Carmy, Sydney, and Richie have finally opened up their fine-dining restaurant, The Bear, to the public, however all is not going to plan. The restaurant is losing money and in an effort to save the restaurant, Carmy pushes himself harder than ever, and demands excellence from his crew, who do their best to match his intensity. However, this quest of culinary excellence propels the crew to new levels of stress as they struggle to keep it together.
If the latest season of The Bear is not the message to all the awards academies that the series is a drama, not a comedy, then I don’t know what will convince them.
FX/Hulu’s The Bear continues to redefine itself as it goes into its 3rd season. The first season was a perfect mix of drama and comedy, and as the seasons progressed, it has shifted into the realm of drama, despite what the series might say. However, the latest shift of the series has left me with mixed feelings.
Carmy and company finally have everything that they want. They are running a fine-dining restaurant that has become the hit of the town. However, everyone is dissatisfied, thus leading to everyone constantly butting heads. This tension and dissatisfaction is raised several degrees once they find out they are being reviewed by the Chicago Tribune. On paper there is nothing wrong with this story. It is a fascinating thematic journey of depression and anxieties that is caused by the fear of failing. However, this thematic journey does not make for compelling television. And it is especially not compelling when outside of Sugar giving birth, nothing happens this season.
There are moments in this season where this thematic exploration is beautifully explored. The opening episode of this season is one of the best episodes of the show. It is simply a montage of Carmy’s journey to becoming a chef, from his humble beginnings to the inevitable toxic environment of restaurants warping his love of cooking. This thematic journey is further seen in episode 6, Napkins, where Tina struggles to find purpose after being layoffed. Ice Chips is about forgiveness, generational trauma, and the anxieties of becoming a parent. When the series puts a singular focus on exploring some of these themes, the series is at its best. However, for the rest of the season everyone is depressed and is yelling at each other, which becomes tiring after a while.
I understand that The Bear is meant to be an exploration of mental illness and what mental illness will do when it is not in check. And I especially understand that this season is supposed to be about depression. However, when this exploration is boiled down to everyone yelling at each other and pouting in the corner for 70% of your season, it makes it an incredibly bland feast. Then when the series attempts comedy with Matty Matheson and Rickey Staffieri annoying characters, it makes for an annoyingly bland feast. All of this blandness is especially frustrating when this season has some of the best filmmaking and acting of the series.
As the seasons have gone by, the series has continued to explore numerous ways of telling its story without sticking to one kind of a cinematic language. The editing, cinematography, sound design, and overall direction is incredibly diverse here. From capturing the high intensity of a busy restaurant, to the calm serenity of being in your element and the intimate emotions of childbirth, this series knows how to change its language to match its script in some of the most profound ways. Furthermore, the acting is again some of the best in television. Even though their performances are not comedic, they are still some fantastic dramatic performances. Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach continue to deliver some fantastic dramatic performances. However, this season belonged to Liza Colon-Zayas and Abby Elliott as both were given episodes catered to their characters. Colon-Zayas frustration of her character navigating the reality of unemployment is raw with subtle emotional frustration. While, Elliot delivers an intimate performance as she navigates the complex emotions of becoming a parent. Overall, it is frustrating to see this series be dragged down by its melodramatic writing.
In conclusion, I am left conflicted with this season. Everything in this season was on point, except for the writer. Yes there were many moments when the writing hit its strides, but within those strikes was a sea of nothingness that ultimately added to nothing other than our characters pouting for 10 episodes. I look forward to the next season, but my expectations will be wary.
My Rating: B
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