Marcus just disappeared this season, and it drove me nuts. Computer wants to cut him loose mid-season, and it’s made clear to him in no uncertain terms that Marcus isn’t going anywhere... great! And then we basically don’t see or hear from Marcus for the rest of the season.

I’m totally down for character driven, but you have to either learn somethings new, or be “hanging out.”

It was medicore TV with some good spots. It doesn’t matter if the season was intended to be a meta reflection of The Bear and Carmy itself; they failed to excecute in a way that wasn’t dull, tedious, self-indulgent, and unbelievably padded. 

The scene with Chef David was *incredible*. How many of us have rehearsed in our own minds, a thousand times, what we could say if we got the chance to tell off our bully, accuser, person who made our life hell?

“Ice Chips” was not an episode on its own, at all. torture porn is apt. juxtaposed with the restaurant, a and b plots? Sure. it could have worked.

I feel like I saw a dish on the menu that had everything I wanted and liked, but the execution and plating was terrible; side dish was bland, main was slightly overcooked, etc. I like your metaphor as well. Or a prixe frite menu with five courses and it ranges from eh to excellent.

I think the only time I really belly-laughed was the “non-negotiable” scene. “They’re not to be negotiated!” Other than that, a very “Oops, All Vibes!” season. I know it’s a little harsh, but at some point I told my partner “This is what it looks like when a showrunner crawls directly up their own ass.” Even if it’s…

easy analogy or not, there were a lot of moments this season where I was wondering if that was what the producers were genuinely trying to do. Like some sort of conscious attempt at Prestige TV to parallel the fine dining in the show. 

Thomas Keller was amazing in his scene. It must unsettle actors to see someone not even trained can just come in and own.

I generally enjoyed this season, though definitely not nearly as much as the first two. However... that scene of everyone standing around gazing longingly at the “Every Second Counts” sign, each nodding their heads wistfully.

I know this is an immensely easy analogy, but this season reminded me of a mediocre, high priced tasting menu.

I agree with everything you said. I actually liked to loved every episode but felt unfulfilled by the season as a whole. It felt like getting into a really nice car for four hours without ever leaving your driveway. A lovely experience but it went nowhere.

Ah I was thee at the premier of Treasure at the Berlinale when she wore that dress, in the concert hall it certainly looked much more ethereal and striking than this press shot.

You want to talk minority — I find the Faks this season near unwatchable — like Biden-debate-level unwatchable. I found it hard to stay in the room for both. That scene where the Fak guys fire one-syllable rebuttals back and forth was so stagey, so sitcom-y, such a complete detour in tone/substance/realism from what…

‘It’s a funny idea, but the bit goes on way, way too long.’ = Never has a truer word been spoken.

I was listening to The Watch with Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan yesterday, and they said that Christopher Storer had the series planned for three seasons, but FX wanted him to do one more after it become such a huge hit. So the story for season three is now being stretched over seasons three AND four, which helps…

I haven’t finished the season yet, but I’m kinda hoping it ends with The Bear failing its health inspection because the only people in the kitchen wearing hairnets are the dishwashers

I’m clearly in the minority, but I absolutely love the Faks this season (Neil and Teddy more than Cena). They just have this puppy-like delight and wonder that they play absolutely sincerely, and it’s working for me. Especially at the end of the Ice Chips episode coming up. That last scene made me wish I could somehow…

Cena is a bit too distracting. All the big castings from Fishes worked because most everyone is a great actor. Even John Mulaney, who at times did sound like he was going into a John Mulaney routine, was able to blend in. But Cena’s presence is just so large its hard to overlook. I think he’s become an entertaining…

Someone on Reddit made a comment that this season has felt like the second part of S2 and that made the most sense to me. It feels like a continuation of threads from S2 and not a complete season on its own.