If “Tomorrow” is all nearly dialogue-free ambience and visual fragments, “Next” is overlapping conversations and loads of snarky dialogue from writer/director Christopher Storer and co-writer Courtney Storer. (Courtney acts as the show’s culinary producer so it’s fitting this entire episode takes place in the kitchen of The Bear with the exception of the opening montage and a cute scene with Sydney and her dad.) It’s the messy praxis to The Bear Season 3 premiere’s glorious theory. In the words of Richie and Carmy, this episode of The Bear Season 3 explores how badly fucked the restaurant is, and how Carmy’s goal of getting a Michelin star at all costs doesn’t endear him to the staff and ownership of The Bear.

The Storers channel David Mamet in the rapid-fire, profanity-filled dialogue that peppers “Next”. The episode feels like a stage play-meets-one of those business Tik Toks where they say what time each person gets to work as the cast dynamic is set up for the next season. And all of the optimism and high ideals from Carmy navel-gazing in the kitchen gets torn to shreds as different staff members poke fun at his “non-negotiables” or treat them like suggestions or ideas. The one that gets critiqued the most is having a different menu every day. Richie almost bursts a blood vessels when he reads that one, and Cicero (Oliver Platt) shakes his head and wishes that he’d sold the property for condos.

The most charged interactions in “Next” are between Richie and Carmy with Sydney forced to be mediator. Work and life bleed together as they go from yelling about table placements and pricing to Carmy’s relationship with Claire, who doesn’t make an appearance, but is the main topic of conversation for an extended scene. Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Bachrach Moss, and Ayo Edebiri feed off each’s other frenetic energy in this sequence with Edebiri’s comedy background serving her well in reacting to the bullshit of these long time frenemies. Richie’s use of therapy speak with the usual “fuck yous” is comedic gold as he continues to work on his toxic behavior, but isn’t 100% there yet. The heartfelt apology scene in premiere turns out to be a sham, and one of the nine Fak family members drops some hot gossip that Claire is also still unhappy with Carmy. He’s unpopular on the culinary, financial (He drew up a DocuSign for ownership of the restaurant with letting the lawyers or Natalie know.), and definitely interpersonal front. A seemingly throwaway line about four employees aka the entire wait staff quitting shows how self-absorbed Carmy is as he’s caught up in flights of fancy and French tire tread men instead of having a profitable business or a good place to work.

However, Marcus’ appearance towards the end of “Next” puts everything into perspective, and Lionel Boyce does a great job of capturing a man whose lost his mother and wants to find escape through the work that he loves. His presence causes all the gossip and arguing to end, and Carmy actually finds some empathy in an episode-closing one on one conversation where Marcus realizes that he’s at the place he needs to be in this stage of his life and trusts Carmy to make the restaurant a success and help him reach his potential as a pastry chef. It’s an emotional, understated way to end the episode after a lot of sound and fury showing that some things are bigger than a list of arbitrary bullet points on a piece of paper.

“Next” definitely reads as a companion episode of “Tomorrow” focusing on Carmy’s relationship to the talented, regular cast of The Bear in the present of the first few hours a restaurant opens. Christopher and Courtney Storer excel at writing the verbal sniping that is the complete opposite of the waving, smiling workers of Chicago filmed to an Eddie Vedder cover of “Save It for Later” by The English Beat. The Bear’s survival seems hopeless at this point without compromise and actual collaboration, but the end ends on a hopeful note so maybe this dysfunctional kitchen will make it. (Plus the show’s already been renewed for a fourth season.)

Overall Verdict: 8.1