The Bear (Season 3)

"Every second counts," - ‘The Bear’ proudly reminds us in Season 3 and... doesn't follow its own mantra.

I admit honestly, this review was not planned at all. But after I finished watching the third season of the sensational comedy (are we still pretending and calling it a comedy?), I couldn't help but let my inner feelings burst out.

The first season of the series ‘The Bear’ plunged us into the world of culinary chaos, setting the unwritten rules of this daring and incomprehensible industry, and introducing us to vibrant characters. The second season consolidated its success, intensifying the chaos and turning it into a tool for immersing the viewer in a unique atmosphere: every detail, every pause made sense, all the elements worked in a single rhythm. The third season simply delved into chaos. And that's it. It did not succeed in anything else.

The new season tries to use all the familiar techniques and tricks that viewers have come to love, but instead of dynamics and meaning, we get an uneven pace that turns viewing into a tedious test that requires not only concentration but also endurance. The thought comes to mind that the pressure of success has created a need to stretch the story, and this season has taken on the role of filler.

The entire arc could have been condensed into 2-3 great and intense episodes. Instead, we get 10 episodes in which amazing characters walk in circles and think for a long time on camera. The talented cast remains in place, and each actor gives everything they can, but the script doesn’t give them the opportunity to develop and go beyond what they have already shown in the second season. There’s a fear that in the fourth season it will become glaringly obvious how little happened in the third, and why it failed to deepen the story or provide new meanings.

Perhaps it would have been worth waiting two years and releasing one coherent and truly powerful season, but studio deadlines dictate their own rules.

5/10