This story contains spoilers for The Bear season 3.
Ever since Carmy got unstuck from the fridge, he’s hit the ground running…maybe a little too fast. He’s got a list of non-negotiables that includes items like “new menu every day” that he’s sure will propel his restaurant, The Bear, to excellence and maybe even a Michelin star. But the rest of his team struggles to keep up.
After he declared in the season 2 finale that his relationship with Claire was a total waste of time that hurt the restaurant, he’s now laser-focused, doing R&D with the most expensive butter possible and experimenting with microgreens. It seems like he’s doing more overcompensating than apologizing.
The Bear as a series, however, shows the beauty of personal relationships this season, whether it’s Natalie having a healing moment with her mother before giving birth, or Tina remembering how she bonded with Mikey when she was looking for a job. In these new episodes, characters mention the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people, and how the ones you work with are often more important than the work itself. Carmy is still learning that.
Just like the first episode of the season, the finale “Another Funeral” opens with a moment from Carmy’s past. This time, it’s his first day working at The French Laundry, Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin-star restaurant in Napa Valley. And lucky Carm—Chef Keller himself teaches him how to roast a chicken. He also imparts some sage wisdom: “You’ll have a legacy here at this restaurant, even after you leave.” Not only does every second count, but so does every person in the kitchen.
In present day, Carmy, Richie, and Sydney attend the funeral dinner for Ever, the fine dining Chicago establishment where Carmy worked under the wing of head chef Andrea Terry (Olivia Colman, reprising her guest role). It’s the end of an era. While The New and Improved Bear is only getting started, Ever’s simultaneous closing is a painful reminder that sometimes, even the most esteemed restaurants must close. Nothing lasts forever. Can Carmy craft a legacy like Andrea’s, even with The Bear barely staying afloat?
The dinner guest list includes an impressive lineup of real-life chefs and restauranteurs: Grant Achatz (Alinea), Kevin Boehm (Boka Restaurant Group), Wylie Dufresne (Du’s Donuts and Stretch Pizza), Will Guidara (Make It Nice hospitality group, which owns Eleven Madison Park and NoMad; he’s also a producer on The Bear), Malcolm Livingston II (former head pastry chef at Noma), Anna Posey (Elske), Rosio Sanchez (Sanchez and former pastry chef at Noma), Christina Tosi (Milk Bar), and Genie Kwon (Kasama). Noma’s René Redzepi and—wait, hold on—Bradley Cooper, as a nameless chef, also appear in a photo display of Ever’s history.
Carmy and Richie arrive to Ever’s funeral dinner.
Carmy even reunites with his good friend and former colleague, Luca (Will Poulter), who’s visiting from Copenhagen. Meanwhile, Richie decides to stay in the back of house for service. As the guests take their seats for dinner, the gathering feels unscripted as The Bear’s chefs converse with their “peers” in the industry. It’s if Ayo Edebiri and Will Poulter are hosting a culinary roundtable, which someone happened to film. They laugh and bond over each other’s funny stories and memories, the first time they yelled “hands” over a dish they made entirely on their own, and former kitchen faux pas. (Malcolm Livingston II says he once got a haircut mid-service.)
The woman of the hour, Chef Andrea, delivers a speech looking back on her career. “People don’t remember the food,” she says of restaurants, “it’s the people they remember.” Back of house, Richie gets similar advice when he asks Jessica her secret to staying motivated amid the nonstop grind of the restaurant industry. “I surround myself with people better than myself,” she says. And she’s not talking about people at work. (Also, did anyone else catch these two stealing looks throughout the night?)
Carmy is distracted—his prick of a former boss (played by Joel McHale) is here from New York, haunting him from across the room. It’s the stuff of Carmy’s nightmares in the flesh. His presence throws Carmy’s whole night off, as if he wasn’t already stressed about what The Chicago Tribune would publish in their review of The Bear. Carmy follows his old boss to the bathroom and confronts him about being, well, an asshole. The only thing he can get out at first is “fuck you,” just for generally “being you.”
Then he continues, “I think about you too much,” to which his boss responds, “I don’t think about you.” (Just like Don Draper.) In fact, the boss tells Carmy “you’re welcome” for turning him into “an excellent chef” over their stressful time working together. No matter that he gave him ulcers, panic attacks, and nightmares; what he really gave Carmy was “confidence and leadership and ability.” Sure, Carmy’s life stopped completely, but that’s the point, the boss explains. “You wanted to be excellent, so you got rid of all the bullshit, and you concentrated and you got focused, and you got great. You got excellent. It worked.” But at what price?
Carmy is stunned at his outrageous (but also painfully true) statement. Isn’t Carmy doing that to himself now, cutting Claire out of his life, brushing aside Sydney’s ideas, and being too focused on the success of his restaurant? As his old boss walks away, there’s a bit of relief here as he laughs to himself. Maybe he doesn’t have to do all that anymore. (Watch this space for personal growth!)
Carmy catches his nightmarish former boss in the flesh.
Speaking of Sydney: She has not yet signed the partnership agreement for The Bear, nor responded to Chef Adam Shapiro’s offer to be the chef de cuisine at his new restaurant. She hasn’t told Carmy about that yet either. Adam is eager to get going, so when he pulls Syd aside after the dinner, he urges her to decide soon.
Carmy and Andrea also have a moment. He tells her how much he learned from her, and she shares that she’s closing the restaurant so she can sleep in more, and go back to London more—so she can live. But she’s been able to create the career that she wants with the people she wanted to do it with, and she’s proud of that. She also reveals the advice she would tell her younger self: “You have no idea what you’re doing and therefore you’re invincible.” You can almost feel Carmy taking everything she says to heart.
The after-party takes place at Syd’s new apartment. There’s a keg! Olivia Colman is taking shots! They eat frozen pizza and caviar on waffles! Everyone, from the Fak brothers to Tina and Ebra are there; Marcus even breaks into a smile. But Syd soon has to excuse herself, riddled with guilt and nerves over the choice she has to make. She has a panic attack in the hall. She knows that Carmy will not take it well.
Will Sydney take a new job?
Elsewhere, Carmy sees that The Chicago Tribune has finally published its review of The Bear. The whole article and headline aren’t shown, but a conflicting mix of words flash across the screen: “confusing,” “excellent,” “sloppy,” “talent,” “dissonance,” “innovative,” “delicious,” “simple,” “overdone.” Carmy responds with a single word of his own: “Motherfucker.” Maybe the review wasn’t a total pan, but his reaction and the several missed calls from Cicero and Computer seem to hint that it might still hurt their business.
The screen goes black and reads, “To be continued.”
After last season’s clear arc from the restaurant’s renovation to reopening, season 3 leaves us in limbo with a myriad of questions: Will Sydney leave The Bear? What exactly did the review say? Will Richie go to his ex-wife Tiffany’s wedding? Will the restaurant finally start making money and get a Michelin star? And please: what magical dessert will Marcus come up with?
A fourth season already seems to be underway (and was reportedly filmed right after this one), but the cliffhanger is a little unsatisfying, especially for Carmy’s journey, as the past 10 episodes seemed to set up him up for change and accountability. He’s just about to apologize and pay attention to the needs of those around him, but we will have to wait to see it. But this is The Bear—even if you’re left hungry for more, the meal is still damn delicious.