Exactly how I feel. This season was 80% fluff and 20% storytelling. A lot of “fuck you, fuck you”. And totally agree about the characters speaking. Everyone is snarky and def felt like everyone was the same person. Had that exact same thought while watching. Had to fast forward through a lot of the montages.
Ten episodes go by and I feel like only five have passed, and I don't say this positively. The Faks had more screentime than Carmy and Syd and Richie had together lmfao. The first three episodes should've been one. Episodes 5 and 7 also should've been one
I feel like this is fair, although it is key to remember this season is likely split into two. Although season 4 is gonna be season 4 it'll feel like the finale to this season. We don't get a definitive direction and that's where I feel like they've gone wrong
I still liked season 3 a lot but I find it hard to disagree with you. Way too much Faks....like I verbally got pissed off watching it stone point. Was this a writers strike issue I wonder
@@cooliostarstache5474 the first episode gives context to the entire season, it needed to be a stand alone episode. To say it should be a small scene is dumb
I feel like they were trying to proof that it is a comedy show so hard with all the faks showing up all the time. The characters were also really out of character, I could never imagine Syd being silent and accepting everything Carmy was doing. We didn’t get to see Carmy even texting Sugar about the baby. Tina’s episode was the best of for me.
I feel the same way!!! It was crazy to me how Syd was keeping her honest thoughts to herself and everyone else seemed to suffer in silence…almost like they were afraid of Carmy. Especially Tina, her scared/nervous reaction to Carmy yelling at her seemed so unlike her to let him rattle her like that. The joy of watching the first 2 seasons was seeing the characters progression with themselves and each other. This season fell flat on that. It is like they were stuck in the same place and/or in the past.
sydeny is someone who would ALWAYS pushback against carm, and now that she is being considered on almost equal footing as him, now she wuiet and holding it in? the character we spent two seasons with and could read the mind of became some mystery by the last episode
I feel like they were trying to appease certain audiences when the main reason they became popular is because of the audiences that loved season 1 and 2. This season did feel like someone else wrote it and was trying too hard to seem "artsy" Also its very weird how these characters who had no problem calling each other out, just went along with all the "non-negotiables" Carmy had, that they clearly had a problem with?
The weirdest thing is that it's still Christopher Storer at the helm, the same guy who's been creating and running it since day 1. If anything, I felt like he was MORE involved this season (felt like his name came off more frequently as both director and writer than in other seasons, but that could just be me). So it's weird that it seems to have lost a lot of what distinguished it before.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way about the new season. I’m a huge fan of the first two seasons and in comparison, this season seemed complacent and disappointing. Way too many montages and flashbacks. It feels like there was no progress. Carmy gets deeper in his head and Sydney stays silent on matters which is crazy since she normally is the one who calls Carmy out on his messy behavior. To me, that’s where their chemistry begins, when they BOTH communicate with each other as they understand each other a great deal. Too many scenes of those annoying Fak brothers and John Cena’s appearance seemed out of place. It was great seeing Luca a lot more though.
Agreed, annoying as fuck. Front of house is also about presentation. It makes zero sense that Carmy given he is so anal and obsessive about the appearance of the restaurant, yet at the same time be seemingly happy to have Neil (Matty Matheson) with his greasy rat tail, tattoos and impending diabetes be one of the servitors representing his brand. I get it that as a producer Matheson wants a role, but it would make more sense for him to play a role in the kitchen where his appearance would sit better.
Absolutely right! This season felt hyper-focused on details, both in the culinary scenes and the dialogues, which I appreciated. However, the surrounding scenes felt empty and dull, lacking the usual playfulness and banter between characters. The Bear thrives on its ensemble cast, but this season missed the mark on that dynamic. We got too much focus on Claire and repetitive humor from Faks, with no real progress in resolving storylines. It felt like the characters development from Season 2 was forgotten, leaving me with a sense of disappointment. I’m clinging to hope for a part 2 of Season 3 because that “To Be Continued” is driving me insane.
YESSSS!!!! I got the same vibes with the cheap “To be continued” at the end. Does that mean we’re getting a part 2 of season 3? If so, it is sorely needed. To end on that note of a cliffhanger and think that we’d have to wait a WHOLE YEAR to see what happened is psycho.
I really wanted to love season 3, but man it really was a letdown. I remember liking the first episode, but then after that, wanted the story to move forward and get some resolutions. If the writers wanted more backstory, they should have done that all in one or two episodes max.
The ending pissed me off a bit but I did love the first episode. Just wish the plot wasn't left behind so much. The show is at its best when the team bands together. Instead we saw it drift apart in super slow motion.
You nailed it!!! Couldn’t imagine a better 9 min summation. I also agree with comments around “too much Faks”. Characters like that are only charming in small doses.
This season actually had me question whether or not this series wants to be plot based? Or are they making another attempt to test the boundaries of conventional television? Does it matter if they get a Michelin Star? Do we care if Carmine and Claire never talk?again? Isn’t it a good thing if Sydney works in a less chaotic environment with a partner that respects and wants her input? Or is it about being fully present in purposeful moments?
I felt this too and thought that was the point over "oh, we need to pay this thing off right away." The show is so unpredictable, I feel like there was a handful of things in season 1 that were left ambiguous til 2 and 3.
An episode dedicated to Tina was hardly pushing any boundaries - middle aged woman without a degree struggles to,find a job ina youth oriented market. Wow - stale as year old bread
This was a great breakdown! You hit all the points I've been talking about. The only one I still need to get some validation on is the fact that I felt like the character arcs were on hyper speed! Like I get it, it's television but it felt so rushed and like they wanted everyone to have epiphany's outta desperation - which it does come through a lot of the time, but not that quickly! When Richie (one of my fav characters) said he was only training at Ever for 5 days I lost it! Ain't no way you're gonna have that much attention to detail, follow through, and commitment in 5 days, when you didn't have it for the last 40 years, ya know? And it was the same for most of the characters. It also felt unrealistic for a chef on Andrea's caliber to not already have plans after the "funeral" dinner of Ever. I get that she was closing partly because she wanted to start "living," hence being impromptu and going to Syd's place. But I felt like between her and Tina having a whole family to take care of a lot of the "we do everything for this work family thing cause we're a real family," events were farfetched. Just my opinion though!
It just feels like a set up season. Building up and up and up for a pay off in season 4. It's not bad, I disagree with people that anyone is out of character. But the lack of pay off is a risky play.
And I totally understand the reason they didn't have any comic relief so they doubled The Faks screen time. The situation is just shitty, not shitty in a funny way like season 1. No one is in a good mood, everyone hates what they're doing, they're tired, sore, And just done. The only ones happy are the Faks because they are the most disconnected from the situation.
I think the reason this season felt weak could be due to the writer's strike last year and cuz they're filming this back-to-back with season 4 and maybe wanna reserve all the good stuff for thay season.
@@failureoncommandI wouldn't underestimate the consequences of a writers' strike, the last time it happened many good shows and movies with a lot of initial potential failed terribly 😅
@owenharrison761 You're right, I kind of blanked on the "writer's strike" part of the comment anf fixated on the back-to-back s03 and s04 thing, which isn't justification for me. However, the writer's strike could definitely have been greatly detrimental. Even though it seemed that Storer was around for a lot of the episodes, so how would that actually work? Maybe they had a shorter time frame to write given the strike?
Yeah they tried to induce too much comedy and then having people like John Cena Show up was distracting from the storyline to me and then we did not need a whole episode of Sugar giving birth at the hospital. The whole season we were teased with reaching the goal of achieving a star for the restaurant And if Carmy Was going to get back with Claire. Now we have this new storyline of Sydney having a breakdown because she is contemplating leaving for another job.
Thank you! I make a point never to write negative comments, I know it's hard to be creative and make good work. But how could such talented people let this happen.? Almost nothing felt real....the real magic of the show in the past.. Episode 8 was so bad and heavy handed , the dialog, the acting , the editing, the directing , heartbreaking for all the wrong reasons... such a wasted season.. Instead of taking us deeper, all we got was over acting, over explaining and almost nothing happening...I am baffled .....
This video was totally on the money. I'm a writer and I remember the first thing I failed at was "character development" - not enough. The second thing I failed at was "character development" - too much. I've learned how to find the middle ground and develop them throughout the book. For me, this season felt like someone said, "Oops, we need more character development"...and , sadly, that's what this season was all about. ALL ABOUT. The "show don't tell" issue you mentioned was also spot on. My editor yells those words (via typed comments) to me whenever I slip into that mode. People have imaginations for a reason...let us use them. As many of my fans have stuck with me through my learning phase, I will stick with "The Bear" through theirs. I have a strong sense they know the mistake(s) they've made and will clean things up to make the show even better than before.
Lol I coincidentally got sick and had to skip work for a day so I binged it and went straight into making the video. Just had so many thoughts as I was watching it.
On point. Can't fault the imagery etc but the abject failure to deliver on pretty much every storyline was immensely dissatisfying, and the relationships of the characters esp Carmy and Richie felt like they had regressed to season 1. I know Matt Matheson is a producer on the show, and that he's a chef in real life (though not the Michelin star type that Carmy is emulating), but he and his brother are given way too much screentime when they're essentially the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of the entire production. My honest recommendation to anyone who hasn't seen it is to set it aside and watch it when season 4 lands, because you'll be less frustrated by the whole experience. --- Spoilers thoughts --- I also agree about the feeling that the series feels like it has fallen into ill-considered indulgence, often at the expense of credibility. 1. The chef from one of the best restaurants in the world is suddenly looking to recruit Sydney to his new project. Why? Sure we know she might be good, but she has zero industry track record to speak of when it comes to places she's worked, so it doesn't make sense this guy would be so outright keen to headhunt her specifically, when he's surrounded by top-end chefs all day who he knows can deliver. 2. in the finale it didn't make a lick of sense that Chef Terry on the closing night of her restaurant instead of hanging out with the very people she has worked with and cultivated for years, would decide to go hang out at Sydney's new threadbare apartment with a bunch of people she barely knows outside of Richie (who she briefly chatted to over mushroom peeling) and Chef Luca (Will Poulter) who used to work for her. I could buy it perhaps if Carmy was also there as well, but otherwise, it seems fanciful at best, given the August company that came to see her restaurant off, and she likely had a lot of history with. It honestly felt like the writers were like 'Wouldn't it be cool to get everyone to hang out with Olivia Colman in a scene?'. Still, I guess it could have been worse if everyone from the team was somehow at the Funeral meal.
@@failureoncommand so frustrating... 100 % you would spend your last night with the staff you built your life with, not strangers.. it was lazy writing, all they had to do was have a birthday for Tina on the same night and maybe join up with them at some point. it was so unrealistic and forced , like most of this season..
@@failureoncommand They could have had Olivia Coleman swing by The Bear to give it a tour or something and it would have felt less contrived at least, but the Sydney thing just feels like added drama devoid of reason. She has no field experience.
You voiced a lot of things that I was thinking during my watch through of this season. Admittedly, I'm not sure how I would have felt about it had I not heard that season 3 took a dive, but it was clear to me that I didn't feel like much was happening. There were still moments happening in every episode that I thought were great and highlighted why I like these characters so much, but the episodes just don't feel like they pair with each other and build to a crescendo like the earlier seasons did. One thing that annoys me thinking back on the season is how Richie and Carmy virtually have no relationship. I can't even really think of that many scenes where they even interact, even indirectly with the passive aggressive, "Chef Sydney, tell Chef Carmy he's an asshole" stuff. It makes sense to me, given how nuclear their confrontation went when Carmy was stuck in the freezer, but to go 10 whole episodes without them reconciling, or progressing in anyway, is just wild to me. Another problem I have is Carmy. While I think the direction they're taking his character is an interesting one. To me, it follows that he would become more focused and colder to those around him due to what he's robbed himself of. But some aspects just feel straight up dumb to me. Uncle Jimmy is constantly on his ass about how the restaurant is sinking deeper into the shit because of all the high costs and little return. I feel like Carmy would be acutely aware of this problem, and I just don't really buy that he would go all out like a three Michelin star asshole with the constantly changing menu and ridiculous ingredients. At least not without everyone strong arming him into easing up. Their asses are all on the line if the Bear closes, not just his; the stakes are well beyond just his own reputation as a great chef. I just don't buy that he would go quite so crazy with the methods in which he is running the place. Like I get he wants to get a star, but they don't need to be doing half the shit they're currently doing to obtain that. His focus should be primarily on just doing what he can to keep the Bear running and build up a positive reputation. And another big problem I have character wise is Sydney. I love Sydney's character, and I really understand her current frustrations and anxiety where it comes to Carmy and the restaurant. But I can't believe she would just abandon ship on him like this, which is why I really hope she doesn't choose to take the other job, at least not with where she currently stands with Carmy and everyone else. She wouldn't just be letting down Carmy, but all of the other people she has been working alongside. Again, I completely understand that Sydney is struggling with the stress, and is getting really frustrated with Carmy and his current attitude and how he almost never takes her imput into consideration over his own. But what really frustrates me with this dilemma of considering leaving the Bear is I don't think she is currently far enough along where she would ever consider abandoning it. She literally built the fking place with Carmy, taking into mind her own style and design choices. She has built up so many strong connections with Carmy and everyone else and I can't believe she isn't fighting harder to hold onto them. She isn't pushing back against Carmy nearly as much as she would have in the first two seasons. She isn't a push over of a character. During one of the scenes where she was recommending choices for the new menu of the day, and he was ignoring all of her suggestions, I couldn't believe that she just stood there and took it without going, "Hey Carm...what the fuck man?!" I just don't believe she would behave like this, and I don't believe she would seriously consider abandoning the place this early into it's start.
The only two episodes that stood out to me were ice chips and napkins which is saying a lot considering they broke away from the restaurant habitat and all the og characters
I’ve said this somewhere else, but I compared it to like lion king 1 1/5 or when Disney used to do midquels. This doesn’t feel like season 3 this feels like season 2.5 a lot of character deep dives, flashbacks for side characters, fluff and filler with comedic characters and the plot itself is pretty stagnant or in this limbo where people are fighting it’s a big stalemate and just…we’re going in circles and we are lost in carmy’s psyche at the moment. The last episode felt like the inciting incident and launch pad for the actual season by the end of the episode. It felt like the beginning of the show I thought we were getting. Everyone is forced together because the restaurant they used to work at is closing, Luca is in town there’s a new dynamic with him here, carmy confronts his toxic boss and reviews are pouring in for the bear.
I felt like a loser for waiting for this season, wanting it so much and being so disappointed in the lack of any emotional payoff. I forget that show runners aren’t really regular people and they make the show for their own satisfaction, NOT the audience’s. I won’t bother to be so emotionally invested next time.
This season digs really deep into the underbelly of the food industry!! It is a stress fuelled process to get the quality of food from kitchen to table, and many years of training to get there!! Many in the industry will appreciate this , many will not quite understand why this season feels different! I enjoyed this thoroughly!
Interesting, was just discussing with my partner where The Bear could go for a season 3. This analysis highlights what I feared. Will give it go but I've lowered my expectations. Thanks, well thought out commentary regardless
I’m not familiar with The Bear but I do question writing when it feels like characters all talk the same especially if it feels non organic like the 2 outside characters you mentioned. Exceptional as always! Thanks for sharing, Mason!
@MiraiElizabeth87 I mean Idk, but I have heard that they are current some writing issues, so they're working on that atm. My friend is a major fan of the Bear than I ever will be, so he always keeps up with the show's progress
I think that season 1 and 2 were soo good that we expected that. Carmys backstory was great. I also feel like the reason nothing happened was that the story that they were trying to tell is real life going to work every day nothing much happens right but you slowly see the slow build up
Excellent break down of the strength and weaknesses of this season. Helped hearing it from someone who could put words to everything I was sensing myself.
I appreciate this video bc I liked this season and have been very annoyed with some people's revisionist history claiming that the show was never good. This video doesn’t do that. I agree that this season isn't the best but I'm good with this Dune: Part 1 type setup for Dune: Part 2 type season 4. The highs of this season were very enjoyable for me and the episodes are short so the lows aren't a huge deal imo.
I didn’t watch The Bear to see one whole episode (almost) dedicated to Sugar in labour. Tina’s episode was also dreadful - middle aged woman without a degree struggles to find a job. Has been done a million times. I feel the show runners just took us for granted and stretched out the season with this rot. As for then Faks - far less is more
I couldn’t believe they still tried to squeeze the juice out of this Claire thing. It’s like they heard the chatter and added new scenes of them together to convince us to care but it just doesn’t work
Mostly agree, although there was some great scenes. E1 was a waste. Tina's Episode and Marcus's speech was great! I'm hoping S4 will continue with the plots from S2. ex. Carmy & Syd's epic underneath the table scene in S2 and they acted like strangers in S3?!? Carmy & Sug have a great Sis/Bro relationship. Where was he supporting his sister in S3 E10? Did Syd bring food to Sug on her own or did Carmy ask her to assist? I guess Carmy was going through His panic attack!
I’m not happy with season 3! I love the culinary aspect of the show. It was nothing but a bunch of yelling and silliness with the Faks! It’s literally about nothing! The best episode was Tomorrow and Napkins…all the others were about nothing!
there was so much mindless converations involving the Faks and co*. I get side charecters need development too, but there was so much of it that it felt like filler. Nothing much happens at all. I feel like they were trying to be too avant-garde.
i get shocked when people call moments in shows pretentious cause i usually find them inspiring 😭not sure what the writers were trying to do this season but i really didn't mind it. i thought it was overall okay. maybe the message that they're trying to drive is that "it's not about food, it's the people" as carmy digs himself further into a hole. seeing people discuss the season on twitter made me laugh cause they're talking about how carmy just wastes so much money for months and there's not really a potential consequence brought up until the 9th ep. and how syd is the most vocal of the group, the first to quit in season 1, but is just taking carmy's angry as we visibly see how fed she is. why is no one speaking up to carmy? i did enjoy the heartfelt moments like tina and sugar's episode. aside from that.. eh.
I did feel like Episode 3s montage was the only episode I fully didn’t get behind but it did sort of sew the seed of Syd’s deep feeling of doubt to commit to be a partner. Massive spoilers ahead. The one thing that always drew me to this show was the fact that slice of life shows like this has a way of being able to add depth and backstory to characters that other shows would seem as minor or side characters and I feel like this season is no exception. We even got to see Uncle Jimmy sort of fulfill a dream/analogy that he told Carmy in season 1 that Syd told to Jimmy in this season about him being there for them. Marcus, probably the only who deserves the most to go off the rails this season, is one who shows a great deal of well roundedness and focus. He felt that his place was here because that’s where he was when his mom died. But every scene he’s in he’s either coming in early to perfect his craft outside of being swamped to being the tank to break up Carmy and Ritchie. Which is why I verbally shouted at the screen in joy when Sugar verbally threatened Computer at the thought of firing him. If he openly brought that up to the rest of the team, he wouldn’t have left that kitchen alive. The thing with Carmy and Syd in terms of being the top ones in the back is that this is his first time completely leading on his own, and he’s at a crossroads between being a Chef David or a Chef Andrea Terry to the rest of the team, specifically Syd. She was somewhat inspired by him after her taste entourage in NY, but she didn’t go on the same journey as Carmy. So in a way, she’s looking more towards him to learn in that regard. Also, John Cena as a Fak bro was just a fun cherry on top surprise for me.
I do agree like you said nothing happens on a substance level, while the show is really enjoyable something def felt off with the show even some of the characters felted like they were dialed back like Syd but episode 2 and the episodes with Jamie Lee Curtis and Jon berthnal were really interesting great video man
I really liked the episodes Napkins and Ice Chips. They stayed with me and were fantastic (and boy did both make me cry, haha). There was showing as well as good dialogue and one really fleshed out a character and the other did have something big happen even with character development and relationships playing a big role. But that also made me realize that they stood out because of how they reminded me of the quality of last season in a way that most of the other episodes didn't. I really don't care that much about Carmy and Claire so that got old very quickly for me, and I feel like they kept coming back to that. And yes! So many montages and flashbacks. They did lose their value because they were too heavy handed with them. I think this is set up for the next season since it's back to back in terms of lack of resolution, but still.
This season, I'm finding the kinetic, mumble-core, ping-pong of verbal exchanges (especially between the Fak brothers and whoever they end up arguing with) rather tiresome. I couldn't help but roll my eyes, as the dialogue in these moments feels contrived and filler-like. The show truly excels when it delves into more human, vulnerable moments, deconstructing familial and professional trauma, and those quieter instances of storytelling.
As I already mentioned in the video, even if the show is supposedly about the characters, even if this season is meant to be a pause and more of a slow meditative insight into them as people, the way to accomplish something like that should be through action. If the only way we get to experience these characters is through straightforward dialogue, then you're TELLING, not SHOWING. It's a classic, endlessly repeated rule, but it's repeated for a reason. Without action, the show feels boring, and more than that, it doesn't feel as rewarding to learn about these characters. They stop being real, interesting, HUMAN characters when the only place they can showcase their personalities in is in on-the-nose dialogue. It's fine when one or two characters are communicative, open books, but when everyone is like that it's bad writing as opposed to a depiction of supposedly realistic characters.
I can agree with that to a point, but it's a TV show, and a drama at that, it should have things happening to keep it entertaining cause that's why we watch it, that being said I still loved season 3 I just know the wait for season 4 is going to be unbearable and we would've appreciated more to chew on. Sorry for the thesis, I care a lot about this 💀
@@failureoncommand not sure if we are watching the same dialogue scenes here. Maybe you were just into the restaurant aspect more in the first 2 seasons and don't like the characters as much as you thought you did
@connoa That's not true, but it's really besides the point. It doesn't change the fact that developing your character solely through eventless dialogue is detrimental to how interesting they are overall, and is practically a cop-out as far as writing goes. Ideally, you should convey your characters' personalities and their growth through actions. If you don't buy that, then we can agree to disagree. Thanks for sharing, man!
Okay sure but I learned absolutely nothing new about any of the the characters with the exception of Tina. Literally nothing was said about anyone else. Complete let down.
Well said. No plot was moved forward. Leaving previous threads 🧵 unresolved while adding more plot that was not addressed by the end of the season. Only to be announced as to be continued at the end. An example of unresolved thread was Cousins Love life and his being alone. Why is he alone when sis from the forks episode was like keep in touch, you can hit? And they didn’t even show them connect at the party. They could have at least have him ask her to the wedding. Would have taken two minutes of dialogue. And then you add on the tension of chef too (2) being shown struggling to tell her partner she out.
I like this season, but I do not LOVE it like I did the first two. I think that a lot of this season was about wallowing in deeper backstory details for the sake of set up for Season 4 so ultimately what happens there will dictate how I feel about this season overall. The only reason I think this is because S3 E1 declares this as the start of "Part 2", so set up would make sense story structure wise. But yeah it really felt like a big ol nothing burger for a hefty portion of the seasons runtime.
I agree with all of this, and I also feel like its very obvious so much of the dialogue is improved to make it feel more natural, but it doesn't feel more natural. It somehow feels more awkward and contrived
Season 3 seems like a filler season in preparation for season 4. It is as if they planned for 20 episodes, but were only commissioned for the first 10 after they were filmed.
I also feel like this season was a step down in comparion to first two, and share many of the same criticisms, but callng this "a failure" feels so exageratted bait. This show on it's worst season was still better than 90% of current tv. Just because this show known for A+ seasons put out a solid B- doesn't mean show lost it's way or the show is bad now. The Wire had an off sesson too
I didn't actually call it a failure in the video, but I realize the thumbnail may be a bit bait-y. I do in fact consider it to have failed though; it is far less than a B- in my eyes and a true narrative failure as a season. It failed to be entertaining and failed to tell a story, making it a failure as far as TV shows go. The Wire had dips in quality, but none that were as immensely palpable and drastic as this, and none that dipped so low or completely failed to advance the story or the characters in any meaningful capacity. Maybe one season was kinda lower in quality, but it was still a legit season of TV.
@@failureoncommand I have watched ALOT of mid seasons of TV during the "prestige era" of shows I still enjoyed the end of the day. This was still pretty solid regardless. Some great performances, at least 3 truly great individual episodes. Narrative is important, but so is technical craftsmanship, and the acting, direction, cinematography, editing, music, ect. were all on point. It was Storer's " Vibes over story " season and I still kind of liked the vibes. I left saying "the overall season arc felt a little off, some weird creative choices, too much Faks, not as good as the last one" but I appreciated the positives and didn't think I wasted my time.
It was a failure to me. 10 fing episodes and no resolution of anything. F th bear. I hope they kill the show because of the blatant disrespect to their audience. That is how good shows die.
@@donquique1 "I hope they cancel this show and put everyone who worked on it out of a job because they put out one mid season that I personally hated and didn't get, but a lot of other people who watched did still enjoy regardless of the flaws" is some real arrogant toxic fandom bullshit. Fuck outta here with that
I feel like this was done on purpose to sort of build to something HUGE next season, some of or all of season 4 has been filmed and this season may just be to show the basics of everyones day to day
@@failureoncommand I TOTALLY AGREE, i just find it hard to believe the show would kind of go of its usual formula and story without there being an aim or purpose
@@sandwichpenguin4315 I don't know man you kinda just said it! "Purpose" was a massive theme for the second season with Richie asking "What's my purpose homie?" in the first episode, and most of the following episodes developing each character in the kitchen to some of the most three dimensional believable characters ever written for the screen. Riding on that idea of being scared but doing it anyway philosophy. But this seasons theme seemed to be loneliness, and avoidance. Even in the Montage for the First episode, they Showed Carmen at Michaels funeral, avoiding the service, in his car due to fear of how he may ruin something. (Like Donna not wanting to attend the Opening Night of the Bear) The Richie scenes with his daughter saying he was alone 'or' lonely by his ex wife, Sidney not signing the contract, Carmen being absolutely reluctant to listening to other peoples non-negotiables, apologizing to Claire. Many of the episodes are somber, and distinctly dreary in tone. This was truly the most unexpected type of "PART I" Season 3's i've ever seen. I think the pacing was off but almost intentionally so.
I thought it was beautiful, and bold, and possibility one of the top 5 episodes this show has done. A masterclass in editing and tone, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen . That was goddamn art. I don't think I have seen anything like that on TV before. To each his own i guess
@@joepops727 it was pretty pretentious. Very little dialogue just relying on camera shots music and colors. It was the equivalent of watching a fireworks display and saying omg that was art. Lol
My only problem with this season is that most episodes kinda blend together, but I didn't mind it because it felt like episodes blended together the same way their days kinda blended together, which was shown in many montages. Outside of the tina episode, the one with sugar and donna, the first two and the final one, the rest of them all blend together. It just feels incomplete, that's probably the only reason why this season wasn't on the level of the previous two, tho it's hardly a big drop in quality. And also, just because episodes blend together and don't stand out that doesn't mean that I don't remember what happened in them. Another thing, Cena was ofc very funny and entertaining but idk if he fit there, it felt kinda weird, he was just John Cena, what's the difference between Sammy and Peacemaker, when it comes to comedy, it just felt like a Cena cameo, which I didn't mind cuz again, he is so funny, especially with the Faks. That was just something I thought while watching. They should end the show next season cuz I don't want the same thing to happen to it that happens to every other big show, after a couple of seasons people start complaining that the quality has dropped and that it's a bad show now, like what happened with Stranger Things and SexEd. Anyway... I liked it
You really hit the nail on the head with their awkward and similar speech pattern. It is way too quirky and over the top. I love this show, but it’s becoming offputting and I’m starting not to like some of the characters. I really hope next season is better.
You checked all the boxes of all the things we've noticed wrong with this season. Nothing happens. Boring. Pretentious. I also feel like maybe the stagnant, unresolved feeling of the season is a commentary of their business. Maybe seeing it from Carmy's eyes.
I think the problem with this season is they are trying to spin too many plates at once, with Carmen's obsession, Sugar's pregnancy and Sydney's potentially looming departure. The main tension of this show is and always has been between Richie and Carmen, and the different approaches they have to running the restaurant. Richie is old school, and is afraid of change, but he understands the neighbourhood. He's worked there for a long time and has a feel for the type of people who come to eat at this place. Carmen has been professionally trained in Fine Dining by the best, and sincerely believes that that the old school ways need to go and make room for a high class restaurant that will cement the legacy of his brother's restaurant as a 'must visit' staple in the city. He wants to make his mark. At the end of Season 2, it seemed as if Carmen got his way, and did a completely 180 on the way the restaurant was being run previously. He changed it from being a lunchtime sandwich place, to a Fine Dining Michelin Star chasing restaurant. The questions in Season 3 should've been... Would it work, and would it be successful as a business? Would this shift bring in the kind of capital the restaurant sorely needs? Or would it fail because the menu change alienated their regular customers? Those were the questions I had going into Season 3 And they completely avoided them, and completely sidelined Richie's character along the way... But there's still time to turn this around. This show has definitely earned enough good grace over the last two seasons. This season was good, but there’s definitely room for improvement. Episode 6, of this season was absolutely brilliant. Hopefully Season 4 brings that tension back to the forefront.
I really liked this season, to be honest. It seems like a good majority of people don't and I can understand that making a plot move forward is necessary. I'm not trying to make any excuses but I think they really made this season a character-driven one and, in my opinion, realistic. Sometimes major stuff just doesn't happen in life and the little things should be taken into account. I feel this season does a pretty good job on highlighting the little things when honing in on characters. The faks is an issue for some and I can understand the criticism but... Idk, I thought John Cena was funny, lmao. I feel like this season of the show shouldn't determine whether the next season will be good or not because I have faith that it will be a great season. They just wanted to explore new grounds with this season and honestly I commend them for that. But hey, what do I know? I'm a movie review channel that hasn't posted since January 😭😭💀💀
For me the season felt like 5 episodes mainly because half the time it feels like we’re in Carmines group therapy session, just every single character waffling about some “deep” story while some are effective by episode 10 I was just rolling my eyes. Episode 8 was the best episode for me Jaime Lee Curtis was unbelievable at making you feel uncomfortable the entire way through the tension was unreal you never knew if she was going to pop
I just finished the season and this is the first review I’ve seen and I’m shocked that you said no one else is talking about the “show don’t tell issue” Season 3 just turned the Bear from Whiplash (It’s clear inspiration) to Whiplash if it didn’t have the nuance
👍Thoroughly agree. I got halfway through the first episode and had to fast-forward through the rest because nothing of interest was happening. I will check out the second episode, but I think I’m probably going to end up doing a fast-forward again and then stop. As a screenwriter myself, your comments about how you should "show" instead of "talk" about incidents is right on! One of the primary tenants of good screenwriting. I loved season 1 and 2 so I'm quite disappointed. 😢
Frankly, I was often tempted to fast forward through, but at the end of the day my respect for the art stopped me. I would encourage you give the whole thing your full time and attention, even if it is lacking in spots. On the level of presentation, the show is gorgeous.
The whole point of The Bear is that Carmy is selfish and has too much pride. The Bear isn't just the name of the restaurant, nor is it Carmy. The Bear is a pun. As in "Bearing the responsibility. " or "He can't BEAR the pain." The Bear is the pain in his heart. His grief. This is why he has to face the caged Bear in his dreams. It's him finally accepting Mikeys death. Until then, he will always be selfish. He will always keep the team apart. He will always push people away. That's the point. The show will end and resolve once Carmy deals with his emotions properly.
This season is more internal than the others and I fully disagree with the take nothing happens. It is just not plot driven. The show allows Carmy to step back on good development and go on the tragic path of the wrong lessons he internalized from his antagonist, only to realize his trauma is his own and his former boss does not give a shit about it... that hopefully can lead to him moving on and get some positive growth. The mistake he makes with Claire haunts him because he has the internal conflict where he think there is no space for life and happiness due to his ambitions of being great and that affects the interactions and the restaurant itself. His deflection of the denial of happiness indirectly affects everyone around, the other characters grows, deal with trauma in a better way, forgive wrong doings, accepts ends, finds joy in life and work, craves for more than Carmy can give while he is still inside the fridge. I think it is a necessary season if season 4 is done right. Not all seasons needs to rely on the same formulas and the show could experiment now that is estabilished and it felt like it.
This comment is from another video about this season I just want to put it here as well. For me this season was definitely disappointing. for me season 1 of the show is 10 out of 10 the best season of Television I think I've ever seen. In season 2 had some of the highest highs of the entire show with the Christmas episode and the episode focused on Richie. My biggest issue with season 3 is that it genuinely felt off the whole time everything felt longer but somehow nothing was happening. the dialogue is always great and as someone studying screenwriting I'm extremely impressed on how they do this. but it got to the point where the scenes kept going when they should have probably ended 3 minutes ago and to me it felt like maybe that's the point it's meant to feel uncomfortable but it should never get to the point that I'm actively checking how much time is left in the episode. I liked elements of the first episode and I liked that episode 2 was a long argument but also I just felt it could have been executed better. I love the Tina episode and I love the hospital episode. For me I think the showrunners and writers started buying into their own hype and whenever that happens with creatives it becomes a problem. because now they can think they can do anything and it's clear that they probably shouldn't be doing anything they want. And there is too many celebrity cameos I don't typically care about that kind of stuff but even seeing John Cena broke my brain because I'm a wrestling fan and seeing him in anything kind of confuses me. And I'm so bought into the world of the show that seeing genuinely extremely famous person John Cena not being extremely famous person John Cena makes no sense to me because we know famous real people exist in the show why is John Cena actually just a character? Me and my mother watched both seasons of the bear for me I was rewatching it she was seeing it for the first time and she loved it. and she related heavily with the show. but even this season, I could tell she was losing interest. It got to the point where she was actively disinterested and was telling me that she wanted to take breaks. And my mom isn't as media literate as me so if she's telling me that I know there's a problem. Again I think the show is extremely well made the music's great the acting is amazing the dialogues always incredible but something just fell off and I feel like even if this entire season set up and we're going to get the fourth season quicker than we expect it still should be able to stand on its own two feet and the season doesn't really do that. For me I always see The Bear as a shining example of writing for television and someone studying this it's disappointing to see that it seems like the writers aren't putting their best foot forward. This is getting very rambly but I'm just thinking too much and I'm going to continue writing. I feel like the show was starting to lose its identity because one of the main reasons I watched season 1 is because I like the dynamic of this guy coming from the world of Fancy High dining cooking having to go back because his brother killed himself and take over his restaurant and everyone is against him because of where he's coming from. And I feel like as the show went on and the sandwich shop is no longer a sandwich shop it's now this fine dining restaurant it feels wrong. I don't know I just really like season 1 more than season 2. And I feel just that the show for me has been getting worse for each season not like it's gone from a 10 to a six more like it's gone more like 10 to a 9 to an 8. Again I think the show is really well made and I hope they stick the landing for season 4 but I am definitely disappointed with the season it's still good but it doesn't reach the same heights is the best way to say it. add on: I think your points on the dialogue are valid. I've definitely done that myself while writing where I make everyone sound kind of the same because I'm writing it how I would react to the situation.
Assuming they didn't just completely lose the plot, I can only assume they're going for some meta-narrative in which Season 3 is supposed to be The Bear itself: style over substance, award-baiting, a departure from what was there before that people loved, and something that replaced the "real" and the human with pretentiousness that can only mimic and try to convince you it has heart. And that both The Bear the show and The Bear the restaurant will return to its roots for Season 4.
Its a bit different but imo the things prominent in this season that seemed “different” werent really too different the past 2 seasons just werent so heavy on them. I think theyre just trying to do a slow burn, I feel like it picked up in the second half its not as bad as what ppl are saying. Yeah “nothing” really happens but its only a few months of time right? Bc theyre working on opening the restaurant. Idk i feel like it wouldnt be as faced paced bc the earlier seasons the restaurant was so hectic and all over the place and now theyre all coming into their roles, but thats just how I see it.
Definitely dialogue, amount of cussing & snark felt so unreal & uncomfortable like is this how Americans speak on day to day basis, this season felt like eating cake with 90% Fondue & whip cream & 10% of actual fillings.
It’s almost like this show should have 60 minute episodes and be a standard length drama. I enjoyed this season, but I was very disappointed there was no payoff or forward movement in the plot. Three major threads were established early season and none of them got a resolution.
I adored and sped through seasons 1 and 2 but I had to force myself to finish this series. I honestly don't think it will be worth finishing the final show for me. I didn't care so much about the story not progressing, it just felt like a 12-year-old was writing everything
Yes to all of that. I didn’t even finish the season, it felt like a huge waste of time, what a let down. There’s one thing that had already frustrated me in the spectacular season 1 and 2 though. How does Carmy look so ripped? He is a chain smoking workaholic, you simply don’t look like that with this kind of lifestyle. I think it’s really toxic to portray someone this healthy and shredded looking and pretend to the audience he was just born this way.
Sydney still being there is driving the show down into a dumpster fire. The character hasn't made sense since season 1. IRL if some new hire came in and after a week went to the owner and began telling them how it should be done in a condescending manner, they would be gone the next day. Season 2 and 3, no character development growth at all, seems like she's getting worse with her zone out panic attacks. To fix all of this, she needs to quit or get fired. Then have her character go out and make her own restaurant to her own specifications, and get set up as a rival. Then that rivalry would help push both Sydney and Carm to develop exponentially. Then have moments where they both use different methods or ideas the other had, to show they both learned from each other to be better. But as like a B story or secondary arc, as this is supposed to be a story about The Bear.
I honestly thought it was an amazing season. Got a lot of good character development for lesser characters and the entire season felt like watching a long version of Uncut Gems, basically felt like I was about to have a panic attack just watching
Exactly how I feel. This season was 80% fluff and 20% storytelling. A lot of “fuck you, fuck you”. And totally agree about the characters speaking. Everyone is snarky and def felt like everyone was the same person. Had that exact same thought while watching. Had to fast forward through a lot of the montages.
Ten episodes go by and I feel like only five have passed, and I don't say this positively. The Faks had more screentime than Carmy and Syd and Richie had together lmfao.
The first three episodes should've been one. Episodes 5 and 7 also should've been one
I feel like this is fair, although it is key to remember this season is likely split into two. Although season 4 is gonna be season 4 it'll feel like the finale to this season. We don't get a definitive direction and that's where I feel like they've gone wrong
I still liked season 3 a lot but I find it hard to disagree with you. Way too much Faks....like I verbally got pissed off watching it stone point. Was this a writers strike issue I wonder
Dumb take
@@asudevil316 I'd love to hear why you disagree
@@cooliostarstache5474 the first episode gives context to the entire season, it needed to be a stand alone episode. To say it should be a small scene is dumb
I feel like they were trying to proof that it is a comedy show so hard with all the faks showing up all the time. The characters were also really out of character, I could never imagine Syd being silent and accepting everything Carmy was doing. We didn’t get to see Carmy even texting Sugar about the baby. Tina’s episode was the best of for me.
I feel the same way!!! It was crazy to me how Syd was keeping her honest thoughts to herself and everyone else seemed to suffer in silence…almost like they were afraid of Carmy. Especially Tina, her scared/nervous reaction to Carmy yelling at her seemed so unlike her to let him rattle her like that. The joy of watching the first 2 seasons was seeing the characters progression with themselves and each other. This season fell flat on that. It is like they were stuck in the same place and/or in the past.
sydeny is someone who would ALWAYS pushback against carm, and now that she is being considered on almost equal footing as him, now she wuiet and holding it in? the character we spent two seasons with and could read the mind of became some mystery by the last episode
Now that you say that what the hell was that? lol I actually think Matty can act why are they trying to turn his character into such a bafoon?
I think we can all agree the faks are cute in small doses 😂😂😂
Incredibly small doses @@kmags8065
I feel like they were trying to appease certain audiences when the main reason they became popular is because of the audiences that loved season 1 and 2. This season did feel like someone else wrote it and was trying too hard to seem "artsy" Also its very weird how these characters who had no problem calling each other out, just went along with all the "non-negotiables" Carmy had, that they clearly had a problem with?
The weirdest thing is that it's still Christopher Storer at the helm, the same guy who's been creating and running it since day 1. If anything, I felt like he was MORE involved this season (felt like his name came off more frequently as both director and writer than in other seasons, but that could just be me). So it's weird that it seems to have lost a lot of what distinguished it before.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way about the new season. I’m a huge fan of the first two seasons and in comparison, this season seemed complacent and disappointing. Way too many montages and flashbacks. It feels like there was no progress. Carmy gets deeper in his head and Sydney stays silent on matters which is crazy since she normally is the one who calls Carmy out on his messy behavior. To me, that’s where their chemistry begins, when they BOTH communicate with each other as they understand each other a great deal. Too many scenes of those annoying Fak brothers and John Cena’s appearance seemed out of place. It was great seeing Luca a lot more though.
Your comment about the Fak brothers and John Cena... spot on.
@@-mattwoodi thought i was the only one😅 shit is so annoying to see them every 5 minutes just not being funny at all
I got tired of the faks real quick
I dunno, man. I loved 'em.
Agreed, annoying as fuck. Front of house is also about presentation. It makes zero sense that Carmy given he is so anal and obsessive about the appearance of the restaurant, yet at the same time be seemingly happy to have Neil (Matty Matheson) with his greasy rat tail, tattoos and impending diabetes be one of the servitors representing his brand. I get it that as a producer Matheson wants a role, but it would make more sense for him to play a role in the kitchen where his appearance would sit better.
They were awful and not funny at all. Just annoying.
@@KadayiPolokov you are uneducated
I think the writers didn’t take their own advice by not subtracting some of those scenes
Absolutely right! This season felt hyper-focused on details, both in the culinary scenes and the dialogues, which I appreciated. However, the surrounding scenes felt empty and dull, lacking the usual playfulness and banter between characters.
The Bear thrives on its ensemble cast, but this season missed the mark on that dynamic. We got too much focus on Claire and repetitive humor from Faks, with no real progress in resolving storylines. It felt like the characters development from Season 2 was forgotten, leaving me with a sense of disappointment. I’m clinging to hope for a part 2 of Season 3 because that “To Be Continued” is driving me insane.
YESSSS!!!! I got the same vibes with the cheap “To be continued” at the end. Does that mean we’re getting a part 2 of season 3? If so, it is sorely needed. To end on that note of a cliffhanger and think that we’d have to wait a WHOLE YEAR to see what happened is psycho.
As long as season 4 focuses on the plot and character communication and interactions then everything should be fine.
Yeah, I'm still onboard because I do like the show. However, I AM frankly greatly disappointed with this season.
It will be fine…next year
I really wanted to love season 3, but man it really was a letdown. I remember liking the first episode, but then after that, wanted the story to move forward and get some resolutions. If the writers wanted more backstory, they should have done that all in one or two episodes max.
Writers?
The ending pissed me off a bit but I did love the first episode. Just wish the plot wasn't left behind so much. The show is at its best when the team bands together. Instead we saw it drift apart in super slow motion.
You nailed it!!! Couldn’t imagine a better 9 min summation. I also agree with comments around “too much Faks”. Characters like that are only charming in small doses.
This season actually had me question whether or not this series wants to be plot based? Or are they making another attempt to test the boundaries of conventional television? Does it matter if they get a Michelin Star? Do we care if Carmine and Claire never talk?again? Isn’t it a good thing if Sydney works in a less chaotic environment with a partner that respects and wants her input? Or is it about being fully present in purposeful moments?
I felt this too and thought that was the point over "oh, we need to pay this thing off right away." The show is so unpredictable, I feel like there was a handful of things in season 1 that were left ambiguous til 2 and 3.
An episode dedicated to Tina was hardly pushing any boundaries - middle aged woman without a degree struggles to,find a job ina youth oriented market. Wow - stale as year old bread
This was a great breakdown! You hit all the points I've been talking about. The only one I still need to get some validation on is the fact that I felt like the character arcs were on hyper speed! Like I get it, it's television but it felt so rushed and like they wanted everyone to have epiphany's outta desperation - which it does come through a lot of the time, but not that quickly! When Richie (one of my fav characters) said he was only training at Ever for 5 days I lost it! Ain't no way you're gonna have that much attention to detail, follow through, and commitment in 5 days, when you didn't have it for the last 40 years, ya know? And it was the same for most of the characters. It also felt unrealistic for a chef on Andrea's caliber to not already have plans after the "funeral" dinner of Ever. I get that she was closing partly because she wanted to start "living," hence being impromptu and going to Syd's place. But I felt like between her and Tina having a whole family to take care of a lot of the "we do everything for this work family thing cause we're a real family," events were farfetched. Just my opinion though!
I am only three episodes in and have already hated the montages
It just feels like a set up season. Building up and up and up for a pay off in season 4.
It's not bad, I disagree with people that anyone is out of character. But the lack of pay off is a risky play.
And I totally understand the reason they didn't have any comic relief so they doubled The Faks screen time.
The situation is just shitty, not shitty in a funny way like season 1.
No one is in a good mood, everyone hates what they're doing, they're tired, sore, And just done.
The only ones happy are the Faks because they are the most disconnected from the situation.
@@craig2196u said it perfectly
I FEEL ETCH A SKETCHED
I think the reason this season felt weak could be due to the writer's strike last year and cuz they're filming this back-to-back with season 4 and maybe wanna reserve all the good stuff for thay season.
I did mention that in the video, but I don't think that really justifies things. Still a shame.
@@failureoncommandI wouldn't underestimate the consequences of a writers' strike, the last time it happened many good shows and movies with a lot of initial potential failed terribly 😅
@owenharrison761 You're right, I kind of blanked on the "writer's strike" part of the comment anf fixated on the back-to-back s03 and s04 thing, which isn't justification for me. However, the writer's strike could definitely have been greatly detrimental. Even though it seemed that Storer was around for a lot of the episodes, so how would that actually work? Maybe they had a shorter time frame to write given the strike?
Yeah they tried to induce too much comedy and then having people like John Cena Show up was distracting from the storyline to me and then we did not need a whole episode of Sugar giving birth at the hospital. The whole season we were teased with reaching the goal of achieving a star for the restaurant And if Carmy Was going to get back with Claire. Now we have this new storyline of Sydney having a breakdown because she is contemplating leaving for another job.
The tantrums and hyperventilating were getting monotonous for me. We’ve seen it, we know it, now it should be used sparingly.
Thank you! I make a point never to write negative comments, I know it's hard to be creative and make good work. But how could such talented people let this happen.?
Almost nothing felt real....the real magic of the show in the past..
Episode 8 was so bad and heavy handed , the dialog, the acting , the editing, the directing , heartbreaking for all the wrong reasons... such a wasted season.. Instead of taking us deeper, all we got was over acting, over explaining and almost nothing happening...I am baffled .....
This video was totally on the money. I'm a writer and I remember the first thing I failed at was "character development" - not enough. The second thing I failed at was "character development" - too much. I've learned how to find the middle ground and develop them throughout the book. For me, this season felt like someone said, "Oops, we need more character development"...and , sadly, that's what this season was all about. ALL ABOUT. The "show don't tell" issue you mentioned was also spot on. My editor yells those words (via typed comments) to me whenever I slip into that mode. People have imaginations for a reason...let us use them. As many of my fans have stuck with me through my learning phase, I will stick with "The Bear" through theirs. I have a strong sense they know the mistake(s) they've made and will clean things up to make the show even better than before.
The music was overbearing and decades too old for the cast. I kept nodding off and rewinding....it was a joyless chore.
Great video, can't imagine you slept much while making it since it literally came out 3 days ago
Lol I coincidentally got sick and had to skip work for a day so I binged it and went straight into making the video. Just had so many thoughts as I was watching it.
I agree with you 💯 percent. The whole season seems so... precious...instead it comes off as pretentious. Disappointed.
The use of sound feels so different. Like it so so quiet compared to how chaotic the first or second season was
On point. Can't fault the imagery etc but the abject failure to deliver on pretty much every storyline was immensely dissatisfying, and the relationships of the characters esp Carmy and Richie felt like they had regressed to season 1. I know Matt Matheson is a producer on the show, and that he's a chef in real life (though not the Michelin star type that Carmy is emulating), but he and his brother are given way too much screentime when they're essentially the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of the entire production.
My honest recommendation to anyone who hasn't seen it is to set it aside and watch it when season 4 lands, because you'll be less frustrated by the whole experience.
--- Spoilers thoughts ---
I also agree about the feeling that the series feels like it has fallen into ill-considered indulgence, often at the expense of credibility.
1. The chef from one of the best restaurants in the world is suddenly looking to recruit Sydney to his new project. Why? Sure we know she might be good, but she has zero industry track record to speak of when it comes to places she's worked, so it doesn't make sense this guy would be so outright keen to headhunt her specifically, when he's surrounded by top-end chefs all day who he knows can deliver.
2. in the finale it didn't make a lick of sense that Chef Terry on the closing night of her restaurant instead of hanging out with the very people she has worked with and cultivated for years, would decide to go hang out at Sydney's new threadbare apartment with a bunch of people she barely knows outside of Richie (who she briefly chatted to over mushroom peeling) and Chef Luca (Will Poulter) who used to work for her. I could buy it perhaps if Carmy was also there as well, but otherwise, it seems fanciful at best, given the August company that came to see her restaurant off, and she likely had a lot of history with. It honestly felt like the writers were like 'Wouldn't it be cool to get everyone to hang out with Olivia Colman in a scene?'. Still, I guess it could have been worse if everyone from the team was somehow at the Funeral meal.
Had the same thoughts in regards to your two spoiler notes! It was weird.
@@failureoncommand so frustrating... 100 % you would spend your last night with the staff you built your life with, not strangers.. it was lazy writing, all they had to do was have a birthday for Tina on the same night and maybe join up with them at some point. it was so unrealistic and forced , like most of this season..
@@failureoncommand They could have had Olivia Coleman swing by The Bear to give it a tour or something and it would have felt less contrived at least, but the Sydney thing just feels like added drama devoid of reason. She has no field experience.
I feel like s2 had a lot of the same problems with dialogue and tell don't show, and I feel like I'm going insane because nobody else seems to see it
You voiced a lot of things that I was thinking during my watch through of this season. Admittedly, I'm not sure how I would have felt about it had I not heard that season 3 took a dive, but it was clear to me that I didn't feel like much was happening. There were still moments happening in every episode that I thought were great and highlighted why I like these characters so much, but the episodes just don't feel like they pair with each other and build to a crescendo like the earlier seasons did.
One thing that annoys me thinking back on the season is how Richie and Carmy virtually have no relationship. I can't even really think of that many scenes where they even interact, even indirectly with the passive aggressive, "Chef Sydney, tell Chef Carmy he's an asshole" stuff. It makes sense to me, given how nuclear their confrontation went when Carmy was stuck in the freezer, but to go 10 whole episodes without them reconciling, or progressing in anyway, is just wild to me.
Another problem I have is Carmy. While I think the direction they're taking his character is an interesting one. To me, it follows that he would become more focused and colder to those around him due to what he's robbed himself of. But some aspects just feel straight up dumb to me. Uncle Jimmy is constantly on his ass about how the restaurant is sinking deeper into the shit because of all the high costs and little return. I feel like Carmy would be acutely aware of this problem, and I just don't really buy that he would go all out like a three Michelin star asshole with the constantly changing menu and ridiculous ingredients. At least not without everyone strong arming him into easing up. Their asses are all on the line if the Bear closes, not just his; the stakes are well beyond just his own reputation as a great chef. I just don't buy that he would go quite so crazy with the methods in which he is running the place. Like I get he wants to get a star, but they don't need to be doing half the shit they're currently doing to obtain that. His focus should be primarily on just doing what he can to keep the Bear running and build up a positive reputation.
And another big problem I have character wise is Sydney. I love Sydney's character, and I really understand her current frustrations and anxiety where it comes to Carmy and the restaurant. But I can't believe she would just abandon ship on him like this, which is why I really hope she doesn't choose to take the other job, at least not with where she currently stands with Carmy and everyone else. She wouldn't just be letting down Carmy, but all of the other people she has been working alongside. Again, I completely understand that Sydney is struggling with the stress, and is getting really frustrated with Carmy and his current attitude and how he almost never takes her imput into consideration over his own. But what really frustrates me with this dilemma of considering leaving the Bear is I don't think she is currently far enough along where she would ever consider abandoning it. She literally built the fking place with Carmy, taking into mind her own style and design choices. She has built up so many strong connections with Carmy and everyone else and I can't believe she isn't fighting harder to hold onto them. She isn't pushing back against Carmy nearly as much as she would have in the first two seasons. She isn't a push over of a character. During one of the scenes where she was recommending choices for the new menu of the day, and he was ignoring all of her suggestions, I couldn't believe that she just stood there and took it without going, "Hey Carm...what the fuck man?!" I just don't believe she would behave like this, and I don't believe she would seriously consider abandoning the place this early into it's start.
The only two episodes that stood out to me were ice chips and napkins which is saying a lot considering they broke away from the restaurant habitat and all the og characters
Napkins was so good, never expected it
The haunting of the faks was moronic and they coukd eaaily could had been left out.
I’ve said this somewhere else, but I compared it to like lion king 1 1/5 or when Disney used to do midquels. This doesn’t feel like season 3 this feels like season 2.5 a lot of character deep dives, flashbacks for side characters, fluff and filler with comedic characters and the plot itself is pretty stagnant or in this limbo where people are fighting it’s a big stalemate and just…we’re going in circles and we are lost in carmy’s psyche at the moment.
The last episode felt like the inciting incident and launch pad for the actual season by the end of the episode. It felt like the beginning of the show I thought we were getting. Everyone is forced together because the restaurant they used to work at is closing, Luca is in town there’s a new dynamic with him here, carmy confronts his toxic boss and reviews are pouring in for the bear.
I felt like a loser for waiting for this season, wanting it so much and being so disappointed in the lack of any emotional payoff. I forget that show runners aren’t really regular people and they make the show for their own satisfaction, NOT the audience’s. I won’t bother to be so emotionally invested next time.
This season digs really deep into the underbelly of the food industry!! It is a stress fuelled process to get the quality of food from kitchen to table, and many years of training to get there!! Many in the industry will appreciate this , many will not quite understand why this season feels different!
I enjoyed this thoroughly!
Interesting, was just discussing with my partner where The Bear could go for a season 3. This analysis highlights what I feared. Will give it go but I've lowered my expectations. Thanks, well thought out commentary regardless
Thanks a ton!
i relate to this review
I’m not familiar with The Bear but I do question writing when it feels like characters all talk the same especially if it feels non organic like the 2 outside characters you mentioned. Exceptional as always! Thanks for sharing, Mason!
Always glad to see you're still around, Colin! Appreciated!
Fak family gets into a car accident and they get sidelined in seaosn 4
Yes, yes, yes to this! 👏🏼 I pray to God that the seasons weren't shot back to back or it's gonna be a mess.
They have confirmed many times that it was, lmao. But I don't think that will make Season 4 bad, though.
@themoviecritic1092 , no, they haven't, lmao. Liza Colón-Zayas said herself that they didn't, but they did shoot some scenes.
@@MiraiElizabeth87 I could've sworn I heard Jeremy Allen White say that during the Awards season earlier this year
@@themoviecritic1092 , he may have meant the scenes. I don't even think there was enough time to shoot an entire other season.
@MiraiElizabeth87 I mean Idk, but I have heard that they are current some writing issues, so they're working on that atm. My friend is a major fan of the Bear than I ever will be, so he always keeps up with the show's progress
This review is spot on. I was left wondering what happened to the show I loved.
I think that season 1 and 2 were soo good that we expected that.
Carmys backstory was great.
I also feel like the reason nothing happened was that the story that they were trying to tell is real life going to work every day nothing much happens right but you slowly see the slow build up
Excellent break down of the strength and weaknesses of this season. Helped hearing it from someone who could put words to everything I was sensing myself.
Thanks, man. Glad I was of service.
I appreciate this video bc I liked this season and have been very annoyed with some people's revisionist history claiming that the show was never good. This video doesn’t do that. I agree that this season isn't the best but I'm good with this Dune: Part 1 type setup for Dune: Part 2 type season 4. The highs of this season were very enjoyable for me and the episodes are short so the lows aren't a huge deal imo.
I didn’t watch The Bear to see one whole episode (almost) dedicated to Sugar in labour. Tina’s episode was also dreadful - middle aged woman without a degree struggles to find a job. Has been done a million times. I feel the show runners just took us for granted and stretched out the season with this rot. As for then Faks - far less is more
I couldn’t believe they still tried to squeeze the juice out of this Claire thing. It’s like they heard the chatter and added new scenes of them together to convince us to care but it just doesn’t work
Mostly agree, although there was some great scenes. E1 was a waste. Tina's Episode and Marcus's speech was great! I'm hoping S4 will continue with the plots from S2. ex. Carmy & Syd's epic underneath the table scene in S2 and they acted like strangers in S3?!? Carmy & Sug have a great Sis/Bro relationship. Where was he supporting his sister in S3 E10? Did Syd bring food to Sug on her own or did Carmy ask her to assist? I guess Carmy was going through His panic attack!
You made some excellent and fair points. I felt the same way about this season, it was very disappointing and boring.
I’m not happy with season 3! I love the culinary aspect of the show. It was nothing but a bunch of yelling and silliness with the Faks! It’s literally about nothing! The best episode was Tomorrow and Napkins…all the others were about nothing!
The Fak brothers were so annoying and not funny at all. Super weak season.
I completely agree with you.
there was so much mindless converations involving the Faks and co*. I get side charecters need development too, but there was so much of it that it felt like filler.
Nothing much happens at all. I feel like they were trying to be too avant-garde.
i get shocked when people call moments in shows pretentious cause i usually find them inspiring 😭not sure what the writers were trying to do this season but i really didn't mind it. i thought it was overall okay. maybe the message that they're trying to drive is that "it's not about food, it's the people" as carmy digs himself further into a hole. seeing people discuss the season on twitter made me laugh cause they're talking about how carmy just wastes so much money for months and there's not really a potential consequence brought up until the 9th ep. and how syd is the most vocal of the group, the first to quit in season 1, but is just taking carmy's angry as we visibly see how fed she is. why is no one speaking up to carmy?
i did enjoy the heartfelt moments like tina and sugar's episode. aside from that.. eh.
I did feel like Episode 3s montage was the only episode I fully didn’t get behind but it did sort of sew the seed of Syd’s deep feeling of doubt to commit to be a partner.
Massive spoilers ahead.
The one thing that always drew me to this show was the fact that slice of life shows like this has a way of being able to add depth and backstory to characters that other shows would seem as minor or side characters and I feel like this season is no exception. We even got to see Uncle Jimmy sort of fulfill a dream/analogy that he told Carmy in season 1 that Syd told to Jimmy in this season about him being there for them. Marcus, probably the only who deserves the most to go off the rails this season, is one who shows a great deal of well roundedness and focus. He felt that his place was here because that’s where he was when his mom died. But every scene he’s in he’s either coming in early to perfect his craft outside of being swamped to being the tank to break up Carmy and Ritchie. Which is why I verbally shouted at the screen in joy when Sugar verbally threatened Computer at the thought of firing him. If he openly brought that up to the rest of the team, he wouldn’t have left that kitchen alive.
The thing with Carmy and Syd in terms of being the top ones in the back is that this is his first time completely leading on his own, and he’s at a crossroads between being a Chef David or a Chef Andrea Terry to the rest of the team, specifically Syd. She was somewhat inspired by him after her taste entourage in NY, but she didn’t go on the same journey as Carmy. So in a way, she’s looking more towards him to learn in that regard.
Also, John Cena as a Fak bro was just a fun cherry on top surprise for me.
Gotta admit, I loved seeing big, buff John Cena as a Fak! I actually really liked most of the Fak scenes overall, those guys are adorable.
I do agree like you said nothing happens on a substance level, while the show is really enjoyable something def felt off with the show even some of the characters felted like they were dialed back like Syd but episode 2 and the episodes with Jamie Lee Curtis and Jon berthnal were really interesting great video man
Thanks a lot, man!
Oh no not this 😢
I really liked the episodes Napkins and Ice Chips. They stayed with me and were fantastic (and boy did both make me cry, haha). There was showing as well as good dialogue and one really fleshed out a character and the other did have something big happen even with character development and relationships playing a big role. But that also made me realize that they stood out because of how they reminded me of the quality of last season in a way that most of the other episodes didn't. I really don't care that much about Carmy and Claire so that got old very quickly for me, and I feel like they kept coming back to that. And yes! So many montages and flashbacks. They did lose their value because they were too heavy handed with them. I think this is set up for the next season since it's back to back in terms of lack of resolution, but still.
This season, I'm finding the kinetic, mumble-core, ping-pong of verbal exchanges (especially between the Fak brothers and whoever they end up arguing with) rather tiresome. I couldn't help but roll my eyes, as the dialogue in these moments feels contrived and filler-like.
The show truly excels when it delves into more human, vulnerable moments, deconstructing familial and professional trauma, and those quieter instances of storytelling.
I can’t watch this show, it’s too much, it’s trying to be to cool now
It’s believed it’s own hype
The show is about the characters, why do things have to happen all the time?
As I already mentioned in the video, even if the show is supposedly about the characters, even if this season is meant to be a pause and more of a slow meditative insight into them as people, the way to accomplish something like that should be through action. If the only way we get to experience these characters is through straightforward dialogue, then you're TELLING, not SHOWING. It's a classic, endlessly repeated rule, but it's repeated for a reason.
Without action, the show feels boring, and more than that, it doesn't feel as rewarding to learn about these characters. They stop being real, interesting, HUMAN characters when the only place they can showcase their personalities in is in on-the-nose dialogue. It's fine when one or two characters are communicative, open books, but when everyone is like that it's bad writing as opposed to a depiction of supposedly realistic characters.
I can agree with that to a point, but it's a TV show, and a drama at that, it should have things happening to keep it entertaining cause that's why we watch it, that being said I still loved season 3 I just know the wait for season 4 is going to be unbearable and we would've appreciated more to chew on.
Sorry for the thesis, I care a lot about this 💀
@@failureoncommand not sure if we are watching the same dialogue scenes here. Maybe you were just into the restaurant aspect more in the first 2 seasons and don't like the characters as much as you thought you did
@connoa That's not true, but it's really besides the point. It doesn't change the fact that developing your character solely through eventless dialogue is detrimental to how interesting they are overall, and is practically a cop-out as far as writing goes. Ideally, you should convey your characters' personalities and their growth through actions. If you don't buy that, then we can agree to disagree. Thanks for sharing, man!
Okay sure but I learned absolutely nothing new about any of the the characters with the exception of Tina. Literally nothing was said about anyone else. Complete let down.
Well said. No plot was moved forward. Leaving previous threads 🧵 unresolved while adding more plot that was not addressed by the end of the season. Only to be announced as to be continued at the end. An example of unresolved thread was Cousins Love life and his being alone. Why is he alone when sis from the forks episode was like keep in touch, you can hit? And they didn’t even show them connect at the party. They could have at least have him ask her to the wedding. Would have taken two minutes of dialogue. And then you add on the tension of chef too (2) being shown struggling to tell her partner she out.
I like this season, but I do not LOVE it like I did the first two. I think that a lot of this season was about wallowing in deeper backstory details for the sake of set up for Season 4 so ultimately what happens there will dictate how I feel about this season overall. The only reason I think this is because S3 E1 declares this as the start of "Part 2", so set up would make sense story structure wise. But yeah it really felt like a big ol nothing burger for a hefty portion of the seasons runtime.
I agree with all of this, and I also feel like its very obvious so much of the dialogue is improved to make it feel more natural, but it doesn't feel more natural. It somehow feels more awkward and contrived
totally agree with everything you said!
Season 3 seems like a filler season in preparation for season 4.
It is as if they planned for 20 episodes, but were only commissioned for the first 10 after they were filmed.
Yep. It spun its wheels in place and then stopped. I feel like Jeremy had more to do in the performance for CK
I also feel like this season was a step down in comparion to first two, and share many of the same criticisms, but callng this "a failure" feels so exageratted bait. This show on it's worst season was still better than 90% of current tv. Just because this show known for A+ seasons put out a solid B- doesn't mean show lost it's way or the show is bad now. The Wire had an off sesson too
I didn't actually call it a failure in the video, but I realize the thumbnail may be a bit bait-y. I do in fact consider it to have failed though; it is far less than a B- in my eyes and a true narrative failure as a season. It failed to be entertaining and failed to tell a story, making it a failure as far as TV shows go.
The Wire had dips in quality, but none that were as immensely palpable and drastic as this, and none that dipped so low or completely failed to advance the story or the characters in any meaningful capacity. Maybe one season was kinda lower in quality, but it was still a legit season of TV.
@@failureoncommand I have watched ALOT of mid seasons of TV during the "prestige era" of shows I still enjoyed the end of the day. This was still pretty solid regardless. Some great performances, at least 3 truly great individual episodes. Narrative is important, but so is technical craftsmanship, and the acting, direction, cinematography, editing, music, ect. were all on point. It was Storer's " Vibes over story " season and I still kind of liked the vibes. I left saying "the overall season arc felt a little off, some weird creative choices, too much Faks, not as good as the last one" but I appreciated the positives and didn't think I wasted my time.
It was a failure to me. 10 fing episodes and no resolution of anything. F th bear. I hope they kill the show because of the blatant disrespect to their audience. That is how good shows die.
@@donquique1 "I hope they cancel this show and put everyone who worked on it out of a job because they put out one mid season that I personally hated and didn't get, but a lot of other people who watched did still enjoy regardless of the flaws" is some real arrogant toxic fandom bullshit. Fuck outta here with that
I feel like this was done on purpose to sort of build to something HUGE next season, some of or all of season 4 has been filmed and this season may just be to show the basics of everyones day to day
I do think things should be happening alongside the slow buildup. Just buildup is not really justifiable for a whole season...
@@failureoncommand I TOTALLY AGREE, i just find it hard to believe the show would kind of go of its usual formula and story without there being an aim or purpose
@@sandwichpenguin4315 I don't know man you kinda just said it! "Purpose" was a massive theme for the second season with Richie asking "What's my purpose homie?" in the first episode, and most of the following episodes developing each character in the kitchen to some of the most three dimensional believable characters ever written for the screen. Riding on that idea of being scared but doing it anyway philosophy. But this seasons theme seemed to be loneliness, and avoidance. Even in the Montage for the First episode, they Showed Carmen at Michaels funeral, avoiding the service, in his car due to fear of how he may ruin something. (Like Donna not wanting to attend the Opening Night of the Bear) The Richie scenes with his daughter saying he was alone 'or' lonely by his ex wife, Sidney not signing the contract, Carmen being absolutely reluctant to listening to other peoples non-negotiables, apologizing to Claire. Many of the episodes are somber, and distinctly dreary in tone. This was truly the most unexpected type of "PART I" Season 3's i've ever seen. I think the pacing was off but almost intentionally so.
Finally, someone said what i have been feeling after watching this season.
That 1st episode was the worst opening episode of tv in television history..I mean absolutely nothing happened..apart from re-hashing last two series
I thought it was beautiful, and bold, and possibility one of the top 5 episodes this show has done. A masterclass in editing and tone, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen . That was goddamn art. I don't think I have seen anything like that on TV before. To each his own i guess
@@joepops727 it was pretty pretentious. Very little dialogue just relying on camera shots music and colors. It was the equivalent of watching a fireworks display and saying omg that was art. Lol
@@blankname6629 I liked it. There were parts of this season I did find pretentious, but I thought episode 1 really worked for me.
so true! more like a super-boring commercial :((
How uneducated are you? Stick to Bluey, it is more your speed
My only problem with this season is that most episodes kinda blend together, but I didn't mind it because it felt like episodes blended together the same way their days kinda blended together, which was shown in many montages.
Outside of the tina episode, the one with sugar and donna, the first two and the final one, the rest of them all blend together.
It just feels incomplete, that's probably the only reason why this season wasn't on the level of the previous two, tho it's hardly a big drop in quality. And also, just because episodes blend together and don't stand out that doesn't mean that I don't remember what happened in them.
Another thing, Cena was ofc very funny and entertaining but idk if he fit there, it felt kinda weird, he was just John Cena, what's the difference between Sammy and Peacemaker, when it comes to comedy, it just felt like a Cena cameo, which I didn't mind cuz again, he is so funny, especially with the Faks. That was just something I thought while watching.
They should end the show next season cuz I don't want the same thing to happen to it that happens to every other big show, after a couple of seasons people start complaining that the quality has dropped and that it's a bad show now, like what happened with Stranger Things and SexEd.
Anyway... I liked it
Over 🐻 ing
Was hoping that one would fly under the radar
The three episodes focusing on the supporting characters were what left me scratching my head.
You really hit the nail on the head with their awkward and similar speech pattern. It is way too quirky and over the top. I love this show, but it’s becoming offputting and I’m starting not to like some of the characters. I really hope next season is better.
You checked all the boxes of all the things we've noticed wrong with this season. Nothing happens. Boring. Pretentious.
I also feel like maybe the stagnant, unresolved feeling of the season is a commentary of their business. Maybe seeing it from Carmy's eyes.
They messed up season 3
I think that season 4 will be the best season in the entire show and will be the final one .
I think the problem with this season is they are trying to spin too many plates at once, with Carmen's obsession, Sugar's pregnancy and Sydney's potentially looming departure.
The main tension of this show is and always has been between Richie and Carmen, and the different approaches they have to running the restaurant.
Richie is old school, and is afraid of change, but he understands the neighbourhood. He's worked there for a long time and has a feel for the type of people who come to eat at this place.
Carmen has been professionally trained in Fine Dining by the best, and sincerely believes that that the old school ways need to go and make room for a high class restaurant that will cement the legacy of his brother's restaurant as a 'must visit' staple in the city. He wants to make his mark.
At the end of Season 2, it seemed as if Carmen got his way, and did a completely 180 on the way the restaurant was being run previously. He changed it from being a lunchtime sandwich place, to a Fine Dining Michelin Star chasing restaurant.
The questions in Season 3 should've been...
Would it work, and would it be successful as a business?
Would this shift bring in the kind of capital the restaurant sorely needs?
Or would it fail because the menu change alienated their regular customers?
Those were the questions I had going into Season 3
And they completely avoided them, and completely sidelined Richie's character along the way... But there's still time to turn this around. This show has definitely earned enough good grace over the last two seasons. This season was good, but there’s definitely room for improvement. Episode 6, of this season was absolutely brilliant.
Hopefully Season 4 brings that tension back to the forefront.
I really liked this season, to be honest. It seems like a good majority of people don't and I can understand that making a plot move forward is necessary. I'm not trying to make any excuses but I think they really made this season a character-driven one and, in my opinion, realistic. Sometimes major stuff just doesn't happen in life and the little things should be taken into account. I feel this season does a pretty good job on highlighting the little things when honing in on characters. The faks is an issue for some and I can understand the criticism but... Idk, I thought John Cena was funny, lmao. I feel like this season of the show shouldn't determine whether the next season will be good or not because I have faith that it will be a great season. They just wanted to explore new grounds with this season and honestly I commend them for that. But hey, what do I know? I'm a movie review channel that hasn't posted since January 😭😭💀💀
For me the season felt like 5 episodes mainly because half the time it feels like we’re in Carmines group therapy session, just every single character waffling about some “deep” story while some are effective by episode 10 I was just rolling my eyes.
Episode 8 was the best episode for me Jaime Lee Curtis was unbelievable at making you feel uncomfortable the entire way through the tension was unreal you never knew if she was going to pop
I just finished the season and this is the first review I’ve seen and I’m shocked that you said no one else is talking about the “show don’t tell issue”
Season 3 just turned the Bear from Whiplash (It’s clear inspiration) to Whiplash if it didn’t have the nuance
👍Thoroughly agree. I got halfway through the first episode and had to fast-forward through the rest because nothing of interest was happening. I will check out the second episode, but I think I’m probably going to end up doing a fast-forward again and then stop. As a screenwriter myself, your comments about how you should "show" instead of "talk" about incidents is right on! One of the primary tenants of good screenwriting. I loved season 1 and 2 so I'm quite disappointed. 😢
Frankly, I was often tempted to fast forward through, but at the end of the day my respect for the art stopped me. I would encourage you give the whole thing your full time and attention, even if it is lacking in spots. On the level of presentation, the show is gorgeous.
it was definitely the weakest season but i enjoyed it alot (episode 8 left me speachles) and its still my fav show of all time
The whole point of The Bear is that Carmy is selfish and has too much pride. The Bear isn't just the name of the restaurant, nor is it Carmy. The Bear is a pun. As in "Bearing the responsibility. " or "He can't BEAR the pain." The Bear is the pain in his heart. His grief. This is why he has to face the caged Bear in his dreams. It's him finally accepting Mikeys death. Until then, he will always be selfish. He will always keep the team apart. He will always push people away. That's the point. The show will end and resolve once Carmy deals with his emotions properly.
This season is more internal than the others and I fully disagree with the take nothing happens. It is just not plot driven. The show allows Carmy to step back on good development and go on the tragic path of the wrong lessons he internalized from his antagonist, only to realize his trauma is his own and his former boss does not give a shit about it... that hopefully can lead to him moving on and get some positive growth. The mistake he makes with Claire haunts him because he has the internal conflict where he think there is no space for life and happiness due to his ambitions of being great and that affects the interactions and the restaurant itself. His deflection of the denial of happiness indirectly affects everyone around, the other characters grows, deal with trauma in a better way, forgive wrong doings, accepts ends, finds joy in life and work, craves for more than Carmy can give while he is still inside the fridge. I think it is a necessary season if season 4 is done right. Not all seasons needs to rely on the same formulas and the show could experiment now that is estabilished and it felt like it.
This season felt like a giant art project. Season 2 set the bar so high and this fell flat
This comment is from another video about this season I just want to put it here as well.
For me this season was definitely disappointing. for me season 1 of the show is 10 out of 10 the best season of Television I think I've ever seen. In season 2 had some of the highest highs of the entire show with the Christmas episode and the episode focused on Richie. My biggest issue with season 3 is that it genuinely felt off the whole time everything felt longer but somehow nothing was happening. the dialogue is always great and as someone studying screenwriting I'm extremely impressed on how they do this. but it got to the point where the scenes kept going when they should have probably ended 3 minutes ago and to me it felt like maybe that's the point it's meant to feel uncomfortable but it should never get to the point that I'm actively checking how much time is left in the episode. I liked elements of the first episode and I liked that episode 2 was a long argument but also I just felt it could have been executed better. I love the Tina episode and I love the hospital episode.
For me I think the showrunners and writers started buying into their own hype and whenever that happens with creatives it becomes a problem. because now they can think they can do anything and it's clear that they probably shouldn't be doing anything they want. And there is too many celebrity cameos I don't typically care about that kind of stuff but even seeing John Cena broke my brain because I'm a wrestling fan and seeing him in anything kind of confuses me. And I'm so bought into the world of the show that seeing genuinely extremely famous person John Cena not being extremely famous person John Cena makes no sense to me because we know famous real people exist in the show why is John Cena actually just a character?
Me and my mother watched both seasons of the bear for me I was rewatching it she was seeing it for the first time and she loved it. and she related heavily with the show. but even this season, I could tell she was losing interest. It got to the point where she was actively disinterested and was telling me that she wanted to take breaks. And my mom isn't as media literate as me so if she's telling me that I know there's a problem.
Again I think the show is extremely well made the music's great the acting is amazing the dialogues always incredible but something just fell off and I feel like even if this entire season set up and we're going to get the fourth season quicker than we expect it still should be able to stand on its own two feet and the season doesn't really do that. For me I always see The Bear as a shining example of writing for television and someone studying this it's disappointing to see that it seems like the writers aren't putting their best foot forward.
This is getting very rambly but I'm just thinking too much and I'm going to continue writing. I feel like the show was starting to lose its identity because one of the main reasons I watched season 1 is because I like the dynamic of this guy coming from the world of Fancy High dining cooking having to go back because his brother killed himself and take over his restaurant and everyone is against him because of where he's coming from. And I feel like as the show went on and the sandwich shop is no longer a sandwich shop it's now this fine dining restaurant it feels wrong. I don't know I just really like season 1 more than season 2. And I feel just that the show for me has been getting worse for each season not like it's gone from a 10 to a six more like it's gone more like 10 to a 9 to an 8. Again I think the show is really well made and I hope they stick the landing for season 4 but I am definitely disappointed with the season it's still good but it doesn't reach the same heights is the best way to say it.
add on: I think your points on the dialogue are valid. I've definitely done that myself while writing where I make everyone sound kind of the same because I'm writing it how I would react to the situation.
Assuming they didn't just completely lose the plot, I can only assume they're going for some meta-narrative in which Season 3 is supposed to be The Bear itself: style over substance, award-baiting, a departure from what was there before that people loved, and something that replaced the "real" and the human with pretentiousness that can only mimic and try to convince you it has heart. And that both The Bear the show and The Bear the restaurant will return to its roots for Season 4.
Damn. That would be crazy experimental. I don't know if I believe it, though.
This better be the calm before the storm
Along all the season I was wondering 'Where's the fvckin kitchen's chaos?'
Hoping season 4 gonna be good
Its a bit different but imo the things prominent in this season that seemed “different” werent really too different the past 2 seasons just werent so heavy on them. I think theyre just trying to do a slow burn, I feel like it picked up in the second half its not as bad as what ppl are saying. Yeah “nothing” really happens but its only a few months of time right? Bc theyre working on opening the restaurant. Idk i feel like it wouldnt be as faced paced bc the earlier seasons the restaurant was so hectic and all over the place and now theyre all coming into their roles, but thats just how I see it.
Definitely dialogue, amount of cussing & snark felt so unreal & uncomfortable like is this how Americans speak on day to day basis, this season felt like eating cake with 90% Fondue & whip cream & 10% of actual fillings.
It’s almost like this show should have 60 minute episodes and be a standard length drama. I enjoyed this season, but I was very disappointed there was no payoff or forward movement in the plot. Three major threads were established early season and none of them got a resolution.
Im watching this during the finale. Id rather watch this that the finale…. That says somethingz
I adored and sped through seasons 1 and 2 but I had to force myself to finish this series. I honestly don't think it will be worth finishing the final show for me.
I didn't care so much about the story not progressing, it just felt like a 12-year-old was writing everything
I’m only on episode 6, and Carmy has been pissing me off so far. I can neither relate nor empathize with him how i used to.
disappointing season over all felt so much like filler no story progression at all i was let down.
I took me sooo long to finish itt
Definitely not the best season 😅
This season was so bad it killed the whole show for me what a waste of time this season is. Nothing happens and the finale was boring
Yes to all of that. I didn’t even finish the season, it felt like a huge waste of time, what a let down. There’s one thing that had already frustrated me in the spectacular season 1 and 2 though. How does Carmy look so ripped? He is a chain smoking workaholic, you simply don’t look like that with this kind of lifestyle. I think it’s really toxic to portray someone this healthy and shredded looking and pretend to the audience he was just born this way.
Frankly, it has broken my immersion. But I look past it because hey, working out is cool.
Sydney still being there is driving the show down into a dumpster fire. The character hasn't made sense since season 1. IRL if some new hire came in and after a week went to the owner and began telling them how it should be done in a condescending manner, they would be gone the next day.
Season 2 and 3, no character development growth at all, seems like she's getting worse with her zone out panic attacks.
To fix all of this, she needs to quit or get fired. Then have her character go out and make her own restaurant to her own specifications, and get set up as a rival. Then that rivalry would help push both Sydney and Carm to develop exponentially. Then have moments where they both use different methods or ideas the other had, to show they both learned from each other to be better. But as like a B story or secondary arc, as this is supposed to be a story about The Bear.
Im ngl that sounds like a very bad take
All I know is that Carmen and Sydney had better get together at some point.
I honestly thought it was an amazing season. Got a lot of good character development for lesser characters and the entire season felt like watching a long version of Uncut Gems, basically felt like I was about to have a panic attack just watching
Lol 😂