Forever

Some say that "The Bear" has been a mixed bag during its third season. It certainly hasn't been a mixed for me, as it has still been mostly set in the positive. However, it is understandable that some people may be underwhelmed with the show's third season, which doesn't seem to quite reach the excellence of the first two. A big reason is because of the show's repetitive nature when it comes to its themes and what it wants to say, but it's still good. The finale is a great example of that in an episode that could have been better, but was still good.

This is a show that is so based in its deep thematics. It works best when it revolves around the dramatic aspects, despite being labeled a comedy. And this episode isn't necessarily all about that as it mostly features the characters attending the Ever's funeral service, but it provides a great lesson for the characters. Just because it's all going good and great, doesn't mean that it can't all go away, and it's important to step out and watch the normal things and remember that you don't live in a vacuum, but in the real world. Those are the lessons that the show prides itself with, and it's constantly providing some great entertainment and things of actual merits, despite it not being packaged in the usual greatness that we got used to during the first two seasons. It's difficult to not like a show that still takes its time to focus on the characters and shows humanity under the stress and the yelling. Now, the episode does leave a lot of strings dangling in the air, with storylines still being left unfinished and a lot of questions about some characters who don't appear in this episode at all. This season was originally going to film back-to-back with the fourth season, so it could be that this is more of a two-parter, but it still feels a little unfinished. However, it's still a damn good show that continues to deliver the emotional punches you want, even if they could hit maybe just a little bit harder.

"Forever" is a solid ending to a subpar season that still manages to knock you down with genuine emotional punches that give you all the drama. It may not leave everything on a satisfactory note, but it still keeps your appetite active and makes you eager to come back for more in the near future.

The first 2 seasons of The Bear were brilliant to put it plainly. It was a chaotic string of events that kept me compelled and although I saw glimpses of that in season 3, it doesn't quite reach the same level the other 2 seasons displayed. When the last episode came by and at the end it said "to be continued", I thought that was the perfect way to sum up what was going on this season. We get a bunch of moments that really don't get a resolution or any set up for that matter. It just leaves a majority of the season feeling a bit tame.

Now the positives are still pretty high. The first three episodes are really good. Something I thought about those episodes is how it slowly builds up to the chaos that is ensued when they go into the thick of service. Ep 1 (Carmy cleans up the restaurant and preps the ingredients), ep 2 (Staff come in and prepare for service), ep 3 (the service).

Another highlight of the season is that there were a lot of good character moments and I would say that some episodes get saved by strong and impactful conversations between characters.

Looking at the season, I would say is a handful. You can say it satisfied me but that's only because I'm a huge fun of the show and it hurts that it didn't quite maintain the energy the other seasons had. It had good highs but it also had a fair amount of lows.

I'm going to talk about the season as a whole. I agree with many as I did find it underwhelming. So many characters just get forgotten about and get completely unused, I love The Faks and they definitely got lots of screen time compared to the previous seasons. Ebra was completely forgotten about and was barely used at all. And it's a shame because I and many others like him. Another forgotten character who didn't get much time at all was Sweeps, I really like sweeps he's a funny character and calm and humble No doubt he deserved more screen time, Marcus Definitely Could've been used more he had his funeral episode but then he was never needed at all. Same With Sugar she had the season building up to her child birth, then once she gave birth she was never seen again. It was a Good season much slower pace and longer scenes which d felt dragged out at some points,and it's a shame that the writers just forget about these characters. The ending is reality for carmey, Uncle Jimmy has basically payed for everything in the restaurant now it looks like it's going to be shut down. Excited for season 4 but where do they go from here in terms of a full 10 episode season. Rating Of Season 7/10.

This review is as much about season 3 as a whole, but the points were all crystalized in these last 2 episodes, when I was finally pushed to fast forward through all of the pretty, pointless montages and celebrity chefs speechifying. There was maybe 15 minutes of actual show in that 43 minute runtime of the finale. The season finale was thrown away telling the story of another restaurant rather than being about The Bear.

The finale, really the last 2 episodes of the season, show more than ever that Christopher Storer has no interest in his own story. So little of this show is actually about The Bear (the restaurant or the guy). The cinematography is masterful, but the incessant food porn montages are so overdone and just come across as what they are at this point, time fillers. And Carmy was tortured by his family and the kitchens he worked in. We get it. We never need another montage of Carmy's past. The show is so obsessed with looking back that it never moves forward.

Storer avoids telling what we're led to believe is the story at every turn. The bottle episodes about individual characters are well done, but pointless. The acting may be great, but they're navel gazing. They don't tell us anything about the characters. And it's hard to invest in an entire episode about a supporting character when the show has done nothing to make us interested in them up until that point.

Speaking of the acting, some of the performances are unbelievable. Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Abby Elliot,and Lionel Boyce all turn in a masterclass in acting, but it serves nothing because the show doesn't go anywhere. And I don't get all the praise for Jeremy Allen White. Yes, he's intense, and that makes him compelling to watch...sometimes. We don't need any more shots of him miserably glowering. However, he's playing still playing Lip from Shameless, just in a different setting. There is no daylight between those characters.

The most frustrating thing about The Bear is that it can be compelling when it wants to be. A lot of talent and artistry are being thrown away on an airless souffle. Christopher Storer needs another voice in the room to tell him he's turned this show into a self-indulgent mess, and maybe they can turn it around in season 4.

Yeah, I'm sure the acting is great. Esoteric. Remarkable actors.

But a whole season setting up each character's backdrop..? The entire season..?

There was nothing of substance in the operation of the restaurant...the whole season. I invested in every episode, and waited for months, for it to get back to the gourmet dining that was emerging from a sloppy Joe nook.

There was absolutely no payoff this year, with one depressive episode after another.

Now, after this wait, we are put off again until 2025?

I'm sure it will win more writing and acting awards, but this year it lost a viewer that was totally engaged after the first two seasons.

And, geezus, how is this considered a comedy..?