With the release of The Bear’s Season 3 set for June 27, fans are already mentally preparing themselves for more chaos in the kitchen. The critically acclaimed comedy-drama has proven to be one of the highlights of the 2020s, due to the performances from actors like Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri, recipes, and fan reactions online.
One thing is clear: we are definitely sat for whatever Carmy, Sydney, and Richie have to offer us this time around, and we’re definitely here for all the leftovers. But in case you haven’t binged the first two seasons to prepare for Season 3, we’re here to catch you up.
Let’s start at the very beginning.
At the end of Season 1, we find out that Carmy has secured the money left by his deceased older brother, Mikey. After Mikey’s unexpected suicide, Carmy is left to take over Mikey’s sandwich shop, The Original Beef of Chicagoland. Throughout Season 1, we see Carmy struggle to keep the sandwich shop afloat while also expanding his own culinary skills. He recruits a new chef, Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) to work at The Beef and the two begin to forge a close relationship as things get more hectic.
There Was a conflict with money in Season 2.
After Carmy and the rest of the team secure the money, they decide to create a new version of The Beef, namely titled The Bear. The Bear is a more upscale and expensive restaurant than expected, giving Carmy what he’s always wanted: his own personal kitchen. Carmy also decides to take Sydney as his partner in the revamping of the shop, not realizing that they are severely over the original budget.
As the shop begins to struggle with the added amount of money and the pressure slowly building, Carmy decides to ask his uncle, Jimmy, for help with a potential loan. The only problem is that if they take out the loan, The Bear will have to open in 3 months, shorter than what everyone was expecting. There are not only struggles between Jimmy and Carmy after Mikey‘s death, but Sydney also struggles to find common ground with her father on the restaurant’s reopening. No one quite knows how to work on the technicalities of owning a high-scale restaurant, and it shows throughout the season.
We’re introduced to a past love interest, Claire.
As we see Carmy continue to balance the restaurant, we’re introduced to his ex, Claire (Molly Gordon) after they have an unexpected run-in. Carmy and Claire dated in high school, and even though they both went off on different paths, they seem to still enjoy each other’s company.
Throughout Season 2, Carmy and Claire struggle with their relationship as Carmy becomes more invested in the restaurant. However, Carmy starts spending time with Claire to get away from the stress he has from the restaurant.
ButCarmy doesn’t want to fully commit to the relationship, as he keeps seeing Claire as a way to feel a little bit of relief away the soft opening. At the end of the season, we see Claire send a voicemail to Carmy expressing her love and how much she’s proud of him, which makes him break down. It’s a bittersweet ending to Claire and Carmy, which we hope to see more about in Season 3.
The Bear begins a soft opening.
As we see everyone slowly start to deal with problems throughout their personal lives, The Bear is finally open to the staff’s friends and family. There’s a lot going on at the end, especially with the pressure that Carmy feels and how he’s still grieving over Mikey during one of the best moments in his professional career. As The Bear prepares for its soft open, things don’t go entirely to plan.
Carmy ends up getting stuck in the walk-in refrigerator, leaving him in a room with his own thoughts. Even though Carmy has renovated and changed Mikey’s shop, it’s clear that Mikey’s presence will always be there.
The season ends with Carmy expressing his disappointment and dissatisfaction with himself, as well as how he feels like he’s let down his whole team. As he listens to Claire’s voicemail, he realizes that even on an important night that solidifies him as a rising star — he’s still always going to doubt himself.