What Exactly Does the Chicago Tribune’s Restaurant Review of The Bear Say?
Spoilers below.
Season 3 of The Bear spent 10 episodes leading up to a significant moment: the restaurant’s first major review. The groundwork is laid early; in the season’s fourth episode “Violet,” the Fak brothers give themselves a project. Neil (Matty Matheson) and Ted (Ricky Staffieri) have tracked down every Chicago-based restaurant critic, blogger, and influencer and pasted their faces to the wall of the office. While it’s done in good faith, Carmy takes one look at the wall and is immediately flooded with memories of the harsh criticism he faced both inside and beyond the restaurants he trained in. But he keeps his composure, only letting out a, “I hate this feeling,” before asking the Faks to put the names into a binder and leave it at the front of the house.
But it turns out the Faks’ bright idea was too late. By episode’s end, Carmy and Syd find out that the Chicago Tribune is requesting photographs of The Bear’s food, which can only mean one thing: they’re being reviewed. And even worse? The critic has already come and gone, meaning the opportunity to impress is now out of the staff’s hands.
The review hangs over Carmy and Syd’s heads all season, personally and professionally. Whatever the Tribune writes could make or break the restaurant; Uncle Jimmy confirms their greatest fear when he tells Carmy that his funding can only continue if there’s good press.
We don’t get a glimpse of the review until the final moments of the finale, “Forever.” As Carmy exits the funeral for his former mentor’s restaurant, he’s met with four missed calls from Uncle Jimmy, three from his uncle’s financial advisor Computer, two texts from Computer, and a Google alert confirming the Tribune has finally published the review. The flurry of messages from his biggest investor and his right-hand-man isn’t exactly a great sign for The Bear’s future, and the quick snapshots we see of phrases from the article aren’t the most flattering—much like we’ve been seeing via Carmy’s memories all season.
“Confusing,” “excellent,” and “culinary” are the first three words that pop on the screen. Then, the words move faster. “Innovative.” “Sloppy.” “Brilliant.” “Simple.” “Complex.” “Delicious.” “Inconsistent.” The season ends with Carmy’s reaction: “motherfucker.”
There are compliments seemingly peppered in along with real criticism. The words “confusing,” “inconsistent,” and “innovative” stand out the most to me, as they speak to one of the major sources of conflict of the season: Carmy’s decision—and insistence—on changing the menu every single day. It led to creativity and innovation in the kitchen, but it also led to a major rift between him and Sydney, who clearly felt like her authority was undermined and that she was a partner in name only (which is why she, understandably, hasn’t signed the partnership contract and has a panic attack in the finale).
We won’t get confirmation on what the review actually said until next season—for all we know, these words could be another flashback to Carmy’s painful past experiences. But assuming these adjectives are from the long-awaited Tribune piece, the juxtaposition of words feels like the review is calling the restaurant a contrast in and of itself. There’s Carmy, a much-celebrated and globally educated chef, alongside a staff that requires serious training to reach his level of skill and perfection. There’s also the walk-up window that continues the legacy of the Original Beef sandwich shop, opened as a cash grab that must exist next to the high-end aspirations of The Bear restaurant. To me, it’s possible that the reviewer is commenting on the vastly different ends of the spectrum that are on display in various aspects of Carmy’s venture.
The episode ends with a “to be continued” title card, and Carmy’s “motherfucker” could mean many things—especially if you try to decipher the tone of his delivery. It’s most likely a reaction fueled by his perfectionism; With so much on the line, “sloppy” and “inconsistent” just won’t cut it.
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