Season 3 sits (a little) lower than the rest of the seasons at 93%. Rotten Tomatoes’ consensus on the season as “simmering” and “stewing” is fitting; the season relishes in the psychological lives of its characters, preferring a more pensive pacing than the jittery one the series became famous for. The first episode is a montage with little dialogue set to “Together” by Nine Inch Nails. It weaves back and forth through Carmy’s culinary tutelage after he left home. We see him truly thriving and savoring the fruits of his labor. On the one hand, it is artistically daring to premiere a season in this way; on the other, it feels a bit indulgent, especially given how short the season is. While we gain more insight into Carmy’s past, devoting the entire episode to it seems a bit excessive. We want to see how The Bear is moving forward.

There’s very little conflict in season 3 as we mostly wallow in Carmy’s distressing quest for greatness. The overarching questions of the season and series thus far — How can searching for unattainable perfection destroy the enjoyment of your craft? What is the line between dedication and having your passion consume your life? — have been pretty clear, but season 3 keeps beating it over your head. The intimate gaze that provided so much introspection during the last two seasons ends up feeling a bit overdone here. How many close-ups of an emotionally distraught Carmy can we handle? Season 4, which was not filmed back-to-back with season 3 as originally planned, will make or break whether or not the Rotten Tomatoes score will rise or continue to fall. Perhaps these seasons are meant to complement each other: the third season builds everything up, while in the next season everything comes crashing down.