We need to talk about how ‘The Bear’ just cemented itself as one of the boldest and most artistic shows in television history

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Bear season 3, episode 1.

Last night, Hulu opened its doors to 10 episodes of high art in the form of season 3 of The Bear.

For anyone who’s been following Carmy and the gang from the get-go, that statement should come as no surprise; the Christopher Storer dramedy’s grasp of the human condition is only matched by the way it uses culinary culture to unfold it all, and its commitment to its artistic fundamentals is only ever elevated as it takes on the challenge of telling more and more story.

But, even with standards that would make Carmy himself wonder if they should ease up a bit, The Bear found a way to go even further right out of the gate. And for those of you who also remain tantalizingly haunted by “Tomorrow,” you’ve felt that truth better than anyone could ever express in writing.

Season 3, episode 1 of The Bear is in a class of its own

Indeed, “Tomorrow” is quite definitively cut from the same cloth as the rest of the show’s episodes, mainly in the sense that each of them is crafted so incisively and singularly that they feel like their own Michelin-star treat.

“Tomorrow,” however, separates itself from that serial individuality in an even more extreme sense; the entire episode explores overlapping vignettes from Carmy’s psyche, from his ventures in New York and Copenhagen, to his relationship with Claire, to the day he found out Mikey was dead, and everything in between and beyond. And rather than dousing itself in animated, gravy-stained anxiety, “Tomorrow” opted for something much quieter and meditative, all without losing the searing bite that The Bear episodes so often come packaged with.

And perhaps more importantly, “Tomorrow” is effective as a sort of super-sized realization of The Bear‘s modus operandi; every piece of dialogue and tick of body language in this show is packed to the brim with intention, and we recognize that in not only the empathy we feel for these characters in the moment but in the many levels and possibilities that these beats are working on/with at any given time. This episode, so methodically and gently fractured, shows everything that’s going on with Carmy, and therefore runs parallel with every thread we viewers can pull on whenever he’s glancing at Richie, or testing the water that he’s treading with Sydney, or even just spacing out.

And when you have writing like that multiplied by a factor of all The Bear‘s players and relationships and nuances, “artistic perfection” doesn’t even come close to describing your show.

Seasons 1 through 3 of The Bear are all available to stream exclusively on Hulu, with a fourth season awaiting a release date.