Warning: Spoilers Ahead.
Salt
Aside from Refused’s “New Noise” which many of us cannot hear without probably exclaiming “Corner!” or “Behind!”, a key part of the show is its highly curated Playlist each season. Whereas last season had needle drops from Martin Rev, The Replacements, Taylor Swift, and Illinois’ own Surfjan Stevens among others, this season kept the needle moving forward.
Radiohead secures an early moment in which Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) assures a grieving Marcus (Lionel Boyce) of his steely resolve to make The Bear everything and more. Cocteau Twins hang over happier times between Claire (Molly Gordon) and Carmy like a gossamer blanket of dreaminess. Kool & the Gang and Kate Bush take us into the world of pre-Original Beef Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) with Ghetto Brothers cinching easily one of the best episodes of the season in “Napkins”(directed by Ayo Edebiri). With at least ten other songs I haven’t talked about, Storer’s maintained that star of excellence by keeping the music a character, a necessary ingredient to make choice moments sing.
Fat
Of course, I wouldn’t be so fully enveloped in these flashes of agony and ecstasy without the characters galvanizing them in unbridled emotion. Carmy’s ice box confessional in the sophomore season finale was something that hit me hard. I don’t wish perfectionism on anybody. It’s an affliction in which the patient is the poison and the antidote. I fucking felt for the man and it’s all because of Jeremy Allen White’s red-hot performance. We open season three with “Tomorrow” which beholds one of the most cinematic, laconic, and lush fifteen minutes I’d seen in a while, TV or movie-related. This season, the struggle is even tastier, as Chef has to contend with the fallout of two essential allies while trying to get The Bear not to sink before it even sets sail. He picked a hell of a time to quit smoking, but I can’t help but love his simple, elegant reason: waste of time. His spirit is there, but his head is far from being in the game.
Being your own worst critic ain’t a picnic and I feel that even though ostensibly there were other fine character arcs, this felt like the season of Carmy. I’m not mad at it. The restaurant is his namesake. His struggle with perfection while searching for inspiration was a lot more fascinating to watch for me than his fallout with his cousin during these ten episodes, engaging as it was. It makes perfect sense to have his journey peppered throughout this season. It feels like we’re finally breaking down the enigmatic Carmine, seeing what makes him tick from his days competing with Luca (Will Poulter) under the nurturing watch of Chef Terry (Olivia Colman) at Ever and Daniel Boulud at Daniel to being browbeaten by bilious David Fields (Joel McHale). Factor in a review that he’s desperately not trying to ruminate on and call it a day. For all his loud moments, Jeremy mostly radiates this season when he’s reflective. It’s peeling back the skin just a bit to see the good stuff, the painful shit on the inside. That being said, we’re also seeing an artist’s struggle, so it might not be for everyone as some may find it meandering. Carmy’s history is given more time to breathe and I’m happy I got a window seat.
As Carmy’s partner in crime, Sydney’s story arc this season was a little interesting for me. For whatever reason, I’d been under some delusion that Carmy and Sydney had some romantic tension going on. The Workprint was fortunate to attend a virtual press conference where Jeremy himself said “No? No, there was no talk in the rooms about any romantic implications.”
That being said, it will paint my picture of them in a different light henceforth. Does that diminish the show in my purview of their dynamic? Not really. I’ll just have to readjust the way I view their dynamic. Ayo acted the fuck out of this season. Sydney was equally as captivating as Carmy. Sure, I had some fantasy of Claire being a very realistic wedge between Carmy and Sydney. That’s what would send my hackles up, but alas that’s not the case.
Look, I have no problem with Claire Bear. Claire Bear’s fine. That being said her conflicts this season seem a bit more varied with not a lot of heft of any particular one. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. I can appreciate her frustration with Carmy more in a sense because he’s still just as vexing as a business partner.
This past Emmy’s, Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s name was on everybody’s lips for his fantastic driving of Richie’s character arc of finding purpose. Because the first episode of this series picks up where were left off, Richie’s not out of the weeds with his own life. Yes, he’s now the boss of the front of the house at The Bear, Chicago’s hottest new restaurant, but Storer and Co. didn’t let up on giving Richie another full plate. Between being at Carmy’s throat for, like, three episodes, big hoss also has to contend with a front-of-the-house where team that doesn’t care (another overlooked birthday is some fucked up shit for a $175/plate nine-course meal) as well as the soon to be husband of his ex-wife Tiffany (Gillian Jacobs). To be fair, if I had a former spouse who had a Frank, I’d be worried too. Ebon delivered for me, but for all of his stress-inducing situations and pain, it feels like he doesn’t truly get much of a win this season for reasons I’ll get into down the line.
Last season, Natalie (Abby Elliot) aka “Sugar” felt like more of a glue to the cast, a fondant to keep everyone from falling apart. With a baby just around the corner this season, her presence was a bit more understated which is funny because her actual pregnancy was written into season two. She does get a bottle episode in “Ice Chips” with momma bear herself DD (Jamie Lee Curtis) at her side and Abby held her own to her co-star in the anxiety-inducing time spent watching. However, I feel that because Carmy’s insecurities were the main villain of this season, Sugar’s shine time was felt less. I felt we got more screen time with her when the mythical Computer (Billions creator Brian Koppelman) showed up than anything else.
Tina is my girl. I can’t help but smile whenever she appears on the screen. Her arc of from what I can understand not being able to catch up right away on Carmy’s ever-changing menu is believable as it’s a world wholly new to her. At first, I was over the moon when Sydney was sending her to the farmer’s market. That’s a huge ask coming from a perspective of trust. However, I wanted to see T more in the kitchen more of this season. I wanted to see a kitchen sink and swim together, and we did get very hellacious dinners, but we don’t see a lot of behind-the-scenes how things come together with Tina. Then again, when you put out a new menu with each service, the kitchen politics are too messy to even think about writing. What we do get instead is “Napkins”. As far as origin episodes go, this one is up there for all time, especially when we get to see more of Mikey (Jon Bernthal). Liza Colón-Zayas dominates the screen as a worker bee without a hive and it’s an episode I can’t get out of my brain.
I was truly glad to see Marcus around more this season. Going into this next part armed with the knowledge of no romance existing between Carmy and Syd, I’m a little disappointed I didn’t see more interactions with The Bear’s resident baker and Sydney together. Marcus clearing the air between him and Sydney mid-season is honestly the only moment that sticks out in my mind. Their repartee has always been on a different wavelength than the rapport of her and Carmy, but to be fair, the dude just lost his mother.
If you’re a Fak fanatic, boy have I got news for you. If you feel like his presence has been increasing since the beginning, there’s a reason (and it’s not because he’s an Executive Producer and now credited writer on the season opener). At the very same FX Press meeting, Jeremy Allen White had said of Matty Matheson on set, “…like I’ve never seen Chris [Storer] be more joyful…than when he’s directing a scene with Matty and like throwing lines at him.” I was pro-Fak pretty early on in season one, so I’m fine with it… but this isn’t just a celebration of Neil Fak. Theodore (Ricky Staffieri) has a way more sizable presence as well and they call in some familial reinforcements. I won’t spoil who, but one came out of nowhere and was a pleasant surprise.
Acid
Christopher Storer loves movies. If it weren’t apparent this season, the first fifteen minutes of “Tomorrow” should remove all doubt. If that weren’t enough, we get a William Friedkin shout-out and the use of the main titles of a movie I’d not expect to hear at all used (not spoiling that). If that weren’t enough, how about a particular Un Chien Andalou clip snuck into an episode? I dig his vision. With that in mind, this season felt even more cinematic… for Carmy.
When we get inside his mind, the cinematography of his experiences and history are dreamier than a My Bloody Valentine tune. Delving further into what makes Chef tick and tock was something I wasn’t expecting and though it felt like a welcomed surprise, it also felt like my attention was diverted to him more than anybody else. I’m not mad at it. That being said, it also felt like the list of non-negotiables was more of self imposed stumbling block for Carmy than a point of contention for the kitchen, which would have been more interesting.
The Bear’s up and running. The failure makes it interesting but without some real scenes of success in the kitchen, the dinner services just flew by, as in I can’t recall any of them. The editing was top-shelf, but it didn’t feel like I got to see the kitchen work together as much to breathe in the occasional success. They just all seem beat up by the end. Kind of a bummer, but what I am very happy about is Chris letting Ayo take on directing duties for T’s origin story. Her natural eye for how Tina came to The Original Beef of Chicagoland in “Napkins” is humanistic and exciting and if you can’t tell by her love of Letterboxd, her love of cinema radiates through in her directorial duties.
Even though the filmmaking on this season was great, it felt at times as if Carmy was running things. You’re only as good as your kitchen and this season stepped it back in shifting the tone a little to get deeper into the “Bear” himself. Acid’s supposed to balance everything out, but this season felt a bit weighted towards Carmy’s struggle and we never fully get out of it or his head. There’s no I in “team” and though there was a nod to Coach K in the beginning, the kitchen felt more like a fractured whole. New addition Sammy Fak’s constant teasing through ‘haunting’ I found funny but annoying, though it gave me pause upon re-examination.
Carmy was haunted by memories of David. Indecision haunted Sydney but it also haunted Carmy. That’s already a lot of heaviness for just the two alone. When you factor in Marcus and Richie being haunted by loneliness and Sugar in her fear of the unknown, I’m very surprised the kitchen didn’t have any truly shit service which made the magic in The Bear’s kitchen not as memorable to me.
Heat
What transforms? Conflict. Hardship. Grief. Using one of the most triumphant and tragic season finales I’d seen in a long time (outdoing season-mate “Fishes” for me) as a springboard, the first episode “Tomorrow” set the tone in one of the most lush fifteen or so minutes I’d seen in a television show in quite some time. Carmy’s crossed a finish line he’s only begun to start moving further for himself. It’s reflective stuff and I’m here for it. Carmy’s journey started with “Non-Negotiables”, which are reflective of a larger picture. Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) does show up here and there as the fire under his ass, but threatening to pull funds didn’t feel weighty enough because they didn’t fail from day one. I wanted to see that uphill battle with all of them.
Marcus’ storyline seemed more in line with Carmy’s in that it felt more… monastic? Both of them were more into themselves than reaching out to others. However, only Marcus came out inspired in the end with the episode “Violet”. They felt the most like islands. I wanted something to happen at least with Sydney, but now I’m kind of questioning if Carmy’s the only one set up for romance ultimately with Claire. Case in point: Jessica (Sarah Ramos).
I was feeling for Richie this season, I truly was. I think he could have used a big win this season and it didn’t feel like he got any. When the news of Ever shuttering hit during episode five, I was waiting in anticipation for the call to hire Back of House Manager Garrett (Andrew Lopez) and Jessica since The Bear was in desperate need of structure. Even though I seem to have a penchant for shipping more than UPS, you cannot tell me there wasn’t something between Richie and Jessica in “Forks”. But we don’t get that. We get Richie grappling with Frank’s future permanent presence in the family. That was his trial by fire it seems more than his actual job, which I would have liked to have seen more of. Instead of a montage of dinner services of things that weren’t going right, maybe focus a bit on more that did. That’s the one thing that struck me. For such a warzone as the kitchen became this season, I’m surprised more people didn’t want to deal with the elephant in the room that was Carmy’s Commandments.
While I was grateful whenever Edwin Lee Gibson was on the screen as Ebraheim, his struggle seemed like more of an asterisk. Along with Gary (Corey Hendrix) who was sent for sommelier school, their stories peaked in the doorway from time to time, which made me wonder if they were super necessary. de, the only inspiration I truly remember was Marcus creating a new dish based around a flower his mother loved.
I’m all for Sydney juggling several problems that seem manageable so the weight is more on Carmy this season and I’m all for Sydney wanting her independence, but in the end, I would have rather that was scrapped or spent less time on and more time with a juicier bit of drama, Ever CDC Adam Shapiro proposing a business partnership that’s too good to pass up. Sydney’s loyalties to Carmy I never questioned, but we don’t get the confrontation I was hoping for. I was praying by the finale titled “Forever” we’d get one hell of a showdown because of Sydney’s silence on Shapiro. That would have been a banger of a cliffhanger.
The title card caught me off guard, but it also gave me my final thought. This season felt like an unfinished piece of meat that was bagged and headed for sous vide. Even the confrontation between Carmy and former torturer David seems anti-climactic… but maybe that’s the point. Though seeming incomplete, everything seems seasoned and prepped for season four. Things take time so this could be all by design. Nothing seems certain… but that’s certainly closer to reality. I just the reality of this season had a bit more bite.
