The Bear season 3 episode 2 recap: "Next" begins the new chapter of the restaurant

The third season of The Bear is now streaming on Hulu, picking up the pieces from where we left off in the season 2 finale. The season 3 premiere is an awesome introduction to what we're about to see this time around, taking us back in time through Carmy's most impactful memories. As he deals with the fallout of the friends and family opening night, Carmy is getting more and more serious about his craft. Perhaps to a fault.

The Bear season 3 episode 2 is titled "Next" and is directed by the show's creator Christopher Storer from a story by Christopher and Courtney Storer. The gang's back at the restaurant ready for another round, but will Carmy's new rules push them away? We recap the biggest moments of the second episode here at Show Snob.

WARNING: Major spoilers for The Bear season 3 episode 2 below.

Taking place soon after the season 3 premiere, "Next" opens up at Sydney's place as she fights with her dad about who gets to use the bathroom. After some playful bickering, she heads to The Bear to start the day.

Carmy shares his non-negotiables

At the restaurant, Carmy is hard at work when Natalie arrives, who wants to know how he's doing. She opens up to him about the fact that she's about to be a mother in two months, and how she wishes she could get rid of all of her baggage by then. She sees the list of non-negotiables Carmy wrote down and asks what it is. He explains that all the best restaurants have these lists and asks her to type up copies for the staff.

Cicero shows up, to Carmy's displeasure, and he looks around the kitchen. Cicero tells him to stop spending all of his money on new appliances, which surely doesn't please Carmy.

Sydney then arrives and is surprised to see that Carmy has already prepared multiple meals, which he calls their "R&D" (research and development). Concerned that Carmy's preparing the kitchen without her, Sydney becomes confused when Carmy tells her they're going to get a Michelin star. Ultimately, she agrees with most of the modifications he's made to her menu with the meals he's made, but she becomes extremely alarmed when he tells her they're going to be changing the menu every day. This manic version of Carmy is surely motivated, but is his drive misplaced? Maybe.

Carmy tells Sydney that there's a Docusign email in her inbox to check, which is a partnership agreement she needs to sign off on. She's visibly overwhelmed and asks him what's in it, to which Carmy tells her it's about how much of the restaurant she's going to own. It's a lot to spring on her, but I wouldn't say Sydney is unhappy with the revelation. She asks Carmy if he's talked to Richie yet, but he ignores her.

Is Sydney ready for the new chapter of The Bear?

Nat and Sydney read through Carmy's list of non-negotiables and Sydney doesn't seem convinced they need it. She becomes even more alarmed when Nat tells her she should get a lawyer to look over the Docusign.

Richie finally arrives at the restaurant and is met by silence when he asks how everyone's doing. Despite Carmy's voicemail, he and Richie still aren't on speaking terms and they instead choose to talk through Sydney, something that, understandably, frustrates her. Carmy says he apologized, to which Richie says he doesn't need an apology. They then start arguing which turns to shouting, and Sydney puts a stop to it by yelling at them to "shut the f**k up, please."

Richie starts reading through the non-negotiables and mocks points like "vibrant collaboration" and "change every day," while claiming some of the other points are suggestions he would've made himself. Carmy tells the group that these aren't just goals, they're expectations they have to follow if they want to get a star. The continued bickering between Carmy and Richie gives Sydney a migraine.

The two Faks are next to arrive, followed by Tina. Tina reads through the non-negotiables and seems happy when Sydney tells her she's in charge of the farmer's market. Neil looks through the list and tells Carmy it's crazy to learn a new menu every day, to which Carmy says he's not crazy. Richie uses this opportunity to make a low blow, telling them to ask Claire if Carmy is crazy. This opens up a can of worms as the Claire conversation begins.

Carmy has some explaining to do

The staff begin to ask Carmy what happened with Claire, wanting to know what he said to her the night of the friends and family opening. Cicero comes in and also asks what happened, while Gary shows up and Sydney asks if anyone's checked on Marcus. Sydney doesn't care to know about Carmy's personal life, though everyone else seems very invested.

Carmy realizes everyone knows something happened between him and Claire, and he tells them that he told her it was all "a waste of time." Everyone sighs and shakes their heads, and Richie advises everyone to start working. He and Carmy argue some more before Natalie puts an end to it — if only for a moment.

Carmy learns that multiple servers quit the restaurant because they didn't want to work in a "dysfunctional kitchen," and funnily enough, Carmy and Richie begin saying the same things at the same time. Amid all the bickering, Marcus comes in and everyone shuts up. He tells the staff that no one has to say anything to him; he'd rather just work and not think about his mom. They hand him the non-negotiables list as Sydney and Carmy give everyone tasks to start on.

Marcus is all in on the restaurant

Carmy talks to Marcus in private, telling him that people at the restaurant probably know how he's feeling. We get confirmation here that Marcus' mom did indeed die, sadly. He tells Carmy that he was at The Bear when she passed away, but he doesn't see that as a bad thing. He takes it as a sign that the restaurant is going to work, which is heartwarming. "Take us there, Bear," Marcus tells Carmy, to which he responds, "Yes, Chef."

The episode ends with Sydney looking over the meals Carmy made another time, taking in all the changes that have been made and likely anticipating many more to come. It's going to be a long, long road to success — especially if they're going for a star.

Keep reading our recaps of The Bear season 3 right here on Show Snob as we continue our binge! All 10 episodes are available to stream on Hulu right now.