I have hopes that the pace will return to what I bought in on the show for. But even then, I'm not going to stop watching unless the writing falls off. Richie is one of my fave characters around rn, and I need to see where he ends up

It isn't a bad change per se (though I could understand how one could feel that way) end of the day, I think the season at the very least sets up a return to a break neck pace. The stability provided by Uncle Cicero is gone and they're back to fighting for survival.

In Bears, nothing really happens. But again, that is obviously intentional. This episode is a response to Fishes. Everything goes right. Relationships begin mending and it's very feel good. But nothing is really solved in anyone's life.

In S1&2, it never felt like you had time to slow down. In 3&4, it feels like they found that time. The problems the characters are facing are much larger and grander than what can be solved in one episode. You're not getting explosions of resolutions every episode.

In a way that feels like something is about to blow up at any opportunity. And when it finally does it feels like you need a nap. Meanwhile, Bears, is a similarly lengthed episode but is the exact opposite. The show is much slower now.

Fishes is a marathon sized sprint. You are never stopping and anxiety builds for an entire hour. It's the first episode that breaks from the 30 minute length, and it earns it. The episode both feels quick and slow at the same time. But it feels very intentional.

So going into Season 3, I was keeping an open mind but keep in mind that the show "feels different." And honestly, I think it's all in the pacing. I think of Season 2s episode "Fishes" and Season 4s episode "Bears" are a great comparison for this.

For my money, Season 1 and 2 of The Bear are one of the most exciting and well written seasons of television I've seen in a long time. It's insane how much they're able to jam into 30 minute episodes. It feels like you're sprinting to a finish line you don't know the location of. It's great.

I was hard stuck on season 2 for a while (I got to the fishes episode and wanted to wait for when I could put my full attention to it and just never got around to it) but in the wait I heard a lot about how the show kind of falls off. And I was really interested in how that can be.

... is something only a game can do. Or at least can only do so effectively. If you're a creative type or a competitive type, I genuinely don't think I can recommend this game enough.

It's really powerful how the game answers these questions. One thing I've praised about Davey Wreden's work in the past is how they're stories that can only be told through video games. This is no different. The way this game forces you to slow down, take your time, and accept a lack of endings ..

I see a lot of people saying this is a game about burnout. And it obviously is. But it's not JUST about burnout. It's also about accepting life, time, and change. How to feel when no matter what you do you can't take things back. And by the end, the game's answer is obvious.

It's unfinished. Not unchanged. Alta actually changed a lot, even if she and even the player might not notice. It's subtle, but the game kind of spells it out at some point. "Seeing the problem is the most important step to understanding it"

But that's obviously the point of it all. It's a tea shop in the middle of the woods, sure there are some regulars, but of course you're not going to be able to know everything about every individual character. This all builds to how Alta's story in this game ends.

The reason I'm not sure if this would be for everyone is because it's a story of vignettes. It's very rare you see a complete beginning middle and end of a character's story. Even Alta, the main character, remains incomplete by the end of the game.