Keith has already finished season 3 of the "The Bear," but does the show still taste as good as the first two seasons?
The Movies & A Meal Podcast
TV Talk: The Bear Season 3
(upbeat music) - Hi folks, Keith, through with the TV over some movies and the meal, and today I'm going to take a look at the much anticipated third season of The Bear, which thankfully dropped all at once last week. I'm sure Chef Kharmi would appreciate I hold the bear for an exacting standard, and though there was much to celebrate this time, there was just as much that was disappointing. More on that later, of course, and only after a well-announced spoiler warning, trust me. But first, look back at how we ended season two, and where we begin with season three. As fans will know, as season two wrapped up, the newly fancified bear opened its doors, and while Sidney and Richie ran things, Kharmi managed to have a meltdown for locking himself in the freezer, and season three, it's still high stress all around, with Kharmi and Richie Vickering and Sidney caught in the middle. But the premiere at least is one of the show's very best episodes, tracing Kharmi's Keelner Day training and how it coincided with the death of Mikey. It's exhilarating viewing for sure. Episodes two and three kind of get stuck in this high-tension rut, but there are two truly great ones later to keep your eye out for. My faves the story of how Tina first came to work at The Beast back in the day, a real acting showcase for great supporting player Liza Colón Zayas, that's also directed by star I/O Edabieri. Also great is a later episode, pretty much starring only sugar, my cast favorite, Abby Elliott, and the return of Mamba Bear Berzato, who fans of course know is played by Jamie Lee Curtis. It's a truly heart-wrenching gem that had me in tears. So that's the gray here, and trust me, there's plenty of good too. The facts, thankfully, get even bigger roles and shine throughout for much-needed comic relief, including a mega-star drop-in as yet another fact arrives that I certainly won't spoil here, but now folks, it's time to discuss the rather entirely maddening finale. So I'll pause to give anyone the chance to stop now because believe me, there are indeed major spoilers ahead. Okay, here goes, in the bear season three, there are three major issues that give it much of its emotional drive, and they all hit hard. We'll call me over to the right thing and call Claire. Well, Sydney, the always extraordinary I/O Edabieri, bolt to take a tempting offer from a new restaurant, and most important, will Cicero, the excellent Oliver Platt, pull all of his funding at the Lumen Chicago Tribune Review, turns out to be a disaster. All those heavy questions were still looming over the 43-minute finale, another funeral. As an aside, USA Today, while like me still praising the bear, call the show occasionally indulgent in its excesses, and for me, this was the worst of all. In the finale, Carmi, Sydney, and many of their top chefs gathered to both mourn the closing of ever, and also celebrate its creator, which thankfully means the return of Olivia Coleman. However, what we get for most of the episode is these chefs reminiscing, which is not entirely entertaining, but there's nothing to advance the plot. As it still does rise to a slow boil, I'll admit I kept pausing as it got later on to see how much time was left with an increasing dread. I had indeed heard this season with Ann on a cliffhanger, but this one went way beyond the pale. After answering absolutely none of the burning questions, instead of fading to black, it instead fades to to be continued. I'll admit, I let it allow WTF, and it's obviously still bugging me now. It's certainly not enough to make me stop watching The Bear, since its first two seasons were pure genius, but this was almost a total misfire, and just like I said, a truly maddening move. But it does, of course, stood up a whale over the mirror for season four, and I can tell you I'll surely be watching. So that's it for this week. As always, you can catch us at moviesandamule.com, moviesandamule on X/Twitter, and we give us a listen on Apple Podcasts Spotify, wherever you find your podcasts, and thanks for listening. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) [MUSIC PLAYING]