Mixed feelings as well. After an incredible Season 2, Season 3 was a a let down. We really enjoyed Episode 1 as a recap episode via flashbacks. I also really enjoyed episode 10. Everything in between could have been covered in one or two episodes.
yeah, I thought the Fak bros convos became too much. The season didnt seem to push anything forward, just felt like it was treading water and then had a bunch of cameos to try and meat it up. Somewhere I read that it felt like half a season or a part 1 of a season more than a full season and I agree with that sentiment.
yeah, I thought the Fak bros convos became too much. The season didnt seem to push anything forward, just felt like it was treading water and then had a bunch of cameos to try and meat it up. Somewhere I read that it felt like half a season or a part 1 of a season more than a full season and I agree with that sentiment.
This season didn't drive the plot as much as some would've liked, but for me, it's opened up a lot of possibilities for S4. I think the number of episodes focused on characters other than Carmy, Richie and Syd is interesting in that I think/hope it presages some unexpected storylines when the focus gets back to whether or not to go for the Michelin star.
Say what you will regarding the lack of a climatic story arc for S3, the writing was still superb and the acting impeccable. It may not have delivered the fireworks of S2, but I was glad I watched all 10 episodes.
I just finished season three. This show is just incredibly good television. And Jaime Lee Curtis absolutely kills it with another episode this year that was riveting. It would be easy to have Donna be your prototypical psych case, but the complexity in Curtis' performance is stunning.
So I finished S3 about a week ago and was definitely disappointed overall. It was my worst fear that it would be a letdown after the brilliance of S1 & S2. As a point of reference, I have probably watched S1 & S2 at least 10 times now...it's just so enjoyable.
Part of the letdown I think is because S1 & S2 set the bar so darn high and they are absolutely brilliant in every important aspect of a cinematic/TV series experience: writing, acting, character development, plot lines, cinematography, music score, etc. , etc.
I'll rant a bit first and then wrap up with some positives. Anyone reading this thread who hasn't watched be aware that there may be spoilers upcoming :
The biggest thing that I thought was annoying (and already mentioned in posts above) is that there just was not any realistic progression of plot and characters over the time frame that S3 covered.
There also seemed to be a substantial loss of "realistic & relatable dialogue & action" between characters that was one of the great things about S1 & S2. Nothing seemed to be forced/unrealistic during extended discussions between characters in those seasons' episodes. Much more seemed "forced" and just didn't work as well in S3.
They wayyy overdid the Fak family in S3. The whole "hauntings" thing was stupid and annoying. I get that the Fak family is supposed to be odd and bizarre and annoying, and that the writers wanted to at least show that more, but they sure didn't need to spend as much time during S3 doing what they did.
Carmy totally regresses throughout S3 and goes so against what he said he was going to do as the Exec. Chef during S2...but Richie, Syd, Natalie, Tina really do absolutely nothing to snap him out of his BS spiral...even though it's crystal-clear from their character development in S1 & S2 that they collectively would not continually put up with working in the environment that Carmy develops during S3. Annoying and makes no sense.
That being said, there were still plenty of great moments and episodes that I thought were awesome. Just a few off the top of my head:
E1 (Tomorrow) - Loved the overall vibe and the story it told with little to no actual dialogue. Throughout S1&S2 you get the impression that Carmy totally blew off coming back to Chicago for Mikey's funeral. Seeing that he did but only got as close as being parked outside the church but couldn't bring himself to go in was gutwrenching. I thought it was fabulous that we see how Syd's "best meal ever" actually was the result of Carmy defying his Exec Chef and sending out his own Hamachi with Blood Orange instead of Hamachi w/ Fennel (claiming "customer has fennel allergy"). Makes great call-backs to S1E1 where the 1st meal Syd does at the Beef was a family meal that included fennel (so she obviously didn't have a fennel allergy), and also S1E6/7 where Syd gives her Braised Beef with Risotto that Carmy said "wasn't ready yet" to a random Beef customer who turned out to be a food critic who raves about the dish...
E6 (Napkins) - Tina origin story was great. Love that we find out that Mikey showing a picture of Carmy's dish to Tina (seen in S3E1) actually occurred the 1st time they meet, Also, was interesting/funny to find out that Tina actually worked in office settings for pretty much her whole adult life and hadn't actually been working at the Beef for that long...only about 4ish years before the time the series starts (just post-COVID). Makes her battles with Syd in S1 "Just f off...I've been working here since before you were born" actually pretty hilarious...
E8 (Ice Chips) - Just great acting overall from JLC and Abby Elliot
So I finished S3 about a week ago and was definitely disappointed overall. It was my worst fear that it would be a letdown after the brilliance of S1 & S2. As a point of reference, I have probably watched S1 & S2 at least 10 times now...it's just so enjoyable.
Part of the letdown I think is because S1 & S2 set the bar so darn high and they are absolutely brilliant in every important aspect of a cinematic/TV series experience: writing, acting, character development, plot lines, cinematography, music score, etc. , etc.
I'll rant a bit first and then wrap up with some positives. Anyone reading this thread who hasn't watched be aware that there may be spoilers upcoming :
The biggest thing that I thought was annoying (and already mentioned in posts above) is that there just was not any realistic progression of plot and characters over the time frame that S3 covered.
There also seemed to be a substantial loss of "realistic & relatable dialogue & action" between characters that was one of the great things about S1 & S2. Nothing seemed to be forced/unrealistic during extended discussions between characters in those seasons' episodes. Much more seemed "forced" and just didn't work as well in S3.
They wayyy overdid the Fak family in S3. The whole "hauntings" thing was stupid and annoying. I get that the Fak family is supposed to be odd and bizarre and annoying, and that the writers wanted to at least show that more, but they sure didn't need to spend as much time during S3 doing what they did.
Carmy totally regresses throughout S3 and goes so against what he said he was going to do as the Exec. Chef during S2...but Richie, Syd, Natalie, Tina really do absolutely nothing to snap him out of his BS spiral...even though it's crystal-clear from their character development in S1 & S2 that they collectively would not continually put up with working in the environment that Carmy develops during S3. Annoying and makes no sense.
That being said, there were still plenty of great moments and episodes that I thought were awesome. Just a few off the top of my head:
E1 (Tomorrow) - Loved the overall vibe and the story it told with little to no actual dialogue. Throughout S1&S2 you get the impression that Carmy totally blew off coming back to Chicago for Mikey's funeral. Seeing that he did but only got as close as being parked outside the church but couldn't bring himself to go in was gutwrenching. I thought it was fabulous that we see how Syd's "best meal ever" actually was the result of Carmy defying his Exec Chef and sending out his own Hamachi with Blood Orange instead of Hamachi w/ Fennel (claiming "customer has fennel allergy"). Makes great call-backs to S1E1 where the 1st meal Syd does at the Beef was a family meal that included fennel (so she obviously didn't have a fennel allergy), and also S1E6/7 where Syd gives her Braised Beef with Risotto that Carmy said "wasn't ready yet" to a random Beef customer who turned out to be a food critic who raves about the dish...
E6 (Napkins) - Tina origin story was great. Love that we find out that Mikey showing a picture of Carmy's dish to Tina (seen in S3E1) actually occurred the 1st time they meet,
E8 (Ice Chips) - Just great acting overall from JLC and Abby Elliot
The Bear season 3 is terrible. This went from being a fast paced show with some of the most memorable episodes of television I've seen to a total slog. Episode after episode where nothing happens. If you're going to make it a character study make it go somewhere and make the characters interesting and less annoying. The whole thing is just boring and pretentious now. I had to bear through it hoping eventually something would happen but nothing ever did besides the sister having a baby which they didn't even show...
It was flashbacks all the time showing Carm's tortured anguish. We're supposed to care about Carm and Claire getting back together when they have no chemistry and we're supposed to care about whether Syd stays at the restaurant or goes to another restaurant. Two incredibly boring storylines they built up for so long and Carm never even called Claire and Syd never even talked to Carm. It all ends with to be continued...no thanks.
The last time I remember loving a show like this and then wondering what the hell the writers were thinking was True Detective when it went from season 1 to season 2.
The Bear season 3 is terrible. This went from being a fast paced show with some of the most memorable episodes of television I've seen to a total slog. Episode after episode where nothing happens. If you're going to make it a character study make it go somewhere and make the characters interesting and less annoying. The whole thing is just boring and pretentious now. I had to bear through it hoping eventually something would happen but nothing ever did besides the sister having a baby which they didn't even show...
It was flashbacks all the time showing Carm's tortured anguish. We're supposed to care about Carm and Claire getting back together when they have no chemistry and we're supposed to care about whether Syd stays at the restaurant or goes to another restaurant. Two incredibly boring storyline they built up for so long and Carm never even called Claire and Syd never even talked to Carm. It all ends with to be continued...no thanks.
The last time I remember loving a show like this and then wondering what the hell the writers were thinking was True Detective when it went from season 1 to season 2.
Couldn't agree more. Everything is spot on including the True Detective reference.
Sometimes, with Game of Thrones, I lived through periods of "slog" knowing there was a bigger payoff being built up down the line. I can't see that here. To me? This seems like they didn't know what they really had in terms of a hit, then Season 1 took off and Season 2 was amazing and they sat around and said "Now what? How the heck to we build this more into an epic 4-5 season arc?" and don't have a plan.
The Bear season 3 is terrible. This went from being a fast paced show with some of the most memorable episodes of television I've seen to a total slog. Episode after episode where nothing happens. If you're going to make it a character study make it go somewhere and make the characters interesting and less annoying. The whole thing is just boring and pretentious now. I had to bear through it hoping eventually something would happen but nothing ever did besides the sister having a baby which they didn't even show...
It was flashbacks all the time showing Carm's tortured anguish. We're supposed to care about Carm and Claire getting back together when they have no chemistry and we're supposed to care about whether Syd stays at the restaurant or goes to another restaurant. Two incredibly boring storyline they built up for so long and Carm never even called Claire and Syd never even talked to Carm. It all ends with to be continued...no thanks.
The last time I remember loving a show like this and then wondering what the hell the writers were thinking was True Detective when it went from season 1 to season 2.
I was disappointed in S3 but there still was a lot of good stuff here-and-there in it so I'm going to remain hopeful for S4 redemption.
I had a post above outlining some of my issues w/ S3. But my main one is what you said too: It went nowhere. Which is preposterous given the time range that it was supposed to cover. Also, the character personalities established in S1 & S2 would not have let Carmy pull the BS he did throughout S3. Richie, Syd, and Nat would have spun his head around.
I think I read somewhere that the success of the first 2 seasons made FX/Hulu want at least 2 more seasons. Season 3 ended up being filler things/flashbacks that could have been parts of a more substantiate "true" season 3...which now will (hopefully) be S4.
I was disappointed in S3 but there still was a lot of good stuff here-and-there in it so I'm going to remain hopeful for S4 redemption.
I had a post above outlining some of my issues w/ S3. But my main one is what you said too: It went nowhere. Which is preposterous given the time range that it was supposed to cover. Also, the character personalities established in S1 & S2 would not have let Carmy pull the BS he did throughout S3. Richie, Syd, and Nat would have spun his head around.
I think I read somewhere that the success of the first 2 seasons made FX/Hulu want at least 2 more seasons. Season 3 ended up being filler things/flashbacks that could have been parts of a more substantiate "true" season 3...which now will (hopefully) be S4.
Three years in a row Jeremy Allen White wins the Golden Globe for best actor in a comedic series when the show isn't a comedy and there's nothing remotely funny about his character...
I get that he's the focus of the show but his character is a drag. We get it...he went away, his brother killed himself, and he's hurt and stressed but I've lost interest in his character. He's checked out, he's boring, he doesn't listen to any of his family and friends and treats them badly. They're going for the tortured genius angle, he's a friggin' cook.
I would much rather more time spent on Richie. He feels totally authentic to me and he's likable. They're all going through it, Richie is family and Mikey was his best friend since he was a small child. His wife who he still loves also left him and she's marrying another guy. Carm's sister also lost her brother and has been dealing with her mentally ill mom the whole time. Focus more on Richie and chef Jess from Ever, there's real chemistry there. Focus more on Oliver Platt's character, he steals every scene he's in. Let us know how he became the shady money guy. Focus more on Pete, he's the most likable guy on the show and they barely give him any screen time. Less of the Fak brothers, they provided a little comedic relief but they're just over the top bozos, the whole haunting thing for two episodes was stupid.
The show revolves around the most boring person on the show.
Three years in a row Jeremy Allen White wins the Golden Globe for best actor in a comedic series when the show isn't a comedy and there's nothing remotely funny about his character...
I get that he's the focus of the show but his character is a drag. We get it...he went away, his brother killed himself, and he's hurt and stressed but I've lost interest in his character. He's checked out, he's boring, he doesn't listen to any of his family and friends and treats them badly. They're going for the tortured genius angle, he's a friggin' cook.
I would much rather more time spent on Richie. He feels totally authentic to me and he's likable. They're all going through it, Richie is family and Mikey was his best friend since he was a small child. His wife who he still loves also left him and she's marrying another guy. Carm's sister also lost her brother and has been dealing with her mentally ill mom the whole time. Focus more on Richie and chef Jess from Ever, there's real chemistry there. Focus more on Oliver Platt's character, he steals every scene he's in. Let us know how he became the shady money guy. Focus more on Pete, he's the most likable guy on the show and they barely give him any screen time. Less of the Fak brothers, they provided a little comedic relief but they're just over the top bozos, the whole haunting thing for two episodes was stupid.
The show revolves around the most boring person on the show.
I watched the movie about the Von Erich wrestling family on a plane a couple months ago. Jeremy Allen White played the same character there. A wrestler who lost his leg in an accident and his brothers who died and he moped around expressionless for two hours. Boring actor.
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