#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

[fairestbeard]

Something in the way she watches

TW: A VERY ANTI CLAIRE BEAR POST

There's the part of Claire that makes me go ugh... And there's the part that makes me go huh? Wtf?

Except for the niche six people who would fight to the death in her honor, it's hard to watch Claire without questioning her motives and the writers' motives, even. She's written in such a strange way (rewritten, actually) that it has been talked to death in the fandom. I watched some TikTok takes on Claire recently and almost everyone was like "wtf is a Claire?".

Is it just bad writing?

The fact that she seems a lot more normal in previous versions of the script was brought to my attention in my previous meta about her. I doubt very much that she would have blown me away, especially since I was literally born a sydcarmy, but maybe she wouldn't raise the hair on my neck?

She was purposefully written to be weird. Bad weird.

But it's also done so subtly that the other 6 Claire stans think we're absolutely batshit crazy and just irrational haters when we bring it up.

The beginning

Carmy runs into Claire while shopping for veal stock and fennel which he needed to continue cooking up whatever he and Syd were work shopping earlier. Their conversation quickly turns to her career and why she chose to become an ER doctor so she recounts her first encounter with someone needing medical attention at a young age. While other children responded with fear, which is very natural, she does not. And you would expect that her seeming courage was due to empathy. Wanting to be there for this distressed and scared child who probably just had their most traumatic experience yet. But the only thing that keeps her there is curiosity. Fascination with a bone breaking. She doesn't try to comfort this child -who was probably a friend, she just stares at her arm. Carmy asks if she wanted to fix it, make it better, because empathy! No, she wanted to understand it. As a concept on it's own, separate from the whole of someone experiencing suffering.

And yes, the absence of empathy doesn't inherently take away from her being great at her job as a doctor. The most important aspect of a job like that is understanding what the problem is so you can know how to fix it. A lot of times, practical detachment is necessary to do your job well- not just in medicine- but a total switch off from empathy is how monsters are made, no matter how well intentioned. I've seen a lot of crazies defend Chef Fields because he was gunning for excellence, saying it doesn't matter that he emotionally and psychologically destroyed the people who worked for him because he achieved what he wanted- to have the most excellent restaurant in the entire United States of America (as Syd put it). But at what cost?

It's the pursuit of excellence without empathy that is responsible for a lot of cruelty based growth in medicine (see the history of gynaecology, nutrition science, etc). It's what is responsible for things like slavery, imperialism, capitalism etc. Is it impossible to have real growth while being empathetic and holistic?

Crazy segues, stops and solutions

Starting off with the infamous call. This one even the diehard clairecarmys know that this was a little bit off, even though they make excuses for it. One thing I noticed is how she tends to stop or interrupt his natural flow or thought process. At their initial meeting you can sense a discomfort from him and the resistance to take it further (it's not clear why because he naturally is averse to good things happening to him). He tries to come up with the least personal contact option (Venmo) but Claire successfully steers the convo to getting his actual contact info. Then when he gives her the wrong number, she chases down the actual number and calls him anyway.

In that conversation you can see him get backed into a corner. She grew up with him and knows him so has probably observed how he is with confrontation. It's the same reason he was unable to say no to her face about getting his number and instead gave her a fake one (I've done this numerous times). When he is stuttering, trying to find the words to excuse himself from her request to see her, she hits him with the "don't make this weird" speech, that she just needed a favor and this gets him to agree.

Another instance of interrupting his flow of thought is at the frat party when Kyle asks what he was doing. She doesn't let him answer but interrupts him, stating her "purpose" for bringing him. Maybe what he was going to say wasn't going to be all that interesting or great even but maybe he should at least attempt it? Maybe it would have given him clarity about why he agreed to come in the first place even though he had a mountain of work to do.

We also see this repeating in "Bolognese" where he was trying to express his concerns for the relationship. She also interrupts him while he's trying to find the words to express his concerns and she seemingly uses the exactly perfect words "the other shoe" which he had expressed earlier in almost an eerie manner to me, because how does she use the exact words he said in the AA meeting? The exact same expression? He agrees but with a little noticeable hesitation. Because maybe that's not... exactly what he wanted to say? Who knows? She didn't let him say it.

Then she offers a very compelling solution to this conundrum. Nobody's keeping track of shoes. I saw a lot of reactors awwing and ooohing in response to this and I'm thinking, am I crazy or did she just dismiss his very real feelings? His very real fear? This was a very real opportunity to emotionally bond in a very real way. She's currently his romantic partner after all. She could have interrogated where those fears came from, assured him of her intentions at least on a surface level (without spooking him) and also find out his intentions. Instead her response is, nobody thinks about this shit except you, weirdo, now let's talk science, baby! And even on the subject of science (the fire suppression), she's quickly bored because his explanation is obviously too dumbed down to keep her interested (I do love the subversion of mansplaining happening here, though). She speeds up his explanation to get to the conclusion, then lies about it being so interesting when he notices.

The craziest of all, and one that was immediately noticed and talked about a lot in the fandom, was her insane segue to inviting him to the frat party.

"speaking of dead brothers, do you want to go to a party?"

It's impossible to miss that one no matter how enamored you are with Claire. Did Carmy notice? Most definitely. He noticed Cicero's segue from talking about Carmy's dad in Dogs and commented on it, with Cicero calling himself "the segue king", so it's obvious that he notices those things. He doesn't comment this time though, all he does is make a face. But that line was straight up revolting. Unsettling. Disturbing.

We've never heard Carmy bring Mike up in personal conversations like this before. The only time he really talked about Mickey with real vulnerability was in Braciole at the Al-Anon meeting. This was a chance to really get him to open up especially with him saying he loved thinking about him. Now, she obviously doesn't owe him any emotional labor but she did invite him into this. She says they never really talked but then makes sure they never really do, keeping things surface level (Mickey was cool) and bringing up a crazy party when the conversation starts getting deep.

I also want to bring up their conversation about running around like kids. A lot of people assume they were talking about a past memory but I don't think so. This running around and shoplifting is happening recently and it's how they've hung out the last few weeks. Nat's conversation with Syd about Carmy at least hanging out with Claire suggests that. He must have done that quite enough times for her to conclude that if he disappears he must be with Claire. Also, his not even being aware that she sat behind him in freshman year doesn't suggest that they were hanging out a lot then, in my opinion. And we do see them acting out in juvenile ways so it shouldn't be a surprise that they chose very juvenile dating options like roaming shops or malls, running around like kids/ shoplifting. We do see in Beef that probably likes going to the store with his bills lying around. It's also significant that he runs into Claire in a store.

My point is, and just out of curiosity, so what did they really do when they hung out previously that this was considered really talking? Did they just keep mute the whole time and walk around or maybe just talk about the products they were checking out/buying? Maybe Claire was too distracted trying to shoplift obviously so much gum that she couldn't care less if there even was a conversation. Carmy of course, the antisocial king, wouldn't mind silence at all and just enjoy being in company.

Anyway, moving on...

Empathic queen

Of course you know this heading is sarcastic. Through out her outing, Claire displays a subtle but surprising and disturbing lack of empathy. It shows in the many ways she puts her immediate needs over Carmy's feelings. Obviously, as I will continue to state, no one owes anyone any emotional labor. But there's something in the way she moves like she's there because of the trauma not in spite of it. It feels like she's there because she likes looking at broken things.

Her story about her first experience with a broken bone already sets the tone for her behavior. She stares at her friends broken arm as an isolated curiosity not as something that happened to someone. She diverts from the subject of Mickey into a party of all things like it was nothing.

Even her visit to her friend Kelly who got majorly broken up with seemed like just an avenue to get Carmy where she wanted him to be. Because she absolutely could have gone alone and saved the Carmy date for later to be there for her friend and comfort her in a vulnerable moment. Sure she hugs her and says all the right key words but immediately turns her focus away to Carmy, so that Kelly who is still in a vulnerable state does the one thing that's the worst idea- immediately tries to get with another guy. Claire is obviously fine with it and doesn't question it or dissuade her from it because she's waiting on the next move from Carmy.

We can see a contrast from when she gets her own heart "broken". Kelly stays the night with her, cuddling and comforting her even though she had a hook up prospect that night (Ted Fak). This is one reason why she immediately irked me so bad. I've had a best friend like her that I don't speak to anymore. I completely had to cut her of cold because she was such a raging narcissist. She was nice but left me always feeling drained and like a nothing. In spite of her charm and welcoming energy, you slowly realized you were nothing but a tool to her- something to be used.

There's a very strong indication that she is turned on, as it were, by adrenaline. She loves the rush. And her avenue to get that is through risky behavior and observing trauma. She consumes trauma for the sake of it. She enjoys the risk of bad driving as a chaser to resetting broken bones. Notice how in all her dealings, there's no account of the overall outcome, you'd just have to infer it. Did the friend with the broken arm get adequately better? Does she have a wonky arm now? Oh well...🤷 Is Kelly actually doing better from the breakup? Has she had a hundred other boyfriends trying to plug that hole? Who cares?

You must have really... grabbed it!

When she discovers Carmy's scar, a very deep scar that must have been very traumatic to experience, the scene looks very sweet from the outside but has very disturbing undertones. She traces it gently, seemingly lovingly and inquires about it.

Then she laughs!!!!!

This man just described how he got got a very painful injury and she understands what would cause an injury of that magnitude because she is LITERALLY A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL!!! Not only that, she let's us know she actually gets the mechanics of what happened here because "you must have really... grabbed it!". However, what fails to compute in her brain is the WHY.

There are 3 ways that come to mind as to how an injury like this could have happened:

1) Someone forced his hand on that hot pot and held it there to torture him or made him do it. We know he was psychologically tortured by Chef Fields but do we know if he also added physical torture as a way of punishment?

2) He was so out of his mind for some reason that he didn't realize he was holding on to a scorching pot. With the theory that he got his hand burned the day Mickey died, this seems very plausible.

3) He deliberately held on to a scorching pot in an act of self harm.

All of these opinions are very highly alarming but it doesn't ring any alarm bells with Claire. He must have really grabbed it! But why? How come? What happened?

Instead she goes straight to making him describe the pain. Or better still she describes it for him to agree (once again stifling his own self expression). And how does she know about this kind of pain? Did she experience this sometime too? Nope! It's another trauma porn story about a girl she almost killed. She tells him this story distract him also because she could clearly see he was uncomfortable. The way he politely snatched his hand and put it as far away from her as possible was very telling. For contrast the way he described the scar from Mickey's birthday with fondness shows you that this scar was a very sore memory.

It doesn't fail to floor me how she made this story of the girl about herself. It was all feel sorry for me, I almost killed a girl, pity me. Yeah, how about a pity make out session? Oh, Carmy!! 🤦🏾‍♀️🤢

She fixates very oddly on the patient's beauty which is kind of a crazy thing to focus on when someone is basically probably dying. And of course for all her fixation and her being directly responsible for her almost dying, there seems to be no follow up beyond the point that interested her- being numb from the pain. Did she have any more complications? Did she manage to get better physically, emotionally? Doesn't matter.

Trauma seems to be something she weirdly enjoys to spectate on. It fires her up. She enjoys looking at broken things. Which brings me to the topic of the fridge.

What even really happened here?

We know the general story is she overheard him raging because he thought he was talking to Tina. But why did he think he was talking to Tina? Because somehow Claire got to that fridge and was quiet enough to overhear without alerting him to her presence. Every other person called out to Carmy and checked in on how he was doing. She didn't. She most probably heard him rambling, of course she wouldn't be able to make out what he was saying unless she went real close to the walk in door. Quietly.

Now considering how she walked into that kitchen

you would expect a lot more ruckus, a lot more momentum. She looked like she was about to go break down the door to save her man, perform CPR, a small surgery, talk him through it etc etc etc (is this obvious that I hate Claire?😆). But she bursts into the kitchen, finds it empty, then skulls to the fridge without a sound to listen to Carmy? Now with her history of seeming to enjoy others' trauma, is it possible that when she found the kitchen empty with no one to have to perform concern to she decided to just... spectate... a little? That's what it looks like to me. She wanted to hear Carmy in freak out mode but it goes wrong and she hears things she didn't expect, especially if she thought he'd already listened to her perfectly timed love confession.

Even the whole act with Richie seemed fake to me. The whole shaken look she gave him felt added on, giving him a kiss and enough motivation to go fight for her without actually giving him any real information about what happened. Just gave him enough ammunition to provoke Carmy. Then she embellishes the story to others as if he was directly mean to her.

It's left for us to see how she plays out eventually but my money is on she might be a benign psychopath or sociopath or have some kind of personality disorder. Or at least she's hiding something or putting on an act. Even the way everyone harps on the point that she's nice seems a little suspicious. Like an oversell that is a set up for a coming twist. That scene where she takes of her makeup in Tomorrow made me wonder if it's symbolic as well.

We're gonna see.

[ktonyard]

idc about sydc*rmy being canon or not. However it's funny how many people want Carmy to step it up so he can be worth Sydney's time. Despite his stressful behavior driving her and the staff insane like ok, there are other characters like Luca who already respect and appreciate her, who value what she has to say and make her relax. But according to some fans, apparently Sydney just needs to wait for Carmy to grow the hell up and get his shit together. 🙄

No thank you

People like the idea of someone fixing themselves for another person more than they actually care about the characters themselves.

I only watched The Bear this month, yet I have seen posts about it since it came out. I came into it thinking that I was going to ship Sydcarmy and was then surprised when I didn’t.

When looking at the fandom (specifically on this app) there is a big trend of glorifying Carmen while also making him their own. People started to ship Sydney and Carmen in season 1 and stuck with the idea of them since then. The way Sydcarmy fanfiction is written is a good example of this. They want the “I made myself better for you because I love you”. Something that often seen in other medias on different platforms.

And why wouldn’t they want that? It’s romantic. It’s devotion at it’s peak while still getting character development. And this could have worked, if this show’s biggest theme wasn’t realism. The devotion that the fandom wants is unrealistic and often toxic when aplied in a real situation. “I made myself better for you, love me” would be such a big guilt trip in real life and can often lead to abusive behaviour.

While this is not the case for every relationship or instance with this. It is realistic, and I would argue more likely with Sydcarmy because of the behaviour shown in the seasons that have come out.

Which is why I personally don’t like the ship myself. I think Carmen is incredibly interesting as a character and I believe him to be insanely well written. Yet, I do not believe that Sydney and him could have a healthy relationship with how the show is going.

Carmen is actively continuing the cycle of abuse that he endured, whether be has realised it or not. And the people who are facing the most of it are Sydney and Richie. With Richie, it was something him and Carmen already had as a dynamic and they are able to communicate in their own twisted way while Sydney is left on her own.

So when I saw her and Luca together, even with the little screen time they got to have together. We could finally see her without the heaviness of the restaurant and her relationship with Carmen. We just saw her. It has been stated by many before that Luca is everything Carmen could have been. He is sweet, extremely talented and didn’t lose his love for food on the way to his success. He is also honest and willing to teach. Something that was shown when Marcus came to stage for him in season 2. These traits are things that Sydney needs to have a stable relationship with anyone, romantic or otherwise.

[habaritess]

CarmyxTherapy,

"Carmy should be in therapy, not dating"

This is something that I’ve seen in many of the controversies surrounding The Bear. It’s an argument that I’ve find hard to wrap my mind around because, who, in terms of main characters in The Bear, does not have issues within them that could make them a difficult partner? I see so many people say that Carmy should be in therapy and not date, but never say the same thing about a particularly loose canon of a character like Richie. In my time on Reddit and many other online areas who openly hate sydcarmy, I never see them speak on Richie's character needing therapy. Richie’s went on dates and is now potentially being linked with Jessica and still I have not seen anyone say he needs to be in therapy. Trainwreck Richie. Richie who, not so long ago, accused one of his coworkers of doing sexual favors for a good review. That Richie. But all I see in those carmyxtherapy circles is nothing but praise of his potential match with Jessica. So why the difference with Carmy when he is nowhere as problematic as Richie is? 

And let’s talk about therapy being used as the be all, end all. Like as if people go to therapy and automatically come out of it as a person who has completely overcome their issues and is no longer problematic. That is not how it works. Therapy can help in many ways and can even be transformative with some, but it’s not usually something you go to for 3 months and come back as a different person. Plenty of people have been in therapy for years and, get this, still have issues. For many people, therapy is the start of confronting many issues and those confrontations can actually cause people to regress. Recovery is not linear, it is a zig zagged line. Carmy being in therapy, isn’t going to disappear all of his issues. Does he need it? Hell yeah! There are a lot of things he needs to confront and therapy would be one of the ways to do it. But do I think that he needs to do therapy before being in a relationship? Hell no. Because therapy doesn’t fix you. It can help get you to a better place if you are mentally open to working with it, but it does not fix you. Making this a solution to Carmy' problems is lazy.

Then we have the Sydney-deserves-better crew. I have no issues with this. People have their reasons. Hell they could simply just not like Carmy and that is still perfectly fine, or they think other characters fit with her better. All good.

The only thing I would push back on is the idea that it’s wrong for Carmy and Sydney to get together. The usual argument will list Carmy issues and needing therapy first, and some will list how Carmy treated Claire and how they don’t want that for Sydney.

First point. Carmy is wrong for Sydney because he has too many issues. I disagree vehemently with this. Carmy has shown, time and time again, that he has the characteristics of a person who is stable and even a great catch. That most important characteristic being that he not only apologizes when he is in the wrong, but he can recognise when he goes too far and actively tries to change it. Do you know how many people, even people who appear to be well adjusted, hate apologizing and can’t recognize their mistakes? Far too many, while Carmy not only acknowledges his fk-ups, but also tells Sydney if he ever is doing something she doesn’t like, to make sure to tell him. Being able to openly criticize your partner, especially as a woman to a man, and not have to worry about him giving you backlash for it, is an amazing thing.

Carmy is flawed, but he got a lot of things going for him. He believes in talking it out. Whenever something is going wrong between them, he gives Sydney the floor to speak out about it. He isn’t afraid to say sorry. He is constantly working on himself.  He has a good heart. He tries not to be an asshole. He wants to know everything about the person he loves. He actively tries to learn more about Sydney. Sydney can talk to Carmy about anything and he listens AND gives his input. He wants to make her happy. The main reason he is trying to get a star for the restaurant was for Sydney.  He doesn’t have anger issues. Marcus broke his phone trying to toss it to him and the dude took it in stride. Didn’t even miss a beat. Mind you, I don’t have anger issues and Marcus would have heard a little thing or two for that one.

He isn’t toxic towards her. He doesn’t start fights with Sydney just because. He doesn’t put her down. He doesn’t try to manipulate her into doing what he wants. He doesn’t try to dominate Sydney. He doesn’t pressure her. He could have easily been annoying and repeatedly asking Sydney about when she was going to sign the partnership agreement and trying to guilt trip her into doing so, but he doesn’t.. He brought it up once, just to inform her about it, and never brought it up again. In comparison, look at how Chef Adam reacted when Sydney turned the offer down. Straight up started insulting her, gave her attitude, made her feel like she was being stupid.

He doesn’t lie to her. He doesn’t talk her ear off while ignoring what she has to say. When it’s just the two of them, they are at peace. No arguing, no yelling, no passive aggressive behavior, no snarky comments, they are actually having a dialogue with one another, getting each other's input and trying each other their suggestions. But you got some people saying that Carmy is too unstable to be in a relationship. Unstable where? Carmy is actually a very remarkably well adjusted human being, despite his background.

I’ve seen people point out how Carmy was with Claire as to why it shouldn’t happen because Carmy was a bad partner to her, but I will die on this hill that it was Claire’s doing that made it bad. Claire deserves a good 80% of that blame because Carmy tried to avoid it and never would have gone out with her if she didn’t force him into her life than guilt tripped him to hanging out. If Claire was a man, most people would have seen her actions for what it was. Carmy's biggest flaw  in all of this was that he should have been upfront about his feelings after she contacted him after the fake number incident rather than going along with it, but I went into detail already on why he did that, so I'll just link it here.

Carmy respects women. He listens to the women around him. He has no issues being told what to do by them. Carmy doesn’t talk about women like a piece of meat. He was disgusted hearing his brother and Richie talking about Claire’s body. He told off Richie when he called Sydney “sweetheart” when they first met up…

But no, Carmy shouldn’t date. Carmy wouldn’t make a good partner. All Carmy needs is therapy. It makes no sense. I can never take this criticism of Carmy character seriously because he honestly just acts like a normal human being most of the time. Not someone so unstable that they shouldn’t date. Dude is going to be a good boyfriend to Sydney. Probably even a great one.

@endlesslyhyperfixating

[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.

[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.

[whenmemorydies]

My meta/commentary shortcuts*

*putting all of this in one spot so its easier for me to find shit. feel free to like/reblog if this is helpful for you too. posts are in reverse chronological order by tv show/film.

The Bear (TV) - writings

Changing the chemistry

* Sydney fixes what Mikey and Carmy never did, and cuts Richie into the partnership agreement.

I've been thinking about you.

Carmy lets slip that he thinks about Sydney whenever he's around Cl@ire.

White supremacist capitalist patriarchy and season 4 of The Bear

Systems and his history have made Carmy who he is. What can he learn from bell hooks, Sydney and Luca to get onto the path to integration?

Liveblog of my first watch of Season 4

Too much Cl@ire, many confrontations, and also: so much Sydcarmy (for those with eyes to see) - the dark night of the soul before we get to the endgame.

I just wanna feed my kid: inspiration, creativity and dreams on The Bear

This show celebrates the quiet, consistent caring work that lets dreams thrive.

Ready

Analysing the subtext of various convos in 1x06 Ceres. Syd's cola-braised short rib is a stand in for the change, integration and elevated comfort that Carmy wants but is not yet ready for.

Media References in The Bear

collaborative project to collate all multimedia references across each season of The Bear

Fire across the seasons

Season 1 ended in an out of control grease fire. Season 4 should end in a more sustainable, slow burn.

Say more

Carmy feels trapped so can't ask anyone else how they're feeling cos that would be "insane". This doesn't stop him from repeatedly checking in with Sydney.

Permit, please

The City of Chicago's building permits might also contain plot predictions

The finger point

A prediction that something big comes due for Marcus in season 4

Reply to @freedelusionshere on how Carmy, Syd, Marcus and Tina approach their work

Carmy and Syd's culinary descendants will go beyond their ancestors' wildest dreams

Homewreckers

Analysing the intrusive thoughts of Carmy, Richie and Sydney at the start of 3x07 Legacy

The Posters

Analysis of each season's poster of The Bear to make some predictions for season 4

Exorcism

Chef David haunts Carmy and The Bear's menu in season 3

Grief/to mourn

Carmy and Sydney giving us textbook definitions of the experience of loss

Heartburn and heart attack

a response to @fairestbeard's ask about the significance of salt and acid in Sydcarmy's journey

Inspiration

Carmy, Sydney, Tina and Marcus illustrating Luca’s lesson from season 2

Fak said Claire is a replacement

But a replacement for who?

A tale of two sex scenes

Does Carmy want 2x05's replacement or 2x09's electricity?

Recognition and desire

Mutual respect, care and shared passion are turn-ons.

Action instead of escapism

If The Bear is a call for community and a critique of late stage capitalism, then please ditch the fine-dining-circle-jerk.

Keeping his side of the street clean

Carmy tries washing away Sydney's anxiety at the end of season 3. Will he be able to make amends and ease her anxiety in season 4?

The restaurant could be good.

Digging into why Sydney refers to herself as an "accomplice" in 3x05 Children.

Even if The Bear crashes and burns...

Where Carmy gives away that he wants to start more than one business with Syd.

When the mentor is a lesson: we all deserve respect

Analysis of the contrasts between Chef Fields (as foil to Chef Terry) and Sydney. In short: F stands for Fields and fascist. Includes reblog by @freedelusionshere on how "every second counts" applies in this comparison.

Sydney won't take Shapiro up on his offer

She has no time for disloyalty, smudges or snakes.

Are the shades of my family's old sandwich shop to be thus polluted?

Donna Berzatto is Lady Catherine de Bourgh and she might propel Carmy to confess his love to Sydney, despite her efforts to drive them apart.

What happened with Chi Chi, Chuckie and Richie?

No but really, what happened between these guys?

Chicken Piccata: a succession of inspiration

Follow this dish as it inspires a few folks involved in The Bear.

That's something

Prediction that the show will end with Pearl Jam's State of Love and Trust (+ some The Bear/Cameron Crowe meta for good measure).

On that season 4 teaser

My first prediction for season 4.

Another Storer/Calo musical deep cut

Eddie Vedder has another connection to The Bear, in addition to his heavy presence in the show's soundtrack.

Restitching scenes and dialogue to set up 1x01's meet cute

Or, why the usual gooey, mushy bullshit is not bailing us out in this romantic dramedy.

Chaos and Consistency

Consistency is the antidote to chaos and Carmy needs to figure out what Sydney and Marcus already know: making something consistent is not the same as being consistent.

You love taking care of people: Fine Dining in the Time of Late Stage Capitalism

How the fine dining industry helped create season 3 Chef Carmy and how it’s on its way out. A submission to #sydcarmyweek 2024

Carmy's sketches of Syd

Carmy sketches his soulmate a found family member while another found family member gives him shit for it. A submission to #sydcarmyweek 2024

Carmen, Natalie, and the Berzattos

A closer look, through the lens of intergenerational trauma, at the Berzattos and their impact on Carmy in season 3.

The Claw, The Scrunchie and The Prayer Card: Part 2 (Timing)

A deduction as to why we see the hair claw in 3x01 and not in 3x09 with the scrunchie and prayer card in Carmy's apartment.

Breakdown of a racist microaggression in Ice Chips 3x08

Analysis of one of the more uncomfortable moments during Natalie's labour. Includes @vacationship's reblog with excellent meta re: Donna's POV.

See this? Carmy trying that shit with Tina

In which Carmy reverts from ally to a regret.

Reply to @mitocamdria on Sublimation and Shame

Theorising on sources of Carmy's shame.

The Claw, The Scrunchie and The Prayer Card

Carmy's mementos as breadcrumbs back to his loves.

This needs to get good or go away.

Trauma-informed analysis of 1x07 The Review in light of seasons 1-3 of The Bear.

The things you learn...

Where Sydney learns some things about her spouse platonic business partner while dining with him.

Reply to @vacationship on Christopher Storer's cameo(s)

Storer makes an appearance in 3x06 Napkins but has he shown up at other times as well?

Reply to @moodyeucalyptus on Claire as a numbing agent/anaesthetic

Claire is a short term treatment while Sydney demands long term healing. Featuring an analysis of script choices for Sydney and Claire.

The legerdemain of racism: demands for season 4 of The Bear

Can The Bear rise to the challenge put forward by Toni Morrison?

Mikey's ghost and Claire as a reverse-engineered haunt

Reblog thread discussing the concept of "the haunt" in season 3 and how it likely relates to Claire - with @vacationship, @thoughtfulchaos773, @espumado, @kdbleu

Claire Dunlap = Clear [as] Mud

Reblog thread discussing the meaning behind Claire's name - with @currymanganese, @vacationship, @moodyeucalyptus, @ago0112

Richie and the viewer

Querying some 4th wall breaking by Tiff and Richie. With analysis in reblog by @currymanganese of Richie as Chris Storer's author avatar in the show.

Alone

Analysis of the use and editing of "Together" by Nine Inch Nails in 3x01 Tomorrow to convey elements of Carmy's trauma response.

Ancestors and The Bear

Analysis of culinary ancestry and legacy as they relate to Carm and Syd.

3x01 Tomorrow

Brief look at how the first episode of season 3 has been crafted through the lens of a traumatic episode. Also a remembering of my Ammamma.

Liveblog of my first watch of Season 3

Or don’t binge season 3 whilst in a feverish fugue state.

Lessons from a mentor: every second counts

Analysis of the parallels between Chef Terry and Sydney and what "every second counts" means to various characters in The Bear.

90s alternative rock, masculinity and The Bear

Analysis of the use of 90s alternative rock, including grunge, in The Bear's soundtrack, and its use to further the show's take up of masculinity.

3x06 Napkins

Predictions for the sixth episode of season 3. CW: discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation as it relates to Mikey; also contains discussion of the 'Napkins' scene in 1x08 Braciole and how its 2nd out of my top 3 tender scenes in The Bear.

2x06 Fishes (Copenhagen/Pantry scene)

Analysis of the Copenhagen/Pantry scene in 2x06 Fishes between Carmy and Mikey/ 3rd out of my top 3 tender scenes in The Bear.

Quit? And where you gonna go Ritchie?

Short analysis of Richie and Tina's relationship.

Reply to @sydcarmyfan on the story between Syd and Carm's clothes.

I mend clothes in my spare time and so does Syd.

2x09 Bolognese and Richie’s apology to Nat

Short analysis of Richie and Nat's relationship, based on a personal theory that Richie and Nat previously dated.

Reply to @hwere on if Syd was a white character

I wouldn't be watching the show, lmao.

Reply to @mod-doodles on what will happen when Syd finally lets her guard down with Carmen

Lucky ass man is not now nor will he ever be ready lol

Reply to @yannaryartside on gaslighting showrunners (lol)

The maths is mathing and all signs point to Sydcarmy endgame

Sydney is Carmen's best friend

Analysis of 2x03 Sundae and when Carm tells us that Syd is his best friend.

1x03 Brigade alley scene as a balm

A balm for the anxiety I felt when Season 3's episode list was released LOL.

Reply to @thoughtfulchaos773 on 1x03 Brigade alley scene

Thoughts on why the alley scene in 1x03 Brigade is my favourite Sydcarmy scene in The Bear (thus far).

Preliminary thoughts on The Bear, race, power and privilege

Analysis of The Bear and its approach to the white gaze (hint: it dgaf about it), power and privilege.

The Bear (TV) - image-based meta/snark

Hee hee

Natalie realising she's incorporated Dee Dee's advice in the trailer for season 4.

Sydney x Carmy - Mirroring

A non-exhaustive journey of some serious soulmatism through gifs.

Beautiful people do not just happen.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross summarises the premise of The Bear (with the help of a few gifs)

Blood ties and lineage

Charting the creative journey of an ingredient and a dish through Carmy and Syd's culinary ancestry.

Offerings

Love is a language and language is nothing if not pattern recognition. A look at Carmy's patterns.

Warm/Cold Light

Just gifs to make an unsubtle point (re: Sydcarmy & Clairmy)

Lunch or Dinner

Lyric/GIF set to Lunch or Dinner by Sunshine Anderson

Wet T-shirt Contest (Bridgerton vs The Bear edition)

Some of us get lakes in a garden, some of us get the Fak-ed toilet.

You're the most excellent CDC at the most ex...cel...le....

A journey to the end of Sydney's hero worship.

Coming Back

Lyric/GIF set to Coming Back by James Blake feat. SZA

Head Tilt (The Bear vs Bridgerton edition)

Sydney, don't do anything Anthony wouldn't do!

Syd and Carm making eye contact

Thats it.

Adolescence (TV)

Family and toxic masculinity

The m@nosphere needs a baseline to sink its teeth into and that starts at home.

Under the Bridge (TV)

Reply to @cairhienin on Under the Bridge and the actual murder of Reena Virk

Discussion of Reena Virk's murder and the absence of race in analysis of the case, then and now.

Sinners (Film)

Whiteness as vampirism, vampirism as assimilation

Remmick wasn't creating a post-racial paradise. He was building a cult centred on his needs and culture alone, that tolerated different skin but nothing else.

Monkey Man (Film)

Violence and Love in Monkey Man

Analysis of Monkey Man in the context of state violence and resistance. CW for mention of rape, murder and forced displacement.

Immediate reaction to Monkey Man

My immediate thoughts after watching Monkey Man in cinema.

[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!

[chefkids]

i’ve been seeing people saying sydcamry is a self-insert ship from women who find jeremy hot and i’m like… are you fr lol. oh i actually WISH fandom ppl were able to self-insert into black women! but no black female characters always get pushed to the side and the ship with the white dude dismissed for whatever reason (usually it’s ‘she deserves better’ but what she actually deserves is never addressed because it’s just an excuse to erase her from the narrative). it’s also incredibly weird that people now think sydcarmy shippers want sydney to ‘fix’ carmy because i’ve literally never seen one of us say that. sydney actually takes no shit from carmy and literally never acts like she’s gonna fix him. i even abhor the idea of carmy needing to be ‘fixed’ because i don’t think it’s a very considerate way to talk about a character who struggles a lot with mental health. but anyway if there’s a woman who’s being pushed to fix carmy it’s claire. there’s literally a scene where the faks go bother her at the hospital and beg her to get back with carmy because he “needs” her. if women in fandom needed a woman to project into, claire would be perfect. she’s white and has the personality of a cardboard. she genuinely reads like a blanket self-insert character. i don’t care if ppl don’t ship sydcarmy because that’s totally fair but i think the arguments are becoming weirder and weirder every day.

some of us are self inserting as Carmy cause we want Syd

[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?