‘The Bear’ Season 3 Ending Explained: Does Carmy And Sydney’s Restaurant Survive?

The Bear Season 3 moved Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney (Ayo Edibiri), Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and the rest of the team out of the frying pan and into the fire as they embarked on the rocky road to a Michelin star.

The latest 10-episode drop of Christopher Storer’s Emmy-winning series delivered more crippling anxiety, celebrity guest stars, and exciting needle drops as predicted. But in its final moments, the season also left viewers with an agonizing cliffhanger and a promise of more episodes to come.

Season 3 Episode 10, “Forever,”written and directed by Storer, is simply described as “Another funeral.” But this is The Bear, so we always knew Season 3’s final hour was going to be far more complex than a simple goodbye…

The episode gathers a group of all-star chefs including Carm, Syd, and Richie, who bid a poignant, hopeful farewell to Chef Terry’s (Olivia Colman) restaurant, Ever. The restaurant gave Carmy invaluable, formative experience and led to Richie’s iconic “Forks” epiphany. So how will The Bear’s chefs feel after attending Ever’s final service? Read on to find out, but be warned, Season 3 spoilers lie ahead.

In need of The Bear‘s Season 3 finale recap? Decider’s The Bear Season 3 Ending Explained article has you covered. Look alive, lizards! It’s time to let it rip.

The Bear Season 3 Ending Explained: Season 3, Episode 10 “Forever” Recap

In bringing Season 3 full circle, “Forever” kicks off with yet another Carmy flashback. He recalls his first day as a sous learning from Chef Thomas, who teaches him to remove a wishbone and tie up a chicken. On a deeper level, he reminds Carmy that chefs cook to nurture people, be a part of their lives in significant ways, and leave a positive legacy at each restaurant.

Next thing we know, Carmy’s back in the present standing in Ever and marveling over nostalgic collages. Viewers get a glimpse of culinary geniuses at work through photos, flashback footage, and newspaper clippings that celebrate real-life chefs and restauranteurs like Grant Achatz, Christina Tosi, Kevin Boehm, Anna Posey, Rosio Sanchez, Malcolm Livingston II, Will Guidara, Wylie Dufresne, and Genie Kwon. (There’s even a quick not to actor and filmmaker Bradley Cooper!)

As Carmy’s reminiscing, Richie walks in, considers stopping to chat, and decides to keep going. He’s on his own nostalgic journey, heading straight for the kitchen where he reunites with old pals Jess (Sarah Ramos), Garrett (Andrew Lopez), and Ever’s GM (Rene Gube), who are — yep, you guessed it — polishing silverware. AWW! The group reflects on Richie’s legendary five-day run at the restaurant and he asks to hang back there for service instead of eating with everyone else.

Back in Carmyland, he and special guest Chef Luca (Will Poulter) share a hug and mingle with fellow culinary masterminds about the delights, trials, and tribulations of the restaurant business. Carmy hears one chef admit that he may be ready to close up shop, saying he doesn’t want to sacrifice his sanity anymore. Though The Bear’s chef may not realize it in the moment, those words truly hit home. The night gets significantly better when Sydney arrives, and though Carmy introduces her to Luca and other culinary inspirations, one intro she doesn’t need is with Chef Adam Shapiro — you know, Carmy’s former colleague who offered Syd an amazing job leading her own restaurant and is desperately awaiting her answer? Yeah, he’s cooking at Ever for the final time.

In one of the calmest, most joyous scenes of Season 3, Carm, Syd, Luca, and a table of real-life experts sit down for Ever’s last supper and gush over their jobs. They share the highs, the lows, the inspiration, the laughable fuck-ups, the memorable and disastrous dishes, and more. For the most part, the group is lively, giggling, and engaged. But in true Season 3 fashion, The Bear chefs can’t help but get stuck in their heads. When Syd hears a chef saying how nice it is to have someone you respect tell you your dish is ready, she flashes back to Carmy telling her the opposite after Season 1’s risotto incident. As another chef explains that the greatest mistake is working for a bad boss because what it unlocks in you is the culture you choose to create, Carmy zeroes in on David Fields (Joel McHale) sitting across the room. As he slips into a familiar panic, Carmy flashes back to Fields’ kitchen abuse, imagines a bad review putting The Bear out of business, and thinks about how his own his behavior in the kitchen resembles the very behavior that haunts him. (Naturally some Claire memories slip in at some point, too. Ugh.)

At long last, Chef Terry emerges, blows a kiss to Richie, and makes a touching toast to her guests, thanking them for playing a part in her restaurant’s success and sharing a lesson she learned after years of service: “People don’t remember the food, it’s the people they remember.” With that, the final service commences and Richie begs Chef Jess to share the secret to saying inspired. The only advice she gives in the moment is to surround yourself with people who are better than you. (Am I sensing some Romantic Implications between Chef Jess and Richie?! If so, I ship.)

Back in the dining room, Chef Luca and Syd bond over Carmy “repurposing” Luca’s trauma when they worked together by making a delicious dessert out of peas they spent hours shucking. Sydney is captivated by the stories being swapped, but Carmy? He’s still got eyes on David Fields, who he finally describes as “a fucking asshole, total prick, bastard, mentally ill, dead inside, cold” vessel who hates black pepper and is one of the best chefs in the worlds. Before he can fully unpack his statements for Syd and Luca, Fields gets up to use the bathroom and Carmy follows, ready to act on three seasons worth of trauma flashbacks. He calls “chef!” and Fields replies, “How you doing, Ber-gat-zo?” Carm follows the smug joke by saying, “I always wondered what i’d say to you if i got to see you again…after fuck you I don’t have much.” Fields makes it out of the quick conversation seemingly unscathed, so Carmy goes back for seconds, shouting, “I think about you too much!” Fields’ response? “I don’t think about you.” Ouch.

Carmy cuts to the chase, asking his foe why he’s “such a fucking asshole,” and like a fucking asshole, Fields simply says, “You’re welcome… You were an OK chef when you started with me, and you left an excellent chef. So you’re welcome.” His dismissive spin makes Carmy laugh. He admits Fields gave him ulcers, panic attacks, and nightmares. Instead, Fields argues he gave him confidence, leadership, and ability, which leaves Carmy “fucking stunned.” The ferocious chef attempts to reframe Carmy’s trauma again, adding, “You wanted to be excellent, so you got rid of all the bullshit, and you concentrated, and you got great — you got excellent! It worked! You’re here. Look at all this.” He excuses himself to use the restroom and Carmy breaks down, processing a new mix of relief, freedom, dark humor, exhaustion, and lingering hurt.

While Carm was having his chef showdown, Sydney and Luca were getting to know each other in the kitchen. (Am I sensing some Romantic Implications between these chefs, too?! If so, I ship again!) Luca reveals he’s in Chicago for a few months, but before the two can dive too deep, Chef Shapiro grabs Sydney and gently reminds her he needs an answer on the job offer. She’s visibly torn and dreading any sort of conversation with Carmy, who’s outside on a nicotine gum break chatting with Chef Terry. Carm thanks his chef for teaching him, and though she positively reflects on her career, she also makes life after a restaurant sound extremely appealing.

Carmy hangs back, but when Chef Terry — or Andrea, as she wants to be called — heads inside, she finds Syd, Richie, Luca, and her kitchen staff are waiting to hand her Ever’s “Every Second Counts” sign before a final farewell. The group heads to Sydney’s apartment for an afterparty complete with shots, a keg, The Bear’s inflatable hot dog, games, and dancing. Marcus, the Faks, and more friends from work arrive, and Andrea whips up freezer waffles and caviar for a proper party. As Syd stands in front of her fridge, she sees a newspaper article stuck to it titled, “Beef Evolves With The City.” Upon remembering she has a big decision to make, she steps outside into the hallway and has a panic attack that mirrors Carmy’s from the Season 2 finale walk-in scene.

As Carmy walks home, he glances at his phone and sees two missed texts and three missed calls from The Computer, four missed calls from Cicero, and an alert that The Chicago Tribune‘s review of The Bear finally dropped. He speed reads it, lifts his head, and says “MOTHERFUCKER!” before the end credits roll. And with that, viewers are left with the words “TO BE CONTINUED” and a whole lot of lingering questions.

With a mix of positive and negative buzzwords highlighted on-screen, it’s intentionally hard to tell which way the review leans. Unc made it clear that the restaurant will be shut down if the response is negative, so a bad review would certainly warrant the expletive. But after Carmy’s challenging season and his heart-to-heart with Chef Terry, I think a part of him — the part that hesitates to put fires out because he thinks what lies on the other side of the blaze could be easier — is ready to take a negative review and pack up The Bear. If the review was positive, however, I imagine the realization that he and his fellow chefs can continue pursuing the dream, that a Michelin star is within reach, and that his work isn’t done quite yet would also inspire him to drop a cathartic curse word.

We’ll have to wait and see which way the wind in the The Windy City blows for The Bear, but as Carmy told Andrea, “The finish line keeps moving,” so here’s hoping the restaurant and Carmy and Syd’s partnership isn’t cooked yet.

The Bear Season 3 is now streaming on Hulu.