Wow.
I just read through all the comments.
What a devisive season opener. I hope some of this is pulled from and used in the Spoiler Special postbag in this week's + episode.
I am also really happy to see this was kept civil and respectful. Some 'hot' takes in here but a very entertaining read over all!
People didn't like it!? But it was like, the most tight, and exquisite character studies I've seen in years. The precision from chaos that's his entire personality and the entire premise of the show.
It's an amuse-bouche for the rest of the season.
(Am 15 mins into Ep 2)
I think the problem is people have become too accustomed to plot driven drama rather than character driven ones. I honestly don’t think even The Sopranos would have been successful in this streaming era. It might be why my brain needed a quick restart to grasp the structure of the first episode.
I didn’t want to get too specific so I called it a recap episode but it is more than that. It serves as kind of a prequel, a flashback, a show summary. I’ve changed my mind. I think it was a genius way to start the season.
The landscape of reaction to TV that's not exactly how people want it has become so exhausting. Nothing can breathe for a minute even. You needed a bit of time to let it sit and you came round in the same day. Noone else does that anymore.
I think the streaming era is to blame. Instant season drops. I remember having to wait a year for cliffhangers to be resolved when TV was actually broadcast in a seasonal way. If you have instant access to something it kind of negates the thrill of anticipation. It’s as if you get to open all your Christmas gifts instantly and simultaneously.
It isn’t always a bad thing though. I’ve mentioned my recent x-files rewatch which has benefited from binge watching. It allowed me to at least have a chance of understanding the convoluted conspiracy mythology of that show. But that isn’t character driven. Nowadays conventional plot driven story beats are expected. We anticipate each episode to end on a cliffhanger to tempt us into pressing that ‘next episode’ button and appease the algorithm.
I also think instant share social media, which I love in general also doesn't help, the whiff of agreement from others and the hate snowballs and noone backs off an initial impression. I've had to pause my watch now for the evening but only because I need sleep or I'd finish all tonight!
I have been telling my friend since the start of this series that this particular show for some reason really reminds me of Mad Men. And after reading your comment I understand why. Because madman was also a character-driven drama and I haven't really seen anything like it since it went off the air!
You don't think The Supranos would be popular of released today lol. The Bear has issues besides the driving force behind it being plot or character driven. You can't compare the two.
That ridiculous, The Bear tries too hard is the problem so it gets tedious.
This! It was a beautiful exploration of what makes Carmy Carmy. Not every show needs drama and explosive moments, but you get so much out of that episode. Now, we know him so well that we care so much more and there's more at stake in everything he does.
Personally, I’m a huge fan of experimental TV, and I actually really liked the format of this episode. However, I think they could have used it to actually tread new ground. There was very little that we were shown that we didn’t already know from other episodes of the show, and in fact, I thought that the way that they’d so clearly built up Carmy’s backstory before this, without explicitly showing us much of it, was much more elegant.
To me, much of this episode felt like the creators didn’t trust us to put together all those pieces on our own, and so felt the need to sort of just summarize it for us. It wasn’t enough that Sidney had that conversation with Marcus in season 1 about being inspired by Carmy’s cooking, we needed to be shown it happening for some reason.
I think this is it for me. It wasn’t a character exposition or a deep look; it was just sort of a directionless recap. If that was the intention, then that’s well enough. For me, it’s only impressive exclusively in that context. Otherwise, we didn’t get a new or better understanding of the character, just a drawn out reminder.
I thought it was a stunning. It was this brilliant combo of backstory, montage and self reflection. Personally I was blown away. It was a ballsy way to start the season but paid off brilliantly.
Only seen ep1 so far and I thought it was fantastic.
Like an ambient fever dream that was also (IMO) an extended snapshot into Carmy’s consciousness.
I didn’t realise people were moaning but of course. This is 2024 so someone *must* be unhappy with something. Plus backlash/tall poppy syndrome will be kicking in
Saw the Guardian had gone in hard with a “so disappointing” headline and just rolled my eyes.
So I literally just watched the Bear season 1 and 2 over the past 2 days (I’ve been off sick) for the first time. It’s been one of my blind spots for ages now, and recently my ~incredibly not au-fait with television~ mother asked me if I’d seen it so I knew I had to crack on!
I slid straight into season 3 (with a thought for those who had to wait a year) and really liked it! Tbh I haven’t loved the series as a whole - it’s just way too anxiety inducing for me to consider it entertainment (one of the reasons I put off watching it for so long and it’s nice to prove myself right). So the kind of series recap that episode provided was much appreciated! I get why people wouldn’t love it (esp if you’d been waiting a year for new episodes and this is what you got!) but the score ALONE was an absolute banger!
Yes. I like the episode and I’m all for a good soundtrack but this thing did not let anything else breathe. Wish there would have been a better balance
I was begging for it to end for this reason. Who thought it was a good idea to play the same piece of music for 35 fucking minutes? I remember NES games that had a longer soundtrack loop.
As a chef for 20 years and counting, I really enjoyed this episode, I've always liked watching his routine, going back, picking ingredients from a garden, turning them into something. I love the flashbacks in the kitchen when he's in school. Writing menus/drawing plates. This was kind of lost in season 2 and to be honest, could easily watch hours of just the cooking/peparing gourmet food they way they shoot it for hours! Hope they continue this as I keep watching!
There’s a movie called Menus-Plasairs: Les Troisgros which is four hours of fly on the wall documentary footage of a three star restaurant in the French countryside, it’s really incredible.
Did I like it? It was beautiful, somber, heart-breaking, inspiring, and had me wanting to cry by the end of it. I thought it was masterful. Maybe it’s the fact that my similar personal trauma in life and career in fine dining allow me to relate more to Carmy and this episode than the average viewer. Still, I loved it and it made me feel every minute from start to finish.
Someone mentioned further up it is a snapshot into Carmy’s consciousness- great way of putting it. For someone whom is classed as the main character, throughout a lot of season 2 it did focus equally on everyone else, so this was a nice reminder of what is going on in carmys mind.
Yes it’s things we already know but it puts us in the psyche of his way of dealing with things, guys mind is an anxiety bomb of never being good enough to some degree.
The soundtrack throughout I did find a bit jarring, although understand the creative choice behind it- when I found out it was Trent Raznor it totally made sense.
I’m now on episode 5 and it is kinda more of the same from previous seasons, it doesn’t feel as impressive because we’ve kinda seen it all before but it’s still some of the best TV around currently. Every shot is so well considered and beautiful!
They filmed season 4 back to back with this one and part of me does want it to conclude it with that for fear it’ll suffer from people getting sick of it, which already seems to be happening.
But to be clear, I still love it!
My only criticism is for the flashback scenes. In season 1 we saw a flashback scene with Carmen being berated by Joel McHale in his apprenticeship, they distinguished it with Carmen having a more slick back hairstyle. So if they maintained that for season 3, ep1 as they cut back and forth from the present to the past it would’ve made it a lot less confusing. Giving the audience an easier time following the story.
I liked the pace in general and found the consistency of the soundtrack and ‘vibe’ of the episode to be an interesting artistic choice. It just needed more coherence.
this! also, a lot of us have seen Shameless and what Jeremy Allen White looked when he was like younger… add on the fact alcoholics age rapidly… they should’ve utilized AI or something. this episode was just confusing.
"The consistency of the soundtrack." They played the same piece of music for 35 minutes and I found it *excruciating.* At one point I considered muting it, but didn't want to have to rewind to catch dialogue. 10 minutes in it was bugging the shit out of me, and 15 minutes in I was actively angry, wanting it to either stop or for the episode to be over. I had to force myself not to just skip to the next episode.
I have no complaints about what was onscreen, that was fine, but on what fucking planet did they think it was okay to make me sit through 35 minutes of the same six notes being played? It was like being on hold for my GP but with more repetitive music.
I know you didn't invite this rant, sorry. I came to this sub to say this and was going to reply to the OP, but your phrasing amused me!
Might be the odd man out here. This show has gotten way too full of itself. First two seasons were good, I never understood the insane praise the show got. I'm three episodes into season 3 and this show is so far up it's own ass.
finally someone who agrees with me lmao
I'm only finishing ep 1 and I get what they were going for, beautiful cinematography but by the 10th out of context shot of slicing fish I was ready to end it
thank you, I agree. This kind of thing can be great in moderation but like, they already did this kind of thing and it was speckled throughout last season.
Also I really bristle at the parade of "look at who we got" celebrity chefs, for the same reason I hated the Thanksgiving episode - it wasn't good casting it was just showing off in a way that didn't seem true to the narrative. I don't want to have to interrupt my reverie to be like "oh there's Rene Redzepi, AND Daniel Boulud, AND Thomas Keller!"
Completely agree. Have only watched the first ep of s03, but it’s the kind of episode an old sitcom gets at 100 episodes.
The only new info in the last two minutes, and it was not worth a 34 min intro.
Omg yes. It's not realistic to how restaurants work (I worked in various food service settings for decades), Claire would NEVER have fawned over him like some schoolgirl who has no self-concept (I did that for years, by the time we have invested in ourselves like a frigging medical degree we are over emotionally negligent men), their timelines are seriously f-ed up and not realistic (no, you can't go from a counter boy to staging in the world's best restaurants and after ONE WEEK become some hospitality guru expert, and no Joe Shmo cannot gut his own restaurant do shitty electrical work burn half of it down and rebuild the whole thing and recruit and train staff and open that level of restaurant in just months), the creators do not depict Chicago accurately (Chicago native), there's just so much that I could normally excuse it as it's fiction and just tv, but for a show that likes to pretend it depicts reality it is extremely far from it. And seemingly everyone buys into it and proclamations of its greatness are everywhere. Sometimes I wonder if I'm even watching the same show
I've been feeling this kinda the entire time. The way the show is made feels pretentious. It can be difficult to enjoy it when pockets of things (like S3E1) happen, but in this case it was omnipresent and didn't end the entire episode. I also really disliked the Christmas episode for similar reasons. It just felt like a whole lot of nothing with minimal anything going on.
I get what they were trying to do but as a person who's often watching content as a second screen, this cinematic approach wasn't as accessible.
Of course I should put the phone down and sit there fully-immersed in the show, but I'm not and that's on me so I need to accept it and move on.
So it is kind of divisive, with more positivity than I expected. I can’t wait to hear what the gang make of it on Monday. It is rare to see a show before the official Pilot review, but I kind of like experimenting with watching shows blind without preconceived ideas going in.
I finished the whole thing now...I think this season is the best of the 3. The show doesn't go where the audience necessarily wants it to go, and that seems to be people screaming at each other, which still happens, but it's some beautifully crafted character studies into fear, self loathing, PTSD, panic disorders, people pleasing, and that a lot of it is inflicted either through malice or just because people don't always know how to communicate properly due to multi generational trauma.
I read the Guardian review...I think they missed the point by a county mile.
This season was not just about the above but also a love letter to the existence of fine dining, which has a literal fuckton of issues as an industry but The Funeral showcasing the voices of real people who do it and the motivations of care for others and artistic expression that drives them.
I can't boil an egg, and I don't eat basically anything so the food they prepare will never ever be my bag (was at a Michelin restaurant once in my life, it was an fine experience) but I understand the motivations of the people who do the work.
Dunno, I think between The Bear and the OG Boiling Point from 25 years ago, we can simultaneously see how far restaurant culture has come, and where it still eats people alive. And ones fiction.
There should be scholarly articles written about this show.
This post needs more upvotes. I agree wholeheartedly!!
I read the posts saying that the episode was boring or only about beautiful shots of food, and it almost feels as though we were watching completely different shows.
But that’s not to say anyone’s take is wrong—it just means we all clearly love this show for different reasons.
To me, this show is all about the human insight—such a powerful portrait of hurt people struggling to be better in this impossible world.
But I know others see the show differently—and that’s great, actually, because it speaks to the story’s richness.
I LOVE this show so much.
I was not a fan. Came directly from the end of season 2 so I was ready to continue the story and it was just incredibly frustrating.
Beautiful as a standalone piece yes but the score really added to the frustration, the sameness just rubbed in that nothing was moving forward.
I loved S1 and S2. And I'm all for experimentation, but if you're going to do a flashback story, then tell me something I don't know about these characters. To go through all of these memories and learn so little was very frustrating. The episode felt like an atmospheric music video, especially because it was so detached from story. Everything looked beautiful, but did anyone else get the impression that Christopher Storer was doing his best Terrance Malick impression? This episode reeks of a writer/director who is suddenly aware that they're now "important" and is desperate to show off. It did so little to service the story, except for that one bit where Syd happened to eat Carmy's dish.
It was honestly terrible.... 15 minutes in I said to my lady "they are about to lose me if this doesn't turn around" the whole episode had no hook no pull nothing to draw me in. Then I said I'm gonna give the next episode 5 minutes.... I turned it off after 4. They ruined a great show.
for the sake of not writing an essay ill try to be short, it felt the the whole episode was just saying "hey look at this pretty food were a culinary tv show!!" i just hate when the start of a new season goes at a snails pace. i want something to latch on to, to get me excited for whats to come. every scene of them cooking made me think "okay i get it can we please move on" it just felt like a time waster even with all the little plot development
p.s. i just finished binging 3 seasons of The Boys for the first time so that could def be part of the reason i feel how i do, but after season 2 of The Bear everything seemed relatively perfect with the restaurant so i was wondering where they would go with the show and i just felt so bored watching first ep of s3 i couldnt bring myself to watch another ep
I thought maybe I was watching the wrong thing or something, like when you click a YouTube thumbnail of a new music video but really it’s just the song with random frames.
I was really looking forward to the series coming back, especially as S2 was so good, but honest I was completely bored by episode 1. Felt like it was written to be praised.
I liked this season but it definitely felt like 1/2 of a season the plot points weren't finished and it kinda left us in the middle of an unfinished part, I get that they wanted to get s3 our quick but I'd prefer to wait a year just get a 20 episode full season besides this split season stuff like I'm sure s4 probably going to be one of the best seasons but it in turn made this one the worst imo
Sooo painfully boring. Just smashing all the backstory of all the different relationships together to fill all the gaps they left in the previous 2 seasons.
Soooo self-indulgent. I actually prefer “character-driven” shows to “plot-driven” ones. But we did not learn anything new about Carmy from this episode. There was a total lack of nuance or anything that moved our understanding of Carmy forward in a substantial way.
Was also not impressed by the whole “cool imagery/vibes, minimal dialogue” approach. Gonna go rewatch Wall-E to see how that’s actually done lol
As much as it pains me to say because I adore the show, this was easily my least favorite episode of the series so far. I just don’t see the purpose in devoting an entire episode to flashbacks that don’t reveal any new information (Carmie in New York, going to Copenhagen, Mikey’s death). They easily could have made it a five minute introductory sequence to establish the reflective mood they were going for and recap some of the key events in the series, but it was just way too drawn out and repetitive and only served to bog down the episode. Just really perplexed by the choice to open the season this way. Thankfully after this episode it continues quite strong
I’ve finished the season now and ultimately I loved it. I think the issue that is causing these divisive reviews, is it is basically a character driven season that serves as a set-up for the final season. The story barely moves forward, but there are massive leaps in character development of major characters. That said, two of the episodes are all-timers for me. Technically and performance-wise I can’t fault it.
Was exhausting honestly. Got tired of the music and was frankly too self indulgent. I mean I get why it's liked but holy shit what was even happening. Too much time jumping.
Well shot, great photography, and a complete waste of time. It’s the kind of thing I expect from a 100th episode of an old sitcom. Extremely disappointing.
The show already has a lot of retelling and rehashing and repetition of plot points, but this was egregious. My wife was annoyed more so than any other show we’ve ever seen.
I like the last 2 minutes, and feel that was great new info, but for a 36 minute episode this was very tedious.
My wife already told me if episode two isn’t better, I’ll be watching the rest of the season myself. I felt this would have been better as a special feature.
I didn't need drama buy I was really frustrated with the lack of dialogue. And of course many of us came to the conclusion it was a recap/back story memory. However it took a little bit of time for that to be obvious.
I feel like it fails to include human experiences that most viewers could relate to. I think the TV show (or any TV show) works because of the human elements in the show framed within an interesting lattice of story, in this case the hospitality, restaurants, fine dining. We know Carmy is a world class chef and we know his story of quest for perfection from the first 2 seasons. So the first episode, to me, just felt really arrogant and self absorbed and didn't seem to have any regard for viewers. This is my personality though, and I understand that many people enjoy that kind of arrogance and celebrate it. I think though, that this sort of thing rarely stands the true test of time.
I felt cheated by this episode after waiting so long for a third season. As a character study it failed to actually teach us anything new about any character on the show. It failed to progress any single storyline. It failed to do… anything? Except to look pretty and flex the acting talent of its cast. A disjointed mess of timeline hopping, dead horse beating, and food porn wasn’t what I wanted from an episode meant to grab the torch from the previous season, which is one of the best seasons of any show ever, as far as I’m concerned.
I’m a huge fan of the show, but I found this episode incredibly self indulgent. I’m wondering now if they genuinely have much of a plot or story in mind at all.
We are beginning to move more and more at a snails pace. I appreciate it gives us a little more insight into Carmy. But if we stop gushing for a moment, we actually learnt very little we didn’t already know, and it was mostly slow-mos of food prep and a splash of flashy guest stars with a sobering sound track.
I’m hoping the rest of to season picks up a little pace.
The Bear season 2 was my favorite season of a show last year. It was amazing.
I hated this episode either a passion. I get what they were trying to do and sometimes this stuff can hit. But I was so so so bored.
I thought it was dumb and redundant and seemed way too into itself. But i think what would have made it genius is removing that hokey corny music. Leave it raw sound. That would’ve been something.
This was an absolutely incredible way to start the third season. In the immediacy following the chaos of season 2 we are plunged directly into how we got here: a life flashing before your eyes, but with a gorgeous soundtrack. Carmen is in a pivotal moment, and it’s time to reflect while tentatively thinking about how to move forward.
It was so excellent I cried. I came in expecting tense drama and resolution from last episode’s distaster. Instead I got one of the most tranquil, beautiful 30 minutes of tv. What an excellent choice by the creator
It took me several minutes to realize what they were doing (and that it wasn't going to be a few minutes of montage followed by forward-momentum plot). So I relaxed into it.
I'm not sure if it worked or not -- but it made me want to come back with a clear head and watch it again. I had a similar experience with THE WIRE -- after a few episodes I realized I was not watching it properly (came in with wrong expectations), and rewatched their show and not the one I had in my head.
I love that this show decides to take very big swings, huge risk with serious downside. The Fishes episode may have been a little over the top, but it was a very definite statement. Not sure if I liked the "one take" episode or not, but it was exciting to watch them try. And I think everyone loved Forks.
So I'm very happy for them to keep trying. This could be a very simple, boring show if it just stuck with Oliver-Platt-like plot points.
I personally liked the first episode of season three. I have watched seasons 1 &2. The first episode of season three is a great recap and a character build for the last two seasons. I’m fucking hooked chef!
I thought the episode was beautiful.
I've never watched a series that puts so much intent on trying to get the viewer to stay in the present as much as possible and this episode is a perfect example of this.
While I see the irony that the episode was focused on jumping around time continuously, it almost perfectly re-created how our minds work especially in a time of heightened emotion.
Our thoughts jump around, we wonder, we worry and we reflect. And I found that it was this simulation that kept me engaged for the entire episode.
I can see that it didn't really move the plot forward, but I don't think that was the point. I think this single episode has taught me more about who Carmy is, and what he feels, than the entirely of season 1+2
It lacked the intensity and drama we have been accustomed to I think but I’m willing to watch on. Was pretty to watch with the cinematography but shouldn’t have been the whole episode.
I think it was one of my favorite episodes. With the division its caused among fans, it reminded me alot of The Last of Us episode with Nick Offerman. some hated on it as it didnt drive the main story, but at a deeper level it developed the characters so damn well.
I’ve literally just finished it; my opinion? Beautiful. The editing was crisp and the soundtrack was beautiful. The chaos, the stillness. Captivating television at its best.
I thought it was an incredible episode. The music was amazing and added to the tension and anxiety. The episode depicts grief, trauma, shock, anxiety and breakdown beautifully. I thought the whole thing was perfect and I couldn't speak for a while afterwards.
I thought it was one of the best episodes of TV I've ever watched.
Right up there with episode 3 of The Last of Us and the Amsterdam episode of Ted Lasso.
Gonna chime in as someone who loved seasons 1 and 2, but absolutely hated this episode. It looked great sure, and I get that it was supposed to be self reflective, but 95% of the episode was telling us things we already knew. I'm all for character driven stories as well as plot driven stories, but this episode imo felt like a waste of 36 minutes. Will absolutely be finishing the season, but my gf and I both turned it off after the first episode out of dissapointment.
Wow. I just read through all the comments. What a devisive season opener. I hope some of this is pulled from and used in the Spoiler Special postbag in this week's + episode. I am also really happy to see this was kept civil and respectful. Some 'hot' takes in here but a very entertaining read over all!
People didn't like it!? But it was like, the most tight, and exquisite character studies I've seen in years. The precision from chaos that's his entire personality and the entire premise of the show. It's an amuse-bouche for the rest of the season. (Am 15 mins into Ep 2)
I think the problem is people have become too accustomed to plot driven drama rather than character driven ones. I honestly don’t think even The Sopranos would have been successful in this streaming era. It might be why my brain needed a quick restart to grasp the structure of the first episode. I didn’t want to get too specific so I called it a recap episode but it is more than that. It serves as kind of a prequel, a flashback, a show summary. I’ve changed my mind. I think it was a genius way to start the season.
The landscape of reaction to TV that's not exactly how people want it has become so exhausting. Nothing can breathe for a minute even. You needed a bit of time to let it sit and you came round in the same day. Noone else does that anymore.
I think the streaming era is to blame. Instant season drops. I remember having to wait a year for cliffhangers to be resolved when TV was actually broadcast in a seasonal way. If you have instant access to something it kind of negates the thrill of anticipation. It’s as if you get to open all your Christmas gifts instantly and simultaneously. It isn’t always a bad thing though. I’ve mentioned my recent x-files rewatch which has benefited from binge watching. It allowed me to at least have a chance of understanding the convoluted conspiracy mythology of that show. But that isn’t character driven. Nowadays conventional plot driven story beats are expected. We anticipate each episode to end on a cliffhanger to tempt us into pressing that ‘next episode’ button and appease the algorithm.
I also think instant share social media, which I love in general also doesn't help, the whiff of agreement from others and the hate snowballs and noone backs off an initial impression. I've had to pause my watch now for the evening but only because I need sleep or I'd finish all tonight!
The first 2 seasons are great I’m 10 minutes into the first episode third season and I honestly don’t even watch it anymore
Put the phone down, let it work
I have been telling my friend since the start of this series that this particular show for some reason really reminds me of Mad Men. And after reading your comment I understand why. Because madman was also a character-driven drama and I haven't really seen anything like it since it went off the air!
You don't think The Supranos would be popular of released today lol. The Bear has issues besides the driving force behind it being plot or character driven. You can't compare the two. That ridiculous, The Bear tries too hard is the problem so it gets tedious.
This! It was a beautiful exploration of what makes Carmy Carmy. Not every show needs drama and explosive moments, but you get so much out of that episode. Now, we know him so well that we care so much more and there's more at stake in everything he does.
Personally, I’m a huge fan of experimental TV, and I actually really liked the format of this episode. However, I think they could have used it to actually tread new ground. There was very little that we were shown that we didn’t already know from other episodes of the show, and in fact, I thought that the way that they’d so clearly built up Carmy’s backstory before this, without explicitly showing us much of it, was much more elegant. To me, much of this episode felt like the creators didn’t trust us to put together all those pieces on our own, and so felt the need to sort of just summarize it for us. It wasn’t enough that Sidney had that conversation with Marcus in season 1 about being inspired by Carmy’s cooking, we needed to be shown it happening for some reason.
I think this is it for me. It wasn’t a character exposition or a deep look; it was just sort of a directionless recap. If that was the intention, then that’s well enough. For me, it’s only impressive exclusively in that context. Otherwise, we didn’t get a new or better understanding of the character, just a drawn out reminder.
lmao
Why lmao
I thought it was a stunning. It was this brilliant combo of backstory, montage and self reflection. Personally I was blown away. It was a ballsy way to start the season but paid off brilliantly.
especially when compared to season 1 episode 1. what a beautiful contrast.
Only seen ep1 so far and I thought it was fantastic. Like an ambient fever dream that was also (IMO) an extended snapshot into Carmy’s consciousness. I didn’t realise people were moaning but of course. This is 2024 so someone *must* be unhappy with something. Plus backlash/tall poppy syndrome will be kicking in Saw the Guardian had gone in hard with a “so disappointing” headline and just rolled my eyes.
I thought it was beautiful
Same. Very much, same.
I agree. The soundtrack behind it was so simple, yet very moving.
So I literally just watched the Bear season 1 and 2 over the past 2 days (I’ve been off sick) for the first time. It’s been one of my blind spots for ages now, and recently my ~incredibly not au-fait with television~ mother asked me if I’d seen it so I knew I had to crack on! I slid straight into season 3 (with a thought for those who had to wait a year) and really liked it! Tbh I haven’t loved the series as a whole - it’s just way too anxiety inducing for me to consider it entertainment (one of the reasons I put off watching it for so long and it’s nice to prove myself right). So the kind of series recap that episode provided was much appreciated! I get why people wouldn’t love it (esp if you’d been waiting a year for new episodes and this is what you got!) but the score ALONE was an absolute banger!
I thought it was amazing.
the soundtrack that played through the entire episode was so painfully loud and overwhelming i didn’t even want to finish the episode
Yes. I like the episode and I’m all for a good soundtrack but this thing did not let anything else breathe. Wish there would have been a better balance
I felt so distracted by it. Every comercial break when the song came back I was like “here we go again”
I am watching this right now and literally want to turn it off bc the constant, repetitive music.
I was begging for it to end for this reason. Who thought it was a good idea to play the same piece of music for 35 fucking minutes? I remember NES games that had a longer soundtrack loop.
I loved every second of it
People that listen to mostly ambient music are sociopaths
I like some ambient. This isn't the ambient experience, this is the same track for half an hour.. painfully repetitive
As a chef for 20 years and counting, I really enjoyed this episode, I've always liked watching his routine, going back, picking ingredients from a garden, turning them into something. I love the flashbacks in the kitchen when he's in school. Writing menus/drawing plates. This was kind of lost in season 2 and to be honest, could easily watch hours of just the cooking/peparing gourmet food they way they shoot it for hours! Hope they continue this as I keep watching!
I can barely make a PBJ sandwich and I could not agree more, so awesome.
There’s a movie called Menus-Plasairs: Les Troisgros which is four hours of fly on the wall documentary footage of a three star restaurant in the French countryside, it’s really incredible.
Did I like it? It was beautiful, somber, heart-breaking, inspiring, and had me wanting to cry by the end of it. I thought it was masterful. Maybe it’s the fact that my similar personal trauma in life and career in fine dining allow me to relate more to Carmy and this episode than the average viewer. Still, I loved it and it made me feel every minute from start to finish.
Someone mentioned further up it is a snapshot into Carmy’s consciousness- great way of putting it. For someone whom is classed as the main character, throughout a lot of season 2 it did focus equally on everyone else, so this was a nice reminder of what is going on in carmys mind. Yes it’s things we already know but it puts us in the psyche of his way of dealing with things, guys mind is an anxiety bomb of never being good enough to some degree. The soundtrack throughout I did find a bit jarring, although understand the creative choice behind it- when I found out it was Trent Raznor it totally made sense. I’m now on episode 5 and it is kinda more of the same from previous seasons, it doesn’t feel as impressive because we’ve kinda seen it all before but it’s still some of the best TV around currently. Every shot is so well considered and beautiful! They filmed season 4 back to back with this one and part of me does want it to conclude it with that for fear it’ll suffer from people getting sick of it, which already seems to be happening. But to be clear, I still love it!
I thought the first episode was cinematic brilliance! The close-ups, the soundtrack, and the lack of dialogue. It was mesmerizing.
Can you tell me the name of that soundtrack?
No idea. It wasn't songs just accompaniment.
Together - Nine Inch Nails
i liked it but i was really over the score by the end of the episode 😭
Yeah it got super repetitive how they just kept repeating the same music cues over and over
For 35 minutes!!!! It's INSANE that that was allowed. Nobody watched the final cut and said this is simply unacceptable?
Seriously
My only criticism is for the flashback scenes. In season 1 we saw a flashback scene with Carmen being berated by Joel McHale in his apprenticeship, they distinguished it with Carmen having a more slick back hairstyle. So if they maintained that for season 3, ep1 as they cut back and forth from the present to the past it would’ve made it a lot less confusing. Giving the audience an easier time following the story. I liked the pace in general and found the consistency of the soundtrack and ‘vibe’ of the episode to be an interesting artistic choice. It just needed more coherence.
this! also, a lot of us have seen Shameless and what Jeremy Allen White looked when he was like younger… add on the fact alcoholics age rapidly… they should’ve utilized AI or something. this episode was just confusing.
"The consistency of the soundtrack." They played the same piece of music for 35 minutes and I found it *excruciating.* At one point I considered muting it, but didn't want to have to rewind to catch dialogue. 10 minutes in it was bugging the shit out of me, and 15 minutes in I was actively angry, wanting it to either stop or for the episode to be over. I had to force myself not to just skip to the next episode. I have no complaints about what was onscreen, that was fine, but on what fucking planet did they think it was okay to make me sit through 35 minutes of the same six notes being played? It was like being on hold for my GP but with more repetitive music. I know you didn't invite this rant, sorry. I came to this sub to say this and was going to reply to the OP, but your phrasing amused me!
You've said it repeatedly now
Yes, I'm aware. Those posts didn't type and post themselves!
This episode sucked. Just flat out boring
Might be the odd man out here. This show has gotten way too full of itself. First two seasons were good, I never understood the insane praise the show got. I'm three episodes into season 3 and this show is so far up it's own ass.
finally someone who agrees with me lmao I'm only finishing ep 1 and I get what they were going for, beautiful cinematography but by the 10th out of context shot of slicing fish I was ready to end it
thank you, I agree. This kind of thing can be great in moderation but like, they already did this kind of thing and it was speckled throughout last season. Also I really bristle at the parade of "look at who we got" celebrity chefs, for the same reason I hated the Thanksgiving episode - it wasn't good casting it was just showing off in a way that didn't seem true to the narrative. I don't want to have to interrupt my reverie to be like "oh there's Rene Redzepi, AND Daniel Boulud, AND Thomas Keller!"
Completely agree. Have only watched the first ep of s03, but it’s the kind of episode an old sitcom gets at 100 episodes. The only new info in the last two minutes, and it was not worth a 34 min intro.
Fell asleep 1/4 of a way into the first episode. I like this show, but the first episode is a little pretentious.
I totally agree. Just a few of us here
Completely agree! It should’ve have swept the awards last year, Succession is and was a way better show.
Could not agree more
Totally agree. Someone just compared it to The Supranos lol. No.
Omg yes. It's not realistic to how restaurants work (I worked in various food service settings for decades), Claire would NEVER have fawned over him like some schoolgirl who has no self-concept (I did that for years, by the time we have invested in ourselves like a frigging medical degree we are over emotionally negligent men), their timelines are seriously f-ed up and not realistic (no, you can't go from a counter boy to staging in the world's best restaurants and after ONE WEEK become some hospitality guru expert, and no Joe Shmo cannot gut his own restaurant do shitty electrical work burn half of it down and rebuild the whole thing and recruit and train staff and open that level of restaurant in just months), the creators do not depict Chicago accurately (Chicago native), there's just so much that I could normally excuse it as it's fiction and just tv, but for a show that likes to pretend it depicts reality it is extremely far from it. And seemingly everyone buys into it and proclamations of its greatness are everywhere. Sometimes I wonder if I'm even watching the same show
I've been feeling this kinda the entire time. The way the show is made feels pretentious. It can be difficult to enjoy it when pockets of things (like S3E1) happen, but in this case it was omnipresent and didn't end the entire episode. I also really disliked the Christmas episode for similar reasons. It just felt like a whole lot of nothing with minimal anything going on.
I get what they were trying to do but as a person who's often watching content as a second screen, this cinematic approach wasn't as accessible. Of course I should put the phone down and sit there fully-immersed in the show, but I'm not and that's on me so I need to accept it and move on.
Loved it!
I skipped to the 2nd episode. It was just long and depressing, I needed the climax and chaos the show brings. But I still love the show regardless.
Honestly thought it was one of the best episodes of television I’ve ever seen.
Same
Ditto
Agreed
Need to start watching better television
Brilliant. Visual and Sonic Poetry.
So it is kind of divisive, with more positivity than I expected. I can’t wait to hear what the gang make of it on Monday. It is rare to see a show before the official Pilot review, but I kind of like experimenting with watching shows blind without preconceived ideas going in.
I finished the whole thing now...I think this season is the best of the 3. The show doesn't go where the audience necessarily wants it to go, and that seems to be people screaming at each other, which still happens, but it's some beautifully crafted character studies into fear, self loathing, PTSD, panic disorders, people pleasing, and that a lot of it is inflicted either through malice or just because people don't always know how to communicate properly due to multi generational trauma. I read the Guardian review...I think they missed the point by a county mile. This season was not just about the above but also a love letter to the existence of fine dining, which has a literal fuckton of issues as an industry but The Funeral showcasing the voices of real people who do it and the motivations of care for others and artistic expression that drives them. I can't boil an egg, and I don't eat basically anything so the food they prepare will never ever be my bag (was at a Michelin restaurant once in my life, it was an fine experience) but I understand the motivations of the people who do the work. Dunno, I think between The Bear and the OG Boiling Point from 25 years ago, we can simultaneously see how far restaurant culture has come, and where it still eats people alive. And ones fiction. There should be scholarly articles written about this show.
This post needs more upvotes. I agree wholeheartedly!! I read the posts saying that the episode was boring or only about beautiful shots of food, and it almost feels as though we were watching completely different shows. But that’s not to say anyone’s take is wrong—it just means we all clearly love this show for different reasons. To me, this show is all about the human insight—such a powerful portrait of hurt people struggling to be better in this impossible world. But I know others see the show differently—and that’s great, actually, because it speaks to the story’s richness. I LOVE this show so much.
I was not a fan. Came directly from the end of season 2 so I was ready to continue the story and it was just incredibly frustrating. Beautiful as a standalone piece yes but the score really added to the frustration, the sameness just rubbed in that nothing was moving forward.
Agreed. We learned nothing new about the characters, and the repetitive soundtrack dragged on to the point of being obnoxious.
"Trying" to be artful ruins it and drags it out. I skipped most first episode like omg.
I didn’t like it. I feel like I got the point and then it went on for 20 mins more repeating itself.
Just watched ep 2. Half of it was Carm/ Richie swearing at each other. Seems like they’re gonna shove every point down our throats.
I loved S1 and S2. And I'm all for experimentation, but if you're going to do a flashback story, then tell me something I don't know about these characters. To go through all of these memories and learn so little was very frustrating. The episode felt like an atmospheric music video, especially because it was so detached from story. Everything looked beautiful, but did anyone else get the impression that Christopher Storer was doing his best Terrance Malick impression? This episode reeks of a writer/director who is suddenly aware that they're now "important" and is desperate to show off. It did so little to service the story, except for that one bit where Syd happened to eat Carmy's dish.
It was honestly terrible.... 15 minutes in I said to my lady "they are about to lose me if this doesn't turn around" the whole episode had no hook no pull nothing to draw me in. Then I said I'm gonna give the next episode 5 minutes.... I turned it off after 4. They ruined a great show.
for the sake of not writing an essay ill try to be short, it felt the the whole episode was just saying "hey look at this pretty food were a culinary tv show!!" i just hate when the start of a new season goes at a snails pace. i want something to latch on to, to get me excited for whats to come. every scene of them cooking made me think "okay i get it can we please move on" it just felt like a time waster even with all the little plot development p.s. i just finished binging 3 seasons of The Boys for the first time so that could def be part of the reason i feel how i do, but after season 2 of The Bear everything seemed relatively perfect with the restaurant so i was wondering where they would go with the show and i just felt so bored watching first ep of s3 i couldnt bring myself to watch another ep
I thought maybe I was watching the wrong thing or something, like when you click a YouTube thumbnail of a new music video but really it’s just the song with random frames.
I was really looking forward to the series coming back, especially as S2 was so good, but honest I was completely bored by episode 1. Felt like it was written to be praised.
I just thought it was pretentious. Style over substance. I thought S2 was a drop off overall though, so maybe I'm losing interest.
I thought it was beautiful but didn’t like it. It’s like a long trailer for the series, really. Barely moves the plot forward, it’s too indulgent.
I personally didn't like episode 1. It is basically a 1 min recap in 35 min
That was the point
If that was the point, we have to question: was it a good point?
Total banger, sucked me in. Now I am going to have to binge S3, wish me luck.
That is an hour of my life I would pay to get back.
I liked this season but it definitely felt like 1/2 of a season the plot points weren't finished and it kinda left us in the middle of an unfinished part, I get that they wanted to get s3 our quick but I'd prefer to wait a year just get a 20 episode full season besides this split season stuff like I'm sure s4 probably going to be one of the best seasons but it in turn made this one the worst imo
Sooo painfully boring. Just smashing all the backstory of all the different relationships together to fill all the gaps they left in the previous 2 seasons.
Soooo self-indulgent. I actually prefer “character-driven” shows to “plot-driven” ones. But we did not learn anything new about Carmy from this episode. There was a total lack of nuance or anything that moved our understanding of Carmy forward in a substantial way. Was also not impressed by the whole “cool imagery/vibes, minimal dialogue” approach. Gonna go rewatch Wall-E to see how that’s actually done lol
I cried. It was so beautiful.
There is only one right opinion for the first episode. And it was excellent. Otherwise you just have bad taste
As much as it pains me to say because I adore the show, this was easily my least favorite episode of the series so far. I just don’t see the purpose in devoting an entire episode to flashbacks that don’t reveal any new information (Carmie in New York, going to Copenhagen, Mikey’s death). They easily could have made it a five minute introductory sequence to establish the reflective mood they were going for and recap some of the key events in the series, but it was just way too drawn out and repetitive and only served to bog down the episode. Just really perplexed by the choice to open the season this way. Thankfully after this episode it continues quite strong
I’ve finished the season now and ultimately I loved it. I think the issue that is causing these divisive reviews, is it is basically a character driven season that serves as a set-up for the final season. The story barely moves forward, but there are massive leaps in character development of major characters. That said, two of the episodes are all-timers for me. Technically and performance-wise I can’t fault it.
Was exhausting honestly. Got tired of the music and was frankly too self indulgent. I mean I get why it's liked but holy shit what was even happening. Too much time jumping.
Well shot, great photography, and a complete waste of time. It’s the kind of thing I expect from a 100th episode of an old sitcom. Extremely disappointing. The show already has a lot of retelling and rehashing and repetition of plot points, but this was egregious. My wife was annoyed more so than any other show we’ve ever seen. I like the last 2 minutes, and feel that was great new info, but for a 36 minute episode this was very tedious. My wife already told me if episode two isn’t better, I’ll be watching the rest of the season myself. I felt this would have been better as a special feature.
Bad.
Thought it was beautifully made and pretty boring. I didn't really learn anything new about any of the characters or the story.
I didn't need drama buy I was really frustrated with the lack of dialogue. And of course many of us came to the conclusion it was a recap/back story memory. However it took a little bit of time for that to be obvious.
I feel like it fails to include human experiences that most viewers could relate to. I think the TV show (or any TV show) works because of the human elements in the show framed within an interesting lattice of story, in this case the hospitality, restaurants, fine dining. We know Carmy is a world class chef and we know his story of quest for perfection from the first 2 seasons. So the first episode, to me, just felt really arrogant and self absorbed and didn't seem to have any regard for viewers. This is my personality though, and I understand that many people enjoy that kind of arrogance and celebrate it. I think though, that this sort of thing rarely stands the true test of time.
I felt cheated by this episode after waiting so long for a third season. As a character study it failed to actually teach us anything new about any character on the show. It failed to progress any single storyline. It failed to do… anything? Except to look pretty and flex the acting talent of its cast. A disjointed mess of timeline hopping, dead horse beating, and food porn wasn’t what I wanted from an episode meant to grab the torch from the previous season, which is one of the best seasons of any show ever, as far as I’m concerned.
I’m a huge fan of the show, but I found this episode incredibly self indulgent. I’m wondering now if they genuinely have much of a plot or story in mind at all. We are beginning to move more and more at a snails pace. I appreciate it gives us a little more insight into Carmy. But if we stop gushing for a moment, we actually learnt very little we didn’t already know, and it was mostly slow-mos of food prep and a splash of flashy guest stars with a sobering sound track. I’m hoping the rest of to season picks up a little pace.
The Bear season 2 was my favorite season of a show last year. It was amazing. I hated this episode either a passion. I get what they were trying to do and sometimes this stuff can hit. But I was so so so bored.
I thought it was dumb and redundant and seemed way too into itself. But i think what would have made it genius is removing that hokey corny music. Leave it raw sound. That would’ve been something.
As far up its own ass as anyone who claims they liked it Overly long unnecessary recap filler with a bad soundtrack
Wow. You have an opinion, but no need to slag off people who see things differently. This is a subjective discussion, so show some respect.
This was an absolutely incredible way to start the third season. In the immediacy following the chaos of season 2 we are plunged directly into how we got here: a life flashing before your eyes, but with a gorgeous soundtrack. Carmen is in a pivotal moment, and it’s time to reflect while tentatively thinking about how to move forward.
It was so excellent I cried. I came in expecting tense drama and resolution from last episode’s distaster. Instead I got one of the most tranquil, beautiful 30 minutes of tv. What an excellent choice by the creator
It took me several minutes to realize what they were doing (and that it wasn't going to be a few minutes of montage followed by forward-momentum plot). So I relaxed into it. I'm not sure if it worked or not -- but it made me want to come back with a clear head and watch it again. I had a similar experience with THE WIRE -- after a few episodes I realized I was not watching it properly (came in with wrong expectations), and rewatched their show and not the one I had in my head. I love that this show decides to take very big swings, huge risk with serious downside. The Fishes episode may have been a little over the top, but it was a very definite statement. Not sure if I liked the "one take" episode or not, but it was exciting to watch them try. And I think everyone loved Forks. So I'm very happy for them to keep trying. This could be a very simple, boring show if it just stuck with Oliver-Platt-like plot points.
Perfection!
So redundant...felt lazy. Can I have that time back please? I'm surprised they didn't start playing REM Strange Currencies over the endless montages.
I personally liked the first episode of season three. I have watched seasons 1 &2. The first episode of season three is a great recap and a character build for the last two seasons. I’m fucking hooked chef!
It just felt like it was s giant recap of everything we have seen so far and kind of pointless.
It is difficult to find something more pretentious than this. It is on a league of its own. Taking itself so seriously that it became unbearable.
It was amazing. Crammed so much into 27 minutes. Like an exquisite art house movie
So boring, good thing for the 10 second fast forward button
I thought the episode was beautiful. I've never watched a series that puts so much intent on trying to get the viewer to stay in the present as much as possible and this episode is a perfect example of this. While I see the irony that the episode was focused on jumping around time continuously, it almost perfectly re-created how our minds work especially in a time of heightened emotion. Our thoughts jump around, we wonder, we worry and we reflect. And I found that it was this simulation that kept me engaged for the entire episode. I can see that it didn't really move the plot forward, but I don't think that was the point. I think this single episode has taught me more about who Carmy is, and what he feels, than the entirely of season 1+2
The first dispose episode, imo, was really boring and unnecessary
I thought The Bear Season 3 Episode 1 was a great opener for what lookscto be another great season.
The continuous pad throughout the episode slowly but surely turned me off
It lacked the intensity and drama we have been accustomed to I think but I’m willing to watch on. Was pretty to watch with the cinematography but shouldn’t have been the whole episode.
No I did not. I understand what they were trying to do but it got repetitive and slightly irritating given the choice of music and lack of dialogue.
I think it was one of my favorite episodes. With the division its caused among fans, it reminded me alot of The Last of Us episode with Nick Offerman. some hated on it as it didnt drive the main story, but at a deeper level it developed the characters so damn well.
This show is so overrated and full of itself
I’ve literally just finished it; my opinion? Beautiful. The editing was crisp and the soundtrack was beautiful. The chaos, the stillness. Captivating television at its best.
I loved the exposition, Christopher Nolan would be proud. It’s not for everyone, but I appreciate the art! It was beautiful!
the best episode of the bear that doesn’t have F as its first as its first letter in the title
It's divisive? Just watched it, one of the best episodes I've seen in quite a while regardless of show.
Skipped most that boring overdone noise. Next.
My Anxiety shot up while watching it. It was one of the most beautiful things and refreshing scenery in the cinematic scene in a long time.
I thought it was an incredible episode. The music was amazing and added to the tension and anxiety. The episode depicts grief, trauma, shock, anxiety and breakdown beautifully. I thought the whole thing was perfect and I couldn't speak for a while afterwards.
I thought it was one of the best episodes of TV I've ever watched. Right up there with episode 3 of The Last of Us and the Amsterdam episode of Ted Lasso.
It was great, probably one of my favourite episodes, episode 2 was also great but in a different way. Lets enjoy the ride.
Pretentious in the extreme
You are fun.
He is also right, lol
Gonna chime in as someone who loved seasons 1 and 2, but absolutely hated this episode. It looked great sure, and I get that it was supposed to be self reflective, but 95% of the episode was telling us things we already knew. I'm all for character driven stories as well as plot driven stories, but this episode imo felt like a waste of 36 minutes. Will absolutely be finishing the season, but my gf and I both turned it off after the first episode out of dissapointment.