In late June, every episode from season three of The Bear was released onto Hulu, and the binge-watching began. The Bear’s first three seasons have each come out like clockwork every summer since 2022, as the show itself has become one of the biggest hits on TV. It keeps winning awards, its stars have been catapulted into a new level of fame, and it never fails to generate a whole bunch of buzz online.
But this third season has elicited a much more divisive reaction than either of the first two, with common complaints being that certain episodes are too slow, the characters too inert, and the somewhat distracting cameos too plentiful. While season one was delightfully chaotic and season two was heartfelt and raw, this third season seems designed to frustrate its viewers. The characters are stuck in place, overwhelmed by their various traumas and personality quirks, and the audience is meant to sit in that and stew with them. While yes, this could make for a frustrating watch at times, I gotta say.. I still really loved The Bear this year.
The premiere was a unique and thrilling collage of memories that gave the audience so much insight into Carmy’s mind, the wonderful sixth episode fleshed out Tina’s backstory and featured one of my favorite performances of Jon Bernthal’s career, and the season finale generated plenty of narrative momentum to carry us into what I expect will be a great fourth season. Sometimes, watching TV means treading in place and just spending time with characters. While that can take patience, it can also provide a ton of payoff down the road. The third season of The Bear was less satisfying than its first two seasons, sure, but when the show is all said and done, I bet we look back on it as a hugely important piece to the puzzle.
The first three seasons of The Bear are now streaming on Hulu.
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