This got long. I apologize.

Quick backstory: I've been working in restaurants the majority of my adult life (FOH primarily), so I've been a fan of The Bear since Day 1. Or kind of around that time, because I was in the process of moving when season 1 dropped. Loved season 2 even more and over the past year, the show has become my go to comfort show and I've shown it to my whole family.

I was originally going to pace myself to an episode every few days over the course of a month. I wanted to savor it. The rationale I gave to a friend was literally, "You wouldn't go to The French Laundry and inhale your food."

I watched episode 1 the night it came out. Loved it. Just a masterwork of visual storytelling. The scene where Natalie calls Carmy about Michael's death was like a punch in the gut, as I received that exact same phone call a few years back.

A couple days later, I watched episode 2, which then turned into episode 3. Last night was 4, 5, and 6. And then I watched the last four eps tonight. Obviously I have no self control, but the show is that addicting.

While I understand the general gripes people have about the season. The cameos can be distracting at times (the one in Ep. 5 was just weird above all else, but at least it didn't linger), sure, the characters don't necessarily "grow" per se, and I think too much weight is applied to this singular review from the Tribune. In the age of the internet, with Google reviews, Yelp, and TripAdvisor, does the food critic at the local newspaper really hold that much sway these days?

All that being said, I think a lot of people are missing the overall big picture, which boils down to the title of the show: The Bear.

Of course, the restaurant is called The Bear and we finally get to experience it. The depiction of service in a restaurant of that caliber is spot on as always, with episode 3 truly capturing the shear chaotic monotony of putting on the same show every for a different audience every night, which results in nothing ever being the same (and not just because Carmy has to change the menu every night.

But the even bigger thing about the title is the fact that, despite it's wonderful cast of characters, The Bear isn't about The Bear. The Bear has always been about Carmy and his healing journey. Healing is fucking messy, bro. It takes a long time and it normally isn't accomplished by any one thing. Not even a positive review, confronting the man (or woman) you've turned into the monster in your dreams, and probably not getting back the love of your life.

And if we view the show as Carmy's journey, rather than the restaurant's journey, the choices the creative team made with this season make more sense. This season at times had a numbing quality to it, because at a certain point, that's what it feels like when you're healing. That's what it feels like when you're in the shit with your own shit and no matter how much the wonderful people around you try to be there for you, at a certain point, they can't help anymore.

I've never connected with a character like I have with Carmy. I see a lot of anxieties in him that I see in myself on a daily basis. I also draw a lot of parallels between my personal relationships and family dynamics with his (dead addict brother, overbearing mother, I even have my own Claire-Bear). Not to mention an all-or-nothing approach to work and pretty much everything else I do. So, all that being said, I am quite biased towards the show as a whole. But I loved season 3. Did I love it as much as season 2? Nah, that's one of the greatest seasons of television I've ever seen. Maybe season 1 though. I'll find out on the rewatch.