Summary
Warning: Spoilers for The Bear season 3 finale
The Bearseason 4 is already on its way to resolving one of the biggest season 3 complaints.The Bearseason 3 noticeably has much more criticism than its predecessors. Although this season was well received by critics, it still has a lower score on Rotten Tomatoes compared to earlier seasons. Furthermore,The Bearseason 3audience and critic scores are still very different on Rotten Tomatoes.The season received many complaints, from the lack of screen time Carmy and Sydney had together to Claire’s misplaced appearances.
The amount of critiques is worrying, especially when wondering what will happen inThe Bearseason 4. The show will have a lot to do to fix the issues its third season presented, primarily with the new storylines introduced. It was such a letdown compared to season 1 and season 2. However,one particular criticism can be put to bedby howThe Bearseason 3 ended.The Bearseason 3, episode 10, “Forever,” ends on a particular note that will likely make this critique a non-issue in future seasons.
10 Best The Bear Episodes, Ranked
The Bear is one of the most critically acclaimed series on television, winning 10 Emmy Awards despite only having 28 episodes. Here’s the 10 best.
The Bear Season 4 Won’t Need As Many Flashbacks As Season 3
The Bear Season 4 Will Focus On The Present Timeline
One of the primary complaints ofThe Bearseason 3 is that there are simply too many flashbacks.The Bearseason 3, episode 1, “Tomorrow,” is a timelineconsisting entirely of disjointed flashbacks of various points in Carmy’s life. The rest of the season shows more flashbacks, even repeating some previously seen. There are too many flashbacks, whichtake away from the present narrative. However, the season ends with many unanswered questions that a fourth season must address, leaving minimal time for additional flashbacks. The show cannot rely on repeating the same flashbacks.
The Bear Season 3 Overdid Its Response To Season 2’s Biggest Episode
The Bear Season 2, Episode 6, “Fishes” Is An Extraordinary Exception, Not The Rule
A possible reason whyBearseason 3 includes so many flashbacks is because of the critical acclaimThe Bearseason 2, episode 6, “Fishes” received.The Bearseason 2 features a haunting family Christmas episodethat occurred five years before, when Mikey Berzatto was still alive. It was an excellent episode that portrayed the issues within the Berzatto family and the individual characters. It was a necessary flashback thatprovided additional commentary on the present-day characters. However, just because this flashback episode was successful does not mean thatThe Bearshould start indulging in flashbacks.
Flashbacks should only be necessary when the narrative tries to highlight specific characteristics of a character or a dynamic.
There are only so many flashbacks to visit before it starts to feel redundant and unnecessary.The Bear’s most iconic slogan reads, “Every second counts,” and the show is not an exception to the rule. Adding too many flashbacks - especially repetitive ones -at the expense of the present hinders the narrative. Flashbacks should only be necessary when the narrative tries to highlight specific characteristics of a character or a dynamic.The Bearshould not include them without good reason. What made the reliance on flashbacks even more surprising was all the events taking place in the present.
Despite the number of unnecessary flashbacks inThe Bearseason 3, some actually helped the narrative, with the most notable example of this being Tina’s flashback episode.The Bearseason 3, episode 6, “Napkins,” features Tina’s past and what led her to work at The Bear. This episode shows how Tina became the person she is today. Subtle moments such asTina crying in front of Mikeyexplain why she was so reluctant to change how she worked once Carmy became the boss. This episode is a great reminder thatsometimes flashbacks are necessary.
