whenmemorydies

[whenmemorydies]

Excellent meta Chef! There was discussion in the fandom during S3 about the repeated horror tropes and imagery used whenever Claire showed up. I'm thinking specifically of @thoughtfulchaos773's meta and all its reblogs. Its affirming to see that this theme has continued through to S4. Claire has a very particular role in this show to illustrate Carmy being haunted by his past.

Why do Claire and Carmy's sex scenes look like they are in a horror movie?

Or, if not horror, why horror shaped?

I consider myself a connoisseur of horror films and deeply appreciate the moody blue lighting of a well made psychological horror film. Here are some random recent examples (not necessarily films I have seen but a nice random sample) that portray that deep dark blue, fraught with peril headspace:

Skinamarink (2022); Infinity Pool (2023); one of the Friday the 13th films; Nosferatu (2024).

Now, as you can see the use of deep blue fading into deepest shadow prepares your mind to wonder, what is going to leap or slither or suddenly appear from out of the dark. So, when I watched the scenes with Claire and Carmy that was what I was visually cued to expect. The scenes of them in bed together I could not locate but they were so dark blue that you can barely see either of the actors' expressions, except Carmy staring at the alarm clock. Just not used to sex scenes between characters we have been told (repeatedly) are the loves of each other's lives being shot that way. Compare the shots above to the ones from the Bear (not a horror movie) and you tell me:

What's hiding in the dark? Why are they suspended in some kind of deep well-like space devoid of warmth and light? Their conversations are about self-harm and his workaholism yet the way it is shot makes we worry for Carmy's safety.

Again, watch the scenes below from an actual horror movie:

And then, see how Claire is often shot in cold blue light or with some horror movie-evoking shadows around her:

Aside from the multiple ways Claire's character seems like if-a-red-flag-were-a-person, the way she is shot is congruent with horror movie visual cues. As a viewer, I immediately worry for Carmy--what is hiding in the dark? Are you disassociating when you are with her? Given what we know of her taunting high school mean girl way of talking, are there aspects of these sexual experiences that he is hiding from himself because of shame and fear? Was the sex traumatic because it is the scenes of physical intimacy that most obviously have those visual cues although her other scenes would fit (lighting-wise) into a horror movie easily enough if you were watching the scenes at random.

Carmy rarely looks like he is having a wonderful time when he is with Claire or thinking about Claire or listening to Claire's message love-bombing him on the opening night of his restaurant (before she proceeded to make the entire night about herself):

I don't want to get bogged down in a character analysis of Claire and how she seems to be a budding narcissist like Donna, turning everything to be about herself. I'm just curious about the cinematography decisions Andrew Wehde is making in the way the intimate scenes with Claire are shot. And when you compare those scenes with the one below which we are repeatedly told is Not-a-love-scene whatsoever, you really feel like this show is driving you crazy:

I dunno--what do others think of the Claire and Carmy intimacy scenes? He seems to avoid the bed in his apartment (as far as we can see) too which may be related. Then there's the fact that the Mikey prayer card and Syd scrunchie live on his bedroom dresser which almost suggests these items serve as objects to ward off bad juju in that room. The rest of the apartment, while sadly bare, does not have the same air of menace.

[whenmemorydies]

The Restaurant as a Window into Chef Carmy's Mind

When Neil serves for the first time he tells the guests, "Mirepoix broth...this is a broth from Chef Carmy's mind." It's a joke but like all great jokes, there is something true wrapped up inside it. Even though the restaurant is a place and an idea that is occupied by other characters, as viewers we are tethered to Carmy and how he sees the world. So, the restaurant and its various spaces and lighting conditions reflect his innermost feelings.

That's why when the desire for Syd manifests in a failed attempt to ask her out by the lockers (after picking imaginary lint off his jacket and wearing it in slowest motion to wait out his sister's departure), there is a pink light at the top right, see:

We don't see that pink light again for most of the season and well into the next (Season 3 but for the most part he is in his blue fridge mode). Hints of that pink light reappear when Carmy notices Syd dressed up in the bottom image top right corner:

It's subtle. You would not notice it. But repressing that attraction means it returns with renewed vigor in Season 4 after Carmy observes Syd's athletic cavatelli plating time (btw, in some parts of Italy a bride's skills at cooking cavatelli were associated with her suitability for marriage).

So that, before he even tastes her scallop, she is depicted in some lurid 1980s music video colours of pink, purple and blue while cooking it:

This sexual repression is delicious to watch.

[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 (which are listed alphabetically).

Some of my fav pieces are highlighted in purple.

Adolescence (TV)

Family and toxic masculinity - 8 April 2025

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

The Bear (TV)

Note: Tumblr has a cap on how many hyperlinks you can put in a single post so I've had to split my meta index for The Bear into separate posts. You can find my meta for The Bear at the links below:

The Bear meta from 2025

The Bear meta from 2024

Monkey Man (Film)

Violence and Love in Monkey Man - 27 April 2024

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

Immediate reaction to Monkey Man - 13 April 2024

My immediate thoughts after watching the film in cinema.

Sinners (Film)

Whiteness as vampirism, vampirism as assimilation - 26 April 2025

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.

Under the Bridge (TV)

Reply to @cairhienin on Under the Bridge and the actual murder of Reena Virk - 14 June 2024

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

[whenmemorydies]

The Bear meta from 2025

Don't mind me - I'm consolidating all the meta I've written about The Bear in 2025 here. Posts are in reverse chronological order.

Some of my fav pieces are highlighted in purple.

Let me live in your city - 1 August 2025

What do the Paul Simon lyrics we don't hear during 4x05 Replicants tell us about Sydcarmy?

The Bear, Subtext and Ciphers - 27 July 2025

This show relies on so much subtext, ciphers and keys to unlock messages hidden in plain sight.

Need vs Love for Carmy in 4x10 Goodbye - 19 July 2025

Carmy doesn't want to be needed. He wants to be wanted.

The grandeur of life is in the attempt of living: of being as fearless as one can and behaving as beautifully as one can under completely impossible circumstances - 18 July 2025

Toni Morrison (once again) presents a thesis for this show.

Reblog meta on @thoughtfulchaos773 post about Richie as Actor and Director - 15 July 2025

A closer look at Richie's journey throughout season 4.

Sydney, Tina and BIPOC women at work - 13 July 2025

BIPOC women are leaders in integration: bringing their whole selves to work and not leaving community behind.

The Bear season 5 is going to subvert the current, fascist American regime - 13 July 2025

Just a guess.

A lesson from 2x04 Honeydew across the seasons - 12 July 2025

Luca's advice to Marcus in season 2 rings out through all four seasons of The Bear.

Claire Dunlap: a consolidation of analyses - 10 July 2025

Putting a whole bunch of meta analysing Claire’s role in The Bear in one spot.

System, baby - 8 July 2025

What if Chris Storer and Joanna Calo have made a show that is about many things at once?

Grace and shame - 5 July 2025

Long-form essay: A comparison of Pete, Syd and Claire's approaches to the spectre of Donna Berzatto with her surviving children.

Self-sabotage - 5 July 2025

An analysis of Carmy's spectacular crash out over the course of 4x03 Scallop + @moodyeucalyptus' delicious reblog meta

Pete dragging Claire in S5 - 30 June 2025

A (maybe not so) silly predication that the first time Pete speaks ill of a character on The Bear, it will be about Dr Malpractice.

Justice for Pete! - 1 July 2025

Sweet, angel and this show's surprise moral compass must be protected in season 5 (lmao) + @freedelusionshere's reblog meta

Unlearning and Carmy's recovery - 30 June 2025

Carmy getting better is going to involve interrogating and unlearning his racialisation and socialisation as a white man.

Sleepovers and videogames and cheeseballs - 29 June 2025

Sydney and TJ have one of the best conversations of seasons 4 and a lot of corny cheese makes a repeat appearance + @freedelusionshere's excellent reblog meta.

Changing the chemistry - 28 June 2025

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

I've been thinking about you - 28 June 2025

Carmy lets slip that he thinks about Sydney whenever he's around Claire.

White supremacist capitalist patriarchy and The Bear - 27 June 2025

Long-form essay: Systems and his history have made Carmy into who he is. What can he learn from bell hooks, Sydney and Luca to get onto the path of integration?

Liveblog of my first watch of season 4 - 26 June 2025

Too much Claire, 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 - 25 June 2025

Long-form essay: This show celebrates the quiet, consistent caring work that lets dreams thrive.

Ready - 20 June 2025

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 - 6 June 2025

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

Fire across the seasons - 3 June 2025

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

Say more - 1 June 2025

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 - 27 May 2025

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

The finger point - 25 May 2025

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 - 25 May 2025

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

Hee Hee - 22 May 2025

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

Homewreckers - 18 May 2025

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

The Posters - 14 May 2025

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

Exorcism - 18 April 2025

Long-form essay: Chef David haunts Carmy and The Bear's menu in season 3.

Grief/to mourn - 15 April 2025

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

Heartburn and heart attack - 7 April 2025

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

Inspiration - 5 April 2025

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

Fak said Claire is a replacement - 18 March 2025

But a replacement for who?

A tale of two sex scenes - 15 March 2025

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

Recognition and desire - 10 March 2025

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

Action instead of escapism - 5 March 2025

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 - 20 February 2025

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 - 17 February 2025

Long-form essay: Digging in to why Sydney refers to herself as an "accomplice" in 3x05 Children.

Even if The Bear crashes and burns... - 6 February 2025

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 - 26 January 2025

Long-form essay: 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.

[whenmemorydies]

The Bear meta from 2024

Don't mind me - I'm consolidating all the meta I've written about The Bear in 2024 here. Posts are in reverse chronological order.

Some of my fav pieces are highlighted in purple.

Sydney won't take Shapiro up on his offer - 14 December 2024

Long-form essay: She has no time for disloyalty, smudges or snakes.

Are the shades of my family's old sandwich shop to be thus polluted? - 7 December 2024

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? - 30 November 2024

No but really, what happened between these guys?

Chicken Piccata: a succession of inspiration - 27 November 2024

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

Sydney x Carmy - Mirroring - 21 November 2024

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

That's something - 18 November 2024

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 for The Bear - 13 November 2024

My first prediction for season 4 is that Syd is Richie's date to Tiff's wedding.

Another Storer/Calo musical deep cut - 5 November 2024

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 - 14 October 2024

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

Beautiful people do not just happen - 7 October 2024

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

Chaos and Consistency - 5 October 2024

Long-form essay: 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 - 15 September 2024

Long-form essay: How the fine dining industry helped create season 3 Carmy and how its on its way out. A submission to #sydcarmyweek 2024.

Carmy's sketches of Syd - 9 September 2024

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 - 18 August 2024

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) - 16 August 2024

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 - 12 August 2024

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 - 31 July 2024

In which Carmy reverts from ally to a regret.

Reply to @mitocamdria on Sublimation and Shame - 28 July 2024

Theorising on source's of Carmy's shame.

The Claw, The Scrunchie and The Prayer Card - 27 July 2024

Carmy's mementos as breadcrumbs back to his loves.

This needs to get good or go away - 22 July 2024

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

The things you learn... - 20 July 2024

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

Reply to @vacationship on Christopher Storer's cameo(s) - 14 July 2024

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 - 10 July 2024

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

Blood ties and lineage - 7 July 2024

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

The legerdemain of racism: demands for season 4 of The Bear - 6 July 2024

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

Mikey's ghost and Claire as a reverse-engineered haunt - 5 July 2025

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 - 3 July 2024

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

Offerings - 1 July 2024

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

Richie and the viewer - 1 July 2024

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.

Ancestors and The Bear - 30 June 2024

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

3x01 Tomorrow - 29 June 2024

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 - 28 June 2024

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

Lessons from a mentor: every second counts - 23 June 2024

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

Warm/Cold Light - 17 June 2024

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

2x06 Fishes (Copenhagen/Pantry scene) - 17 June 2024

Analysis of the Copenhagen/Pantry scene in 2x06 Fishes between Carmy and Mikey/3rd out of my top 3 tender scenes in The Bear; featuring beautiful reblog meta from @historicizing.

Quit? And where you gonna go Ritchie? - 13 June 2024

Short analysis of Richie and Tina's relationship.

90s alternative rock, masculinity and The Bear - 9 June 2024

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.

Wet T-Shirt Contest (Bridgerton v The Bear edition) - 7 June 2024

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

2x08 Bolognese and Richie's apology to Nat - 7 June 2024

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

Napkins 3x06 - 6 June 2024

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 of my top 3 tender scenes in The Bear.

Reply to @hwere on if Syd was a white character - 6 June 2024

I wouldn't be watching the show.

Reply to @mod-doodles on what will happen when Syd finally lets her guard down with Carmy - 3 June 2024

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

Sydney is Carmen's best friend - 1 June 2024

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

Head Tilt (Bridgerton v The Bear edition) - 31 May 2024

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

Preliminary thoughts on The Bear, race, power and privilege - 12 April 2024

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

[whenmemorydies]

LOL can you say, "mini-franchise"?

Even if The Bear crashes and burns...

Carmy's already told us that he and Syd are going to keep going, together:

Their first business.

He wants to start their first business at The (then) Beef, in Chicago. Which presumably leaves the door open to a second…

Carmy may have babytrapped Syd at the start of season 3 with the partnership agreement, but he began laying the bait an entire season earlier.

These writers man…

[whenmemorydies]

Organisers reckon there were up to 300,000 protestors in attendance. Sydney showed the fuck out!!!

Sydney, you were magnificent. The police reckon 90,000 people marched, despite the lousy weather. Astounding. Inspiring. Thanks Sydney from Palestine 03/08/2025

[whenmemorydies]

I was happy that he came back.

[whenmemorydies]

the bear, season 4 (2025)

[whenmemorydies]

Let me live in your city

At the start of 4x05 Replicants, we hear Paul Simon's Let Me Live In Your City as Carmy walks through the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio in Oak Park.

While the segment of the song we hear in the show is evocative, what was even more telling to me were the rest of the lyrics that we didn't get to hear. They're below alongside shots from season 4 that resonated with those lyrics for me:

They got a wall in China It's a thousand miles long To keep out the foreigners they built it strong

And I got a wall around me You can't even see

It took a little time to get to me

Whoa, let me live in your city The river's so pretty The air is so fine, mm

Rent me a room where I can lay over, oh

I'm just a traveler Eatin' up travelin' time, whoa I'm just a traveler Eatin' up my travelin' time

Some people never say the words "I love you" It's not their style to be so bold

Some people never say those words "I love you" But like a child, they're longing to be told

Mm-mm-mm, let me live in that city The river's so pretty The air is so fine, mm

Rent me a room where I can lay over, oh

I'm just a traveler Eatin' up travelin' time, oh I'm just a traveler Eatin' up my travelin' time.

[whenmemorydies]

your cheeseball post lmao

I'm sorry this took me ages to reply to but...yes lmao.

Syd and Carmy are cheesy corny emotionally guarded cheeseballs.

[whenmemorydies]

Free Palestine.

[whenmemorydies]

I took this interview to confirm that Chris had a Claire once in his personal life but not necessarily that he knew a Claire who was a doctor. It sounded like they put the ER doctor profession in there as a parallel to the pace of restaurant work for narrative purposes?

Also Molly saying that Claire has figured out the balance is a stretch given what we know about how emotionally mature this character is lol. I wonder how old this interview is?

I also have a question to the folks who I know have acting experience @thoughtfulchaos773 @fairestbeard: where a project has a script that has as much subtext as this show does, and where that subtext isn't limited to being conveyed by the script (like we've all talked about: it can also be conveyed by things like acting choices, props and set design, scene placement, etc), how privy are actors to what the endgame is for a show or even their specific character?

Like could Molly be misrepresenting her character's arc bc she genuinely doesn't know what is going to happen?

This is for Sydcarmy people who analyze Claire, and I know who wants Molly in the Sydcarmy timeline, right? BUT:

Did Molly say Claire's career as a doctor is based on a friend, OR that Storer once had a Claire in his personal life?

@yannaryartside, @freedelusionshere @whenmemorydies @turbulenthandholding @devisrina

[whenmemorydies]

The Bear, Subtext and Ciphers

This post is a bit all over the shop so apologies in advance. I'm increasingly having conflicting feelings over the amount of time I'm willing to spend on Bear brainrot, given the state of the world. I also woke up thinking about ciphers and keys and had to write something down. We contain multitudes.

Subtext

If you follow the analysis of The Bear put out on this platform, you'd know that a lot of it is dependent on folks breaking down a whole lot of subtext. But what is subtext?

From Merriam-Webster:

A literary text often has more than one meaning: the literal meaning of the words on the page, and their hidden meaning, what exists "between the lines"—the subtext. Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, for example, is about the Salem witchcraft trials of the 17th century, but its subtext is the comparison of those trials with the "witch hunts" of the 1950s, when many people were unfairly accused of being communists. 

The Bear has heaps of subtext to parse through and for me, watching it is like a puzzle within a puzzle within a puzzle. I know that's not everyone's cup of tea but this stuff is my catnip. Its truly some of the most remarkable and rich storytelling I've ever come across on television.

Also: analysing The Bear has become a bit of joyous escapism for me in the current global, geopolitical context. Figuring out this puzzle of a show about community and love has been nourishing when the "civilised" West has deemed that its alright that millions of people - the majority of whom are babies and children - be subjected to horrendous genocidal violence and now, slowly starve to death because they are brown, Black and majority Muslim. Like I said here though, watching The Bear is not my resistance and nor should it be yours. I'm not going to pretend that in a time where children are being sniped in the head by an apartheid state, that my joy in watching a tv show is radical. Its not. Its a means of keeping me sane so that I can go and do resistance work elsewhere.

But I digress. Back to my dose of escapism.

The Bear conveys subtext through many means including:

script

colour theory

direction

acting

props

costume

hair and makeup

probably a whole lot of other shit that the film students and folks with industry experience have more insight on!

If you want some juicy subtextual analysis, you can't go past the #sydcarmy tag. Some of my fav writers who get/got into subtext are: @thoughtfulchaos773, @freedelusionshere, @fairestbeard, @currymanganese, @moodyeucalyptus, @mitocamdria, @bioloyg, @outmakingmoonshine, @brokenwinebox, @turbulenthandholding, @devisrina, @sydneys-adamu, @vacationship, @yangsharperavery, @ambeauty, @angelica4equity, @unlikelyjapan, @gongziyus, @yannaryartside, @marianasue20. I'm sure I've missed a bunch so apologies if I have.

Ciphers and keys

The Bear also uses the concept of a "cipher" in its scripts to help mask and reveal subtext. According to Merriam-Webster, a cipher is

a method of transforming a text in order to conceal its meaning; a message in code.

Ciphers can be deciphered by use of a key: a tool to decode the message. In the case of The Bear, I wanted to highlight the below keys which can assist in subtextual analysis of the show:

"She" = Sydney

The most recent and revelatory key for me was the one found by @mitocamdria in their fantastic meta here. This key delivered to us in 4x10 is meant to unlock the "under the table" conversation in 2x09 (and probably other instances I can't think of right now):

Carmy: She...She was just saying this thing about how [...]

Richie: Stop. Who is she?

Sydney: Me, I'm she. [...]

So that when Syd and Carmy have the below conversation in 2x09...

Sydney: I'm sure she's great.

Carmy: She is. She is. She's great.

Sydney: Yeah?

Carmy: Yeah. She's so great it scares the shit outta me.

...we know that the "she" Carmy is referring to is actually Sydney and not Dr Malpractice.

The Faks are Liars

Most folks who watch this show and have an ounce of media literacy would pick up that the Faks are fucked and are not to be trusted. But in case you took them as comic relief and nothing else, 4x05 gives us the below key about their role in The Bear:

Neil: Can we hold her? [where "we" = Neil and Ted Fak, and "her" = Nat's baby Sophie]

Nat: No, sweethearts.

Ted: Sug said I could hold it too. [where Ted is referring to a baby as an "it" - he is truly a lechy fuck]

Neil: She said we could hold her.

Richie: That's a lie

The Faks: Its not a lie.

Richie: That's a fucking lie.

Ted: It's not. Faks don't lie.

In 4x05 its made very plain that the Faks do, in fact, lie. They are liars. This has ramifications for many of their scenes, particularly where they insert themselves as advisors to Carmy and/or Claire. Like Neil telling Claire that Carmy likes her more than he likes himself in 3x09:

This lie gets refuted for us in 4x10 when Carmy tells us that its Sydney that he believes in more than he's ever believed in himself:

Fire = Arrogance, Bravado, (brittle/fragile) Confidence

This key comes to us from 2x07 Forks and the conversation between Chef Terry and Richie:

Chef Terry: I tried to open a giant place years ago. I had all these accolades. I was younger, I was on fire. I was arrogant, and, uh, I tried to move too fast. I couldn't keep the place open and the market crashed and I got killed.

Fire has come to be interpreted a few different ways on this show but in my view, this bit of dialogue from Chef Terry provides the most clarity in explaining its use in other contexts including:

In 2x05 Pop when Claire bizarrely says:

Mikey was cool. Like, he would set something on fire.

If "fire" in The Bear represents arrogance, bravado and brittle/fragile confidence, then Claire's description of Mikey as so cool he'd set something on fire makes sense. Carmy describes his brother as loud and magnetic in 1x08, which we see in action as Mikey recounts his Ceres story in 1x06. We also witness Mikey's bravado and brittle/fragile confidence on full display in 2x06 and at the start of 4x01. Claire's comment in 2x05 is even more prescient given that we find out from Richie in 2x01 that Mikey did, in fact, try to set something on fire: his entire restaurant.

Carmy also repeatedly alludes to fire in the show including in 1x05 Sheridan when he tells Marcus that he started a fryer fire after being awarded Best New Chef and had thought about letting the restaurant he worked at burn down so that his anxiety would disappear. While I can empathise with Carmy's mental anguish the idea of burning down an entire business on which many folks depend for their livelihood, where that fire could also risk harm to neighbours and others nearby, just so that your anxiety might be lessened...is plainly arrogant. This applies to both Mikey and Carmy and their "solutions" for their respective dilemmas.

Chef Terry's key also helps explain part of the Claire/Carmy fight in 4x03:

Claire: Why was the way you felt around me hard?

[...]

Carmy: It made me feel like I was on fire.

Claire: That's awful.

Carmy: No, no, it was the best.

If we watch the Claire/Carmy fight in 4x03 through the lens of Chef Terry's use of "fire", then we can see that the "best" feeling Carmy had when he was with Claire was a feeling of confidence (no matter how fragile or brittle that confidence was), having bravado, feeling like he had something to be arrogant about. In short, Carmy got to feel like Mikey, which felt good - felt like it was the best (given what white men are socialised and racialised to believe is the best) - in the short term. But as Chef Terry notes in her dialogue in 2x07, and as Mikey's character arc shows us: being on fire also means moving too fast, having everything crash around you and ultimately, getting killed.

Finally, Chef Terry's key from 2x07 also applies to Carmy using fire to not think about his brother's death which he tells Claire about in 4x07:

When, uh, Sugar called me about Michael, I was working. I was on the line. And, uh, I didn't want to think about it, so I put my hand on the burner. It wasn't a hot pot.

While there has been interpretation of Carmy's use of fire in this context as a means of numbing, I don't think thats what this is. Carmy wasn't deadening his reaction to Mikey's passing, he was diverting it to another form of pain. As Carmy tells us later in 4x10, he was putting something else in the way (the pain of a burn) so that he didn't have to deal with another real thing (the pain of his brother's death). This may sound cruel of me but it takes a spectacular type of arrogance, bravado and lack of self-awareness to believe that you can stem grief in this way: to believe that setting yourself on literal fire will make you the master of your emotions. By the end of 4x10, Carmy has come to realise this too, which is why he makes the decision to walk away from his role as EC of The Bear.

Keeper of the keys

I'd also like to point out here that Richie is integral to delivering each of the above keys to the audience. Its Richie who asks Carmy "who is she?" Its Richie who tells us that the Faks lie, and its Richie whose conversation with Chef Terry reveals what "fire" means on this show. This is consistent with his role as director/showrunner Chris Storer's author-avatar which was a theory put forward by @currymanganese and documented at length by @thoughtfulchaos773. I'm sure there are other keys he's associated with as well.

Have you come across any other keys in this show? Did they involve Richie? I'd be keen to hear about them so please reply, comment or tag me on your posts!

Happy deciphering!

[whenmemorydies]

I would like to thank Chris Storer and Joanna Calo for creating and writing a show that cross references so much of itself and other forms of media that this shit would be almost impossible to get AI to either replicate or analyse accurately.

LOL

[whenmemorydies]

I’m going to find “you’re not fucking acting like it” forever significant because it finally puts to light what the show has been tiptoeing past for almost four seasons. Carmy has never acted like Sydney’s friend. Whether production will deny a romantic explanation to its dying breath, or not, they’ve admitted to this.

Sydney threw the truth out into the open air between them. That she doesn’t think Carmy has ever been her “friend”, and more importantly, knows he knows that. And has been doing it anyway.

The ambiguity between them can never now know peace.

[whenmemorydies]

This is how Carmy’s visit to the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio in S4 might feature later in the show. The man is not becoming an architect, he was being inspired.

The city as inspiration

One of my favorite episodes of season 2 is without a doubt 2x03, one of my favorite parts is where we see a little of Syd's creative process, I love how they present us with a superposition of images of food, architecture, and close-ups of Syd's face.

This superposition of images takes us into Syd's creative process, it shows us how Syd uses the architecture of the city as a composition element for his dish, since he is inspired by the shape of the buildings to give shape to what I assume they are ravioli. She plays with the organic shapes she observes in "The Marina City", and also tries with the orthogonal shapes of the more square elements that are around, whether buildings or windows, these two options Syd draws in her notebook.

However, in the end they show us a third option: a mixture of both: a ravioli with an orthogonal shape and wavy edges (although I no longer identify if this is the final option for the dish).

Following this theme of organic shapes and orthogonal shapes, I noticed that Syd in her famous green jacket wears organic shapes, while Carmy's iconic jacket is composed of orthogonal shapes, this wardrobe choice, I don't know if it is related to what I commented above, but I like to think so.

Another topic that I liked is the parallelism between the conception of a building and the creation of a dish, since we see details of the creation of Marina City: from sketches, interior plans, to photos of the construction process, These images contrast with the images referring to the creation of a dish, and the show combines these two during season 2: architecture and cuisine come together to give life to The Bear, a menu of chaos and a Danish style.