This story contains spoilers for season three of The Bear. “If it’s not perfect, it doesn’t go out.” That’s the line, uttered in the show by an increasingly tyrannical chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), that The Bear is using to sell its third season in sponsored posts on social media.
But if this really were a restaurant, this season would have been sent straight back to the kitchen. The third instalment of this much-loved, Emmy Award-winning dramedy has been met with mixed reviews from critics, labelling it “aimless” and “undercooked”, and a particularly negative response from fans. Almost a week after its release, the season has an audience score of just 58 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes (compared to 92 and 93 per cent for the previous two).
“I am a huge fan of the show,” reads one review. “Unfortunately, this season was the WORST season of any show I have ever seen.” Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) is just as anxious as ever in the new third season of The Bear.
Credit: FX The main criticism has been a serious lack of story progression. Season one was all about Carmy coming home to Chicago, reckoning with the death of his brother (Jon Bernthal) and taking over his sandwich shop. Season two frantically worked towards the creation of a new high-end restaurant alongside fellow chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), and ended with Carmy having a breakdown in the walk-in fridge on opening night.
Arguably, by the end of season three , we haven’t progressed beyond that mome.
