“The Bear” Seasons 1–3 Recap: Everything You Need Before Season 4

“The Bear” is back, baby!

After a year away, a Chicago mainstay beef sandwich shop is now a fine dining restaurant looking to get a coveted Michelin Star. The head chef is losing sleep and much more because he’s obsessive over every little aspect. And everyone is yelling at everyone.

That’s not to mention the inside jokes like “Yes Jeff!”

Before you dig into the main course that is season four, have a small appetizer of a recap for seasons one through three of “The Bear.”

Season 1 – Let It Rip

Carmy returns home after spending time in New York – ultimately burning out of working in high end restaurants. He wants to take over the neighborhood restaurant his brother, Mikey, operated before he passed away. It’s dingy, mismanaged and probably about to go under. But it’s very popular. Carmy assumes leadership much to the dismay of his brother’s best friend and “cousin,” Richie. 

A new cook, Sydney, seeks out to apprentice for Carmy. After discovering the restaurant was only able to stay afloat thanks to back of business drug dealing, Carmy tries to right the ship of the sandwich shop. The shop’s baker Marcus wants to try out new recipes with Carmy’s blessing. Sydney and Richie butt heads while the former tries to maintain order in a kitchen where she also is disrespected by another cook, Tina. 

Carmy and Mikey’s sister, Natalie, is struggling to keep things together while staving off their uncle Jimmy, who is the shop’s financier. Carmy – still struggling with the death of his brother – is able to make the first step towards recovery thanks to Al Anon but throws himself hard into the restaurant. The restaurant is closed and preparation for its metamorphosis begin.

Season 2 – Friends and Family

Carmy and Sydney work together to develop the menu for the new restaurant, The Bear, while newly pregnant Natalie is given the role of project manager. Jimmy agrees to give them another loan but says he will sell the building and the lot if they can’t make the money back in 18 months. The Bear is found to have mold while Carmy reconnects with an old friend, Claire. 

At Al Anon, Carmy recognizes he’s using work as a crutch and Claire uses their mutual friend, Fak, to get the chef out from under himself. 

Sydney is left in the dust as Carmy spends more time with Claire. She begins to make the menu to Carmy’s specifications but he ultimately makes big decisions without her. Jaded by benign left out, Sydney tries to find her place in a city of restaurants that are either doing extremely well or closing up shop.

Marcus is sent to Copenhagen to learn pastry recipe development from Carmy’s friend, Luca. The two used to be rivals but have since come to respect one another. Tina is excelling in culinary school while another chef, Ebra, has decided it’s too much for him. Fak wants more responsibility.

Carmy and Claire are fully dating. A flashback episode shows why Carmy, Natalie and Mikey are terribly messed up. And Richie spends time learning how to run an upscale restaurant. However, a suppression test looks to end everyone’s dreams. 

They pass the test and Ebra returns – apologizing to Tina for leaving her in the lurch. He is tasked to run the newly formed takeout window. Richie is ready to be the man he wants his daughter to see. He starts wearing a suit more and cursing less. 

The Bear celebrates with a friends and family night where Sydney wants to show her father what she built. Natalie tells Carmy their mom could show up to which he prepares himself. Jimmy tells Carmy not to be distracted – something the chef takes to heart. He avoids Claire and inadvertently breaks her heart. Richie confronts Carmy about the situation while the latter is stuck in a freezer. Sydney has a panic attack during the hectic evening but finds her father is impressed with the restaurant. Meanwhile, Marcus’s sick mother passes away.

Season 3 – Chaos in the Kitchen

Carmy apologizes to Sydney for everything. He does the same to Richie. Sydney consoles Marcus. Carmy sets “non-negotiables” for his work. The others don’t seem to like what he devises, including the daily changing menu. 

The first month of The Bear is a lot to handle. The expenses keep racking up and Richie tries to set his own non-negotiables. Sydney is resigned to also keeping Carmy in check. She is told by a rival restaurateur that the chaos in the kitchen is noticeable but that she’s doing stellar work. 

Richie wants to stay in his daughter’s life while his ex’s new husband questions if he should. Natalie finds out The Chicago Tribune is set to review The Bear. Jimmy says they need to trim the fat that is Marcus but Natalie shuts that down. Tina is given extensive backstory work, showing how she ended up at the restaurant.  Meanwhile, a popular Chicago restaurant shuts down, showing the staff of The Bear that anything can happen in the industry.

Sydney is offered a job at a new restaurant where she could be in charge of everything without the chaos. She begins to resent Carmy for going above her head on major decisions. Natalie goes into labor while alone and is joined by her mother.

Fak and his brother try to get Carmy to make up with Claire. Carmy, Richie and Sydney go to the final service of a closed restaurant where Carmy confronts the chef that both made him who he is and severely damaged him mentally.

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