The Bear gets a brand new look with the same old stress in first full trailer

Remember when Carmy’s (Jeremy Allen White) dream of opening a restaurant with Syd (Ayo Edebiri) felt so hopeful? When it seemed like together, they would break the cycle of toxic workplaces that plague high-end kitchens everywhere? In hindsight, it’s pretty obvious this dysfunctional crew wouldn’t be able to pull off such a thing; The Bear, like all those high-end kitchens, thrives on stress. Before the series returns for its third season on Hulu on June 27, a new trailer proves that the more things change, the more they stay the same—and Carmy can’t help himself but to fall back into old patterns.

Per the official synopsis, “It’s a losing battle every day in the restaurant business, and as Carmy pushes himself harder than ever and demands excellence from his crew, they do their best to match his intensity. Their quest for culinary excellence propels them to new levels and stresses the bonds that hold the restaurant together.” Stress is definitely the key word here; much as Carmy professed a desire to open a “different kind of restaurant,” he’s holding himself to the same “non-negotiable” standards as other “restaurants at the highest level.” Meanwhile, he’s working with a ragtag crew that is perfectly willing, but possibly unable to live up to those standards. (Especially not if Carmy traumatizes them as an abusive boss.)

One of the major reveals of the trailer is that Claire (Molly Gordon) is still in the picture, or at least Carmy’s loved ones would still like her to be. Claire Bear was a divisive character within The Bear fandom (and within our comments section) in the second season. Before the restaurant opened, Carmy’s relationship with Claire seemed like an attempt at creating a different, simpler life, one he completely blew up when he “basically said that I couldn’t waste my time,” as he describes to his colleagues. “Carmy loves you,” Fak (Matty Matheson) attempts to convince Claire in the trailer. But is Carmy really capable of really loving anything outside of his kitchen? That’s the question that keeps us coming back.