‘Whatever grows together, goes together…’
I believe it was Abraham Lincoln who said “Expectation is a bitch”. Something like that anyway, he said a lot of things the big hatted bastard. And so, after two almost flawless seasons of television, the critics have come for season three of The Bear. So much so that some wags on Twitter (never X) have suggested that perhaps Christopher Storer’s groundbreaking TV show was never that good in the first place. While that is clearly nonsense, this latest season of The Bear is definitely the weakest of the three, but that’s only because standards have been so high up until this point…
We left Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) locked in a freezer having destroyed his relationship with both his cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and his girlfriend Claire (Molly White). In season three opener Tomorrow, neither of these relationships has been fixed but out of the ashes of The Original Beef restaurant in Chicago comes The Bear – Carmy’s new endeavour.
Hey, I’m a positive guy, so let’s talk about all the things that season three does well. The acting is still phenomenal. The whole thing is beautifully shot and edited. The score and choice of needle drops are exquisite (not one but TWO Weezer songs – yes please). The long-mooted move from The Beef to The Bear is handled beautifully. So, what’s the problem? Well, first of all, The Bear has always been a dramatic show that also happens to be funny. This third season leans too far into the comedic aspect and while it is genuinely funny in places this often comes at the expense of the drama. Secondly, one of the show’s great strengths has always been its ability to pack so much into 30-minute episodes (a short running time for such prestigious TV) but season three fails on this count. We have so many great characters and actors here but it too often feels like we only spend time with Carmy. Sure, he’s always been the focus of The Bear but some of the show’s best moments have been its side quests. Ayo Edebiri is particularly underused and we hardly get anything from Olivia Colman either (although Jamie Lee Curtis is once again perfectly utilised in the one episode in which she appears).
Season three of The Bear is very far from being bad television, indeed, in its better moments it truly soars, but it is also a victim of the success of the two seasons that preceded it. Much to think about ahead of season four.