The Bear season 3 mainly had one external conflict — seeing the reviews of the restaurant. Season 2 ended with the opening night of The Bear, but being able to get through service isn’t the only thing our favorite chefs have to worry about. The restaurant, while run by Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy and Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Richie, is financed by a friend of the Berzatto family, Uncle Jimmy, played by Oliver Platt. As Jimmy has made very clear to Carmy, if the reviews aren’t good, they will have to shut down.
Specifically, one review — The Chicago Tribune. In episode 5, “Children,” Carmy’s sister, Sugar, and Richie find out that they’ve been secretly reviewed, and it's set to drop any day now. The rest of the season builds up to when it will go live, which it, of course, does in the final moments of the season. In the last five minutes of episode 10, “Forever,” Carmy walks home. At 12:03 am, he checks his phone to find multiple missed calls and texts, as well as a Google alert for that Chicago Tribune piece. Bits and pieces of it flash across the scene quickly, making it hard to digest for both Carmy in the moment and the viewers. So just what does this review actually say?
Here’s what we saw on screen.
The first section we see shows the words “the confusing,” followed by “mis…” that ends up being cut off. This could possibly be referencing the restaurant’s mise-en-scène, or set-up, considering its right at the beginning. They then call The Bear “excellent” and a “true culinary gem.” After a shot of Carmy’s face, the words “dissonance,” “innovative,” and “brilliant” quickly flash on screen. Even faster, then, we get a final handful of words — “sloppy,” “inconsistent,” “delicious,” “simple,” “complex,” and “disappointed.” The real kicker at the end of it all, though, is the assertion that “Berzatto [is] possibly tired,” adding the words “stale talent.”
Here’s what we can interpret.
Overall, this seems to be a pretty devastating review. While there’s some praise sprinkled throughout, it mainly seems to be negative. Negative enough, at least, that Jimmy and his loyal friend and financial advisor, The Computer, have concerns about the future of the business.
People have been enjoying the restaurant as they come in, and all of the main characters keep getting surface-level compliments from their own friends and family about the food and atmosphere. But, as we see over the course of this season, they’re struggling. In episode 3, “Doors,” Richie has to give a group of customers a tour of the kitchen just so their table can be quickly cleaned and a new group can be brought in. They’re overbooked yet not bringing in enough people, and we can see just how much the business is sinking.
Many of the concerns in the Chicago Tribune review also seem to be about The Bear’s concept being confused. This is very much a Carmy problem, due to his list of “non-negotiables” he has enforced in the kitchen. One of these is that the menu has to change daily, definitely adding to their scattered image. Ultimately, it seems like Carmy has no way out of this. Not only did Jimmy give him one chance with this article, but Ayo Edibiri’s Sydney, who is supposed to be a co-owner of The Bear, is on the verge of getting poached by a new restaurant. Season 4, as the confirmed final season of the show, is definitely going to be a new low for Carmy, and I personally can’t wait to see whether or not he cracks under the pressure.