Okay, is everyone in? The first flashback scene in Bear Season 3, Episode 4 (“Violet”) is Carmy and Claire saying cute things to each other while Cocteau Twins’ “Pearly Dewdrops’ Drops” plays in the background. What, no Wilco?
Meanwhile, Marcus is back at his mother’s house, seething with grief, thinking about what to do next, listening to the beeping of his mother’s respirator. On the way home, he finds a violet peeking through the dead, overgrown bushes on a fence and snaps a photo of it in case he feels inspired to make a fancy cannoli.
Sydney has officially signed a lease on her new home, securing her independence once and for all, and even though her father walks around inspecting it (“These walls are thin!”), she manages not to be deterred by him.
Tina is at the farmers market and notices that the farmers are struggling and don’t have much to offer anymore. A wise old philosopher at the farmers’ market tells him how the farms have been devastated and there are no longer enough fruits and vegetables to go around: “Whatever grows together, goes together.” (I’m pretty sure that line will be recycled several times before the season is over. Maybe Neil Fak will tattoo it on his earlobe.)
Back at The Bear, we get a loud, fake-out-filled sequence in which the showrunners pander to this country’s top roster of elite coastal journalists.
Richie meets his ex-wife’s new husband, his daughter’s new stepfather, Frank (Josh Hartnett, as handsome as ever), who sheepishly apologizes to Richie for not telling him about the marriage proposal. “You don’t need my permission, Frank.” Richie demonstrates his growth and grace: whatever Pema Choödrön book this man has read, he has learned from it. Would Richie have handled Frank’s awkward apology as skillfully in Season 1? Doubtful. That version of himself probably would have tried to smash Frank’s head in with a shovel.
Next, we see Sydney getting off the train on her way to work, where she meets Adam Shapiro, a chef at Ever, the three-star restaurant owned by the luminous Chef Terry (Olivia Colman) where Carmy and Richie worked. staged In the series’ best episode, “Forks,” Shapiro praises The Bear and raves about Sydney’s scallop dish, setting in motion his inevitable poaching.
In The Bear, we see Marcus playing with purple goo to make whatever dessert porridge his lone flower photo inspired.
Sydney sees Carmy cutting grapefruit and putting nicotine gum in her mouth because the little psycho has managed to go 41 days without smoking. Sydney tries a piece and immediately spits it out. However, the real problem is the need for greater communication between the front and back of the house. As we found out, Carmy changed the menu again and didn’t tell anyone. Sydney scolds him lightly and Carmy admits his mistake but doesn’t apologize (again).
Meanwhile, in the office wing, Sugar is plagued by two very different intrusive thoughts: the restaurant’s continuing slide into financial ruin and the impending birth of her daughter, whom she fears may be infused with Berzatto’s strange genes.
Richie tries to comfort him, but is quickly abandoned. Still nervous after leaving his daughter at Frank’s palatial Chicago wonderland, he wonders if he should continue to be a presence in her life. Sugar tells him not to be stupid and to just be a father. Also, in this scene, Richie hangs up a postcard of the Philosopher’s Path in Kyoto, drawing inspiration from it thanks to his newly illuminated path as a hall manager. “Someday I’ll go there,” he tells Sugar.
Sugar receives a distressing phone call: the Chicago Grandstand is sending a photographer for an upcoming review. Everyone available in the kitchen lines up, their faces expressing horror and concern. No one working at The Bear believes it is ready to be officially reviewed; a bad review at this point could be devastating.
Fingers crossed the reviewer continued with “Surprise Tuesday.”
BEAR SEASON 3 EPISODE 4: LEFTOVERS
NEEDLE DROP FOR MIDDLE-AGED DAD: “Getchoo” by Weezer. Blue Album fans must be furious. It turns out that Bear It is a television program for Pinkerton heads.
QUESTIONS I STILL HAVE: I have a couple:
- Whatever happened to the heart sign language Carmy used to apologize to people? Remember how important that was? He could have used it about sixty million times so far this season, but instead he’s been chewing nicotine gum and acting like an actual penis to everyone he believes has gotten in the way of his culinary “vision.”
- Richie also mentions that he learned about the Philosopher’s Way from a “director I admire,” who happened to be William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist and The French ConnectionIf you remember last season, Richie had a poster for the Ridley Scott movie. white shower in his kitchen. I don’t know if this means further growth for him or if he simply subscribed to the Criterion Channel to evolve culturally.
CARMY ARM PORN: Those triceps look nervous!
BEAR – SEASON 3: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
I can’t get enough ofBearSeason 3? For more information, analysis, GIFs, and close-ups of Carmy’s arms, check out some highlights from Jugo Mobile’s coverage:
- Bear Full Season 3 Review: Carmy Secures Her Role as President of the Tortured Chef Department
- Bear Season 3 Ending Explained: Does Carmy and Sydney’s Restaurant Survive?
- Bear Season 3 Episode 1 Recap: “Tomorrow”
- Bear Season 3 Episode 2 Recap: “Next”
- “Save it for later”: what you should know about Eddie Vedder’s version of the English beat classic.
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AJ Daulerio is a writer and editor living in Los Angeles. He is also the founder of The little arch, a recovery bulletin.
