Unfortunately for us loyal viewers, season 3 of The Bear was much more focused on aesthetics than plot. I will watch literally anything with Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri at the center, but at this point, I think I’ve seen enough gorgeous gourmet dishes and heard enough kitchen screaming matches to last several lifetimes. Not to mention, there wasn’t even a molecule of romance this season — Carmy’s ex-girlfriend, Claire, is just totally out of the picture, and the writers of the show still refuse to entertain a romance between him and Sydney. Sigh. The chemistry is right there! Just take advantage of it! Or at least make the restaurant king have an interesting post-breakup chat with Claire. Honestly, what would happen if I just… called the writers’ room up?

If you didn’t quite make it to the finale episode or you just have some lingering questions about it, I don’t blame you. Here’s a full recap of The Bear season 3 finale, including details about the funeral, Carmy’s brutal chat with Chef Joel McHale, and Sydney’s uncertain future at the restaurant.

The Bear Season 3 Finale Recap

Why Is There A Funeral?

This season ends with a funeral, and no, no one died. The funeral is for Chicago restaurant Ever, but the death is purely fictional — the actual Ever restaurant in Chicago is doing just fine. Because it’s The Bear and they like to be realistic and flex, they brought in several real Chicago chefs for the episode. In the show, all the renowned chefs are supposed to have worked at or been associated with Ever at some point.

What Happens Between Carmy And Chef Joel McHale?

Sadly for Carmy, he has to face his old bully boss, Chef Joel McHale, at this fake funeral. When Joel is a dick and pretends like he doesn’t know who Carmy is, Carmy asks why he’s such an asshole… a question I’ve been asking for a while now. “You were an okay chef when you started with me,” Joel says. “You left an excellent chef, so you’re welcome.” I fear this reasoning is still giving emotional abuse.

According to Joel, you have to ruin the rest of your life in order to be a great chef, and relationships and fun don’t matter at all. This depressing speech makes Carmy cry, and it would make me cry too if I was in his position.

Will Sydney Stay At The Bear Or Join Adam Shapiro?

Image Credit: Hulu

Sydney notably does not tell Carmy about her offer from Adam Shapiro to be his new chef de cuisine. It seems like she hasn’t made a final decision about staying at The Bear or joining Adam. At the end of the season finale, Sydney gets really emo and cries about loving her fam at The Bear, so perhaps she’ll stay?

What’s Going On With Carmy And Claire?

A whole lot of nothing, sadly. Despite all of Carmy’s besties constantly telling him he should reach out to Claire, he does not give her a call.

I suppose we’ll just have to stay tuned for season 4… I’ll still be watching obviously, but I’m praying to the TV gods for a plot.