Legerdemain: Hamachi & Scallop Bait and Switch
There is a sequence in Carmel i have been analysing. - it’s just a 2-3 mins sequence with a lot of intercutting shots - ( have omitted few shots in the analysis which don’t seem important to me)
Scene 1- Donna looking at Carmy’s drawings sees his drawings and it ends with her seeing his drawing and recipe of The Seared Scallop.
Scene 2- We see a flashback of Carmy making a Scallop - ( This is a new shot not from tomorrow- we never see him cook a scallop there -unlike all the other dishes he is being inspired from) - he just plates one as part of the present day menu . - if anyone knows where this particular shot of him cooking the scallop is from let me know. ( This is bonkers if it’s a new shot and not something i missed.)
Scene 3- Cut to Syd making a scallop in the present day.
Scene 4- We see the flashback of Carmy plating the “Paupitte of hamachi with blood orange”
Scene. 5 - We see Syd smiling at the hamachi
Scene 6 - Syd continuing the scallop- every second counts present day.
Scene 7- Donna looking at Carmy’s Drawing of ‘Legerdemain’
Scene 8- Donna looking at the banana split drawing Which is the on screen sleight of hand- legerdemain Marcus is doing with the Carmel. ( this is the red -herring legerdemain)
Scene 9 - Syd salts and plates the scallop hands it to Carmy over the pass and he says -‘it’s beautiful chef’
let’s break this down-
Add syd’s revelation of grapefruit scallop in ribs to this context when we know she was served the hamachi - it’s said by the waiter and again shown here.
I think this is the actual ‘legerdemain’
Happening right in front of us. Chris has talked about magician’s job being tougher when he says he is going to trick you and still tricks you.
The dishes are being mixed and the audience is clearly being tricked into believing the invisible string is the scallop while it is not- we have proof of it. He shows us while tricking us - The invisible string is the ‘Hamachi’
Syd Lying to Carmy and saying it’s the Grapefruit Scallop and Carmy clocking her lie is proof they both know it. I have been pondering why was the best bite reveal so early on in season -it’s so we forget by the time we see this sequence.
Even though he gives us the answer here.
This is also intercut with the boiling over of the stock- his magic trick coming to a boil in front of us.
Chris is presenting us with two lies syd lying about the grapefruit scallop and Carmy making seared scallops which is framed as a flashback shot - but this is a shot we have not seen . ( this is a hoax imo)- because this is also the same episode where we see never before seen vision of syd from carmy’s pov. So hiding this one second shot of Carmy making scallops is plausible.
I’m not implying syd didn’t eat scallops that day maybe she did that was her favourite bite of the night - since tomorrow is framed from carmy’s pov we see how important the hamachi is to him but why would they show the hamachi and her smile again here in Carmel again if it wasn’t the INVISIBLE STRING and the dish.
The real legerdemain is hiding this switch of dishes .
The thing that confuses me about this is which is the truth and which is the lie now - is the scallop memory true that is being portrayed here and admitted by Syd the truth or the hamachi we saw Carmy plate and served to Syd. Because in both conversations about said ‘ best dish’ Syd never mentions what it actually was.
i don’t know what it represents i just know it means there is more here than what meets the eye.
That shot of Carmy making Scallops being new has greater implications just like the new shot of syd from Carmy’s Pov. - ( if someone finds that shot of Carmy being used somewhere else then this whole breakdown is worthless)
What does This LEGERDEMAIN mean then?
Does it represent the bait and switch of carmy’s love being presented as someone else but being someone else on screen??
Or there is more to the actual dishes? More to the actual hamachi reveal more to where their connection comes from!?
I know it’s retundant to keep thinking about this but this sequence has me going bananas and especially when no one else is talking about it.
