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THE BEAR SEASON THREE
As a dedicated fan who has watched seasons one and two of THE BEAR multiple times, I have included them in my Story Therapy digital writing courses. Now, many of you are curious about my thoughts on season three. I have watched it twice to ensure I can provide a comprehensive review that reflects my deep love for the show.
As a former twelve-year Current Programs executive, I know the challenge of creating a successful TV season. I’ve worked with some of the top showrunners, so I understand what goes into the process—reaching the audience's expectations after a tremendously successful season is difficult. I think season two of The Bear was one of the best second seasons of any show I have seen. In the current climate of the world, anxiety is a huge buzzword. We feel the lead character Carmy’s anxiety from the start with his nightmare of The Bear. In season three, The Bear goes deeper into the cause of that anxiety and the toxic chef climate and evolves the characters we have grown to love.
When watching a story, I look for three elements: why do I care, surprises, and what am I dying to discover? The Bear delivers on all of these in season three. Do they take risks? Yes. Do they avert from former seasons with the structure of the character arcs? Yes. Are there scenes that feel disconnected from the main plot? Yes. Are there episodes where I need clarification on what the episode goal is in the A story? Yes. Is there a lot of reaction versus action? Yes. Do we feel the story and the characters evolve? We do. Am I dying to come back to see season four? Yes. When you rise to this show's acclaim, you can explore a story in a new way.
WHY I CARE: When I think about why I care, I love the moment in episode 4 when Claire, Carm’s love interest, asks about a scar and says, “Did it hurt so much that it didn’t hurt at all?” Carm’s wound with the loss of his brother Mikey to suicide led him to take over Mikey’s restaurant, The Bear (how the series starts in season one), to his avoidance of facing his toxic childhood and his dynamic with his alcoholic mother, Diane, to the interruption in his dream to be the best chef through the criticism of a toxic chef. We feel his ambition. We feel his anxiety. We feel how he gets in his way of happiness. I care about Sydney’s dilemma of whether she will sign the partnership agreement or go out on her own. I feel her exploration with finding and trusting her voice. With Richie, I care about his exploration of his place in his daughter’s life. With Sugar, I care about her fear of being a mother after surviving her dynamic with Diane. With Marcus, I care about his adjusting to his place in the world without his mother.
SURPRISES: The surprises were in the stand-alone episode, episode 6, with Tina. We saw what led her to work at The Bear and learned more about the complexities of her home life. We felt her heart. We saw how Mikey influenced her. We got to know Mikey and his worldview more. We got to know Natalie ("Sugar") more in episode 8 when she went into labor and had to call her mom because no one else answered her call. We learned more about DD and the childhood wounds that Carm, Natalie, and Mikey resulted from DD’s flaw with her addiction. We feel DD’s struggle in this life moment and her ability to step up. We feel this family's regret and guilt in the generational dysfunction. We get to know Richie more in his transformational arc of figuring out his place in his daughter’s life with his ex, Tiffany, getting married to Frank.
WHAT AM I DYING TO DISCOVER? I want to know if Carm will find peace in his anxiety, if there is serenity in his ambition to be the best, what will transpire between Carm and Claire, and what Sydney will decide on her own path to success. I am also invested in the journeys of Natalie, Richie, Marcus, and Tina. I am dying to find out how the restaurant will evolve.
I love the characters on this show. I love that we are all on a journey to better understanding our wounds by seeing these characters do the work on their wounds. Anxiety is something we all feel in the current world climate. Seeing how others deal with anxiety helps us all. It connects us. The story transforms us. It stops isolation and creates community.
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RECENT COMMENT
Hi Jen! Thank you again for such lovely notes on Zoom a couple of weeks ago. I finished script revisions, and the producers just got back to me and are really happy. Your feedback was invaluable.
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