Fans are still discussing what Carmy said to Claire in one of The Bear's most emotional moments.
Streaming on Hulu, FX's award-winning kitchen-based dramedy is not shy about charging its scenes with a particular emotion, whether that be anger, anxiety, or sheer unbridled joy.
The vastness of this emotional spectrum has been no better represented in the series than in the relationship between Jeremy Allen White's Carmy and Molly Gordon's Claire. Across Season 2 (and into Season 3), the pair experience everything from the joy and excitement of new love to the devastation of feelings of hurt and love lost.
[ Full Cast of The Bear Season 3 - Every Main Character & Actor Who Appears (Photos) ]
Carmy's Speech to Claire Explained
Season 2 of The Bear ended with a shocking speech from Carmy to Claire that sent reverberations across the series, even bleeding into the recently released third season.
One of the major plot points of Season 3 is what Jeremy Allen White's Chicago-based restaurant owner said to Claire. Well, it was not good.
Season 2, Episode 10 saw Carmy and his kitchen-based comrades soft launch their new fine-dining restaurant, which takes its name from the series.
During the stressful dinner service, Carmy accidentally found himself locked inside the business's massive walk-in cooler thanks to a busted door that he had been meaning to get fixed in the lead-up to the big night.
This launches the chef into a full-blown meltdown, as (despite things running smoothly without him in the kitchen) he believes he has lost focus on what really matters. And that is where Claire comes in.
After being invited to opening night and enjoying a stellar meal out in The Bear's newly renovated dining room, Claire decides it would be a good idea to head back to the kitchen to thank Carmy for the amazing meal and congratulate him on the success of the night.
This leads her to the door of the walk-in freezer, where she has been told her boyfriend remains locked.
As she approaches the door, she hears Carmy in a spirited dialogue with himself. Without him knowing, Carmy tells Claire through the door, "What the f*ck was I thinking, like I was going to be in a relationship?"
He continues, "I don't need to provide amusement or enjoyment... It's just a complete waste of f***ing time:"
"I wasn't here. Right? What the f*ck was I thinking, like I was going to be in a relationship? I'm a f***ing– I'm a f***ing psycho! That's why. That's why I'm good at what I do. That's how I operate. I am the best because I didn't have any of this f***ing bulls***. Right? I could focus, and I could concentrate, and I had a routine, and I had f***ing cell reception... I don't need to provide amusement or enjoyment. I don't need to receive any amusement or enjoyment. I'm completely fine with that. Because no amount of good is worth how terrible this feeling is. It's just a complete waste of f***ing time."
A teary-eyed Claire then comes into view on the other side of the door, hearing everything her then-boyfriend is saying.
She ends the conversation with a simple, "I'm really sorry you feel that way, Carm," before exiting the kitchen and leaving Carmy devastated with the realization that those words likely mean the end of his newly-found relationship.
Seeing her rush out of the restaurant, Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Richie comes to the locked freezer door next, asking his cousin what he said to Claire.
This leads the two—who had only recently somewhat healed their relationship—to an expletive-laden yelling match of their own, as Carmy and his cousin/fellow Bear employee seemingly irreparably sever ties.
How Does Carmy's Speech Play Into Season 3 of The Bear?
Seeing as The Bear Season 3 picks up one day after the shocking events of Carmy's impassioned freezer-bound speech to Claire, of course, it weighs heavy over the entire season.
Season 3 sees a different Carmy on screen, one who has become so devoted to his craft that it has become unhealthy.
He is constantly pushing himself and the restaurant because of the absence left by Claire, and this has a negative effect on his relationships with the people working around him.
This pushes away those he had brought in to help him achieve his culinary excellence goals. People like Sydney, Ayo Edebiri's young chef who once looked up to Carmy, begin to question whether going into business with him was the right choice in the first place.
Claire's presence in Carmy's life, while taking away valuable time from his pursuits as a chef, offered him an outlet for joy and grounded him in the world outside The Bear's walls.
Without her, he has nothing but the restaurant he is trying to build, and it is this single-laned sense of drive that is tearing him apart personally and professionally.
Season 3 ends without the pair of jilted lovers reconciling in any real way (in fact, audiences get the indication even if Carmy were to apologize, she would not accept). Surely, with Season 4 already announced (per Deadline), a resolution is coming.
That could mean the pair put their differences aside and get back together, or Carmy gets the closure he needs and heals some of his connections at The Bear.
Whatever it is, something will need to be done because Jeremy Allen White's hot-shot TV chef is a pressure cooker of suppressed emotions and anxiety by the end of Season 3. Going on like this could spell dire circumstances for The Bear owner.
The Bear Season 3 is streaming as a part of FX on Hulu.
Read more about The Bear on The Direct:
Why Did Mikey Kill Himself In The Bear?
What Are C Folds In The Bear? Kitchen Meaning Explained
Full Cast of The Bear Season 2: Every Actor & Character In Hulu Show
