accused me of being, deep down I'd had it drilled into me that all of my symptoms of ADHD and Depression were actually because I was an inherently lazy and selfish person.
I despise that notion that people who are greatly successful are fucked up people because you have to be to become that successful. Even if it were true (and it's not), that sort of framing just sets the stage for apathy, for saying "that's just how it is" instead of actually trying to do something about it. Not every successful but garbage individual has some sort of terrible trauma in their past, but many do, and it should be addressed as it should be with anyone, no matter how successful they are.
The Bear is not a cooking show. I love cooking shows, but I love existential shows even more. Season 3 cements The Bear as an existential show, a show that depicts the human experience. To me, that depth, that care, that subtlety in the intense and over the top, makes this a great show within a beautiful cooking frame. I wouldnt say it's the best thing ever for everyone because not everyone enjoys observing and experiencing humanity like I do. The actors did a great job, the runners did a great job, the writers did a great job. Whether you like it or not, you cant deny that it's good TV... at least so far
The people who think this season is objectively bad typically want to be serviced by the show. They want satisfying conclusions: for Carmy and Claire to get back together. For the restaurant to get a good review so magically succeed. For Sydney to sign the partnership agreement. For Carmy to find the love/family vibe for the kitchen and end the chaos. There is a sense that all of these things will eventually happen. Just not this season, like how it does in every other sitcom. The critiques like this seem as shallow as they make out the lack of narrative progression seem.
It is a bit of a let down that we ultimately get the feeling we know how all of these things will end up and it's like we're left dangling for inevitable conclusions. I do hope that we can be surprised in how some of these narrative threads can be resolved. As in season 1. The bear does have a way of foreshadowing the resolution (for those paying attention to the details). But this season it seems it will be hard to challenge us with how these threads will end. So atm, I'm not anticipating next season as much. Perhaps we may be surprised though. So I do see this season as very much a two parter.
I think the main weakness of this season is the reliance on characters telling stories. It's not good story telling to see an actor give a monologue about a story that we could just be shown in flashback, or better yet, give you an insight to a character that can be played out via the narrative. I know some people loved the little chefs sharing their stories in the funeral service. But I felt it was a waste of time.
No one wants Carmy and Claire together.
I felt very similar to you, this season would be right up there with the first two if it didn't cut away from what it was building up to so abruptly. Thinking about why some people might hold the first season up to a different standard may have some validity even though I don't agree its meaningfully better than the other two. The first season (the way I think about it) sort of sets itself apart somehow in a "pre/post The Beef" kind of way. The dynamics, the stakes, the end goals, they sort of shift gears as they try to get that star. The show changed as the restaurant did, and I can see if that change was too much for some people.
Thank God that Slate writer isn't writing the show. I don't want a show to excuse shit behaviour because a persons genius is worth it. Being fucked up does come from trauma. You don't have to be fucked up to be a genius.
I'm in the third camp, hadn't heard of it until this video
It's low-key impressive to be that out of the loop
Oof... It's not impressive that you think that in today's world a television show has something to do with being in or out of the loop @TheRockerX .
You might want to get off screen for a bit.
I think this season is gonna be viewed a lot more charitably by the series' end, once the entire narrative plays out. But as a single season of TV I'm not sure it works all that well
"A bad season of great TV" That's exactly how I felt. I really like a lot of the elements and the way that they express things to the audience, but I found a lot of those same things to get increasingly tedious as the show went on and nothing was resolved. I think the show runners are very good at compelling, thoughtful, creative ways to tell the story, but this season felt like there just wasn't a story to be told and it felt really hollow to me. By the 15th scene of the Fak brothers saying incomprehensible gibberish about hauntings for 6 minutes straight I was just kind of checked out.
I have watched a single episode of The Bear. "Tomorrow", the first episode of this season. It was legitimately an enjoyable experience. When the next episode started, I felt like the story was complete and the show had moved on to a completely different setting, so I walked off, leaving my family to watch without me.
I can tell you it was well made and enjoyable. It felt like a short film trying to explore how to convey emotion through everything that isn't dialog. For as much "film school pompousness" you could accuse it of having, it performed excellently as a film. As a work on its own, it was excellent.
Can't say any of the other episodes were good or bad, but that one was *very* good and creative.
I read in an artical that they decided to end the series with season 3 having 12 to 15 episodes. But after the shoot began the episodes came out longer than they expected (each is 1 hour ). So, made a decision to split the story into two seasons. And also, they already shot almost half of season 4. Season 4 may come by the end of this year.
I don’t even think I want to hear you out on this one pog. I love the bear
me too 😎
@@PillarofGarbagejust watched it the title had me scared. You made some great points I definitely agree that’s this season good have been better but that’s not a reflection of the whole show
Season 3 of The Bear felt an amuse bouche in between courses.
Season 3 seems a bit SPREAD THINNNNNNNN. Seems like the creator wanted to wrap things up in 3 seasons and FX begged for a fourth. So stretch out the arc in Season 3 and end with a suspenseful what was the review?
This season feels like a tension tighten for some cathartic finish in season 4. Building Ritchie's relationships in the industry outside of The Bear, watching Syd and Carmy become slowly at odds. I think this is building the parts for the engine of the bigger tension of how does Carmy resolve his inner turmoil and how do these effect everything now.
Even if it's bad, I'd rather watch it over The Man
I didn't enjoy season 3 but it wasn't horrible.
One thing I've noticed in my viewing habits in the streaming era, where one can binge an entire season in a week or two, is that my critical thought about a show takes a little time to catch up. In the past we would have a week to ruminate about the last episode and let it sink in. Now, if a show starts off with a couple of good seasons, it takes me more episodes to realize the show might be waning, since that time between episodes to reflect tends to be shorter.
This is kind of how this season of The Bear was for me. I still enjoyed the season, but the flaws haven't necessarily jumped out at me without talking about it with friends and family. Now that some time has passed since I watched Season 3, a lot of those criticisms have been able to congeal.
I have not yet watched season three, but I will comment on the idea of accepting Slate as an arbiter of culture.
Slate has always been a hacktacular nest of smarter-than-you contrarians. Sometimes they are correct, but this is because sometimes things suck, not because they are perceptive critical geniuses but rather because if you keep pointing at things and saying 'nu uh' , you will be right once in a while.
Slate might be right this time, but anyone who makes a decision about whether or not to watch something based on what Slate thought about it is trusting the wrong people. In fact, I am not gonna read their article because it's a mistake to allow something like Slate to influence your own POV, to set up their biases in your head.
Don't let Slate ruin The Bear for you. The Bear, by being spectacularly good, has earned the right to be ruined or not on the show's own merits. Don't let a clickbait hungry 'media corp' that is so famous for their bad takes that 'slate pitch' is industry slang for a terrible idea influence your tastes.
I HAAAATE when show runners decide to write and film two seasons back to back. The first one will always only be a setup for the second one. That doesn't necessarily make that first season bad, but it does make it severely frustrating. And if it was bad or not, can really only be judged after the second one aired.
So do I think season 3 was bad? I don''t know! Ask me next year. Might be all great setups. Might all be garbage that goes nowhere. Who know? Ya can't!
I honestly could see this season being looked at as one of the best seasons when the show concludes. I feel like this season has a lot of major character moments that in isolation don't amount to much and don't have resolution this season, but could have huge implications going forward. This season is ambitious and moving, something that I think will be appreciated more overtime, that is if the future of this show sticks the landing. But I have faith that it will.
i'm firmly sitting at the "wtf is 'the bear'?" camp
I thought this was a review of Shameless. You should probably look into that show.
1:00 in, ok time to vote. I liked the season a whole, whole lot.
I enjoyed it, and the to be continued at the end lets me know we’ve really only seen the first half of the story they wanted to tell in a season
It's good, telling a story in a different way than most people are craving. Still uber interesting the way its explores complex knots of emotion
I thought it felt like half... or at best 2 thirds of a season
I haven't seen the Bear but that fact that there is a divide between the critics and audience on RT is always a red flag. If The Bear was a movie, the audience rating would have more credibility, but it isn't. Which makes me believe that season three of The Bear probably isn't a bad season not even a bad season of good television.
I'm not overly convinced with the audience reviews being more accurate, RT is so prone to being review bombed
James Gray recently said “If you’re getting a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, you’re doing something wrong.” I don’t fully agree with that but I think he’s on to something. Nowadays it feels a bit easy to get something in the 90’s as a score, maybe cause the bar is so low. Filmmakers should not be afraid to risk confusing, alienating or angering their audiences. And audiences likewise should risk being confused or alienated once in a while and then interrogate WHY they might be feeling that way, it can often be the most rewarding experience. I don’t think this season totally worked, I would have liked more plot or character development, but I’m glad Storer took this risk at the height of his own show’s popularity. One thing The Bear has always been committed to is making you FEEL what the characters are feeling, no matter if it’s stress, joy or even boredom.
I really can't get a full consensus of what to say about this season but one thing I can say is that developing the third and fourth season at the same time was a total mistake.
Strongest disagree possible
@@CeraSeptem 👍🔥
Strongest agree possible
@@TheRockerX 👍🔥
Yes. Actually, only watched 3 episodes and I am so bored.
I loved this season but was upset that it didn't have more episodes but that's mainly because I think it's so fantastic. While I did wish there was a bit more resolution in the built up plot threads I really loved Carmie's interaction with the chef that had been haunting him all series. It felt like her finally realized how he had become someone he hated and I'm excited to see how that revelation changes him and the restaurant in season 4.
That's a human man
Love the show but season 3 was hard work!
Season 1 built anxiety but then relieved it with the final episode.
Season 2&3 for the most part have piled on the ‘all too real’ anxiety, with very little happiness…
This is why I had to stop watching season 3. I just got way too stressed out and frustrated with how the characters were spiraling. And feeling very little relief
I'm really glad you said right off the bat that Ice Chips and Napkins were on the same level. I see both perspectives too, but my two favorite episodes were these by far, and they were the only ones that really stayed with me and reminded me of why I loved the first two seasons.
I don't mind the lack of resolution as much as others, but I do think this season relied too much on montages, flashbacks, telling instead of showing, and the Fak brothers.
Is it as good as previous 2 season heck jo but is it bad not even close, I loved Ice chips Jamie lee Curtis showing off her chops and it's just them in a room talking but it's still an amazing episode showing what can tie you together as a family. I'd say that season 3 focuses a lot on Psychology of the characters. Camy dealing with the anxiety confronting he's biggest trauma and slowly getting past it, but it's much more slower with a lot more " filler" a term i'm not a big fan of. Not every episode in a series needs to push the story further some can be used to expand on aspects of characters and just take their time with it. It's a lot slower and it feels like its treading water for a bit. It feels like a setup season for the bigger plot lines for the next season
Any statement that starts “I think we can all agree that a lot of great artists are assholes” will quickly and relentlessly burrow itself into needing to fuck all the way off.
It's half a season of tv that was turned into a whole season of tv
I think The Bear is dangerously close to "American horror Story-ing" itself. All sizzle no steak.
No. No it’s not bad now. It’s a great show. It’s different, but it’s not ”bad”. I get what you’re saying and sure, there are a few things that were left hanging, but BAD; no.
Tbh I don't trust anyone who did not like nor understand Tomorrow with a TV show review.
What about the third side-can’t watch because of the point of view? I can’t handle watching it, the kitchen scenes give me anxiety. It sucks because I like the writing and the actors, just not fun to have anxiety when I’m trying to enjoy myself. 😭
I feel like season 3 was a bridge from season 2 to season 4. And I cant help thinking season 4 will be either really sad ( carmy will earn a star. Yet cant get over his history and his break-up and Everybody leaves the toxic environment.) or will be genius. (Carmy gets over his breakup and flips his restaurant into a sandwich shop once again being happy and the staff decide to stay because of the happy environment)
I came to a similar impasse... I enjoyed moments and themes and the visceral energy and atmosphere, but felt slightly underwhelmed, come the season finale.
Even the best TV, The Wire had a season that didn't quite fulfill its promise (season 5).
As a longtime arthouse film enjoyer, I have the following to say. Arthouse movies are always polarizing and the people who dislike them alway have the same criticisms. It's too slow, it's like watching paint dry, it has no story/plot, it's pretentious etc..
To me the polarization is because there are two kinds of people who watch movies/series. People who just watch for escapism and those who want to explore other people's experiences. The former wants stuff to happen and the latter wants to find meaning in the mundane.
For me season 3 is possibly the best season yet. There is so much meaning in everything that happens, the episodes feel like they're 10 mins long, I laugh hard, I am moved and I wouldn't change anything about it.
You may dislike this season for legitimate reasons. But that doesn't mean that it isn't a masterpiece, it just means that it isn't for you. And that's okay.
If you changed this season to be more about story/plot, you would most likely need to compromise on things I love about it and I would like it less. It wouldn't be better, it wouldn't be worse, it would simply be different.
They're really stretching believability with how long they haven't been able to get that bear out of the kitchen. Just because the show hinges on his presence, doesn't mean we'll go along with it forever.
Is the first episode of this season good television? I would most definitely, because it does some of the most important things a first episode of a new season can: it shows results of the previous season and gives a view of what this current season has in store.
I watched Season 1 and didn't much care for it, so I guess both halves disagree with me.
I had a problem with how pretentious and self serving some of the scenes were. The magic/filmaking montage scene that “inspired” Marcus to make better desserts and the 15 minutes of people talking about what food means to them at the funeral dinner. Also I didn’t really buy into Sydney wanting to leave again. It’s rehashed from season 1 and felt boring.
I just think it sunk under it's own self importance. That scene where the chefs talk about how they change the world really made me cringe.
Hopefully season 4 is karmy realizing chasing that michelin star isn't all that it's cracked up to be, and goes back to the restaurant's roots, as serving a cheap, hearty sandwich to mostly working class people.
I think that the failure to resolve major plots in this season using a cliffhanger was upsetting. Part of what worked for me personally was the tension and then the release of that tension making it worth it, so not having the plot threads resolved was upsetting. It wasn’t bad by any means, just… it’s complicated for me. It stressed me out a lot and then didn’t resolve.
Enjoyable exploration. Thank you
i don't think that this season of the bear was necessarily bad, but it did heavily focus on being a character-driven narrative where the previous seasons balanced character and situation pretty evenly. to me, that was something the first few seasons had that were really special: character informs situation, and situation causes character to react, and it happens in a constant ouroboros-like feedback loop that explains why the characters aren't really able to grow until they experience a new situation. season 3 is very much a character drama, which is fine, but not nearly as interesting as the previous. it certainly feels like a set-up season for a bombastic s4.
This season felt like it was affected by the writers strike and the episodes where there's cinematic shots of a city for what seemed like half the episode speak to that.
My impression of the 3 Season is that they wanted to tell a little bit different than 1 and 2 . So it felt for me while watching because this time i had moments i related with i didnt expect and where i did expect to def. relate it wasnt that big. But the more ep. i watched i understand for me what the show wanted to give me.
The ep. "Ice Chips" ..OMG ! again for me! it was everything because i have mostly the same issues with my mother, and i love her really much ...but^^....and espacially in the play of J.L.Curtis and all the others i cried my heart out.
So i think The Bear is a serie which becomes more personal wether you have the feeling its good or bad. =) ....thankfully i have so so many moments i can relate and enjoy and i hope in the next season there will be a little more payoffs in some characters.
p.s sorry for mistakes i come from germany =)
Maybe I'm looking into it to much but this season is kinda supposed to make you feel left hanging like something is missing because thats how the characters feel. All of season two was the excitment and build up to the restaurant and what they wanted it to be. And now they got what they wanted, the restaurant is open and its pushing them to their limits but none of them seem happy or satisfied. I think the final chat with Carmey and Chef Terry is a great example of what everyone has been feeling. They opened the restaurant but the goal post is always moving. How do you stay motivated when you've gotten to where you wanted to be. Sometimes the outcoming is not what you thought it would be and just like the characters we feel as if there should have been more pay off and I think this season capitalizes on that
What if the lack of satisfying "meat" to the season is a reflection of carmy's dishes in the bear? Its an interesting metaphorical move but that would make it make sense why it feels like the only things that happened were set ups for a hopefully more substantial season 4
i have no idea what "the bear" is, i thought the video was about bears...
like the animal
I'm in the "I have literally never heard of 'The Bear'" camp, I'm just here to watch the discourse