The Bear season 3 flips one character’s narrative, surprisingly revealing him as the show’s new overarching villain. Despite ranking relatively lower than its predecessors in terms of critical scores, The Bear season 3 is an exciting addition to the highly acclaimed FX series. After season 2’s incredible run, The Bear season 3 continues to keep viewers invested in its portrayal of the personal and professional lives of the people associated with the culinary industry.

Like its predecessors, The Bear season 3 features everything from compelling cameos to anxiety-inducing, quick-paced cooking scenes. However, despite being similar to the previous seasons in several ways, The Bear season 3 introduces one major narrative change. This story change reveals that the characters’ dynamics have significantly changed, and a new character has become the main antagonist.

The Bear Season 3 Makes Carmy The Main Villain

After A Phase Of Winding Down, Carmy Goes Back To His Old Methods

 

Throughout The Bear‘s seasons 1 and 2, Carmy was one of the good guys, breaking the chain of toxic leadership in kitchens and creating a healthy working environment for his staff. Although he was distracted by his romantic endeavors and struggled to focus on his new restaurant venture in season 2, he was always nice to be around. Even in The Bear seasons 1 and 2, there were times when his traumas weighed him down. However, he perceived them as reminders to treat his staff better and not repeat the same mistakes as Joel McHale’s David. Unfortunately, season 2’s ending changes him.

Like his mother, Donna, he puts his aspirations and feelings above everyone else’s, which gradually turns him into the show’s main villain.

After losing Claire towards the end of The Bear season 2, Carmy gradually returns to being consumed by his anger and over-ambitiousness. As a result, like the Joel McHale character, who was his former toxic boss, Carmy starts chasing the mindless goal of culinary perfection and even enforces his goals on others in the kitchen. Like his mother, Donna, he puts his aspirations and feelings above everyone else’s, which gradually turns him into the show’s main villain. While Donna gets her shot at redemption in season 3, Carmy drifts further towards the dark side.

Carmy Massively Overcorrected His The Bear Season 2 Failures

Carmy’s Season 3 Methods Are Doing More Harm Than Good

Custom Image by Dhruv Sharma.

Carmy made a series of mistakes towards the end of The Bear season 2 because he was too distracted by the novelty his relationship with Claire brought to his life. Instead of learning to balance his time and focus between his romantic relationship and work, Carmy avoids apologizing to Claire altogether in season 3 and doubles down on his efforts to improve the restaurant. He dedicates nearly all his waking hours to making The Bear Michelin star worthy and expects everyone else to do the same. His obsession with overcorrection and perfection, however, proves to be counterproductive.

…Carmy in The Bear season 3 disrespects Syd by not only involving her in any crucial decisions surrounding menu changes.

Instead of leading his team through encouragement and support, Carmy prepares a list of absurd non-negotiables in The Bear season 3. While some of the rules in the list are hysterical because they merely state the obvious, others demand sudden changes in the work culture, making it impossible for many staff members to adapt. Unlike previous seasons, in which he valued Sydney’s insights and gave her equal autonomy in deciding their restaurant’s menu, Carmy in The Bear season 3 disrespects Syd by not only involving her in any crucial decisions surrounding menu changes.

As a result, even though Sydney still feels attached to everyone from The Bear, she considers leaving the restaurant and exploring other opportunities. If Carmy keeps obsessing over every little detail without considering how his actions impact others in The Bear restaurant, he will lose Syd and several other employees. As seen in The Bear season 3, his relentless desire for perfection leads to more chaos in the kitchen, making it even more dysfunctional than it is supposed to be.

Carmy Is Tragically Haunted By Joel McHale’s Villainous Character In The Bear

He Starts Mirroring David’s Behavior Instead Of Recognizing How It Messed Him Up

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Several flashbacks in The Bear season 3 reveal how badly Joel McHale’s David treated Carmy when he worked under him. The top NYC chef subjected him to constant abuse and belittlement, believing that it would force him to level up his skills as a chef. Carmy remains traumatized by Chef David’s insults and even has constant nightmares about it. Unfortunately, he processes these traumas by manifesting David’s worst traits and embodying them in The Bear season 3.

Instead of understanding that obsessing over perfection like David will lead to nothing but misery and strained relationships, Carmy unwittingly begins to mirror his former mentor’s toxic habits. He even attempts to confront David towards the end of The Bear season 3. To his dismay, David remains unapologetic about his actions and even claims that he made Carmy the great chef he is today. By adopting David’s ideologies and destructive leadership methods, Carmy becomes the main villain and subjects his colleagues to the same struggles and traumas he had to endure.

The Ruthlessness Of The Culinary Industry Is Still The Bear’s Biggest Underlying Villain

Every Character Associated With The Industry Is Suffering In One Way Or The Other

 

Olivia Colman’s Chef Terry is portrayed as one of the better leaders in The Bear‘s culinary world. However, the fact that Carmy is also haunted by memories of her pressuring him to speed up his work in the kitchen highlights how the true villain is still the industry that looms large above every character. As The Bear season 3 reveals, Carmy’s father also fled after he blew up his restaurant’s funds and felt overwhelmed by the pursuit of building the business from the ground up. Donna’s mental health took a hit because she had to work tirelessly in The Beef’s kitchen during its early years.

Syd is also suffering because, as much as she admires the art of cooking, she cannot help but feel burdened by the variables and stress of running a high-stakes kitchen.

Mickey, too, was weighed down by the responsibility of running the restaurant business his parents had started. Even though Mickey tried his best to protect Carmy and Sugar from the ruthless culinary world, Carmy misunderstood his intentions and walked further down the same path. Syd is also suffering because, as much as she admires the art of cooking, she cannot help but feel burdened by the variables and stress of running a high-stakes kitchen.

What Carmy’s Villain Twist Means For The Bear Season 4

Carmy’s Villain Twist Sets The Stage For A Dramatic Season 4

Carmy’s villain twist in The Bear season 3 suggests that things will get even worse for the central restaurant before they get any better. Because of his toxic behavior in season 3, Carmy may not only lose Sydney’s support in The Bear season 4 but may also risk jeopardizing the restaurant’s future.

Since his primary motive is to earn a Michelin star for his restaurant, it seems unlikely he will apologize to Claire in The Bear season 4, let alone fix his relationship with her. Not to mention, characters like Marcus, who still look up to him, might also go down the same route if they do not check their ambitions in The Bear season 4. All in all, by portraying Carmy as the new antagonist, The Bear season 3 paves the way for an even more dramatic follow-up.