SPOILER WARNING: This story contains spoilers for Season 3 of “The Bear,” available to stream now on Hulu.
“The Bear” Season 3 begins and ends with a funeral. But in the finale, it’s a restaurant being mourned.
The episode begins with a peaceful flashback to Carmy’s (Jeremy Allen White) first day working at the French Laundry. He’s preparing whole chickens when Thomas Keller, the real-life head chef and owner of the decorated California restaurant, approaches and shows him an easy way to remove the wishbone.
It’s a gentle moment that stands in contrast to Carmy’s memories from New York’s Empire, where he was berated by an abusive boss (Joel McHale) who has been haunting his subconscious since Season 1. Here, Keller patiently explains why chefs call the rear end of the chicken “the Pope’s nose” and gives Carmy a sweet speech about using food to nurture and leaving a legacy in the kitchen.
Back in the present, Carmy reunites with Chef Luca (Will Poulter) at the funeral dinner for Ever, an institution of Chicago’s fine dining scene. (Don’t worry: The restaurant isn’t closing in real life.) Chef Andrea Terry (Olivia Colman), who mentored Carmy, Luca and countless others, has chosen to close the restaurant and retire, bringing together an impressive roster of celebrity chefs and Chicago culinary legends for one last celebratory supper.
Back in the kitchen, Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) reunites with the Ever staffers who trained him in the memorable Season 2 episode “Forks,” while Carmy and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) share funny and embarrassing restaurant stories with other chefs. The consensus: restaurants are brutal, but cooking for others is beautiful, and none of these chefs would trade their careers for anything.
While the chefs are talking, Carmy peers over at another table and locks eyes with his former boss (McHale). Suddenly, Carmy has flashbacks of being told he isn’t good enough and that he should quit, interspersed with nightmarish visions of negative headlines: “The Bear Is Worse Than Its Bite” and “New Restaurant The Bear Closes After Just Three Months.” (Earlier in the season, The Bear crew realize that a critic from The Chicago Tribune has already stopped by the restaurant, which means a potentially life-changing review could come at any moment.)
Then, suddenly, Chef Terry clinks her glass and gives a speech: “People often talk about restaurants as in: What’s the history of it? What’s the impact it’s making? Who has worked there previously? What awards have they won? What about their, quote, chef? I think what I’ve learned over the years, in all the places I’ve worked, is people don’t remember the food. Sorry! It’s the people they remember.” (This will be important later.)
As everyone enjoys the food, Carmy is still fixated on his ex-boss, eventually following him to the restroom to confront him. It’s an awkward encounter: Carmy tells him, “Fuck you,” and, “I think about you too much,” and, “You gave me ulcers and panic attacks and nightmares.” The chef isn’t fazed. Instead, he takes credit for transforming Carmy from an “OK chef” to an “excellent” one, which gave him confidence and leadership. He leaves Carmy still visibly shaken and in tears.
Elsewhere, Adam Shapiro, Ever’s chef de cuisine, pulls Sydney aside for a temperature check. Earlier in the season, he offered Sydney the chef de cuisine position at a new restaurant he plans to open. As Carmy has exerted more and more control over The Bear, Sydney has procrastinated signing her vesting agreement for the restaurant. She’s stuck — torn between the smarter career move and her chosen family. Sydney tells Adam she’s still thinking about it and plans to talk to Carmy soon, but it’s clear that he wants to move fast.
After dinner, Chef Terry finds Carmy outside getting fresh air. Carmy tells her how much he learned from her while working at Ever, and asks for advice on his new venture. “You have no idea what you’re doing, and therefore you’re invincible,” Terry says.
Back in the kitchen, Sydney, Richie, Luca and the Ever staff silently stare at Chef Terry’s “Every Second Counts” sign, a mantra that has transcended beyond the walls of her kitchen and which has helped define “The Bear.” Adam takes down the sign and gifts it to Terry, who says, “Let’s get the fuck out of here!”
So they do. Everyone except for Carmy goes back to an impromptu party at Sydney’s apartment to party, where they’re joined by the Bear crew. They’re singing, dancing, elevating frozen waffles with caviar. Taped to Sydney’s fridge is a newspaper review of The Beef, the Italian sandwich shop she helped Carmy transform into a fine dining establishment. In her mind, she scans through images of Marcus (Lionel Boyce), Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas), Natalie (Abby Elliott), Fak (Matty Matheson), Carmy and the rest of the Bear family. No doubt Chef Terry’s words are ringing in her ears: “It’s the people they remember.” Sydney steps outside and has a panic attack, hyperventilating over the decision she needs to make.
Meanwhile, Carmy is on a walk by himself when his phone buzzes with four missed calls from Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt), who funds the Bear but has been advised to cut his losses and stop the bleeding. In a previous episode, he couldn’t quite bring himself to tell Carmy how bad the restaurant’s finances had gotten. More importantly, there’s a Google alert from The Chicago Tribune. The review is in.
Carmy scans his phone frantically, focusing on words like “excellent,” “confusing,” “innovative,” “sloppy,” “brilliant,” “incredible,” “disappointing.” It’s mixed.
So, where does this leave our favorite restaurant staff? Not much is resolved at the end of Season 3. Sydney still has to choose whether she’ll stay at the Bear and fight for a Michelin star alongside Carmy, whose personal trauma has made him a toxic leader, or jump ship and lead a rival kitchen with Adam. Will Carmy be able to overcome what he’s gone through and become a true partner to Sydney, or will he continue to let the cycle of abuse infect him, pushing his confidante away?
Carmy went the entire season without reaching out to Claire (Molly Gordon) after he fractured their romantic relationship in the Season 2 finale. And Jimmy may decide to close his purse and sell or even close the Bear, as the restaurant is too expensive to justify and has faced considerable speed bumps. A mixed review will only exacerbate these issues. To echo Carmy in the final moment of the season, “Motherfucker!”
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