#FOR SYDCARMY TRUTHERS ONLY

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

My Gingerpredictions Playlist

S4 Edition

Tracklist

Sydcarmy endgame

[iglowlilac]

oh, HOW I MISS the good old days (two days ago)

[uncriticalbunny]

truly the most damning thing about sydcarmy naysayers who "support" other sydney ships/headcanons is the utter lack of fanfction or fanedits

[whenmemorydies]

That’s something.

My only season 4 prediction for The Bear (atm) is that:

If season 4 truly is the last season of the show, the series finale is going to end with Pearl Jam’s “State of Love and Trust” playing over the final, end credits.

Aside from the song’s title being every Sydcarmy truther’s hope for our two fav Jeffs, I reckon we’ll hear the following significant lyrics at the end of the show:

And the barrel shakes aimed directly at my head

Oh, help me, help me from myself

And I listen from both sides of a friend

Nothin', I'll do this one myself

Myself, myself

Hey, hey

Hey, na-na-na-na, hey, that's something

Hey, na-na-na-na, hey, that's something

Hey, na-na-na-na, hey, that's something

Author’s note: “State of Love and Trust” was originally included on the soundtrack for Cameron Crowe’s Seattle-based grunge romantic comedy, Singles. That movie featured cameos by a number of iconic grunge acts including Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and, hilariously, members of Pearl Jam as Matt Dillon’s band, Citizen Dick. Crowe also wrote and directed Say Anything, the movie poster of which is seen hanging near the chef’s coats in episode 3x09 Apologies of The Bear.

While I highly recommend folks listen to the original “State of Love and Trust” (and indeed the entire Singles soundtrack which was amazing), feel free to enjoy this short vid of me screaming along off key to it at the 16 Nov 2024 PJ show in Naarm (Melbourne) this past weekend.

[undead-moth]

I think maybe some of the confusion, frustration, and disconnect happening in The Bear fandom over SydCarmy, from sydcarmy truthers, to SydCarmy and ex-SydCarmy shippers who don’t think it will ever be canon, and from people who are vehemently against SydCarmy and overtly annoyed anyone would ever suggest they’re romantic is this:

People are not distinguishing between in-universe and out-of-universe analysis. Or watsonian and doylist analysis respectively.

If you look within The Bear universe, if you analyze using a watsonian lens, there is very little indication that Syd and Carmy have romantic feelings for each other. At most, I would argue that there might be some indication that they’re in the very early stages of beginning to have feelings for each other, or have begun to have feelings for each other without realizing it - but it is also pretty easy to argue that they’re uninterested in each other completely if you look solely in-universe. A lot of the more meaningful moments between them, when looked at solely from an in-universe perspective, could easily be platonic as much as they could be romantic.

However, if you look outside The Bear universe, if you analyze using a doylist lens, if you pay attention to the writing decisions being made in relation to Syd and Carmy, the writing decisions which of course Syd and Carmy are oblivious to, because they do not know they are in a story and they do not know, for example, that love songs are being played over scenes with them in it, or that a heart-shaped food paired with the only fruit associated with blood is being used as a symbol and not one of life’s random coincidences, it becomes pretty obvious that Syd and Carmy are intended to be romantic and that they just haven’t reached the point in the story when that happens yet.

I’m not saying this to argue with anyone who doesn’t ship SydCarmy, or for that matter, to argue with anyone who does. People can ship or not ship whatever they want for whatever reason, regardless of whether or not the ship is or will be canon. I’m only saying this because I think the realization made something click for me. Before I was completely shocked anyone was under the impression SydCarmy wasn’t intended to be romantic, and now I think get it.

The in-universe and out-of-universe for this show are currently not on the same page when it comes to SydCarmy and even though The Bear is far from the first show to do this, I think people are thrown by The Bear more than they would be with another show because The Bear does not hold our hands the way most shows do and a lot of people who aren’t writers or literary/film critics are not used to purposefully distinguishing between watsonian and doylist analysis.

A lot of people only ever look in-universe when watching something, because that is, after all, where the story is and writing decisions are largely intended to be invisible, more felt than seen. The problem, of course, is that all writing decisions still largely contribute to the story being told, and not paying attention to them will only ever allow someone an incomplete analysis.

[rose-flavored-glasses]

I’d just like to say to the SydCarmy truthers that I only joined the bandwagon because I love a BW x WM ship 😩 I’m sorry it’s my guilty pleasure. Then I actually watched the show and fell in love. Like the lil touches, the eye contact, the table scene, the CHEF COAT. OMGGGG. Chris Storer is doing something to my mind.

[ace-of-d1am0nds]

The Bear: Color and Control

obligatory long post warning

The Bear is all about control. Who's in control; how much control does each person have over themselves, each other, and the space.

While we see it in most aspects, the one thing I think demonstrates these power struggles best is color and lighting.

I think most pieces of media are about control and I might just be a pretentious film major so call me out if I'm being incredibly wrong here. But hear me out.

White: the "peace"

I'm not a SydCarmy truther or anything but let me just say the evidence is evidencing. This is the scene in which Sydney and Carmy are testing out menu options at Carmen's apartment. The scene is washed with a striking white light because, at this moment, they have complete power over the food in front of them, the relationship between them, and the emotions they are feeling. Now I say the evidence is evidencing because I scrubbed through almost all of season 2 for this post and nearly every scene with Claire isn't lit with a white light, it's lit like most of the scenes in the show: a warm toned neutral light. But that's beside the point.

Blue: the lack

The first scene of season 2 is one of Marcus talking to his mom in a coma. He is bathed in harsh blue light because he has little to no control over his mother's health. We see the blue light over and over again across the show but this is one of the few that doesn't have that conflict in lighting. This scene is clear as day. Marcus is powerless over this situation. And he seemingly is at peace with that.

The Disruption of White: the loss

In season 2, when Carmy starts changing the menu without consulting Sydney, we see the normally intense white light of the kitchen being dulled into a colder hue. This may be a stretch but I think this is supposed to represent Sydney grasping for a share of what Carmy continually takes for himself. The warm light directly over only his head, shows how he alone feels like this is "normal". He believes that he has done no wrong. He can't see how he's hurt Sydney. Yet.

In season 3, episode 2. The through-line is the lights. The kitchen light, harsh and exacting and ever-present throughout the season and the kitchen's environment in general, is fritzing out. The only people who don't point this out are Carmen and Richie. During their argument, they are fighting and vying for control. Meanwhile, everyone else is losing said control. Everybody, repeatedly, is trying to calm them down, trying to regain a semblance of peace in the kitchen. To no avail. Until Marcus comes in, of course; the only person who seems to be content with the lack of control he has over his life.

The Split Screen: My Favorite Shots

The following gifs are courtesy of @tragicsiblings

This whole scene. This whole episode, mind you. Is about Carmen Berzatto losing control. He gets stuck in the walk-in and realizes everything he didn't consider and everything he's losing at this moment. Meanwhile, Richie is in his element. It's friends and family night. He's prowling the dining room like it's nobody's business. He trained for this. Richie is trying to exert his power over Carmen to force him to calm down. Obviously, we know this doesn't work. So Richie, because he can, goes back to work. He runs the brigade. While Carmen stays stuck. Stuck in the walk-in but more importantly stuck in his own head.

This scene, man. This scene is a montage of Carmen yelling at everybody to work faster, better, etc. Meanwhile, Richie is shown only in extreme close-ups of his eyes as he surveys the front of house. As they do, they get into an argument. This is intercut with a barrage of reviews calling the restaurant a failure. The line I want to focus on is "Richie doesn't get a hold." I'm translating this to mean "Richie's not in charge here, I am." But this shot. Richie and Carmen make eye contact through the glass of the window into the kitchen. The line down the middle and the triangles mimicking the glass on the wall show their distance. This moment, among others, is why the front and back of house are, as Richie likes to point out, dysregulated. It's because their two leads are at odds with each other.

Carmen will never give any of his power or control over to any of his partners, whether it be the menu to Sydney, the finances to Nat, or even a stake in the business at all to Richie. Carmen Berzatto, at his core, needs to be in control.

[under-the-table-podcast]

Sydcarmy FF readers & writers unite!

If you wanna participate in the Sydcarmy Under The Table podcast new Open Mic episode as a FF writer or reader, please let us know, we will make sure to accommodate you. We wanna hear your voices, readers matter too! You are a crucial part of FF and one of the most valuable assest in our beloved SydcarARMY fandom. Join us!

Let’s do this, chefs!

Sydcarmy truthers ONLY!

[yangsharperavery]

I have SO MANY THOUGHTS on the sydcarmy of s2. Like our stocks have never been lower but they’ve also never been higher! I feel like this szn was really explicit and hashed out their relationship/twin flame vibes. Like even romantic potential aside, syd is the only one who is as much of a nerd about this stuff as carmy is. It’s giving soulmatism…..

absolutely. i know there’s a few sydcarmy shippers that are unhappy and i completely get where they’re coming from but to me, their moments solidified their slow burn, soul tie bond even more than anything in s1.

carmy being irresponsible and reckless with his focus and attention in favor of his time spent with his high school crush was the entire point of what led up to him getting stuck in the fridge and essentially missing the ENTIRE first night of his namesake restaurant.

that’s NO small thing.

the heavy handedness of that romance was sooo purposeful and an outright 180 in favor of a huge narrative/arc point for a character who is still deeply fragile, traumatized and riddled with grief.

i would have LOVED more collaborative scenes with the two of them (with the entire cast really) but that would have completely defeated the point that was driven home while he was locked in that freezer.

literally the consequences of his own actions marring him both personally and professionally.

i do wish sydney would have tore into him a bit more about being absent.

like you can have a gf after we fucking open this thing, be serious for a second.

but so much of the languaging of the dialogue they did have was sooooo perfect.

sydney actually feeling so doubtful and scared that she’d tell him “you could do this without me.”

like sis CLEARLY not because he’s running around like a lovestruck teenager and she quite literally did it WITHOUT him.

and him verbalizing that he not only couldn’t do it without her but he wouldn’t want to?!?!????????

i’m sorry what?

all he’s known and done and focused on was being good at this one particular thing for the majority of his life but he wouldn’t want it without HER?!?!?

i’m sorry that’s more of a love and soul declaration than him actually saying he loved some girl from gradeschool that JUST popped back into his life.

his gift to her????????

even the same ways they juxtaposed claire and sydney in the story were SO deliberate.

it was always sydney as a point of entry for the restaurant and his lack of focus and attention to detail.

her reactions? the thinly veiled, light jealousy.

the “who’s claire?” to sugar.

why even include ANY of that if not to drive home the point there is a SPECIFIC undercurrent between sydney and carmy?

and them dating or fucking or loving other people isn’t actually going to erase that.

i’m a sydney and carmy truther for life. this season only strengthened that fact.

[glitterdustcyclops]

i feel like the only person who actually liked the bear season 3

liiike i know that's not true, that the negative stuff is what gets the most attention and "perfect show SUCKS NOW" is a more compelling narrative so of course news outlets would push that for clicks but still

i do agree that it maybe lost some of the magic of season 2, but i also think this season had some truly great moments as well. the first episode is a masterwork in purely visual storytelling, i love the way it uses the language of cinema to show someone who has fallen into a dissociative state and is kind of just zombie walking through their life after experiencing a pretty major trauma

also also, this might be my hottest take, but i actually don't hate claire at all? (and extra hot take, from what i can tell most of the people who are loudly anti-claire are sydcarmy truthers and those people are fucking obnoxious so i don't actually care what they think)

anyway, debra + sugar's ep absolutely destroyed me, tina's ep was EVERYTHING, my one biggest critique is there were not nearly enough Marcus Moments™️ and i actually cannot wait to see where we go next

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

Syd is the pattern breaker

Which is great news in terms of Sydcarmy ENDGAME.

It's not like we all, Sydcarmy truthers, haven't seen that one coming. Of course, we have always known this lady came to turn it all around in Carmy's world from the very get-go, it was always painfully obvious.

BUT

Here is another pattern that she has come to erase from the life of Carmy (and the show)

(He's fighting it like a champ, I must say)

Storer likes strong women who take charge and take the initiative to go after the men they love so the man doesn’t have to (in fiction, IDK about his real life). The guy is the one who gets to decide whether he accepts her advances or innuendos and responds to them, but he doesn’t really take the first step; she does.

Refer to my napkins theory (handkerchief section) please.

Exhibit A: Jess

Jess made it clear she was into Richie in 2x7. Also, at Syd's party. She is up for it and made it clear, even when Richie has not picked up her handkerchief yet.

I don't know about Tiff, nor do I care

Exhibit B: The C person

He created the C person and I will not elaborate on that one. Fuck her!

Exhibit C: Sugar

He created Sugar who is clearly the one who wears the pants in the relationship, and taking into account Pete’s personality, was probably the one who was all over him from day 1, and he was just like: “Yeah Nat, whatever you say, you’re so great, ILY.”

Exhibit D: Tina

He created Tina, same energy as Nat but her husband is no Pete, so I’m not sure about how her relationship with her husband began, I can only safely assume she always speaks her mind. So I’m sure she was open about her feelings when she met her husband, no riddles.

Exhibit E: Donna

He created Donna and same, there’s no version of the story where Donna was ever shy or quiet and not open, if not too open, about her feelings when she met Carmy’s dad (like you know who: the C person) and that’s probably why they got together to begin with and also one of the reasons why he left her eventually. She’s overwhelmingly vocal about how she feels for ppl because the excessive booze removes any social boundaries and barriers and she’s always ready to shout it in everyone’s face. That’s changing though. But that's how she was written into existence by Storer, to begin with.

The game changer → Sydney Adamu

So, that takes us to Syd who never openly flirted with Carmy, unless we count Pasta 2x2 (which I don’t).

And never really read the awkward signs he was trying to give her (which I hate but totally understand because they are business partners and she's a professional).

And so… we have a pattern breaker here. That in Storer’s book means MEAT.

We've reached the meat of the matter, chefs! YAY!

So, there are about a zillion foreshadowing leads we could analyze of how that game change in terms of the female role in the courtship dynamic will play out SOON, Storer wasn't precisely slick throughout the series, but the most obvious and recent one was brought to us hidden in plain sight, in S3 -3x5- and I already went over it here (my own RB notes from 7/27):

The point is that as the post it says: "ALL QUESTIONS ASK SYDNEY!"

That means that dynamic will have to be reversed for Sydcarmy to happen, CARMY WILL HAVE TO POP THE QUESTION. LOL!

No, not that question. Well... maybe eventually, but I'm actually talking about the CONFESSION and asking her out, asking her out on a date or something and I don't mean a symbolic date like the fucking funeral he completely ignored her at and where he then ditched her too. I'm talking about really and openly telling her how he feels for her, and exposing himself to her rejection. Not the other way around.

She has to enable this, of course, so in a sense, she will have to break her patterns for Carmy too, because love is an act of mirroring, as we all know by now.

But it´s Carmy who will have to grow a pair and put into words what has remained unspoken between them and is starting to decay inside -and it's ruining their whole relationship-. He will have to turn the dynamic around and take the role that Storer usually puts "strong women" in, and open up and go after who he wants. He will have to be the strong one and say it out loud. ASK ALL THE QUESTIONS because Syd has all the answers and her answers are the game changers of the show.

I wish it went like this (let's imagine Tanner is either Shapiro or Luca):

Fun fact: Demian Lewis said that he characterized Bobby Axelrod by playing him like a wild animal, tapping into that energy and bringing in it on set every day to play his scenes. He didn't say the beast was a bear though.

Bonus track: Ayo Edebiri. Ayo´s pattern is to be the pattern breaker of the plot. The → plot twist.

Ayo always plays the game-changer character. In Omni Loop, she did too, I'm sure her next movie with Luca Guadagnino will be the same thing. She is drawn to that type of characters and plays them beautifully.

Remember to follow my tag #Gingerpovs💋

[gallners]

I didn't like Syd and Carmy's relationship this season felt ooc imo

i know what you mean and even though i didn't like seeing them at such odds i do think it makes sense and isn't just totally out of nowhere.

i think we've seen moments throughout s1&2 where syd and carmy have this tension and i feel like it comes from carmy wanting syd to be his partner in the restaurant but not actually treating her like she is by making decisions without her like gutting the restaurant, running the menu by claire instead of her etc. and when he bailed on her for the tasting tour to be with claire every single person she spoke to emphasised how important it is to have a partner you can trust and i don't think syd can trust carmy, at least not completely.

and we're seeing this more in s3, he's not really taking any of syd's suggestions on board and he's doing everything his own way (or more like chef davids way) and he's creating the same toxic environment he blames for his anxiety and panic attacks. like we had the parallel between carmy's panic attack and he was only able to calm down when he thought of sydney vs sydney thinking of carmy and this causing her panic attack.

carmy is still stuck in his trauma and he needs to find a way to break the cycle but it's probably going to get worse before it gets better. i think the restaurant getting a bad review or sydney leaving to work for the other restaurant could be the thing that makes him realise he needs to change his behaviour but i guess we will have to wait for s4 to see!! but i'm a sydcarmy truther and despite everything i still think at the core they are two people who care about each other a lot and we still got a few moments where that came through!!

[uncriticalbunny]

thoughts on season 3. my first and last probably. spoilers ahead.

my least favorite season by far. first things first, there was way too much screen time devoted to the faks. literally unbearable. i was bored a lot of the time and after a certain point, i was watching just to get to the finish line. the episode ayo directed was far and above the best of the season. getting tina's backstory was wonderful. i really hope ayo gets to direct more, and that her, liza colon-zayas, and catherine schetina get some recognition for it.

this season was definitely a win for the "carmy doesn't deserve sydney" camp. after season 3, i really think the chances of sydcarmy happening has decreased heavily, and i'm not even sure i want it to at this point. which was probably the point. storer won *slow claps.* only in that regard though. season 3 has absolutely none of the magic of season 1. i don't think season 2 had it either if we're being honest, only a few moments here and there, but it was still a way better season with tighter writing and a more cohesive story. i wasn't all that optimistic about sydcarmy either way due to all the interview comments from the writers, showrunners, actors, etc. sorry to the sydcarmy peeps. the racists and platonic truthers are truly getting some undeserved vindication this season, and i hate to see it.

it was tough to see carmy continue being an asshole to everyone, but sydney especially. it was upsetting to see her so... diminished. she took a backseat to carmy's ego trip in the kitchen, publicly, and narratively. no recognition for all that she contributed to the restaurant. there was no partnership this season. no meaningful apologies to her from carmy. not to mention the racial implications of his behavior and him getting all the shine. i don't care about her being carmy's "calm" and i sure as fuck did not care for all the scenes juxtaposing her with claire [again]. her conflict of staying vs leaving the bear made a lot of sense and felt forced at the same time considering the 'ever' guy barely acknowledged her contribution when they first bumped into each other. throughout the series, she's been brilliant. the bear literally would not exist without her. and yet it still feels like she's had barely any wins in 3 seasons of this show. i feel like we barely saw her this season. she hardly exists outside of the restaurant.

and there's still zero romance for her character. there are no romantic displays of affection from her or towards her in 3 seasons, sans a botched attempt to ask her out on a date. all the white characters got their romantic displays though. we can always count on that. this season was a slog to get through and now i just feel tired. and also sad for my favorite character sydney adamu.

[lynxiepancakes]

also so pissed off at storer because he tried SO HARD to remove any hope from sydcarmy truthers only to give us a fucking heart shaped meal from carmy to syd and for it to be the best meal she ever had im so gonna set his car on fire in a min /j for legal reasons

AYO EDEBIRI as SYDNEY ADAMU 3.01: Tomorrow

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

What Carmy wants

IMPO it's pretty obvious that what he wants is Reparation by Opposition.

In Psychogenealogy and Transgenerational Therapy this means that when you come from a family that was the source of trauma, your responses can only be 3 potential ones: Repetition → status quo that only serves to perpetuate the trauma, Opposition → breaking the cycle but in spite, not as a reparation but as defiance, again: trauma response, OR REPARATION BY OPPOSITION → the only response that includes real healing and liberation from that trauma, which entails not perpetuating the toxic cycle, not acting in spite and just to challenge the status quo to prove "them" wrong or that they don't own us, etc. It's the only mature and healthy response, although the other two do not necessarily imply a conscious conflict. Some people can lead a seemingly "conflict-free" life even when perpetuating the status quo or opposing to it in an act of vengeance, like our case study here:

He wants his legacy to be all he never had growing up:

A panic-less environment.

Anxiety-free.

Be square with everything and everybody.

To make it good, he'd have to filter out the bad.

I already went over this in terms of the show in general because I firmly believe those lines are nothing but a huge foreshadowing of the show's whole arc, and as usual, Storer hid it in plain sight:

That is why MEAT was in the background, in the frame, in the center, because what Carmy was saying was the whole "meat" of the show:

However, as for Carmy, individually speaking, those lines are ANOTHER PIECE OF HARD EVIDENCE, we, Sydcarmy truthers can and should hold onto and go by, to back up our SYDCARMY ENDGAME claims and wishes. We are not delulu. Well, not because of believing in Sydcarmy endgame anyway...

There is no way on Earth Carmy can achieve all that with the C person. Someone who represents his past and triggers his trauma to the point of causing panic attacks, someone who he associates with the "old Carmy" he wants to outgrow to get to where he wants to be and spend the rest of his life in (his purpose). Of course, she represents the status quo for him, the literal girl next door who is totally familiar with his past family trauma and all the things he wants to leave behind. She is what his toxic family wanted for him. She is in no way, shape or form a symbol of progress or healing, you can read about that in pretty much ALL my C Person meta, here ↓

The only character on the whole show that represents change, evolution, growth, and progress, is:

Every one of Carmy's breakthroughs, had her presence in them, in one way or another.

He started turning The Beef around when she came along, even when everyone was still opposing his leadership because he wasn't alone anymore:

He accepted his shortcomings and vowed to change:

He shared his dream with her because he trusted her fully, even when he had only met her for a few months at that point (he didn't even trust C with his right number even after knowing her for years)

He shared her dream:

He put everything in her hands and then couldn't live with the guilt of having let her down, which triggered ALL HIS DEMONS.

She was also there when he gathered the strength to confront his abuser:

Summing up, the only one who can bring out this Carmy we all want, including himself, is Sydney and he already knows that, he told her:

Bonus track: What Syd always wanted and still does is this ↓

The great news is that what Syd and Carmy want are FULLY COMPATIBLE things.

which is the key to any healthy and lasting relationship love story. Not wanting the same things, none of us want the same things as our partners at all times, it's impossible and or childish because we are dynamic beings and individuals, and any relationship that annuls or censors our individuality can't or shouldn't last. Now, finding someone with whom you can be yourself, NOT LOGAN:

Being accepted by them and at the same time inspired and driven to change for the better, as opposed to remaining stuck in the past, THAT IS LOVE and that is at the very least PROMISING. A relationship based on that and on trust can only be a good one, no matter how toxic or hard it gets at times, as most relationships at some point do or might because that means that all the tools to "fix" it, are there, at hand.

Remember to follow my tag #Gingerpovs 💋

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

My Sydcarmy truther origin story

GIF by @volvaaslaug

Braciole's "Family style. Two tops, booths. Danish design. Tasting menu at the bar. Window on the side. For sandwiches. Yeah," and the silent dialogue they had right before that and all along, as they were delivering those lines.

Only a guy in love says "I'm sorry" like that.

And only a woman who loves him too comes back after the Reviewgate and says "I forgive you" like that.

I had no idea I was watching a love story before that moment.

I shared this in the Sydcarmy Community already, which you can join here if you want, but I also thought about sharing it here on my blog.

Shoutout to @tvgremlin for prompting this to begin with.