Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Bear season 3.

From Syd’s job offer to the fate of Carmy and Claire’s relationship, The Bear season 3 has left a lot of unanswered questions and lingering threads that need to be resolved in season 4. Much like the show’s titular restaurant, The Bear season 3 has been plagued with mixed reviews. The most negative responses to the season have complained that nothing really happens. Seasons 1 and 2 both had payoffs to their setups, but season 3 leaves a lot of story threads and mysteries up in the air with a “To Be Continued” tag, which can be quite frustrating.

Maybe the latest season would’ve been received better if it was billed as season 3A as opposed to a straightforward season 3, since it functions less as a standalone season and more of a setup for the next chapter of the story. The Bear season 4 is promising to make the slow-burn style of season 3 worthwhile. But in order to do so, it’ll need to provide satisfying answers to all the questions that season 3 has left unanswered, like whether or not Carmy and Claire will get back together, or whether Jimmy will shut down the restaurant.

10

Will Carmy & Claire Get Back Together?

The biggest mystery at the end of The Bear season 2 was the fate of Carmy and Claire’s relationship after she overheard his mean-spirited tirade in the fridge. Season 3 did address this storyline, but it didn’t make any meaningful progress. The Faks went to visit Claire at the hospital and tried to convince her to take Carmy back, but – surprising no one – it didn’t work. She just kept insisting that the relationship is over and asked them to leave.

Everyone around Carmy implored him to apologize to Claire and he was open to the idea, but he kept putting it off. Eventually, it’ll be too late for Carmy’s apology to mean anything. Season 4 needs to pick up this story thread and take it to a much more definitive place than season 3 did.

9

Will Carmy & Richie Make Up?

When Richie confronted Carmy about the regrettable things he said to Claire in the season 2 finale, the two of them got into a screaming match in which they said even more regrettable things to each other. This argument proved to be so explosive that in season 3, Carmy and Richie aren’t even speaking to each other (except for the occasional follow-up screaming match). Syd has to act as a mediator between the two throughout the whole season.

This rift in their friendship persists through the whole of season 3 and it isn’t resolved in time for the season finale. At the Ever’s funeral dinner, Carmy and Richie are still going out of their way to avoid each other. Season 4 needs to explore whether Carmy and Richie can make up, or whether their friendship is over for good.

8

What Did The Review Say?

The ending of The Bear season 3 sees the Chicago Tribune finally posting its review of the restaurant online. Carmy opens the review, skims through it, and the camera flashes through closeups of various descriptors. The review uses positive words like “excellent” and “innovative,” but it also uses more negative words like “sloppy” and “confusing.” It’s unclear how much of what is shown is in the actual review and how much is just a result of Carmy’s warped, self-loathing mind.

It’s heavily implied that the review isn’t a rave and gives The Bear a more mixed write-up. But aside from a few words shown in a flurry of closeups, the actual content of the review remains a mystery. It might not be as bad as Carmy is interpreting it to be. Season 4 needs to give a closer look at the review.

7

Will Donna Return To The Family?

One of the greatest installments of The Bear season 3 is episode 8, “Ice Chips,” in which Nat goes into labor. She tries to call anyone and everyone she can rely on for help – Pete, Sydney, Carmy – but none of them answer their phone. So, she reluctantly calls on her wildly dysfunctional mother, Donna, to help her through the birth. It was great to see Jamie Lee Curtis back as the Berzatto matriarch in a more likable light.

Donna gets Nat through the labor by sharing stories of her own childbirths, and for the first time in a long time, Donna bonds with one of her kids. This is a promising sign that she could rejoin the family on a more permanent basis. But season 3 just teased Donna’s return; it didn’t follow up on that tease.

6

Will Richie Go To Tiff’s Wedding?

After only being mentioned briefly in the previous seasons, The Bear season 3 finally introduces audiences to Tiff’s fiancé, Frank. Tiff’s engagement forces Richie to confront how lonely he feels. His struggle to move on from his marriage was shown when he continued to wear his wedding ring after the divorce. Clearly, it wasn’t easy for Richie to get over Tiff. But now, Tiff’s wedding to Frank is fast approaching – and not only that; Tiff wants Richie to come to the ceremony.

Richie initially thinks it’ll be strange if he goes to his ex-wife’s second wedding. But Tiff insists that she wants him there, because he’s the closest thing she has to family. Season 4 needs to reveal what Richie ultimately decides to do: will he go to the wedding or give it a miss?

5

Will Carmy Get Around To Visiting Nat’s Baby?

After Nat has her baby, Sydney goes to visit the family in season 3, episode 9, “Apologies.” She brings them some food and speaks to Pete about the partnership offer she’s gotten from Carmy. Syd finds time in her busy schedule to pay a visit to Nat and her newborn baby, but Carmy never goes to visit them (at least in season 3).

Carmy is busy, of course, creating a new menu every day, but could he really not find five minutes to stop by and see his sister’s first child? Season 3 revealed that Carmy didn’t attend Mikey’s funeral because he wasn’t ready to face it; maybe he has the same reaction to all big changes in his family. Season 4 needs to either show Carmy finally visiting his sister’s baby or explain why he’s avoiding it.

4

What Does The Future Hold For Luca?

Will Poulter reprised his fan-favorite guest role as Luca in The Bear season 3. Luca is the pastry chef who trained Marcus during his time in Copenhagen, and now, he’s back in Chicago. Luca appears at the Ever’s funeral dinner in the season 3 finale, where he explains that he’ll be sticking around in Chicago for a few months. He’s staying with his sister, with whom he’s close due to their traumatic upbringing (not dissimilar to the Berzattos’ upbringing).

The Bear is clearly setting up Luca for a more permanent role in season 4 – but what does the future hold for this character? At the Ever’s final dinner service, Luca is shown to have palpable romantic chemistry with Sydney, teasing a possible romance in season 4. Luca arguably had better chemistry with Syd in one scene than Carmy and Claire had in an entire season.

3

Is Jimmy Serious About Shutting Down The Restaurant?

Although The Bear is reasonably successful and Carmy is running the operation from within, the entire team is at the mercy of their financial backer, Uncle Jimmy. Jimmy is a close friend of the Berzattos who considers Carmy, Nat, and Richie to be like family. But at the end of the day, it’s not in his best interest to lose money. He has frequently threatened to shut down The Bear if it doesn’t turn a profit.

In season 3, Jimmy promised to close the restaurant if they got a negative review. Based on the brief glimpses of the review seen in the season finale, it’s not an all-out negative review – there are some positive points in there – but it’s not a fully positive review, either. After The Bear’s mixed review, will Jimmy shut down the restaurant or give them another chance?

2

Will The Bear Get A Michelin Star?

All throughout The Bear season 3, Carmy’s goal is to earn a Michelin star for The Bear. The Michelin star rating is the widely accepted system for determining which restaurants are worth making a detour to dine at. The reason why Carmy creates a brand-new menu every single day is that he wants the restaurant to keep evolving and getting better, hoping that this evolution will eventually earn them the star.

While The Bear hadn’t earned a star by the end of season 3, there’s still hope that it could earn a star in the future. The mixed review in the Tribune might throw a spanner in the works and prevent the restaurant from earning that coveted star. And since Carmy has hung his entire self-worth on getting this star, it might send him over the edge if he doesn’t get it.

1

Is Sydney Leaving The Bear?

The biggest lingering plot thread from The Bear season 3 is Sydney’s job offer. In season 3, episode 4, “Violet,” Syd meets Adam Shapiro, Ever’s chef de cuisine, who tells her that he discreetly stopped by The Bear to observe its operations, where he was impressed with Syd’s skills. In episode 7, “Legacy,” Adam tells Syd that he’s planning to open his own restaurant when Ever closes, and he offers her a job as his CDC. Syd needs some time to think about the offer, so she keeps putting him off.

Adam is offering more money and benefits than Carmy, but The Bear has become Syd’s home. Adam reminds her that the clock is ticking on the job offer in the season 3 finale, but Syd still doesn’t make a decision. In The Bear season 4, Syd needs to finally decide if she’s leaving her dysfunctional found family behind to work somewhere else.