The Bear Season 3’s best episode was directed by one of its stars

Not every episode was a banger, but blink and you’ll miss this: one of the best in The Bear Season 3 had its leading lady behind the camera.

When you think of the FX TV show, you think of chaos, tension, and a lot of shouting… and The Bear Season 3 doubles down on all of it. However, that doesn’t mean every episode had the same amount of tension, with one standing out as the best of all.

Season 3 Episode 6, titled ‘Napkins,’ followed Tina’s origin story, leading up to the moment she joined The Original Beef of Chicagoland. Through a tough job hunt, she finds comfort in Mikey, who offers her a job as his new line cook.

It’s a poignant moment in The Bear’s timeline, and there’s a good reason why it pulls at the heartstrings – Ayo Edebiri, who plays Sydney, directed it.

“I feel like I got a master class in acting from Liza and from the other actors who got to grace the screen,” Edebiri told Variety about her directorial debut. “I feel like I learned so much from our crew, from our camera department… just from everybody.

“It was really a blast and an honor to get to helm an episode that showcases everything that Liza can do. I mean, not even everything, like a fraction of the things that she can do. She’s such a powerhouse.”

Edebiri also explained to the BBC, “I love our cast but being able to collaborate with them from a different vantage point gave me so much more appreciation for them but also appreciation for the sheer amount of effort it takes to make television.”

This episode of the binge-worthy TV show hasn’t just been a hit with The Bear’s own cast and crew, as viewers have been left reeling from its emotional impact.

“Whelp, that’s two seasons of The Bear in a row where Episode 6 hits a little too close to home…” one fan posted on X/Twitter, with a second agreeing, “Season 3 Episode 6 of The Bear hit me like a f**king truck.”

A third weighed in, “Season 3 Episode 6 of The Bear… wow man there’s tears in my eyes,” with a fourth adding, “Okay I take it back, Episode 6 of The Bear Season 3 (‘Napkins’) is phenomenal television.

“One of the best episodes they’ve done, ever. Really intimate, sweet, yet also heartbreaking, love this character focus and style.”

Find out more about The Bear Season 3 soundtrack, this season’s guest stars, what “keep the spoon” means, and more TV shows streaming this month. Or, read our The Bear Season 3 recaps.