The Bear S3 Review: Another Great Experience!

August 5, 2024August 7, 2024 Zach Kraus 1 Comment Abby Elliott, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Matty Matheson, The Bear

Continuing on as one of the best shows on air right now, The Bear swiftly comes with its third season. Once again, I hunger for a good serving of this show, prepared to perfection after chaotic efforts and obsessions. The third season of The Bear carries on with the intensity remaining from S2’s finale, while still pacing itself out for careful character study.

There are specific episodes that expand on certain characters that, on their own, are brilliant. Tina’s episode where we get to see her past and more of Mikey, Natalie having an episode with her mom, and Carmy’s past working as a chef. These specific episodes were high points for the season that demonstrated the emotional appeal that’s grown for these characters, as well as the high caliber of acting from this cast.

There’s determination from the show runners to keep The Bear on a consistent path, with a known end state that takes the characters to the totality of their own arcs. The story is solid, but the characters are, in fact, the core of it all. I’d say, in comparison to the previous season, this third season isn’t as tightly focused. While respective episodes work tremendously well on their own, they don’t come together collectively to give the whole season as clearly defined of a narrative.

The Bear still knows the appropriate times to reward patience, and also exacerbate its stakes. With all of this, it’s still a comedy at heart, and the comedy works in a very realistic lens. Some specific cameos help reinforce this too. Not quite as gripping as the second season, but The Bear’s third season was another great experience, making me yearn for more to come.