THE BEAR is back and so is Jeremy Allen White

He's so humourless, not a fan.

I thought this was a documentary?

Those people, from what I’ve seen on commercials, look like real people shlepping in a real restaurant.

Not until I saw the dude on Colbert that I figured out it was a tv show. 🤷🏻‍♀️😬

Anyway, not interested. And yes, I came her to post 🙄🙄

Good luck keeping up with me!

CAN’T WAIT

One more day. Best show I’ve watched in years. Looking forward to it.

"Cousin!"

"Thank YOU, Chef!"

“Thank you, Jeff!”

BEHIND, chef!

Sexy whore!

He is very sexy. The sulkiness helps.

Disappointed by first three episodes. Will watch again to give it a second chance.

Hawt guy…

The worst case of false advertising in the title since The Neverendung Story.

He will always be Lip.

This show should NOT be classified as a comedy.

I’m watching the new season premiere. WTF is going on. If you’re going to do nonlinear storytelling, make it make sense.

I love the nonlinear element

I just watched the first episode this week. Interesting but by the end it was giving me agita. Not sure I want to revisit it.

the whole show is extremely agitating

It shows that plating in fine dining is a form of mental illness.

I'll have to give it a few more episodes but we'll see. I lived in Chicago for years and probably have had more than enough of that sort of Grant Achatz/Brendan Sodikoff pretentious douchebag energy.

He’s a butterface. Looks like he reeks of cigarettes.

he likely does as he genuinely does smoke

Love him. Love The Bear - for all its faults - but I agree the nonlinear approach to storytelling can be aggravating and frustrating. I thought the category of “comedy” was misleading as well.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Finding this new season quite ponderous. Sort of just keeps treading the same ground…

He must have sizemeat, though.

Four episodes in and, honestly, season 3 sort of sucks. And I LOVED seasons 1 and 2.

It just seems to be the same old story.

The first episode, which is getting raves in some corners, was just a re-tread of the first two series. I mean, doesn’t this ever move on?

It’s also kind of unsatisfying the way they seem to focus Carly’s attention on Claire - who really just was a cypher in the previous series. It would make sense if he was like, “I should get to know her better,” but the projection that they have this huge connection to each other is…a bit by the numbers.

I do like Oliver Platt’s character. I wish he were in it more.

Restaurant work is hard. This family doesn’t deal with grief well. We get it.

And they’re still calling this a comedy?

*Carmy’s attention

fuckin’ A.I. autocorrect

Spoiler Alert.

Forbes has recapped the Season Three finale. Read at your own risk.

Spoiler alert

Finale recap in Forbes. Archived version attached.

Sorry for the double post.

well, i can't make it thru the first episode.

The Fak brothers kind of walked away with the season.

It got better as the season went on, but I still thought it was significantly not as good as seasons 1 and 2. The first 3-4 episodes really got me off on the wrong foot.

R36 At least you got off.

JAW is a butterfaced whore, darlin’.

JAW is not an attractive man.

To Award shows: THIS IS NOT A COMEDY!

JLC in the giving birth episode was pretty funny.

This show is such a fantasy.

The whole thing of Syd getting that offer from the guy at Ever - it didn’t even make any sense. If he already has investors, he would have his own ideas of what he wanted to do - given his supposed stature, why wouidn’t he have his own ideas, concept, plans, etc.? Instead he’s telling some sous chef at a restaurant that’s only been open a month, she can do whatever she wants? That runs counter to how that entire industry works. Plus, in the end, how would that be any different from the promises Carmy made to her and the professional situation she’s already in?

Also, they never explicitly stated it but I was curious throughout - wouidn’t it be the case that once Sydney signed the contract for partial ownership of The Bear, wouldn’t she be assuming a percentage of the business losses? Shouldn’t that have been her primary concern - having no budgetary or spending control of the business but potential being buried in debt, which seemed inevitable anyway even before Unc made that somewhat clear? (Also, any investor would know a restaurant is a long-term investment. It would never recoup and be running profitably after a month. The startup and running costs are substantial and the profit margins are very narrow.) I do love Oliver Platt though, despite how he treated Tess McGill all those years ago. :)

I also didn’t understand the “cliffhangers”. The season is a total exercise in style, like the plates that Carmy obsesses over, it is completely about execution without any interest in plot. It just repeats its main tenets over and over: the disciplines and demands of true greatness, creative or otherwise; family hurts; there is love, etc. It strings the Chicago Tribune review out over 3 or 4 episodes - when I used to live there, Trubune restaurant reviews were published on Fridays. Maybe not exclusively but that’s when I noticed them. Maybe Sundays as well. A restaurant review - and the creators of The Bear should know this - would be based on multiple visits not just one. They would need a PR to make this happen, maybe that’s supposed to be Natalie (the great Abby Elliot, the MVP of every season of The Bear, I love her). And they pretty much leave the result of that hanging including a “TO BE CONTINUED” end card. It’s like, why? Just move forward already. Move on to the next thing. The sudden “TO BE CONTINUED” announcement is like, what, you mean there’s a plot here? When did that happen? The whole final episode was a bunch of talking faces, documentary style, elevated above the series regulars talking about their restaurant experiences, a “funeral” for a fake restaurant that isn’t even the central setting of the series. No stakes. Closing by choice, etc. Very low stakes. People standing around staring at cliches on walls heavy-handedly for minutes on end. Just deliver the news and move on. This isn’t “Who shot JR?” stuff. The “TO BE COJTINUED” thing was embarrassing. I almost felt like as the viewer, I should be allowed to negotiate those terms. I felt like, “Maybe… Not sure I’LL be back, but…”

The Claire thing is equally tedious. Most of the message of this season is that Carmy is weak. He is a weak, weak man. It left the star of the series with little to do. No wonder he’s posing in his underpants in the off season.

(cont.)

Which lastly, is the thing: last season The Bear was inundated with a ridiculous amount of guest stars, most of whom signed a multi-season contract (joke). Most of them are back, some with even less to do. (The British Invasion of the Chicago restaurant scene is still a mystery to me.) But the characters of The Bear now seem to have morphed into the stars that made them. As mentioned, Sydney now apparently assumes the star status of the actress that plays her, and despite mumbling with some charm is now perceived to be the superstar get for new, ambitious restaurateurs. O-kay. Not likely. Look forward to her social media presence taking off next season on YouTube and Letterbox. She doesn’t even network or show much enthusiasm or confidence but she’s being chased for this big opportunity…because she’s Sydney? Or Ayo Edebiri? Richie, now Emmy-winning actor Ebon Moss Bach-Rach, gets treated like a superstar at Ever where the staff reveres him (even this would never happen), his “number” is retired and the world’s best chef on the night of her voluntary closing “funeral” in front of the real legends of the industry and craft blows him kisses? To a guy who spent 4 days in her kitchen mostly shadowing and polishing silver? This would never happen. The egalitarianism The Bear creators seek to illustrate may exist on their own set - maybe - but it certainly doesn’t exist in the restaurant industry. And it’s a funny thing: when you work in the restaurant industry, spending time in your restaurant when you’re off the clock is kind of the last place you want to be, no matter the circumstances or what’s on offer. You really don’t know anybody beyond the four walls of your establishment It’s not a community. That’s Top Chef fantasy being imposed on the real world. Which is what makes this season of The Bear at least more of a stylish hang than a compelling drama, which it only achieves in fits and starts, primarily in the delivery episode.

And to that end: when is Storer going to use a Liz Phair song already? The end.

Random thoughts from the season:

-style over substance and certainly over plot development.

-too many cameos from both actors and foodies. I normally like John Cena but he was the worst part of the season for me. There are a bunch of famous food people in this season according to a list I saw, but I have no idea who they are with the exception of Thomas Keller.

-the reliance on the Fak slap stick scenes are to keep it officially in the comedy category…I guess. It was too much this season.

-I found Joel McHale pretty attractive despite the dodgy hair transplants. The character being an asshole strangely added to the appeal. He just physically towers over little Carmy.

-Claire Bear just needs to run. Carmy is a broken mess.

-the characters who draw me in the most are Uncle Jimmy, Natalie and Marcus.

I so want to like this show.

Are there any restaurants who really change their menu every fucking day? I just find that incredibly unrealistic and just downright stupid.

i gave up.

Joel McHale’s fake hairline is why this show qualifies as a comedy.

I want to see him and Cameron make out.

[quote] The British Invasion of the Chicago restaurant scene is still a mystery to me.

Right? Like, what?

What the fuck is Olivia Colman doing in this show again?

R42, are you fucking high right now?

Wow.

Okay.

Partner and I listened to the Fak brothers and Richie going through their paces. We struggled to place them and then it hit me--they're part Kevin Smith, part David Mamet. They're a film school grad's impression of working class shtick.

I really liked the Tina origin story episode.

And I liked, if not loved, the last episode with all the guest food industry folks. Vulture has a breakdown in the episode recap of who they are.

I get that in the broader sense they were sort of dialing it back and it was a season-long rumination on deep ideas including legacy (with an episode title to match), but it just never all came together and really got tedious at times. I still was interested enough to watch it (though The Bear has always been a breezy, easy watch), and there were some standout moments. But broadly not as good as the first two seasons. That may be bolstered by the fact that the show is no longer novel - which often spikes interest and excitement more than people realize - but even accounting for that, I thought it was a drop off. But I'm interested to see where they take it in Season 4.

But even the Tina episode it was like, find The Beef already. How many scenes did they need to have of snotty, disinterested, young receptionists? So much repetition. Rolling Stone compared the Fak brothers, I believe, to a Meisner (acting technique) exercise. But the whole thing is repetitive.

As someone noted, the Chicago Tribune visits multiple times and never really torpedos a restaurant anymore. They might say a few negatives but they'd note that there is much to like and room to grow. I think the producer is channeling Pete Wells and even his review of Fieri's restaurant didn't close it down.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Abby Elliot were wonderful in episode 8

I liked John Cena role and the Fak brothers in general. I know it’s a schtick, but enjoyed it.

Only watched one episode but I love it

He's such an unhappy looking little person.

Y'all are talking me out of watching season 3 any time soon.

Corner. Corner. Corner.

The last episode was “chef’s kiss”. It was so good

The first 2-3 episodes are, IMO, uneven.

But, it hit it’s stride by mid-season

The last episode pretends fine dining chefs are a noble priesthood. The fine dining model makes sense for restaurants because it's about serving fewer people a limited choice of food and having predictable income from each table. It doesn't make sense for people who don't want to spend 200-300 on dinner except maybe once or twice a year..

I did like the Tina episode and the Sugar-having-a-baby episode but they made me wonder why the rest of the season ididn't show the same investment. Ayo Edibiri has a promising career as a director. .

this is what I like

r63, put a bag over his face and I can work with that.

"Y'all are talking me out of watching season 3 any time soon."

I made a couple of qualified criticisms - essentially saying that I didn't like it as much of the first two seasons, but that were some good episodes and standout moments amongst some broader-than-expected tedium. But, I wouldn't say not to watch it. It's still worth a watch so you can decide for yourself.

Just finished and it was worth it. A bit tedious as some have noted. But compelling. I did think the last episode was fun with all the chefs.

[quote] Jamie Lee Curtis

That's Academy Award Winner Jamie Lee Curtis. Get it right!

The writers need to move Sydney character forward next season. When the character was on screen, I wanted to fast forward

The first episode was a waste of time. Hope it gets better.

It gets better.

Just finished and I want more! I finally figured out the actor who plays Luca. It’s fucking Kenny from We’re The Millers all grown up with an English accent.

Also great soundtrack from S3.

That mouth was made for cock!

Sounds track in episode three is InSane!! I love it

Episode 3 was excruciating. Wanted to cut my wrists after it was over. I found it a disappointing season. The only episode I really liked was the Tina one.

I loved it

Wasn't sure what was bugging me about this guy, whom I only know from billboards, admittedly. He has a Trump mouth.