The Bear Suffers A Slump In Its Third Season
After sweeping awards season, The Bear has returned for its highly anticipated third season.
Instead of jumping right back into where we were left at the end of season two, the first episode acts as more of an artistic experience of Carmen’s (Jeremy Allen White) mind. In an attempt to jump into his brain, the thirty minute episode features an extreme over use of b-roll, little to no dialogue, and scenes that are indiscernible from past and present. It features a heart pumping score and soundtrack, but adds very little to the overall storyline.
It is very clear that in this new season, showrunners wanted to pay proper homage not just the food world of Chicago, but to the city’s charm and culture as well. There is a larger focus on including local business and smaller restaurants, even when it doesn’t suit the story. There are multiple minutes long scenes that just serve more as a visual homage than a storytelling device, leaving them feeling out of place.
Half way through the season, it seems as though nothing much has happened at all other than that the restaurant is still somehow running. It attempts to serve somewhat as a recap but most of the episodes are filled with unnecessary scenes only featuring food, no dialogue, and no character progression. There was little to no tension, something that past seasons were known for.
The Bear is at its best when it chooses to examine the life and backstory of a single character in detail. This season, that is executed perfectly in episode six where Tina is the center of attention. Cutting back to how she originally started working at The Bear and where her motivation comes from was extremely inspiring. Her story of being laid off, searching endlessly for jobs, and eventually landing at the restaurant is an underdog story of how a woman in her 40s still has plenty of life and passion to live for.
One thing this show knows how to execute perfectly is guest stars and stunt casting. Jamie Lee Curtis, Will Poulter, Molly Gordon, Joel McHale, John Mulaney, and Olivia Colman all have cameos this season yet none of them feel like celebrity cameos. Their characters are so vastly different from anything they’ve done before that it is always so well executed and believable.
While The Bear is still an incredible series about the elite culinary industry, the third season seems to suffer from trying to do much of the same thing. It felt almost like an anthology series as the episodes were jumpy, disconnected, and there was no direct throughline. It tried to redo what it had already done without adding elements to keep it interesting or engaging.
The Bear is streaming on Hulu.
