While The Bear (Hulu) has been one of the best TV shows of the last few years, this new season seems more like high-quality filler. It’s a series of episodes full of great scenes and character development, but also one where the overarching plot barely moves forward.
 

After the core trio of Carmen, Sydney and Richie get their restaurant (The Bear) off the ground, they find trouble navigating the rough waters of keeping it afloat. A high-end place like this comes with huge costs and an even higher standard of quality that Carmen is obsessed with maintaining, no matter what. Of course, this series is about a lot more than what goes on in the kitchen, so the character drama is the real draw here.

One of the best things about The Bear is how talented the entire cast is. Every secondary character shines in one way or another and is often able to execute comedy and drama with the same amount of skill. Normally, I would say random cameos from big stars are out of place in dramas, but this show pulls off those surprise appearances very well.

While the season is replete with fantastic scenes and more character development, it does seem as though there isn’t much plot progression by the time the last episode ends. The first season was about Carmen trying to run his late brother’s business. The second was all about getting the new restaurant ready. This season shows how maintaining that restaurant is putting everyone under immense pressure, which is understandable. 
 

The problem is that it sets up a few different storylines and none of them are paid off at the end of the season. The audience is left with a slew of unanswered questions that will have to wait until whenever the fourth season is released. It’s not like this is unheard of for a TV series, but The Bear has shown it can be better than shows that just do cliffhangers back to back.
 

Aside from a great job of showing the many pressures of working in a high-end restaurant, The Bear also demonstrates realistically the everyday anxiety and depression that people endure. It’s not uncommon for shows to delve into the mental conditions of their characters -- yet The Bear’s direction goes above and beyond with some creative shots and scenes.

Is the third season of The Bear good? Absolutely. It may seem like a filler season that is meant to set up a bunch of events for the future, which results in an underwhelming finale. But It also builds much higher expectations for the fourth season, which I hope that can live up to the show’s high standards.

Author Bio:

Ulises Duenas is a senior writer and film critic at Highbrow Magazine.

For Highbrow Magazine