FX and Hulu's acclaimed and award-winning series The Bear has always been great at ending its seasons.
The first season ended with the discovery of the money in pasta cans, Carmy's decision to change The Original Beef into The Bear, and his brother Mikey smiling, all to the sound of the Radiohead song "Let Down."
The second season finale capped off the friends-and-family night at the new restaurant with Carmy getting trapped in the walk-in freezer and an intense argument with Richie.
The chef finally prepared to exit the freezer, forming a light that was either hopeful or ominous, depending on one's interpretation.
The series premiered all ten episodes of its third season on June 26, overcoming a pair of strikes to debut in the same late-June slot as the first two seasons.
The season has hinged, all along, on a crucial review from the Chicago Tribune's critic of the restaurant, one that finally arrives in the finale's final moments.
First, we see a review clipped on a wall of The Beef, the previous version of the restaurant, which is listed as four stars. This could confuse some viewers, who might think this is the new review, but it's meant to be an older one.
Soon after, the new review of The Bear arrives as a Google Alert push notification on Carmy's phone, accompanied by multiple missed calls each from his "uncle" Jimmy and the accountant known as "Computer."
We don't see the entire review, but we see enough words -- "culinary," "innovative," "sloppy," "inconsistent," "stale," and "talent" --to indicate that the review was mixed at best.
Carmy then lets out an expletive as the final pop music needle drop of the season, Smashing Pumpkins' "Disarm," plays on the soundtrack.
This could have potentially catastrophic stakes, especially since Carmy's "uncle," Jimmy (Oliver Platt) had promised earlier that he would pull the plug on the restaurant in case of a bad review.
It's not clear, however, if the review was bad enough for that to happen.
If anything, the show hearkens back to when newspapers were so powerful that a single review in the city daily could make or break a restaurant.
This is despite what we saw earlier in the season when it was demonstrated that Carmy and the restaurant had already received multiple positive write-ups in local magazines.
Before that moment, the third season finale is built around the opposite of the second season finale -- an elaborate party commemorating a restaurant's closing rather than one's opening.
It's the shuttering of Ever, the Chicago restaurant that Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) briefly apprenticed at in The Bear Season 2 Episode 7, "Forks." Ever is a three-star eatery established as an internationally acclaimed institution.
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The implication is that this is the place to which The Bear should aspire in its new incarnation.
And when the news comes down, during the third season, that Ever is closing, the unstated assumption is that if Ever can't last, what hope does The Bear have?
Much like the premiere and several episodes, the finale has Carmy flashing back through past events.
This includes his being tormented by his cruel mentor, David Fields (Joel McHale), and conversations with his late brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal) about their restaurant plans.
Carmy finally confronts Fields at the restaurant; the conversation is key to most of the season's key themes.
After delivering an expletive, he says, "I think about you way too much," the chef replies, channeling Don Draper, "I don't think about you at all."
He then replies, "You're welcome," taking credit for making Carmy the chef he is today.
"You got great. You got excellent. It worked," he said.
Carmy is stunned, believing the "ulcers" and "nightmares" he suffered as a result of Fields' treatment took a toll on his relationships and personal life.
Fields's take on it? He did Carmy a favor by helping him block out everything else.
Carmy leaves the conversation in stunned tears. But after processing it for a minute, he shows a rare smile.
The finale also has several conversations between pairs of chefs that are a bit less charged than that one.
Sydney and Luca (Will Poulter) discuss what it's like to have siblings, a major theme of the series.
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Then, Adam (Adam Shapiro) takes Sydney aside to discuss his job offer, which she remains interested in but noncommittal about.
Carmy talks with retiring chef Andrea Terry (Olivia Colman), and when he thanks her for her help, he asks for advice again.
For some reason, the after-party is held at Sydney's place, and we see the characters eating and dancing, and we are in a much happier mood than we've seen them for most of the season.
That is until Sydney suffers what appears to be a panic attack. It seems stressful for her to decide whether to stay at The Bear or leave for a more secure position at Adam Shapiro's restaurant.
The season ends with a "to be continued...," and it's been reported that Season 4 is being shot back to back with Season 3.
There are many unanswered questions as of the end of the season.
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Will Jimmy, who hinted at having short-term financial problems, make the call to kill the restaurant, which he promised to do if the review wasn't positive enough?
Will Sydney stick around at The Bear or leave to work at Adam Shapiro's new restaurant?
What will happen with Carmy and Claire, whose status as a couple was left unresolved at the end of the season?
Will Carmy change anything about his approach following that confrontation with his former tormentor?
It's not clear when The Bear will return, but each of the first three seasons debuted on Hulu in late June, so it's a good bet that Season 4 will as well.
