The Bear season 3 episode 9 recap: a lot of almosts

Not going to lie, this recapper had to doublecheck exactly what show was playing when The Bear season 3 episode 9 began — I wasn't expecting to hear the voice of Martin Scorsese instead of the usual Matty Matheson. That opening montage ends up being a video that Marcus, played by Lionel Boyce, is watching for some pastry inspiration. But the regular racket and rhythms we've come to expect from The Bear soon return: namely, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) yelling at anyone within earshot.

The Bear s3 e1 recap
The Bear s3 e2 recap
The Bear s3 e3 recap
The Bear s3 e4 recap
The Bear s3 e5 recap
The Bear s3 e6 recap
The Bear s3 e7 recap
The Bear s3 e8 recap
The Bear s3 e10 recap

For an episode entitled "Apologies," Carmy doesn't seem all that apologetic as he barks orders at The Bear team while running expo, the pressures of headline-grabbing greatness (no, that Tribune review still hasn't hit yet) and his guilt over his break-up with Claire (Molly Gordon) getting to him. (He assures the Fak bros that Claire wouldn't haunt them because "that's chaos and she's peace.")

Despite his worries, the early press about the restaurant at least seems promising — there's profile after glowing profile of Carmy, calling him a "visionary" and "brilliant" and "the best chef in Chicago." The problem? Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) is nowhere to be found in those write-ups, frustration that appears to be influencing her decision to on whether to accept Adam Shapiro's chef de cuisine gig. (Not to mention that, according to Pete, The Bear's is partnership agreement is weaker than the one that Shapiro can offer her.)

She nearly comes clean to Carmy about the job offer, but instead they end up doing what they always do: talk about Carmy. "It's hard to keep up with you sometimes... I didn't mean on a skill level," she tells him. He acknowledges how "off" he's been and throws an olive branch: she should come to the "funeral service" final dinner at Ever the next night. It'll be full of incredible food-world people, sure, but one of those people will be Adam Shapiro, who will not doubt want to discuss the opportunity he offered Syd.

Before the lady doth protest too much, Carmy sends Syd home to rest. He, in turn, heads for the walk-in fridge — where he nearly calls Claire to make amends, thumb hovering over the dial button, but he stops short. Unluckily for him, the Faks (Matheson and Ricky Staffieri) take it upon themselves to talk to Claire on their own, showing up to the ER while she's working and assuring the doc about Carmy's continued love, contrition and bicep strength. She shoos the well-meaning men away, but not before instructing Ted to "get that checked, what Kelly said." We don't want to know.

Speaking of exes, Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Tiffany (Gillian Jacobs) have way healthier communication than Carmy and Claire — in that, you know, they're actually talking.

The former spouses meet at a playground while Eva entertains herself slash tries to eat things off the ground. Tiff asks Richie why he hasn't RSVPed to her upcoming nuptials to Josh Hartnett, a.k.a. Fiancé Frank. "I don't want to make you, but I would like you to be there," she tells him. She doesn't have a lot of family left; he's kind of it. "Even if it is awful and terrible for you, I would still really like for you to come," she pleads. He seems to confirm his attendance, but still says that Tiff and co. aren't allowed to come dine at The Bear until it's "perfect."

Alas, they might not have a whole lot of time left: Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) tells Carmy that if that big Chicago Tribune review comes back negative, he'll be forced to "cut the f***ing string." What Carmy doesn't know is that Uncle Jimmy is broke, as per a conversation the latter has with The Computer (Brian Koppelman). How are they going to bleed the budget dry on Wagyu now?

After Carmy wistfully goes through his old cookbooks and recipe ideas, he suits up and gets ready for Ever's "funeral." Will The Bear be next?

All 10 episodes of The Bear season 3 are now available to stream on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.