The Bear is coming back to take us on yet another emotional ride after the incredible conclusion of Season 3. Honestly, it hasn’t been long since the third season of The Bear concluded and blessed us with a sweet cameo from John Cena. However, the popularity of the critically acclaimed TV show compelled the creators and the incredible cast to return to our screens earlier than we expected. Regardless, if you need a refresher on season 3’s events before stepping into the emotional drama of Season 4, here’s a brief recap of The Bear Season 3.
Carmine Creates Chaos in the Restaurant
Despite knowing everything about The Bear’s finances, Carmy ignores Uncle Jimmy’s warnings and introduces some non-negotiable ingredients into the kitchen. He also insists on changing the menu every day. His obsessive professionalism and emotional unavailability create chaos in both his personal and professional life.
He grows distant from every staff member and continues to create confusion with the menu tweaks. Sydney and other members of The Bear start seeing themselves as bystanders or Carmine’s followers, who must do everything as instructed by him. While Sydney starts considering the job offer from Shapiro, Ritchie calls Carmine a toxic leader.
Carmine’s Past Trauma Fuels the “Chaos”
Carmine gets haunted by his past from the very first episode of The Bear Season 3. He starts getting flashbacks of Mickey’s death and his culinary training under abusive managers. In fact, Carmine has been haunted by his ex-manager since season 1.
These visions make him more aggressive, and he begins to embrace his self-sabotaging side. Moreover, he disconnects with the people he once cared about. For instance, he avoids Claire and does not entertain Sydney when she tells him about the dilemma she has been going through over the past few days. His inner demons start taking over him, and he starts to take everyone for granted. So, even though we hated Carmine for acting heartless in Season 3, we knew exactly where he was coming from.
To make things worse, Carmy confronts his abusive manager, David Fields, in the final season. Carmy expected David to apologize for traumatizing the boy, but that didn’t happen. David remains unapologetic towards Carmy, which gives the boy another scar instead of closure.
Sydney’s Dilemma And Emotional Turmoil
Everyone is being affected by Carmy’s toxic behavior, and while Sydney considers the staff at The Bear, her family, she just can’t make peace with Carmy’s erratic leadership style. Carmy is haunted by his abusive managers from the past, and well, he is becoming the exact thing he hates. It just doesn’t sit well with Sydney, and maybe that is why she holds off on signing the partnership agreement with Carmy for The Bear.
On the other hand, she gets an enticing offer from Adam Shapiro, who, surprisingly, is offering Sydney the position of Head Chef at his new venture. Given how she has been feeling for Carmy, no one would blame her for accepting Adam’s offer; however, she just couldn’t let go of The Bear that easily. Her dilemma was one of the major highlights of Season 3, but it’s about time we see Sydney making a decision in Season 4 of The Bear.
Tina Marrero’s Character Reaches More Depth in The Bear Season 3
Tina was one of the most beloved characters of The Bear, and her character arc specifically saw growth in the third season. Fans loved the character for outshining everyone else with her immense dedication to The Bear. She lived up to every challenge Carmy threw at her, even though most of the challenges were conjured with unrealistic expectations. Regardless, Tina didn’t complain even once, and she showcased her incredible culinary skills despite entering the profession at a later stage in life.
The third season revealed exactly why Tina is so dedicated to her job. There’s no fear bigger than the fear of wolves scratching your door at night. If someone goes through such trauma, they ensure that their doors are locked tightly and in good condition. And well, the “door” for Tina was her financial condition in the past. A brief flashback episode showed us how Tina lost her job and was struggling to pay rent. She stumbles upon Mikey Berzatto, who puts faith in her despite the fact that she has no prior experience. And that is precisely why Tina is loyal and hardworking towards The Bear.
The Bear Season 3 Cameo That Made Every Fan Go Crazy
This doesn’t have much implication on the story, but yes, John Cena’s cameo was one of the major highlights of The Bear Season 3. He appears as Neil’s brother, Sammy, and his banter with his brother was the comedic relief that we desperately needed in Season 3. They renovated the restaurant’s flooring, but at the same time, Sammy and Neil also got on Carmy’s nerves.
The Bear Season 3 Ending Explained – Too Many Unanswered Questions
While The Bear Season 3 answered several questions for fans, it did leave several doors open for the fourth season. Firstly, Carmy’s erratic behavior towards his staff is totally uncalled for, and let’s be honest, his “non-negotiable” policy of daily changes in the menu is just..what’s the word? Yeah, absurd. While the third season showed us the crux of Carmy’s behavior, David Fields, it didn’t give any closure to the boy’s trauma. So, it could be one of the major themes of The Bear Season 4.
Apart from Carmy, Claire is yet another character who needs to find a sort of peace in The Bear Season 4. Carmy and Claire broke up at the end of Season 2, and since then, they haven’t spoken to each other. In fact, Claire has extremely limited screen time in Season 3, as she only appears in flashbacks to remind us of their beautiful chemistry. Honestly, Carmy has gotten worse after he separated from Claire, and while the third season left the fate of these characters hanging in mid-air, we might find an answer in Season 4 of The Bear.
Also, did we mention Natalie? We didn’t, but we will sort that out right now. Natalie didn’t have an easy time in The Bear 3, but there’s a chance that things will get better for her in Season 4. In the eighth episode, we saw Natalie going into labor, and when she couldn’t reach her husband, whom did she call? Her mother, Donna. Natalie doesn’t share a smooth relationship with her estranged mother, but the pregnancy and vulnerability lead Natalie to Donna. She had to confront her past, which was one of the best moments of the third season. However, the path ahead isn’t easy either, as with a newborn, it will be more challenging for Natalie to balance work and personal life.
In Season 3 of The Bear, we saw a food critic from the Chicago Tribune sneaking into the Bear restaurant. And his review goes up right when Carmy is confronting his past at the Ever dinner. While the final episode doesn’t exactly reveal the entire review, it doesn’t look excellent. We see the words “excellent,” “innovative,” and “bold” to praise the restaurant. At the same time, words like “confusing,” “sloppy,” and “inconsistent” shatter the ray of hope in Carmy’s eyes. It tells us that while The Bear has come a long way in terms of taste, the staff has to work on several things to bag the Michelin star. We will hopefully see the entire review in Season 4 of The Bear and the entire staff coming together to work on the shortcomings to become the best in town.
The Bear Season 4 will arrive on June 25, so we are only a few days away from getting all the answers.
