#also like who even think sydcarmy would be her fixing him??!!

[lazyspeedy]

“sydney is too good for carmy” “sydney shouldn’t have to fix him” listen listen, if sydney wants her sad little white boy, she will have him

[thoughtfulchaos773]

All About The Vibes

Richie always has a very knowing, keen eye—a sixth sense. Like speaking into existence with a simple don't blow a fuse—this is the start of Richie and his relationship with vibes and lighting.

If Richie didn't turn on the lighting in 1x05 and sent out the vibes, we wouldn't have gotten this Sydcarmy moment:

Richie also has a thing with walls (patching up walls with posters, chalking walls, breaking walls, and ceilings). He wants to keep the walls up from the old restaurant, but they're crashing down.

He's mainly helping sydcarmy with the current- creating the right atmosphere for them. In 2x05- even with Claire there, Richie is desperate to stay to make more amperage- more electrical current to flow through the bear. He's unknowingly looking out for Sydney and Carmy and is even taken aback. He looks at Sydney, rolling her eyes as Carmy wraps up the night.

The fixing up of Claire and Carmy goes to Fak, who's waiting on the roof for his tools and creates the right atmosphere for Claire and Carmy to happen. His vibe is more of an 80s romcom.

Richie roots for Carmy and Claire but it's for the benefit of knowing about Tiffany and Frank- and although Richie is happy to hear that carmy has a girlfriend in 2x08, he asks Carmy to stay a bit longer- to delay the call with Claire and focus on creating the right environment. Had Carmy stayed longer- he probably would have been closing the bear that night and spent more time with Sydney.

Richie is still happy for Carmy and even puts a heavy hand in directing Claire and Carmy at the end of season 2, but it backfires. Now, in season 3, Richie takes a step back, and who does he let take over the direction?

Check out the conversation in 3x05 "Children," where we spend too long on the Faks arguing in the background as Richie talks to the photographer. This is the only time he takes back the director and fixer of vibes this season. The photographer says the light is too hot- the password is iridescent (maybe iridescent lighting for the perfect Bear Vibe?)- and Richie directs Fak to get out of the lighting.

I do wonder Richie's perfect vibes? To get the Faks out of the way, sorta like Sydney and Fak feeding Fak to dismiss him.

I always wondered why 2x07 Forks wasn't so similar to 3x07 Legacy. But it is—they're Richie episodes. Richie is watching Carmy but taking the director's approach of letting the actors do their own work and watching the magic happen.

He can write notes- what he thinks should be the vibe but he's going to let carmy write in his own destiny.

For carmy, his perfect vibe setting with Sydney- natural lighting, flowers, enough bright living so he can stare at Sydney for as long as he needs, because true intimacy for Carmy is just staring at a woman.

My theory is that Sydney will be the vibe setter for season 4. She tells Carmy that her dad being off with her is like a vibe, and she's spot on that Emmanuel wished she was doing something else. In season 3, she asks Shapiro what the vibe is if she takes the position at his restaurant, and he tells her whatever she wants it to be —foreshadowing season 4. Because Carmy's vibe, if he could have it, is Sydney being the ship's captain.

Richie, we appreciate you, but it's Sydneys turn to put out the vibes.

Tagging: @currymanganese @ambeauty @mitocamdria @whenmemorydies @turbulenthandholding @vacationship @brokenwinebox @outmakingmoonshine @fresaton

There's meta on Richie being the director I'll add in the replies

[chefkids]

Realistically, what are you thinking is the cause/ what’s gonna happen as a result of the Sydcarmy alleyway fight?

it’s the only thing keeping me sane for S4 at this point!

Syd had basically given up on fighting with Carmy in season 3, because she was giving up on him/the bear. If they are back to fighting and yelling at each other I think that's honestly a healthy sign that she wants to make it work with him at The Bear and doesn’t quit.

Because otherwise she would have just backed out and left quietly without a fight like she was about to do when she was trying to tell him about Shapiro's offer.

We don't know what exactly they are fighting about. We just know Richie and Marcus will also be there at some point. And that she's wearing her muse bandana from her first day and when she made The Dish. Could be about the menu, could be about Shapiro's offer, could be about him seeing Claire again, could be about Sydney and Luca, could be about the Michelin stars. Who knows. I think it will most likely be about something similar to what his fight with Claire is going to be.

The whole Claire slump he's been in is about to burst and that will inevitably bring back up his feelings about Syd again like it did with the panic attack.

In his fight with Claire she accused him of lying to her and doing something and he swears up and down that he didn’t do it then apologizes. So maybe Carmy was lying to both Claire and Sydney about the same something. Which would make sense cause he has been keeping his actual feelings about both of them to himself. 

Richie and Carmy will likely make up at some point before the Claire Carmy fight cause he’s supposed to be there. Richie has kind of been working against Syd and Carmy but not really on purpose.

He had pushed him to be with Claire in the Fishes flashback, but he actually never pushed Carmy to be with Claire once Syd was in the picture. He said it was interesting that he was hanging out with Claire but only pushed him to see her at friends and family once he had already told him she was his gf.

I think before Carmy and Richie make up he is going to fuck with the sydcarmy by pushing her towards Luca like his little evil notebook suggested.

Carmy has still yet to realize that everyone wants Sydney. He doesn't know Marcus asked her out, he doesn't know Shapiro is trying to poach her, he doesn't know Luca was flirting with her. That's all on purpose. He's going to find out eventually and maybe that will freak him out and make him jealous/upset/angry that she was keeping all of this from him.

I think once Richie realizes Syd might leave, he’ll try and fix Syd and Carmy’s dynamic because he knows if she leaves that place is going under.

On the other hand Marcus has invested so much into The Bear. He wants it to work probably even more than Syd and Carmy do at this point. He knows they need to stay together for it to work and they need to fix things.

He's always kind of been at the periphery of their relationship but never really noticed them (clearly). The whole new menu suggestion back in season one he was right there but he didn't notice them getting close. Then Sydney told him about Carmy making her the best meal ever. The whole Claire is his girlfriend or friend that's a girl where Sydney was jealous he didn't really clock it. He was there with the whole you look nice moment but didn’t seem to notice it as something more between them. I feel like once he realizes what's up with them he's going to push for them to fix things.

I think Marcus is going to try and get mom and dad back together. And if his violet dessert is any indication of it, it might work.

I think the sydcarmy fight will be after the Claire fight and be the main incident that will lead to him being actually being honest with himself and Sydney as to why he is doing all of this and how much she means to him.

[yannaryartside]

WE NEED 5 SEASONS

Okay I need to vent a little. Please indulge me

This is for this article that says the 5th season is up to Storer.

Storer said they filmed most of season 4, and some things still need to be filmed. So we will have s4 next summer, and we don't know if there will be a 5th one.

I could put my hand on fire to my belief that we will have 5 seasons. Mostly, because regardless of the importance of showing “being trapped in negative patterns” that was s3 for multiple characters, is not gonna be a satisfying conclusion if all those patterns are resolved in one season.

Realistically, i would not make sense.

Even if you think Claire is Carmy’s salvation, this graceful, perfect angel that came to serve Carmy’s redemption, and when they get together, everything will be fine (that narrative sucks ass, by the way, is perpetually insulting to everyone that had ever had a mental illness to suggest them they only need to fall on the hands of someone that ignores all their defects and are determined to please them). You could believe this is all about self-sabotage, and Carmy will wake up next season, apologize to Claire, save the restaurant by ex-maquina magic, and get his happy ending. Yeah, that will be 4 seasons of a conclusive story and an objectively terrible narrative. It is also very insulting to every person who has a romantic partner who struggles with addiction and/or mental illness to tell them they need to be this fairy tale of a person who is Claire to bring "peace" to their partner and basically solve their life. Fuck that. I refuse to believe they are doing that on purpose.

But if they put the “sleigh of hand” and Carmy has to realize that his emotional dependence on Claire is toxic and only contributed to his depression and disassociation, since you spent all S3 pulling him in that direction, making him believe that is what he wanted/needed, you are going to need a whole season for him even to “scape the illusion.” All of this will align with the Bear having to close, Syd potentially leaving, and starting dating Luca. So, S4 is going to be the “wake-up call.”

S5 should be the season of creating new patterns. Carmy will get into therapy. Syd will come back. The two will create new recipes and work on the menu (collaboration, vulnerability). They will realize they have true feelings for one another. Each character will move towards the place they are gonna end up with.

If you created a whole season about "being in the freeze response" and another two previous seasons of extending trauma and bad coping mechanisms, you are gonna need more than one season to fix that; mental wellness is not like that; it should be treated like something that requires more time combined with efforts.

Not to mention, if SydCarmy is indeed happening, you have spent 3 fucking seasons creating distance between them. I also feel like so much of Sydney's life (to her and to us) is trapped around Carmy's issues, and it actually would make more sense for her to realize being with Carmy is too taxing for her, regardless if she had the most realistic tools to actually help him to grow.

You also had not given Sydney a proper arc to grow from her insecurities and follow her dreams. She still seems to be as insecure of her own skills as when she came in, because Carmy insist on creating a menu based on his trauma. Regardless of his good intentions and the beauty of their connection, she will leave the "bear narrative" as if Carmy is the closest thing she had to a chef David, as if Carmy was the monster she needed to endure to "grow" or "decide better." Fuck that.

[nyikondlovu]

Chefs Kiss (Sydcarmy) fans stay with me, Chefs!

I’m not taking anything Ayo, Jeremy and Christopher say against sydcarmy, aka Chefs Kiss, seriously.

They purposefully kept Carmen and Sydney as separate as possible this season, which is a big mistake in my opinion.

The show is about the characters and their relationships with each other. Food is a part of it, but it’s mostly the relationship each character has with one another that makes the show.

The writers trying to dispel the rumours by keeping what I would call our male and female leads apart is nuts because Jeremy and Ayo play so well off of each other but by separating them Jeremy gave his weakest acting (which is still very good) during Carmy/Claire scenes?

They keep saying The Bear doesn’t need romance then give Carmen a whole relationship that was so boring to watch for like 7 episodes and felt like watching paint dry because Claire isn’t engaging.

I’m expected to care about her, what she supposedly means to Carmen and hear about how great she is but don’t get to see it? She’s an ER resident for gods sake and she’s running around town giggling every 5 minutes without a semblance of the hard work and exhaustion that comes with being a doctor.

And for the reason stated above, I believe she’s a manic pixie dream girl. She’s there to change Carmen’s view on life, be different and quirky and the one who got away when in reality Carmy forgot who she was and had to be reminded which took him a whole 5 seconds to remember the supposed love of his life, purposefully gives her the wrong number and she says “You’re the Bear, of course I remember.”

No one was gonna take her seriously as the person to keep up with Carmy and help keep him sane.

Meanwhile Sydney does. She anchors him, she keeps up with him and she calls him out on his shit. Sydney isn’t perfect. She’s terrible at stating what she needs at that moment, she slightly short tempered and she is passive aggressive.

She also is working on her impatience and passive aggression. She eventually tells Carmy she needs his attention as her partner. She speaks up for herself to her dad and she’s not letting her ambition be treated like a bad thing anymore.

Carmen and Sydney would make sense because they are flawed. Carmy stops going to group therapy as soon as he starts dating Claire because she’s ‘fixed’ him and they don’t work because of that.

Sydney has ‘levelled up’ in her professional life, she’s more assertive and willing to listen and has just grown as a person and that type of continuous strive for self growth is what Carmen needs to see in order to do the same HIMSELF.

Sydney isn’t there to fix Carmy, she’s someone who he can grow alongside.

Claire was used as a kids bandaid to a gaping wound; the wound being Michael. Claire represents a life where Mikey was alive and Carm’s fucked up family was as whole and happy as it’s gonna be. She represents the past and everyone PUSHED him to want to date her in the past.

There is too much between our two chefs for simply business partners:

S1 shows Carmen scrubbing the floor of the restaurant when in turmoil while Sydney does the same in S2;

She’s spliced into the montage of Carmy and Claire as though she’s a silent part of their relationship;

She has the three dagger heart tattoo which typically represents romantic heartbreak and turbulence;

Carmen remembers her interest in his whites from three months prior even though she didn’t say anything and gets her her own custom whites;

The imagery from their conversation under the table? Him asking her to screw the other side and “say more, please” as he holds up the table (and Sydney) while she finally shares her fears;

“You’re not alone.” “Neither are you.”;

The memories of Sydney being what calms him from his panic attack;

During said panic attack, the song that was Claire and Carmen’s plays in reverse and any flashes of her are accompanied by memories of his dysfunctional family while the moment he thinks of Sydney? The song starts playing correctly. He calms and flashes of his family (and Claire) disappear;

Them constantly cooling an argument with the ‘I’m sorry’ gesture;

Him constantly being in tune with her emotions and body language.

Sydney represents a new beginning. The chance to build a healthy family with the staff of The Bear, Sydney, Natalie and Richie. She represents a future. She represents good change.

I’m fully convinced Ayo and Jeremy are just doing what all actors do with a ship that’s not yet canon: downplaying or dismissing it.

C’mon if you’ve been in The High School Musical The Musical The Series fandom and shipped Rina from the beginning, you know how it feels to be persecuted and gaslit by other fans and the actors for seasons.

TL:DR, Chefs Kiss is literally a super slow burn and no one of the team will confirm it until it actually happens.

Also, never let your girlfriend (Claire) stop you (Carmen) from opening a restaurant with the love of your life (Sydney)

And if you think they should “stay platonic”, ask yourself WHY every swirl ship with a white male lead and black female is hated by fandoms and the argument is “they’re best friends” or “they’re like siblings”. WHY can’t black women be desired? Because you can’t self insert? Check yourself before claiming a character who was so underwhelming I skipped so many scenes is a better match than the character who has seen him at his worst and told him he cannot and will not talk to her like that. The first person he thought to open a restaurant, that means so much to him, with

[freedelusionshere]

Sydcarmy thoughts for S4

I feel like Carmy is competitive with Syd and in S3 has been treating her the way Chef David treated him at Empire, which, the added twist of him going off-menu and doing it his way and floating Syd's boat with that hamachi blood orange dish is foreshadowing that she in turn inspired him to break from his past.

Think about Carmy confronting Chef David in the S3 finale, something he never dared would have done when he worked under him. Contrasted with Syd who was fangirling Carmy when she showed up at The Bear, and not soon after is telling him to his face that he's an excellent chef, but also a POS, LOL. Foreshadowing Carmy having the courage to confront Chef David?

The show has also hinted several times that Empire is no longer as respected/revered as it once was. Luca corrects Carmy and says it "was the best restaurant" at the Ever funeral. Syd also talks about it in past tense. Which is the restaurant game, anyway. But Carmy needs Syd to push him. He's already admitted this. His menu in S3 is a rehash of techniques he learned at Empire, without the heart (which he shut out).

The star is Syd's idea and was a compromise he made and tells her she has to be prepared to give everything, but he checks out with Claire. Carmy has never achieved a star on his own, only retained one. Even when he shuts himself in the walk-in because he was practically MIA at the restaurant, Syd (with Richie's help) finishes service without him to great success. He knows he is not needed (shades of his mother Donna in Fishes). The most positive review The Bear received was for Syd's dish that she gave away, his food in S3 is poorly reviewed. He knows time is running out for Syd to stick around and for him to have something he can give her to convince her to stay. And then Cicero pulls the financial rug out from under him. He's fucked!

Meanwhile, in the background this entire time, you have Syd's trust issues, her stuff with Sheridan Road, her protective father questioning if HE can be trusted in S2 Pasta (before Carmy gives her an agreement to sign. So, who is the he? Is it Carmy? Because she mentions Nat and Carmy to her dad in that convo). Does her dad know about her feelings about Carmen? He even tells a story earlier in same episode about how when he liked her mom, but it wasn't serious yet, and they were out driving, he got a flat tire and then did a bunch of posturing because he didn't want to admit he didn't know how to fix it, when her mom just finally got out of the car and fixed the damn tire herself. Sound familiar? Sydney has been questioning if Carmy is trustworthy since S1 and it all comes to a head in S3 and started to pull back from their friendship.

Obviously, the way for Carmy to help her break from her past is by proving that he can be a good partner, which I think S4 will focus on, but put the emphasis on Syd and what she is really after. Carmy learning to be the peace, not expect someone else to be that for him (like yes, please, he needs to be Syd's peace for a change LOL). And hopefully finally getting some more fucking Syd backstory about Sheridan Road, her relationship with her mother, about her having to come up with her own menu for Chef Adam's whatever, having to decide if she still loves this, if cooking matters for her, where she is going to get her inspiration from. Will Syd, in a potential role at a new restaurant with strangers, be tempted to use the lessons Dark Sided Carmy from Empire taught her in order to feel in control and believe that is how you get that star?

It would be so rewarding to see Carmy finally humble himself and take the path Luca did and realize he has so much to learn from Syd and to stop trying to be whatever fucked-up version of "the best" is that exists in his head from his time at Empire.

[imliterallyjustablackgirl]

Prowitch' is also right tho, if the time is correct, then theses people don't even know the version of Syd we know, it would be Sher- other jobs - Beef? More like : Other jobs - Sherid- Beef. Carm's side of Syd's mistake is SO fascinating: Another proof of Carmen's ego getting in his own way @rainabi-blog is absolutely right, Carmen could have just canceled the orders. If you have worked in a kitchen, comes to a point where you have to be like, yeah, no: that's too much. I strongly think there's a part of him who went on action immediately, but almost as weird inconscient excuse to be like look ; (1) what you did. ( it wasn't ready) and (2) you made me do (yelling and all) Follow me here * drag y'all with me* The orders came in early, it's already a rush they most likely couldn't or wouldn't be able to catch on, NORMALLY. That mistake was made by Syd, Syd who like @prowitchazel said views Carmy as an equal and wants to fix it TOGETHER - Carm I M M E D I A T L Y went bezerk - and tried to fix it on his own. To fix ''HER'' mistake on his own, she didn't have to the room to say two things - We can hear her say ''OK-'' before she tried to fix things. She showed initiative. Which he shot down. (Mind you, how interesting that the Bear fandom are so crude with Syd's mistake but everytime there's an edit of Carm, it is the exact moment he yells at her they take- not even food for thought- that's a breadcrumb) Carmy's mistake isn't brought up at all. Even him apologyzing to her, isn't brought up except from Sydcarmies - Most of them even wonder why he apologized.

There's such a patronizing aspect to it, because it's not as if she didn't try, to fix it. It's the fact he immediately went - Yup. Syd. That's on you. It wasn't just him being her boss. His ego was wounded because this gorgeous girl (someone insert his chest puffing here) , came in here and now she changed everything and she came with his title on the tips of her lips - mind you he HATES his title but my God was he blushing when she said '' You are the most excellent CDC''. Oh by the way, how fucking ironic, like that's legit what Richie was blaming him of doing - Carmy changed the Beef meal for sandwiches, came with his ''Yes chef'', hum- fine-dining talk- new menu...Carm baby. I think there's a part of him that felt betrayed by that, like he got smitten quickly and he reproaches himself for not viewing Syd as an opponent stepping in his kitchen (Norma part of him) and got somewhat relieved that he got someone to share the vision with ( Carmy from the Beef days). Syd holds the same standards he does- She answers to yes chef, she understands why they need to do things the way they do, so I think he took this one on the chin. He wants to lowkey show her she wasn't ready. Despite her being overqualified for the job, mind you. That's why she even go to ask ''' what does it with any of this'' when is literally looking at orders to immediately fix her mistake. Why, keep up with the obvious chaos. Like boy- Tug on the electronic cord- What was he trying to do... Was he trying to live up to Syd's meal- Syd's meal that ''wasn't'' ready yet got praised over the sandwich HE started with. Was there bitterness there? I feel like maybe because he still wanted her there because he didn't think she would walk out, he thought he could throw that at her and she would catch on. Because if it's ego matter, then Carmy wasn't just another yelling chef in their world right, he was also a jealous chef and a petty chef. That's why I think she walked out. Carmy making it about her dish, in a mistake that didn't have anything to do with it....Tsk tsk tsk. Carmy could change the Beef but the Bear he wants would have involved Sydney for sure. I think that's why he says he ''couldn't do it without her'', because quite frankly he was aiming at making his brother's restaurant better, never the dream he had with his brother to be true. When he comes back in town we visibly can see that he is corned into the person he was before, a mix of his trauma in NORMA and his family trauma- all in one.

That's why is apology has ( it lacked acid- I still want to teach you, I still want to do this with you) so shoved it up your ass (too funny not to add) . He's like maybe I can be the person you admire, one last time. So, yes, ABSOLUTLYYY, I always read it as I came here with the hope of making impactful change WITH YOU and Carm's ego wasn't part of it for sure, because then she could have done it with any other chef. She admires Carmen's craft and has followed him. Seeing him there must have felt like faith for her. *finally drop y'all to the floor* Sorry for making u follow me

Syd's mistake

Use this post as what are your theories on what happened with the ticket machine before Syd walked out. I've seen I think @unladyboss said that Gary might have messed with it, which I believe, but I'm still torn. 'Cause what happened for real, my poor girl was running around trying to fix her mistake, just to be yelled at again. That's what I say when I say I want Syd to be able to do mistakes and to grow, Richie being a dick didn't turn people away but her mistake did, so many people use that to explain why they dislike her. Despite us knowing Carmy almost burned down the restaurant. Despite knowing Richie has been a d.

THE PART I WANNA GET AT, THAT has been HAUNTING ME: When Syd says: '' This isn't on me'' I think, the mistake might have been hers but what she meant is your behavior did this. He'' I told you it wasn't ready'' and both of his frustrations collided, his frustration with Syd and her mistake overflowing with his own feelings and ego. Sometimes I think, about perfection and what it means to Carmy and how it's almost an admission he wanted that for Syd or with Syd. He wanted to teach her more and thought maybe she was being too green too quick, which would have been good advice from a boss-employ stand, right. To tell her to slow down, to take her time but the truth is that Carm didn't either? Someone in here said their friends were chefs and that Carm must have trusted her to let her cook for all of them on her first day, she wasn't hired yet, I think. So, it's kind of funny to see the thing that was told about Syd right being impatient and if I recall green(?) When you think about it, she wanted to make the Beef better then Carmy legit asked to open a restaurant with her so who's really eager here, Carm. Like, he wants her to perfect herself yet, I keep thinking about the post ( I forgot who, sorry but @ them) That Carmen used to view anyone new as competition, so maybe it's me but there's something to be told that even in the mix of all of this there's a part of him that still hangs to the idea of teaching Syd: '' I told you it wasn't ready'' Because he knows deep down that she came here to learn from him- and then ego hits - and he goes to yell and rambles. Which I think is from a place of insecurity: Maybe Syd didn't come to learn from him, maybe she came for another reason.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

You don't think I can do it?

The nonnegotiables- the challenge- the tension between Sydney and Carmy. I mentioned this scene in my Season 3 Surrealist theme meta. But I still wanted to talk about it.

What stands out from the Sydcarmy arguments vs. Carmy arguing with family is the subtext. You can tell obviously what Richie and Carmy are arguing about. For Sydney and Carmy- their arguments it because there's more tension and things between the lines? I don't have to state the obvious of sexual tension. I want to point out how Carmy is starting to lose his mind here where Sydney is exasperated and rightfully so- but there's also some patience and conflicted contempt for Carmy's antics.

Richie and Carmy's argument moves quickly in this episode as they throw shots at each other. But this moment takes a noticeable pause as a thought hits Carmy—that Syd is challenging him.

When this happened, I thought- woah, what the fuck was that? The Carmy who cooks from a competitive, egotistical place? The same Carmy who went to the best restaurants as a big fuck you to Mikey? And when someone new to the kitchen came, he would smoke them? Now it's directed at Sydney? But I need to figure this out. Carmy's motivations make him want to get a star because Sydney wants one, but that motivation changes when he thinks he sees Chef David. He's not asking Richie if he doesn't think he could get this star and operate on the highest level- he's directly asking Sydney about her view, perhaps her validation beneath it? After all, she told him he was an excellent chef- so why the sudden challenge?

Sidebar: Oh, Richie! Look- if Sydney leaves, I'm sorry, but I will miss these Carmy and Sydney tension scenes with Richie looking on. He's come a long way from instigating. He's quiet and looks at Sydney, holding on to what she might say to this question. I think he's also noticing that Carmy isn't just argumentative towards him- carmy is also paranoid and unhinged with Sydney.

Ending sidebar but- a throwback to Richie looking on at Syd and Carmy:

Back to this scene:

Not sarcasm.

Snark, contempt even. Definitely, contempt from the moment he asked her you don't think I can do it? She's trying to be fair and stop the fight between Richie and Carmy, but now she has to address Carmy directly. He's exhausting at times!

As a fellow unhinged (but medicated and a lover of therapy) human being, Carmy looks so crazy here, like a wild bear. While Sydney mentions he's been yelling at Richie, he makes a pointed look toward him. Throughout this scene, as Sydney breaks up the fight (what a mental load on her part), Carmy often looks at her like he wants to stop arguing with Richie, but he can't help it- anger is more comfortable for Carmy- fear and grief are not.

I think even with Carmy defensive and angry—he knows Sydney is hitting some truth bombs—Carmy made getting the star about himself. Beat Chef David and ruminate on Claire—his purpose is to focus on the past to fix the future. It's hurting his team along the way.

Anyway, I don't have much of an ending. But I do want to know what you think about this moment. Is there something I missed? Feel free to reblog and reply!

[yannaryartside]

MY S3 PREDICTIONS

quite simple

Seriously, my prediction is quite grim. I think this season, Carmy is going to be hearing the voice of his former boss in his head constantly while he tries to run the Bear like his restaurant in NYC and dive deep into depression because that is obviously going to destroy him.

I think Carmy is gonna start the season heartbroken and shit, then Richie (our man) will compel him to seek Claire because obviously Claire can fix him 🤮 Claire will come back because she has no self-respect and is an over giver who wants with an overtaker.

They are gonna date for a while and Carmy is gonna try to make it work and be happy.

Then, the trauma is gonna hit him hard, a manic episode or really bad depressive episode, maybe the pressure of the restaurant and critics (he hates that feeling). Still, because he is supposed to feel good (he has everything he has ever wanted, Claire, his brother's restaurant), he will not ask for help.

Springle here. Sydney may be dating Luca, and Carmy feels bad for having feelings for her or being jealous. His relationship with Claire never had a solid base, and he is starting to feel it. He doesn’t think he can talk to her about his depression. Also, considering Claire never advised Carmy on therapy when she witnessed his previous panic attacks, I am curious how she will manage being with him at his actual lowest.

And then, he is gonna have a dark moment. Maybe even setting the bear on fire (it was foreshadowed real hard) or even have a suicide attempt. Maybe is something people have to save him from.

And then, he is gonna think of Mickey, ask himself what his brother would tell him (there is a flashback episode with Mickey put it here).

Either way, Mickey, Sydney, something else, may want to make him see the light. Find the strength to fight back.

The rest I don’t know. I wonder if he is gonna cut people off through the season because he is back mentally at nyc suffering under his horrible boss (you should be dead”) and that is gonna hurt like shit. His friendship with Sydney may get closer, since she convinces herself that Carmy should be with Claire (Carmy said she was great, and so does everyone else). She may want to keep him as a mentor and partner, while Carmy realizes he wants more than that (hell yeah)

For Sydney, I want to see her being the leader that she is and finding her unique culinary voice. She should find a real mentor, propel herself (maybe in another restaurant to learn), and realize she can do this without Carmy. Give her a good love story and tell me the one that broke her heart. There should be a Syd-centered episode.

other things, not in order of importance:

I want Marcus to grieve and heal.

More about Luca's storyAngel and Sweeps more screentime.

I want the Bearzatto family to see Carmy's struggle/actual date preferences

Claire realizing how she chases men will hurt her.

I want our man Richie to become the greatest SydCarmy stan, but mostly Syd stan, because they may get close that season.

I think Richie may try to get Tiff back.

Also, justice for Nat, with Francine Fack and others. I want her to stand up to Donna.

Syd and Luca going on dates/sleeping together

Tina being like a mom to Syd

Nat and Syd being sisters to each other

Carmy meeting Emmanuel

Emmanuel being Carmy's and Richie's father figure

A little bit of Cicero mafia

Cicero a Syd stan

Nat's baby and Syd supporting her and encouraging her as a mother

Auntie Syd!

Syd and Donna meeting

[outmakingmoonshine]

I love reading your takes!

I put this under the cut because it's a bit long.

I agree Carmy wants to be seen and understood, especially by Syd. Maybe only by Syd. He only really makes the effort to be seen and understood with her tbh. I can't find a gif right now but in season 1 he kept doing this thing where he would literally move his head into her direct eyeline if she wasnt looking at him when they were talking, like he wanted her to see and understand the real him. That there's more to him than the big shot chef and culinary prodigy she saw him as.

I've only just noticed he doesn't do that anymore after 1x07 when she saw the worst of him and he shattered that illusion for her in a pretty harsh way. But in his defense he did try to get her to see him many times before that. He still wants her to see him but now I think he's afraid because when she saw him last time she left. She came back but he knows she could leave again any time.

Imo Claire kinda treats and talks to Carmy like he's a small child which is just strange to me. Why would she wanna date someone that imo, she doesn't see as her equal. She molly-coddles him and tells him things like "never apologize" which is such a ridiculous thing to say to someone who makes so many mistakes and hardly ever learns from them. I bet she expects an apology from him now though! She encourages him to be juvenile and irresponsible. As someone in a demanding job herself, she should know taking him out on multiple random excursions in the middle of the day while he's trying to open a restaurant is irresponsible and unprofessional.

One of the things I love about Sydcarmy is Syd treats Carmy like an adult even if he doesn't act like one sometimes which is exactly how he wants to be treated, like an equal. She doesn't baby him or molly-coddle him, she doesn't make him feel fragile and small or tell him empty words that mean nothing just to make him feel better in the moment like he's a toddler and she tries to encourage him to be responsible and professional. She treats him like a capable grown man and I find it so interesting that with Sydney he instictually acts more like a capable grown man than he ever does with Claire.

He wants to be the one to take care of Syd, to be her rock and the one she leans on, he wants to be the initiator in their relationship, he wants to seduce her, make her feel beautiful, wants her to feel like he can help fix all her problems, he wants her to feel like he's someone she can fall back on, someone she can rely on to lead her in the right direction if she needs it etc. All things that relate to Mars which is the planet/God associated with masculine energy. But he's also more than willing to be soft with her and openly lets her see his gentle and sentimental side.

Where is any of that energy with Claire because he's definitely the more passive, feminine energy counterpart in that relationship. Not that that's bad at all but my point is, that's not who Carmy is or who he wants to be. Claire leads everything they do, she had to ambush him into communicating with her, had to guilt trip him into hanging out with her, she's the one who initiates the vast majority of the intimacy between them, he never tries to be there for her emotionally, he's never thoughtful with her, she has to drop hints for him to want to do anything nice for her, he makes no effort to look after her or seem like he's capable of looking after her or that she can rely on him or anything.

Carmy is naturally a masculine being with some of the best feminine energy you can find in a man imo; he's willing to show his emotional side, willing to talk about his feelings, to admit when he's wrong and apologize sincerely, tries to be intuitive and thoughtful etc but there's only 1 character he's comfortable showing all those sides of himself to and letting them see who he really is. He barely wants to talk about his feelings with his own sister who probably understands him more than anyone, but with Syd you can't shut him up! It's like he wants to tell her all his hopes, dreams and deepest fears all the time. He wants her to know all sides of him and every part of him.

Claire shoves Carmy into that box of the passive, emotional, non-masculine man that needs to be wrapped in cotton wool and hidden from the world but that's not what Carmy wants, he doesn't want to be babied or treated like a fragile person. He shows who he wants to be in his interactions with Syd 99% of the time. Watching Claire/Carmy scenes Carmy always seems slightly uncomfortable with her imo, like he's hiding himself which he never does with Syd. He might keep things from her but he wants Syd to see him. It's subtle but with Claire he's so different to the anxious but still confident leader we see in the kitchen that it stands out so much to me. Even the way he carries himself in scenes with her is off, his body language is off and more awkward and anxious than usual, his eyes are hard and guarded when he looks at her wheras with Syd they're nearly always soft and open. The way he talks to Claire is also very guarded and somewhat closed off even if it seems like he opens up to her, he only tells her surface level things. He doesn't want her to see the real him, he lets her see whatever she wants to see and fits into whatever box she puts him in and I think it's because he doesn't trust her and he just doesn't care whether she knows the real him or not. He trusts Syd and he saves the real him, all sides of him, for her eyes only.

*When I say masculine and feminine energy I'm not talking about men and women, I'm strictly talking about the duality of energies that both exist in all men and women at varying degrees. Carmy and Syd both have a great balance of each imo. Syd's very feminine but she knows how to use her masculine energy and uses it well.

Carmy wants to take on a masculine, provider role in his relationship with Syd and her femininity brings that out in him even more. But Claire is also very feminine, why doesn't she bring that instinct out in him at all? Why doesn't he want to appear like a capable man who can look after her the way he does with Syd?

Tbh the possibility of a Claire/Carmy endgame is like 0.001% to me. Even if SydCarmy are only ever "platonic" and subtextual, I can't see it ever happening. There is nothing in their story that says they belong together, that she makes him happy or that he needs her in his life at all which you kinda have to establish early on for it to be believable in the end and they've already thouroughly established that with sydcarmy. Imo it's way more likely that Richie and Carmy get married than a Claire/Carmy endgame.

Carmy wants to be understood more than anything

Thinking about this magnificent post (their gifs) and the core of what I ship sydcarmy.

Carmy seems to feel rejected by his mother since early childhood, and tolerated a portion of their extended family humiliating him for his career. He was bullied for leaving home, and when he came home, he was resented for making a decision of not doing it sooner. I want the show to address this last aspect because of the horrible abuse he suffered in nyc every day, then loosing the closest thing to a parent you ever had, he probably had some sort of breakdown.

Regardless, my point is that Carmy rejects a lot of parts of his persona, because everyone around him also did. That is probably why he had a stutter (it is common in kids who don’t feel anybody wants to listen to them) he himself said that he was afraid of speaking half the time. Rejection is his core wound. Hr never felt understood or truly embraced. He didn’t have friends. He needed everybody to valid his relationship with Claire before being comfortable with putting a name to it. He doesn’t recognize his talents in drawing, he had to fake a whole personality to get through a social gathering with people his age.

Claire was okey with him pretending to be someone else in that party, she acted like it was cool. She pushes him to do a lot of things without asking for his opinion. For me, she is ignoring his voice at various levels too. She is even dismissive “talking about dead brothers you wanna go to a party”

And then you have Syd, a woman who is also romantically interested in him, that wants to know his side of things. Most of their grow as partners had to do with mutual honest communication, they have this telepathic conversations about a shared passion. She sees him. She understands him even with how little she has.

I am not saying it is about how many things he has in common with Claire vs Syd. Is about how Syd has seen the worst of Carmen and stills helps him to get better because she also sees his kind nature. It is about how she knows when he is being shitty and held him accountable. It is the lack of difficulty in their understanding and mutual respect, even when they are pissed at each other.

If Carmy chooses the dismissive ex girlfriend over the partner that had understand him more than anybody else he has ever meet, I am sorry, but wtf are you trying to tell me?