The Bear season 3 episode 10 recap: "Forever" sees Carmy finally confront his past

The season 3 finale of The Bear continues to see Carmy process his best and worst memories as he comes face-to-face with someone from his past. The majority of the episode takes place at the Ever as some of the most successful chefs who have worked with Chef Andrea Terry attend the restaurant's funeral. The 10th and final episode of the season is titled "Forever" and is written and directed by the show's creator Christopher Storer.

WARNING: Major spoilers for The Bear season 3 episode 10 are below.

As he heads out to the Ever, Carmy thinks back to a positive time training at a restaurant when he's taught how to prep a roast chicken. Unlike his time with David Fields, there are also many great memories Carmy has when he first gets into the fine dining business. He and Richie show up at the Ever for the restaurant's funeral, and it's full of notable restauranteurs. Many of them are actually played by real-life chefs, which is pretty awesome. Will Poulter makes his return to the show as Luca, who's also there to celebrate the life of the Ever.

Sydney arrives, and while sitting together, they all talk about their experiences in the restaurant business, from their first dishes to their biggest embarrassments and mistakes. Sydney continues to think about the partnership agreement, while Carmy spots David Fields from across the restaurant. Someone at the table mentions that one of the best mistakes you can make is working for a bad boss, which causes both Carmy and Sydney to reflect. Camy thinks back to moments with Mikey, Chef Fields, and Claire, all contradicting each other.

The chefs have a really great conversation, talking about why they love what they do so much. One person mentions making food as a way to seek approval from others; I'd be curious to know if Carmy and Sydney relate to that. Chef Terry makes a heartfelt speech and Richie asks Jessica if she has the secret to staying inspired. Luca finally asks Carmy what or who he's been staring at, and Carmy tells him it's David Fields. According to Carmy, he's one of the worst people and best chefs in the world, making it clear he's still very much bothered by his time working under him. He sees him getting up and follows him.

Alone in a hallway, Carmy tells David he always wondered what he would say to him if he ever saw him again, but can't think of anything else beyond a "f**k you." David seems surprised by this, but still incredibly smug, and Carmy asks him why he had to treat him so badly. David tells him "You're welcome," something that seriously confuses and angers Carmy. Carmy tells him that he gave him ulcers, panic attacks, and nightmares, and David responds that he also gave him confidence, leadership, and ability. In his mind, he made Carmy a better chef — which might be true. But it still doesn't take away how much pain he also caused him. David says he made him "excellent" before walking to the bathroom. He leaves Carmy in tears.

Luca and Sydney have a sweet moment in the kitchen talking about their families before Adam interrupts, wanting to talk to Sydney in private. He asks her if she's talked to Carmy yet, which, of course, she hasn't, but she assures him that she's still interested in his offer. Chef Terry finds Carmy outside and talks to him about what she's going to do now that the restaurant is over. She explains that she wants to live her life, including things like meeting new people, sleeping in, and traveling. This is something that Carmy does not have, and probably won't for a long time. He asks her for advice, and she tells him she would tell her younger self: "You have no idea what you're doing and therefore you're invincible."

The last remaining guests, including Richie, Luca, Jessica, Adam, and Sydney, all hang out in the kitchen, and Chef Terry takes the "Every second counts sign" before telling them they should all get out of there. They continue the party over at Sydney's apartment, where Tina, Marcus, and even the Faks come to hang out. They all make food together, drink, sing, and dance, in a particularly heartfelt scene. Moments like these make it even more difficult for Sydney to do what she has to do. She walks outside, sits on a step in the hallway, and begins to hyperventilate.

The season 3 finale ends with a scene of Carmy, who's seen walking down the street when he checks his phone. To his surprise, he has multiple missed calls and messages from Cicero and The Computer, which doesn't seem good. The review from The Tribune is out, and while we can't read the headline, we know from Carmy's reaction that it's not what he was hoping for. However, the quick sections of the review that we see are a little confusing. While we see negative words mentioned like "confusing," "dissonance," and "sloppy," there are also words used such as "excellent," "innovative," and "brilliant." So is it really all that bad?

We don't get to find out, as the episode then cuts to text reading "To be continued." The Bear season 4 is confirmed, and it seems that they might've filmed seasons 3 and 4 back to back. If this is true, we can probably expect the next installment to premiere in about a year from now. Each season of the dramedy so far has come out in June, so we don't see that changing with season 4.

This season of The Bear is definitely not my favorite, but it certainly has its moments that I love. I'll be very curious to know where we go from here; honestly, my biggest gripe with this season is that it feels very repetitive and aimless. Will season 4 be more ambitious and moving? I sure hope so.

Read the rest of our episodic recaps for The Bear season 3:

• The Bear season 3 episode 1 recap: "Tomorrow"
• The Bear season 3 episode 2 recap: "Next"
• The Bear season 3 episode 3 recap: "Doors"
• The Bear season 3 episode 4 recap: "Violet"
• The Bear season 3 episode 5 recap: "Children"
• The Bear season 3 episode 6 recap: "Napkins"
• The Bear season 3 episode 7 recap: "Legacy"
• The Bear season 3 episode 8 recap: "Ice Chips"
• The Bear season 3 episode 9 recap: "Apologies"

You can watch all episodes of The Bear right now on Hulu.