The Bear succeeds because it's as invested in its characters as we are

Of course, you can go in to greater depth about its themes, how it deals with topics such as grief, purpose, passion and time, but on a story level, it's the above.

However, if you're trying to recap a season of the show it becomes more tricky. In season 1, Carmy returned home to the run The Original Beef of Chicagoland following his brother's suicide, welcomed new chef Sydney and found a load of stashed away money.

In season 2, Carmy and Sydney went on a culinary quest and tried to get their fine dining establishment ready before a deadline. Meanwhile, Carmy also started a relationship which ended in tears, and Richie found his purpose as a Maitre D.

The official synopsis for season 3 says that the characters "do what it takes to elevate The Bear, their beef stand turned fine dining establishment, to the highest level, all while doing their best just to stay in business".

"It’s a losing battle every single day in the restaurant business. Carmy pushes himself harder than ever, and demands excellence from his crew, who do their best to match his intensity. Their quest for culinary excellence will propel the crew to new levels and stress the bonds that hold the restaurant together.

"As the team grows in size, each member will strive to reach a greater level of service within their role. In the restaurant industry, you’re never on solid ground, and with that ever-changing landscape comes new challenges and opportunities. Our chefs have learned that every second counts, but this season we’ll find out if they have what it takes to make it to tomorrow."

Doesn't tell you anything, does it? This was also the case when the cast convened for a recent press conference. They spoke a lot about enjoying the shoot and celebrating the show's success, but when it came to story, their mouths were firmly shut.

You might assume this is to avoid spoilers – maybe they would even tell themselves this was the case. But the truth is, no. The reason they can't give us story details is because there is no story.

Season 3 of The Bear has no real propulsion behind it, no mission that the team are striving towards beyond simply keeping the restaurant afloat and successful. Yet, it still stacks up with the first two seasons, and continues to be one of the best shows on TV today.

The truth is, anyone complaining that this season is aimless or meandering is missing the point. The Bear has never been about big plot developments or surprises, it's always been about character. And on that front, season 3 is exceptionally strong.

The first episode of the season, called Tomorrow, is one of its most experimental, and may come as a jolt to fans coming back after the season 2 finale. It runs almost entirely without dialogue, with much of its seeming to take place in Carmy's head, as he drowns himself in the sorrows and difficulties of his past.

We witness his learning about Mikey's suicide, his time training under Olivia Colman's Chef Terry and his time being relentlessly tormented by Joel McHale's New York-based chef.

Are these moments we needed to see to understand the story? No, but they inform our sense of who Carmy is, what he's been through and therefore where he's going. Just as with Fishes last year, Tomorrow fills in the blanks of the past, while also giving us a sense of Carmy's mental state in the present.

Meanwhile, episode 6, Napkins, takes us into Tina's past, to explore how she came to work at The Original Beef of Chicagoland.

Did we strictly need a Tina origin story? Of course we didn't. But it's one of the strongest, most impactful episodes this season, not just because it's deftly directed by Ayo Edebiri, or features a beautiful performance by Liza Colón-Zayas, but also because it informs what we've seen from the character before, and how we'll view her going forward.

We now understand why Tina was so reticent to accept and warm to Sydney in the first season, why she was so apprehensive of outsiders coming into disrupt her job.

We also understand her loyalty to Michael more, and who he was as a person. We've only seen glimpses of him before, many of which have been tinged with hints of sadness or instability. Here, he is at his best – charming, personable, conversational, compassionate. It's a showstopping scene from Colón-Zayas and Jon Bernthal.

In amongst these meditations on the past, and the raw emotion of Sugar and her mum's reunion in episode 8, there's also the obligatory kitchen stress – episode 3 is a prime example of this and another stand-out instalment – as well as plenty of hilarious back and forths.

There's been some controversy that The Bear is repeatedly fielded in the comedy categories by awards bodies, but there's plenty of examples here as to why. Episode 2 features some of the funniest scenes of the show today, as the gang gather in the kitchen one by one and Carmy and Richie hash out their differences.

In truth, as is the case with so many shows now, it's neither comedy nor drama because, once again, it leans on its characters. They're real and excellently well-developed and so when they're struggling, the show is more dramatic, and when they're bantering or engaged in trivial arguments, the show is funny.

When you get to the end of The Bear season 3, you may look back and realise not that much has changed - not that much progress has been made on the restaurant, and not that much has actually tangibly happened to most of the characters.

But that's ok, because you'll almost certainly feel that you know and understand these people on a deeper level, and feel privileged to have spent time in their company.

In fact, by not tying itself to a specific, bookended story, The Bear has proven it can run and run. While series such as Succession or The Boys have a natural end-date in-built to their story-telling, with Succession having to fulfil its titular promise and The Boys having to see the battle between Butcher and Homelander to its conclusion, The Bear has no such obligations.

It would not be stretching credulity in any way for us to keep checking in with these again and again, as they work on themselves but, as with so many of us, struggle to reach their full potential or achieve lasting contentment.

Is there an episode on the same level as Forks from season 2? Maybe not, that likely does remain The Bear's finest moment. But there are still so many moments, sequences and episodes to cherish, so much joy and emotion to take in and so much incredible food to salivate over. Roll on season 4.

The Bear season 3 is available to stream in the UK on Disney Plus – sign up to Disney Plus for £4.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.

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