A Defense of The Bear That No One Asked For!
Its loss at last year’s Emmy’s and this year's Golden Globes point to people being "over it"
You thought I was insufferable before? You ain’t seen nothing yet!
If The Bear has one million fans, then I am one of them. If The Bear has ten fans, then I am one of them. If The Bear has only one fan, then that is me. If The Bear has no fans, then that means I am no longer on this earth. If the world is against The Bear, then I am against the world.
So, if it isn’t clear yet, there is not a world where I would not be on The Bear’s side. I have been insufferable about this show with my friends, my family and strangers. I genuinely do think it is one of the greatest shows ever made and it seemed like a lot of others folks did at first too. However, with a mixed response to the third season, an increasing frustration with its categorization as comedy, and a perceived refusal to put the two leads of the show together romantically, it seems that people have had it up to HERE with The Bear and it has lost the goodwill of the general public, critics and even the industry itself. I’d like to touch on each of these issues separately and see how they all play a part in what feels like its ultimate critical and audience demise. And yes, I know I am being quite dramatic (that is kind of my thing, after all) but once you see one too many viral posts on X about category fraud and how the show isn’t funny at all, it might behoove you to weigh in! And that’s exactly what I’m doing! What can I say? I can’t resist the discourse!
Spoilers for Season 3 of The Bear are up ahead! Read at your own risk!
The third season of The Bear is not a bad season of television. Let’s start there. Before I even pressed play on the season, I saw complaints online about how Christopher Storer became Icarus and “flew too close to the sun.” I imagined some ridiculous ambitious episodes that didn’t quite hit the mark, and ultimately fell flat in execution. Once I did start Season 3, Episode 1, I was treated to one of the best episodes I have ever seen in my life. So, you can only imagine my confusion! The Bear has always been about chaos, so what is more chaotic than a montage episode flying through the mind of Carmen Berzatto at breakneck speeds? It was sometimes overwhelming and at other times calming, a tone The Bear balances excellently. I would probably also put Napkins and Ice Chips in my top ten Bear episodes ever made. And that, a successful season makes! Don’t get me wrong, it is certainly the weakest season by far. That isn’t debatable. But the weakest season “by far” to me means, instead of five stars, I gave it four stars. Follow me on Serializd by the way! (@IAmNotChamari).
I agree that the incorporation of more Faks was not the answer to having more memorable comedic moments. The entire running gag of the Faks being “haunted,” never had any potential to begin with, and even then, they managed to run it into the ground. It could have had some significance, but conceptually, they didn’t make a strong case for it and every time a Fak mentioned it, I rolled my eyes. But, to be fair, it was only a problem when all the Faks were together. When they actually incorporated them with the rest of the cast, I thought they were funny and added much needed levity and a differently energized kind of disorder to the main disorder that we were experiencing at the restaurant. I can also understand why people felt we were wasting time on the Faks when we could have been getting more from Sydney, Ebro, Sweeps or even Angel. Hell, sometimes it felt like Marcus was being left behind and he had a entire parent die! I think it is important to note that Seasons 3 and 4 were shot together, so I really do think that maybe some things did get lost in translation since most of Season 3 is a set-up for Season 4. Which brings me to…
One of the major criticisms I saw was that the season felt stagnant and nothing moved forward. This is true, but it was intentional because our lead character is absolutely stuck for the entirety of the season. Some people found this boring, but I think it really pushed the envelope and made more of a case for viewing this show with the lens of it being, at least partially, a psychodrama. Actually, Carmy’s entire life can be viewed as a psychodrama -- a constant, unending reenactment of his past traumas. Sometimes, it leads him to gain more insight on his present actions and current state of mind, and other times it traps him and trips him up. Maybe I’ll be the only person to say that it really worked for me this season, but that’s okay! I think it’s because, even if Carmy is a walking talking nightmare who would benefit from intensive in-patient therapy, I relate to him quite a bit. So, I often view the show through his eyes, which doesn’t mean I can’t see how toxic he is, but it does mean that I didn’t begin to hate him like others did this season. I also don’t think he acted out of character. In fact, he’s kind of my favorite male character ever because of how well-written he is, as frustrating as he might be. Hopefully, he’ll learn to properly interact with people and not terrorize those around him, but clearly we are taking baby steps!
Other characters are at a standstill for good reason. Sydney is having doubts about her partnership with Carmy and struggling with the prospect of other jobs. Marcus is grieving his mother. Sugar is about to have a baby and no one seems to care. And I am aware that people were upset that no one showed up for Sugar’s delivery. People couldn’t fathom that Carmy wouldn’t show up. Mind you, Carmy didn’t attend his brother’s funeral and he is maybe the last person I would want around when I am having a baby anyway. The only stressful situations he runs into involve the kitchen and that is because he’s GOOD at it. Everything else he runs away from, even if it could be good for him or his relationships to other people. The King of avoidance is in our midst! And because he messed up last season focusing on Claire, he can’t possibly let “personal business” get in the way of running his professional business again. Yes, it sounds insane but this is Carmy we are talking about! Of course, it’s insane.
And because it was one of the most-talked about moments about Season 3, I need to mention the Claire of it all. Well, it takes a drama queen to know one because so many of you were dramatic as hell. When I saw people complaining about Claire, I was like, oh, Molly Gordon is all over this season. Guys… she was BARELY in the season! What is wrong with ya’ll? I was on your side during my first watch of Season 2 because I was like… what is happening here! And then Carmy had a Claire-related panic attack and was able to recover thinking about Sydney (we’ll get to that later).
But once I rewatched Season 2, I was able to re-frame a lot of Claire’s role. She was giving very much manic pixie dream girl, which actually just matched Carmy’s manic babygirl energy. Claire was able to disarm him in a way no one else in his life has, and it felt unnatural to a point because it was unnatural to see Carmy that way in that environment. And, hopefully, the writers agree with me that it would be ridiculous to make them “endgame,” as I feel that the point is that Claire is a “perfect” girl on paper, but she’s really just his foil. Carmy is a disaster whose job consumes him, while Claire has a really stressful job as well, but seems to be well-adjusted with a continued sense of humor and wonder about the world. Carmy might think he needs her (and this isn’t helped by everyone around him saying that he needs her) but he actually needs to ~ become ~ her. Like, we see Claire have a life and friends and she can easily connect with other people and still do her job. Carmy gets completely distracted by what he is infatuated with and cannot seem to juggle the prospect of having a personal life and a professional one. That is the purpose of Claire in my opinion and I definitely don’t think Season 3 was at all trying to suggest that she is “the one” for Carmy, but that Carmy feels like he needs to be “fixed” and that she is the answer. I am almost certain we’ll see that crash and burn even more than it did last season.
Since we already started the conversation of Claire. I guess we should talk about Carmy and Sydney, popularly known as Sydcarmy… I think. First and foremost, this ship name is weird. You are just putting their names together instead of making one fusion name. (Yes, Syd’s her nickname, but everyone calls her that, so just indulge me for a second). And because there are only going to be like two people who actually read this, I feel completely comfortable saying I am NOT a Sydney/Carmy truther. I am also not an anti —that would take too much effort— and if by some strange and powerful dark magic, they do get together, I’d probably just shrug my shoulders and enjoy the ride. Still, I can one hundred percent tell you I do not ship those two together for a myriad of reasons. There is a huge faction of the fandom that are convinced that they belong together and have this sexual/romantic tension that deserves to be explored to the fullest onscreen. I got to be honest,,, it really sometimes feels like I am watching a completely different show than ya’ll. I’ve questioned my sanity more than once after seeing how many scenes and moments were reframed to essentially be professions of love or metaphorical sex scenes. (That season 2 scene underneath the table being one of them… I swear I didn’t make this up… other people did!)
I am not saying I don’t think Jeremy and Ayo have chemistry. I think they have tons of it. And perhaps, this is where my asexual/aromantic self can complicate my viewing experiences, but, in my opinion, two actors having good on-screen chemistry does not a couple make? I genuinely do have trouble understanding this because when people describe these intense feelings that Syd and Carmy are apparently feeling for each other, I’m like, that’s how I feel about… a lot of people? And I don’t want to be romantically linked with them in any way, shape, or form! Like, why can’t we just admit that Carmy and Sydney would be terrible together? In all sorts of ways! I don’t find them to be compatible at all outside of the kitchen. And hell, they sometimes don’t feel compatible inside of the kitchen!
Of course, there is a level of intimacy between them as they really understand and respect each other a ton as chefs and as people. I don’t mind people seeing them as soulmates since they seem to speak the same language and it is natural to them. Not to mention that Syd basically saved the restaurant, and The Bear is wholly tied to Carmy’s identity and sense of self. So, at this point, Sydney is also tied to his sense of self. One moment SydCarmy truthers use is the panic attack moment, which is very easy to read romantically. So is the table scene. I’ll concede those two things. For me, though, I think Claire represents Carmy’s past in an uncomfortable way because as we see throughout season 3, he literally hasn’t processed anything from his past. Syd is his future because The Bear is his future. He needs her approval, her friendship and her expertise so he can succeed. I am not insinuating that he doesn’t like her… I think he likes her very much. Sydney is incredibly likable, but I don’t see it turning romantic. Maybe the writers can pull it off, but I think there might be too many barriers and complications.
Sydney clearly doesn’t like the way Carmy runs the kitchen sometimes and she is annoyed that she has to rein him in and that she can’t quite fully control him when he is going off the rails. He is a borderline abusive boss, but let’s be friendly and say that he creates a toxic work environment and only occasionally meets Sydney halfway. I can see that he doesn’t want to let Sydney down, possibly moreso than any other person in the kitchen, but I guess what I am saying is that I don’t see romantic undertones to that? Turns out I’m on the wrong side of history because the legion of Sydcarmy shippers were so loud and so vocal, and angry that the writers don’t want them together. In fact, The Bear had to do a whole ass press release just to say that there is nothing romantic about Sydney and Carmy and that there are no intentions to make it romantic. So, I get it. They have big eyes that they look deeply into each time they have a conversation with each other, but according to the showrunner, that’s really all they do! I must admit, that was the funniest thing to ever happen though. Like what do you mean you’re releasing this article days before Season 3 gets released that says your two lead characters will never be getting together. Hilarious stuff.
Shifting topics entirely! Now, it is my civic duty to address The Bear being submitted and nominated in comedy categories instead of drama categories, thus stealing awards and spots from the truest forms of comedic television. The Bear swept the Emmys in its first season and I can’t help but to think that it lost out on awards in its second season because of the backlash in calling it a comedy. Now, my very first and immature response to this is… who cares? Like, actually who cares? The drama categories have been much weaker for several years now, so The Bear would have a much easier time running away with awards if they switched categories. Have you ever once thought that they wanted a challenge? I know the Succession of it all complicates things, but I honestly think that Jeremy, Ebon and Ayo would have won over their respective competition in those categories. Losing Best Comedy to Hacks at the 76th Emmys and the 2025 Golden Globes definitely felt like a calculated “screw you” to the show. I’m sure Hacks is great, of course, but Season 2 of The Bear was particularly lauded with quite a few “all-timer” episodes. The Season 3 losses at the Golden Globes made a little bit more sense to me… Ebon was competing against Shōgun’s Tadanobu Asano and Liza was competing against Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning. But hey, I had to see Ted Lasso win several awards, so, I’m sorry, I still would have given the award to The Bear for Best Comedy.
But I get it… the question still remains. Is The Bear even a comedy? How dare Jeremy Allen White win over comedy legend Martin Short? Shouldn’t the best comedy award go to the “funniest” show? Isn’t it a disgrace for a show that is not a comedy to beat out other brilliant comedic shows? There’s no way The Bear can go joke for joke with them! Well, as a self-proclaimed expert in comedy, (I wrote my senior thesis on it… kind of, maybe) I have something to say! Something bold. Something ~ crazy. ~ I genuinely think it is a comedy! Perhaps it is more accurately a “dramedy,” which still makes it eligible to compete in the comedy categories. I’d compare it to something like Barry or Fleabag, that have darker subject matter, but are still comedies. In all honesty, I think spiritually, it is closest to Atlanta. A bunch of dramatic shit happens but you can’t help but laugh for one reason or another. The Bear takes on the psychological approach as I mentioned before, while Atlanta jumps off the cliff into Afro-surrealism. I also think both shows are innovative and push the boundaries of television when it comes to world-building, structure and editing. But no more about Atlanta (another one of my favorite television shows ever!!!)
The Bear is very intentionally funny. Like, I laugh a lot. It might be the kind of laughter that is released from situations of tension, but that is still humor — the hilarity just breaks through the intensity. The Bear does it so frequently that I would argue it is a structural pillar of the show. How high can our blood pressure get before we get a cathartic laugh? It’s an offbeat comedy in this way and isn’t something that is based on “how many jokes can I write in this scene” or “how many times can I make you cringe until you have to turn off the episode.” It’s effective in its insistence to get your heart racing with a dramatic situation and massage it with some humor explicitly through dialogue and absolutely ridiculous situations. The actors don’t directly play to the audience for laughs or do a nice wink to the camera. The action continues, like a roller coaster going off the rails, which maybe sets it apart from other shows with comedic elements. I also understand the argument that The Bear is undoubtedly a drama that just has some comedy sprinkled in… as most dramas do. It does have characters that feel more like comedic relief - the Faks, for example, but other characters like Richie, Pete, Sydney and Uncle Jimmy, who I find consistently funny, are just a part of the very fabric of the show. These performances are funny, and the writing manages to eke out every ounce of humor it can with their dialogue and action. So, with its shorter runtime, zany cast of characters and the fast-paced scenes, it actually does move at the speed of comedy. Okay, okay, okay. This is getting a little too Jeremy O. Harris writing how us plebians don’t understand the purpose or genre of Euphoria Season 2 and I absolutely hated that, so I’ll have to stop for now.
Truth is, I don’t care if I have convinced you. Or even if I have convinced myself. It really doesn’t matter to me because at the end of the day, it’s just good television. I guess now is not exactly the time for my radical message that we should just completely get rid of genre, because in some cases, genre is important. But, I am realizing I tend to gravitate towards genre-defying television series that break the mold of the more “classic” efforts that Hollywood pushes out. Essentially, when I said I don’t care, I really don’t. Sure, it would be lovely if Only Murders in the Building could win any of their awards, but I actually blame Ted Lasso and Hacks more than I blame The Bear for that. Jeremy Allen White is simply too good at acting to lose an award, and I do apologize to Martin Short and Steve Martin for that. Although I think their performances are brilliantly funny, they probably split votes and with Jeremy removed from the category, someone else would probably win anyway.
What do I know for sure? I love The Bear and I think everyone else should love it too! But my therapist has told me you can’t control what other people think, so think away! Love The Bear! Hate The Bear! Complain about SydCarmy obviously being meant for each other! Don’t tune into Season 4! From now on, I’ll keep my mouth shut. Or at least until I feel I must open it again.
As this is somehow my first issue of 2025, I am bringing back something I did in some of my issues which is basically tell you the latest of things I’ve listened to, watched, loved and hated over the past few months. I am changing the structure of it a bit, to hopefully make it more engaging. Eventually, I’ll make a fun little stamp graphic so it will be even more exciting! And I’ll add back books and theater, once I’ve read enough books and seen enough theater!
Mari’s Stamp of Approval
Music:
Projects
Caju - Liniker
Alligator Bites Never Heal - Doechii
GNX - Kendrick Lamar
All Born Screaming - St. Vincent
Phoenix - Jasmine Cephas Jones
Songs
IT girl - JADE
What It Feels Like - Aly & AJ
LO QUE LE PASO A HAWAii - Bad Bunny
Mi Camino - Selena Gomez (from Emilia Perez Soundtrack)
Pierrot - LE SSERAFIM
Film:
Whiplash, dir. Damien Chazelle
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, dir. Michel Gondry
The Zone of Interest, dir. Jonathan Glazier
The Substance, dir. Coralie Fargeat
Interstellar, dir: Christopher Nolan
Television:
Nobody Wants This, 2024
I’m a Virgo, 2023
Shrinking, Season 2, 2024
Mr. And Mrs, Smith, 2024
Only Murders In The Building Season 4, 2024
Client Roster Additions (Celebrities that I have become Intrigued By/Interested In)
Jonathan Bailey
Margaret Qualley
Doechii
Nicholas Hoult
Joe Alwyn
Mari’s Stamp of Disapproval
Music:
Projects
143 - Katy Perry
Drip - Babymonster
Infinite Icon - Paris Hilton
Songs
Persuasion - Bryson Tiller
Free Promo - Lil Baby
M-E-X-I-C-O - Post Malone
Film:
Kinds of Kindness, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
Edward Scissorhands, dir. Tim Burton
Joker: Folie a Deux, dir. Todd Phillips
Television:
Pretty Smart, 2021
The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, Season 1, 2006
Gossip Girl, Season 1, 2021
Client Roster Removals:
Dev Patel
The Jonas Brothers
Will Smith
Mari’s Stamp (Yup, that’s it. Things I am keeping tabs on/need to catch up on!)
Music:
Projects
Vampire in Beverly Hills - Eyedress
Tigers Blood - Waxahatchee
Djesse Vol, 4 - Jacob Collier
TRANSA - Red Hot Org
Songs of a Lost World - The Cure
Songs
Orlando in Love - Japanese Breakfast
Beautiful That Way - Miley Cyrus
This Time Around - Miya Folick
In the Living Room - Maggie Rogers
Make It Up To You - Khalid
Film:
Nosferatu, dir. Robert Eggers
Babygirl, dir. Halina Reijn
The Last Showgirl, dir. Gia Coppola
A Complete Unknown, dir. James Mangold
Sonic the Hedgehog 3, dir. James Fowler
Television:
Baby Reindeer, 2024
Shōgun, 2024
On Call, 2025
Under the Bridge, 2024
Abbott Elementary, Season 3 and 4, 2024-2025
Client Roster Considerations:
Anne Hathaway
Liniker
Zoe Saldana
Halsey
Paris Jackson