Hello. I am new to SYdcarmy Tumblr, Can i have a few recomendations to accounts? Maybe 5 ? Thank you
hii!!! let's be new together welcome to the bear tumblr!!
here are a few accounts that i love in no specific order... it's a lot more than 5 lmfao
@berzattohugs
@falllpoutboy
@notthebear
@thebearincorrectquotes
@chefkids
@yapper1020
@freedelusionshere
@alwaysshipping1
@lilbunnychann
@str8fromtheamygdala
@sonoranbumblebee
@afrofairysblog
@cleos-rightfoot
@thursbby
@gingergofastboatsmojito
@ambeauty
@yannaryartside
@celestysbrasil
@bakerst-sherlolly
@aerishey
@morningssofgold
@non-negotiable12
@half-bloodorange
@juniper-is-in-the-house
i'm def forgetting like a lot but here's a start ♥️ !
Thanks for the shoutout and those very kind words @cleos-rightfoot! I love sifting through the strands in this show and I'm so glad you enjoy reading my attempts at working through it all! <3
Below are some Sydcarmy meta and fanfic writers not already included that I'd recommend (in no particular order...also some of these users may no longer be active in the fandom but their analysis and writing is fantastic, still holds up and is 300% worth reading):
@turbulenthandholding (fanfic and meta writer extraordinaire)
@thoughtfulchaos773 (impeccable meta with so much insight into the filmmaking and technical sides of the show)
@fairestbeard (fairest has some of the most laser-focused analysis of the show I've ever read - get into their "The Bear is a Dirty Movie" series)
@vacationship (some of the most considered meta about the show, particularly from a psych lens)
@mitocamdria (Michelin star meta Chef here)
@sublimepeachtriumph (more Michelin star meta with a side of systemic analysis)
@brokenwinebox (broken doesn't miss ANYTHING)
@currymanganese (The GOAT. Curry's video editing, analysis and care helped establish the fandom way back when)
@moodyeucalyptus (moody's meta is wide-ranging and always fire)
@angelica4equity (meta on point and one of the funniest people in the fandom)
@anxietycroissant (fanfiction so delicious I can't put it down)
@sydneys-adamu (another fanfic and meta master)
@bioloyg (again, another incisive writer who does both fanfic and meta and never misses)
@yangsharperavery (crystalline analysis and fanfiction)
@outmakingmoonshine (I am still coming back to moonshine's reblog meta breaking down the spaghetti from 1x01, 1.5 years after they first wrote it)
@ciaomarie (more meta magic)
@sutherlins (juicy fanfiction and the crispest gifsets)
I'm probably missing heaps of people but hopefully others will tag more accounts. There's also the list of meta about the character of Claire that I consolidated which features some amazing accounts/writers.
As a Chicagoan who loves a show set in an industry where the people building this city are at risk, I am using my platform to spread some awareness and ways to help.
If you want to help, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is a place to start . If you are in Illinois, you can print out handouts on the website.
We are gathered here because we love a show set in an industry that is crucial for the survival of these communities, who are currently at risk due to the regime infesting this city. If you can, please consider donating so we can offer more assistance and support to those who need help staying safe and informed.
If you donate, @sutherlins is offering a quick fan fiction gift for anyone missing sydcarmy.
What is this? What to make of it? Sydney and Carmy's shared trait to want to fix?
For Sydney it could stem from her need to fix whatever is happening with her father, take care of him, make him healthy and she could prove she's was worth the dedication? Now it's a focus to fix the Berzattos, repair the restaurant and it could make sense. But the real compulsion to fix is repairing the chaos and grief in carmy then the relationship and she could prove Carmy's devotion to her was worth it.
For Carmy that compulsion to fix the restaurant comes from the desperation to repair the damaged relationship with his brother and to fix Mikey and the chaos that consumed him. Now Carmy's drive to fix and open The Bear is making sense of whatever is happening with Sydney and to repair what happened when she walked away the first time.
Also, he fixes her credit, failed business history then it could show her why it makes sense she's with him.
Sydney's rant that she could fix the house or the big brother living there and everything clicks and they can have everything they ever wanted but she gets shaken up with TJ's valid point it's not her house, Carmy isn't hers so what if she can't fix it?
But now Carmy is walking and giving her the house to fix...but not him.. while Carmy in his perspective walks away from Sydney because cooking and trying to fix the bear was a way to avoid repairing himself...
We all remember where we were the first time we saw the sydcarmy hug that rocked our worlds– and theirs, if I must say. And it did rock their world, so much so that they've deliberately avoided touching each other like this since then.
Let's examine this moment.
This was obviously a make or break moment for all of them. It was the very thing that could ruin or set back everything they had been working for the past 2+ months or so. So when they got cleared, of course it was a moment of victory and a cause for celebration.
His joy was her joy
Carmy's celebration was immediate and visceral and induced Syd's own celebration. We all know Syd is quite subdued. You can tell when she's happy or excited about something through her facial expressions but it's very out of character for her to break into dramatic joy like this. What did it for her was seeing Carmy break into spontaneous unbridled joy and she couldn't help but join him
So we have Sydney "I'm excited 😐" Adamu, spurred on by Carmy's spontaneous joy, breaking into a dance because she saw her partner let it rip and couldn't help but follow his lead.
Carmy rushed into her arms.
It was giving:
He doesn't just go to give her a hug, he runs into her, throws his arms around her and also pulls her into him. You can tell from their body movements that she's responding to him and not initiating.
The force of the way he goes at her is what makes them rock and sway back and forth like that.
He left Nat hanging:
This bit is so hilarious and relatable to me. Nat expected to be hugged first because, a) she's literally his sister, b) they officially own the restaurant together at this point.
She holds out her arms to him but he bypasses her and reaches out to Syd first. If you have a kid brother that is so relatable, that moment when someone else becomes more important to him than you.
She has to put that energy somewhere so she hugs the inspector who also is not expecting such a gesture and calls him "honestly the best" even though he's just doing his job. It's both a sweet and hilarious moment.
Now here's where things get interesting to me:
Syd does another thing that is out of character to me. She goes to hug Neil Fak! Now, I know what you're thinking: why not? Neil is the one that saved the day so of course she hugs him to thank and congratulate him. Well, yes but Neil and Syd don't really f_ck with each other like that. It's been no secret from the first season. They don't hate each other but there's this unspoken reservation or even animosity between Syd and the Faks (she's even friendlier to Francie but it's almost like she doesn't even know Ted).
Celebratory moment or not, I just don't see Syd hugging Neil like that. It looks to me like what happened with Nat and the inspector. When you're feeling awkward and need somewhere to direct that energy so you literally start doing the most. So why?
The time jump:
They only show Carmy and Syd hugging each other, then Syd hugging Fak and Carmy hugging Nat. But what happened in between those hugs? Because that is a very odd sequence of events. Maybe we can blame it in the editing and continuity but what if we don't and assume it was intentional.
Syd hugs Carmy, then goes to hug Neil. Syd and Neil don't really like each other or at least aren't really close at all. If you look at the lineup though from where Syd is to where Neil is, it's filled with people she actually likes and is closer to. There's Ebra, Marcus, Tina, Richie before Fak. So how is she bypassing all these people to go give Neil a hug? That is something that could be managed in editing. A quick montage of everyone hugging everyone can be easily done, so why specifically film this that way?
Because...holes! Syd didn't bypass the rest of them to go hug Neil. There's no way Syd bypassed Marcus and Tina especially to go hug Neil Fak. There was a significant time jump (in hugging terms) between her hugging Carmy, hugging the rest of them before getting to give that awkward hug to Neil. Richie and Tina are no longer even in the line up anymore, meaning they had done their rounds and left.
Now, why is this even important?
Because Carmy is still here:
Second arrow points to where they were when they hugged. Carmy is just leaving that area to hug Nat, looking out of it and red in the face.
The time it took for Sydney to go hugging everyone including people she wouldn't normally hug, is the same time it took between Carmy hugging Syd and then going to hug Nat! What happened in between? We'll never know unless they tell us but it sure looked like he needed and took time to recover from that hug.
And seeing how they made such a stark physical break from each other after this hug, it makes one really really wonder what really really went down 🤨🧐.
I’ve written a couple of fics alluding to this now, but the show has told us repeatedly Carmy is bad with words. He even gets Strange Currencies, a theme song about how bad he is at it.
It’s also made it evident through the blood orange hamachi dish that Carmy communicates his passions with food and also with his art. Like the illustrated chaos menu he creates that impressed Syd.
Doing some math here, but Carmy being stuck on this lamb dish and clearly making it based on Syd’s clothing or scarves is Carmy trying to communicate.
We also see Syd taking pictures in S4 as if she is somehow receiving this transmission and lo and behold, The Who song about “I’m gonna tune right in on you” plays this season.
The lamb dish is Carmy’s attempt to write love letters to Syd. Throwing it away is wasteful, but for Carmy it’s like tearing up a love letter and then starting all over again.
He’s massively in love with Syd. He is writing them in front of her.
I keep revisiting this phone call scene between Carmy and Nat and I think this is a very underrated scene this season. Apart from this being some of his best acting this season, it also, to me, encapsulates how Carmy was feeling under the surface of his chill exterior this season.
This scene starts with him hiding away in the pantry, after Tina's verbal whooping, to talk to Nat (I've heard a lot of people say he was in the fridge, he was not. He was in the pantry). His call interrupts Nat's attempt to send Francie Fak a stinker message. This imagery is called back in Green which makes me wonder if Carmy was actually planning on a different line of action before Claire intercepted with her call.
There is also the misunderstanding bit between Nat and Carmy where they realize halfway into their discussion that they were having two separate conversations. Nat thought he was talking about the menu but he was talking about Sophie. I think that symbolizes the concept that we've talked about exhaustively here and the premise that makes up our "delusional" community- that a different story is being told under the surface ( @aerishey ).
At different points through out this call, he looks like he's out of breath and struggling for air.
Nat says she can't wait for Carmy to meet her and that "She's cute" which Carmy agrees "Yeah, I bet". But Nat saying "she's cute" triggers something in Carmen and he looks very overcome by emotion and like he's trying to hold something down and hold back tears. He also looks out of the glass towards the fridge area at points in this conversation as if he's trying to spy at something. Maybe he's looking at the fridge because of what happened there (and the fridge gets brought up quite a bit this season)?
Carmy doing the forlorn chin twitch a la "you're dressed like Syd" + "you should come."
Nat of course, can quickly tell he's not okay and asks how he's doing and he tries to dismiss the question saying it's busy. She asks again and he says he's ok, but you can tell he's not and he's struggling. You can see him trembling at a point even, trying to hold his emotions in.
I also want to make a quick quip about the music here. It's Bob Dylan's Most Of The Time– a song about a man trying to get over a heartbreak or a failed relationship. The lyrics of the song is very much like a person in denial. And watch were it swells as they have this conversation
I don't even think about her
most of the time
He's thinking about her. And for the layman, it makes sense that it has to be Claire, right? Because she's the one he's had a failed relationship with and more especially since he runs to her in the next episode.
He asks Nat back how she's doing and she says she's so happy it's scary (he feels in the scary part because obviously he's felt like that in the past too). She says she wants it to last and he assures her it will because she deserves it.
Nat starts reminding him about O'Hare when he was leaving for New York. She says she was sad because she didn't have anything going on. He's emotional again and protests, almost tearfully, that she had Pete. For him, she had found Pete and that was all that mattered. This is another evidence that he is thinking about love and he is sad about love and love is the one thing he wants the most.
Diagnosis: Love sickness
She reminds him what he was like. He had a spark. Like someone in love with something, being great at it and being loved back. He closes his eyes as she describes it, like he's trying to picture that feeling but when she says being loved back, he winces in pain and says he doesn't know how long that kind of thing lasts. Remember how he just told Nat that her love was going to last because she deserves it?
Carmy doesn't believe that he deserves love like that. Love that can make him scary happy.
Nat tells him that it's ok if he falls out of love with something that he used to love, because the most important part of loving something is being capable of that love and not how long that love can last.
A look of realization crosses his face and he looks emotional again looking out of the glass again and then up, a move I've come to associate with him praying and thinking about Sydney. And in the usual fashion, the next scene is Sydney.
She's shown out of focus similar to a peripheral vision, and from the side that's closest to the fridge area which is where Carmy's line of vision was, peeking through the pantry glass. I don't know if he could see her from the pantry but I think he was trying to. He is always aware of her presence and always looking for her to anchor him, especially in when distress.
To emphasize this idea, they show him from another position showing, again, her blurry periphery and him in focus in a lurky way as he observes her. He also bins the napkin(s) he had on him and takes a new one(s), which to me suggests that he had a cry in that pantry and most likely wiped his face with it. He cried in there and then came out to be supportive to Syd and prep carrots.
Now, to the non-delusional watchers, this scene can only mean that he was still very sad and forlorn about losing Claire and he was thinking about her. But, if you're delusional like me, you know what happened in there was about Syd. He was thinking about Syd. He was thinking about the fact that he had fallen out of love with the only thing that tied him to her and may have to leave her and lose her completely.
He had just sat through a session of cuteness earlier with Syd teaching him math and all that, so of course Nat saying she's cute ( @thoughtfulchaos773) set off his emotions (check out @mitocamdria 's post about She)– because he probably says that to himself anytime he sees her.
Now to further my point let's examine...
Sophie
Sophie Berzatto Katinsky is introduced in Replicants and the following episode is titled after her. I feel like Sophie is also used as a way to point out Syd as She and subtly hint that Carmy was thinking about her in the pantry that day.
First, in the way Syd is the one to introduce her to the audience in a very interesting way, using the baby/baby double entendre just like "she's cute" is a double entendre in Soubise.
Second is the phone call between Carmy and Syd in Sophie, which I believe is a call back to the phone call between Carmy and Nat. Syd tells Carmy that she ran into Claire and that she is great. Carmy responds that he's thinking about Syd. This is a hint that at points where it may seem like his thinking about Claire, it's Syd that really is on his mind.
Later in that episode he tells Sophie "She's gonna come back!" which was very obviously referring to Syd.
So we have:
-Carmy calling Nat about Spohie (Nat's baby) while he's thinking about his baby (Syd but everyone else thinks it's Claire) because "she's cute" in Soubise
-Carmy's baby (Syd) announcing Sophie (Nat's baby) calling the attention of her baby (Carmy) in Replicants
-Carmy clarifying who he's really thinking about (who's his baby) in Sophie
-Also Carmy talking to Nat's baby (Sophie) about his baby (Syd).
Poetic AF.
Also, bonus: Carmy introducing Syd to his mom and cousin Stevie in Bears because "I really can't wait for you to meet her. She's cute"
In the Goodbye episode, I may be overthinking, but Sydney's line:
...but when you take it out on the restaurant and the people who work here and the fսcking business and on me, it's beyond the fսcking.-
It's how she separates herself, and then the later eruption of the whole argument being You're my partner! And Carmy still gets upset with this, though it's clear Sydney has separated herself from the restaurant, business, or working there.
It was clear that beneath the arguments about the restaurant, work, cooking, and the art of cooking itself was always about them and whatever it is that's going on beneath the surface. They've established Sydney as separate from the rest.
S4 SydCarmy are lovers missing connections and working at cross purposes
They structured it so everyone gets a pass on the near misses. They are doing this so when they get together next season it's not someone's "fault" that they slightly betrayed each other bc it was all miscommunication and good intentions and confused lovers.
* He changes the partnership agreement at the end of 4x03. The entire purpose of this is to free him from being her boss so he's not sexually harassing her when he finally makes a pass.
* Sydney, living in a bit of a "Groundhog Day" of her own, wholly ignorant of his intentions toward her, and being intensely courted by Shapiro, agrees to look at his space and then at paperwork.
* He tries to tell her about the change twice, baby and Emmanuel's heart attack intervene.
* She tells him she loves him (appreciates him, whatever) for the first time, under absolutely no duress and with no possible motive other than affection and gratitude. He hears it and says it back. A minute later, Shapiro calls to gloat that he's taking Sydney. This destroys whatever confidence he had in their romance as a result of Sydney's words.
* After the wedding, both are convinced by Computer's doomsday clock that they are running out of time to be together at *their* restaurant. Carmy believes one of them will be leaving even if the restaurant doesn't fail, although if it's Sydney that goes, they will be doomed just the same. Sydney has turned down Shapiro, unbeknownst to Carmy, because she loves Carmy, but still thinks the restaurant is in its final hours so why read the partnership agreement when there will be nothing to own in any case.
* They mutually agree, without ever discussing it, to restaurant snuggle as intensely as possible for as long as it lasts. The closer one gets, the closer the other gets, no one has any complaints. They both think they might lose their daily dose of the other one any minute now so they have to binge while they can. But no talking business though! That could spook the work spouse.
* By the time they make it to goodbye, they're all doped out on love but haven't peeped a single suggestion of their feelings to other person they spend all their time thinking about and conspiring toward.
Anyway, the "Goodbye" makeup sex is gonna be great.
My 14 year old daughter, who is an amazing artist, wanted to earn a bit of extra money so I offered to pay her to make a new profile pic for me. I thought it would be perfect to share for sydcarmy week.
Reasons why Carmy really, really, really wants to meet Syd's Dad
We see, from seasons 2-4, Carmy repeatedly ask Syd about Emmanuel and especially in Season 4, try to go with Syd to the hospital where he might finally have another pretext to meet him. It is probably the one non-work related topic Carmy asks Syd about the most. After Season 2 when Carmy starts running away from Syd (with Claire), Syd shuts those conversations down quickly. It takes some stubborn intention on Carmy's part, then, to keep returning to the same topic when he is rebuffed by Syd each and every time.
half-bloodorange
At one level it is obvious what Carmy's interest in Syd's Dad means: he is the most important figure in her life and that's why Carmy wants to be introduced to him. Syd has met all the important people in his life by this point.
On another level, though, the meeting between Frank and Richie sheds some light on the implications of meeting a father.
harrytheehottie
Frank apologizes to Richie, saying, "I should have given you a head's up before I asked Tiff to marry me."
Richie replies with a side-eye (for our, the audience's, sake?) "I'm not her father."
Frank goes on to explain that "he should have been a gentleman" by asking Richie's approval first. That sounds oddly archaic and formal in this era but makes sense for the world that we are introduced to in the Bear within which parents (by default, surrogate, missing, or role-played by one's current and former partners) loom large in the lives of all these not totally grown up adults.
boardchairman-blog
We learn at the wedding that Tiff doesn't have a family that shows up for her and is scared to lose her connection to the Berzattos through Richie. We see how Richie and Frank work together to help Evie overcome her fears. For both men, putting aside their resentments to work in tandem for the sake of the women and children in their lives ends up making this a joyous occasion rather than one marred by ego-driven conflict like the Xmas at DD's house.
heardchef; unladyboss
Going back to Syd and Carmy now. The Partnership Agreement is like a marriage proposal with Carmy continually sending it to Syd's inbox through DocuSign. Even though Carmy lives very much inside his own anxiety-riddled head, he is perfectly aware that Syd has not signed the agreement for months. Her hesitation and his having failed to meet Emmanuel (on the same benighted Friends and Family night Carmy blames himself for) are connected in his head.
And he's right.
If he were to somehow win over Syd's Dad, Carmy knows Syd would look on his proposal with more favor. Certainly Carmy knows how family members can place pressure on someone since his sister and Uncle Jimmy and Cousin Richie do it to him all the time. Were he to meet Emmanuel, Carmy knows he would also gain insight into Syd who has increasingly become a walled fortress when faced with any of his off-topic personal questions. Carmy may have inferred from the no-alcohol preference (Bear soda service cart) that Syd's Dad is teetotal and Carmy loathes alcohol (see his Grim Reaper tattoo).
heardchef
unladyboss
If Syd's Dad is anything like Syd, Carmy correctly guesses that he would be a healing parental figure for himself too. Just contrast the pep talk Emmanuel gives his daughter on opening night (that everything does not ride on the success of the restaurant and she always has him to rely on) versus Cicero's warning to Carmy to be "the guy."
Despite being roped into clearing out her mother's storage unit, Carmy has made no overtures towards Claire's father and we still don't even know anything about her parents. By the end of Season 4, though, Syd has verbally received the blessings of both Carmy's mother and his surrogate father Cicero with her being hugged onscreen by (DD) or spontaneously hugging (Uncle Jimmy) both.
Look at Carmy regretting his mistake here:
unladyboss
Syd's Dad was right there within reach if only Carmy could have talked with him.
unladyboss
Whereas now, if Syd ever decides to leave the Bear with no forwarding address or to shut him out and ignore all his calls, Carmy does not have even one person he can get to intercede on his behalf and plead his case to her.
This scene has become one of the most popular exchange between Syd and Carmy in S4 and has yielded some of the most romantic images of Sydcarmy this season in the fandom. What makes it so captivating is not just the moment of relaxation and friendliness between them, it's the way their bodies tell a story about how they feel about each other. It feels like their bodies are always speaking a different special language regardless of the subject matter.
So, Carmy is back from the kitchen after recovering from his panic attack and meeting Donna. Syd has just left Donna and finds him by the bar nursing a half full (note the symbolism here) glass of water
You can immediately see the way he draws a deep breath upon seeing her, his body relaxes and his eyes light light up. His eyes also does a quick flicker downward at this point as he quickly takes in her face and dress.
She informs him that Donna has left the party and he says "thank God" and she laughs at his response. Pretty benign conversation her but the flirty vibes between them here is so unnecessarily heavy for what they are talking about.
He checks in on her again making sure she's okay after her encounter with Donna. She reassures him she's okay and it was all fine and you can see her leaning her body forward towards him. Notice how from the shots both ways you can see they are already very close to each other but...
He takes one more small step closer to her. It's almost like his mind was going "not close enough, not close enough" . Now that he's closer, he's even more locked in and tuned in.
Even at this point you can still see him leaning forward as he talks to her, like there's still a gap he wishes to close. I also love the way he momentarily breaks away after some intense gazing to look at nothing in particular because I imagine he could melt from staring in her eyes too long lol.
At this point, Stevie approaches them and you can see as Syd turns her focus to Stevie, Carmy has a somewhat delayed reaction to that, almost like he was captivated and reluctant to break away from her gaze. You see him follow the direction of her eyes to what she's looking and seemed a little surprised by his Stevie.
After hugging Stevie, his focus immediately turns to Syd again, he wants to introduce his "friend" immediately to him. Notice that very boyish smile. This was the happiest and most relaxed he ever looked at that wedding.
They then go on to have the most couple coded interaction with Stevie. Their whole banter was so old married couple, it's crazy. The hilarious spiel about Carmy's smell and her subtle teasing, him getting slightly defensive, even playfully annoyed at her and just the general way they moved in this scene is basically a snap shot of what their lives could look like as a couple in social settings and I really think it was done on purpose for better or worse.
So if BB represents a dramatization of Carmy's sexual energy and all it's trappings. What could represent Syd's sexual energy The Bear way?
An exploding toilet, believe it or not!!
<actually it's fire and water respectively, but that's not as dramatic so... :D>
First of all, they've named it Latriana, which automatically ascribes femininity to it. Gushing, spurting water is, and has been a classic sex joke for a while now, especially water gushing unto a person. This so happens to be the image that is used in ep 5 "Sheridan", befittingly the most Syd focused of the season.
The set up is done for Syd to take over operations for the day and showcase how adept she is in handling emergency situations and making impromptu decisions. She and Carmy are discussing menu modifications, with Carmy flaking as usual after spotlighting her idea, leaving Sydney unimpressed, when the strange noise from the toilet demands their attention (one hilarious note is how that happens just as Syd is about to do something with the towel from her crotch area).
When they go check it out, the look on Syd's face is apprehensive as if she knew what was coming. Maybe, in reality, she did flush a tampon in the loo and was just realizing. Carmy looks at the toilet, points to Syd and says "I know what this is!" before the toilet totally lets it rip and he is violently sprayed water from the toilet.
On a sidebar, notice that each time the toilet exploded, Syd somehow has to assume operative control of the restaurant? Make of that what you will.
The idea of water as a sex metaphor is both very age-old and very pop culture. Water has even been used as metaphor for sex in the Bible. In pop culture, we all know what it means when people refer to thirst and quenching thirst. Also the behavior of water is very fitting as a symbol feminine sexuality, it is necessary to sustain life, it's fluid, healing, comforting and nourishing. It can also be mysterious, dangerous and destructive.
The direct opposite of water is fire, which I would say represents the male sexual energy in this case and we can see how images with water and fire play out in the series. It's a cooking show after all. We definitely can see the pattern with the backed up grease in the stove causing a fire to break out in Braciole. We can also tie this in with firing a gun (shooting a gun, wink) and see how this motif plays out in season one.
Both fire and water need each other. Both are necessary for life while being mysterious and dangerous when they get out of control.
Other interesting scenes with water symbolism in The Bear:
- "System": When Carmy burns his hand, he goes to the sink to run his hand in water with Syd standing by the sink.
- "Hands": He's washing his hands in the sink while observing Syd who is handling expo for the day.
- "Brigade": He seeks Syd out after their tiff and is holding a deli container of water while he makes up with her.
- "Sheridan" when Richie and Fak are having their very homoerotic fight, Carmy breaks them up by throwing water on them.
- "Braciole": After he discovers Syd's notebook, the fire incident happens and he cools his face with water after.
- "Beef" Alone in his apartment, where he comes up with the idea to gift Syd a custom chef's whites of her own, there's a sound of water dripping in the background.
- "Omelette": He has a panic attack where thinking about the image and voice of Syd is the only thing that can calm him down. After that we see him rubbing water over his face as well.
- "Pasta": After they taste the failed but "almost perfect" radicchio dish, Carmy asks Syd if she has water even though they are literally in his own place.
- "Pop" At the highschool/frat party, Claire asks Carmy to go get some water. But he doesn't get any water. He comes back empty handed.
- Carmy and Syd staring out into the water at various points in the show.
Verbal, physical and dramatic depictions and metaphors
I'll start with Richie. He's the most directly expressive and outspoken in terms of sex, coming on offensively strong even to the point of sexual harassment, at least till he learns to do better. He initially displays a lot of misogynistic and homophobic behavior calling Sydney "sweetheart" and "babe" and even accuses her of giving sexual favours when their relationship becomes more antagonistic. We see him calling Carmy a "fairy" and a "gay rod", berate Carmy and Neil's supposed friendship, calling them "butt buddies", while simultaneously displaying a lot of homoerotic behaviour, especially towards Neil.
We also see a lot of sex themed verbal comebacks from him in conversations. Eg, "fuck your vibe... I will fuck anything I want to fuck" conversation with Fak; responding "69 all day, chef!" to Carmy when Carmy is calling for pers count and tells him to go fuck himself. He responds "I will" to Nat when she tells him to go fuck himself. He tells Ted to "stop thinking about pussy" while they are buffing the floors. He talks about Fak's pheromones being "weak as shit" which low-key indicates that he himself can actually smell them.
Double entendres
"Entendre" is a french word meaning "to hear". Double entendre means a certain artistic expression has another meaning under the literal meaning of the expression. The Bear, in my opinion, tries to point the audience to the idea of double or even multiple meanings to what is being shown to us. Examples are, Richie in "Pasta" saying "you need to learn how to watch stuff", indirectly scolding viewers who only stick to literal interpretations. Chichi in "Next" also says "you don't hear it like I hear it" , still indirectly invoking the idea of double/multiple entendres. Also the intro for "Apologies" talks about sleight of hand and magic, indicating things are hidden under the surface.
There are many ways in which the way that a scene on the bear is shot, the dialogue delivery or the dramatization of events could point to sexual connotations.
So let's dig in.
In System, after Carmy is rudely shut down by Richie, he sees Syd staring at him. She turns away while he looks on taking very deep breaths. On the surface he looks like he's just reacting to being embarrassed in front of his new crush employ. On a second level, you could say Syd being there is helping him calm down, ie taking deep breaths. Throw a sexual filter on that and it straight up becomes-
this man is heavy breathing!
Heavy breathing is a slang for showing strong sexual passion or being excited or aroused, so this scene could be interpreted as him getting aroused by Syd, especially when you connect it with the scene that follows;
In the next scene, Carmy is talking to Neil worried that BB is taking too long to get fixed. He starts fidgeting and acting uncomfortable and asks sweeps to open the windows at the back. In other words,
he was acting hot and bothered!
Hot and bothered is also a slang for being sexually aroused. Neil notices blood on his finger where he cut himself and BB says "cum stain", probably suggesting (he engages in or should be engaging in) self pleasure.
Later when the nerds come, they start getting rowdy and Carmy goes to try to quell them, ie, suppress/repress. He doesn't succeed though, they turn on him and start beating him up. Only when Richie comes out and shoots (get it?) a gun in the air does the rowdiness and violence die down. Interestingly, in the BB game, the top player names abbreviations are quite interesting.
Carmy had asked cousin earlier to "give him a hand" with the nerds which he initially refuses. There's a call back to this moment in "Next" with Carmy and Richie's "give you a hand" "get fucked" back and forth.
Hole in the wall:
In season 2 "Beef", the hole in wall scene can also be given a sexual interpretation. There are many hole in the wall jokes of a sexual nature like the one overlayed on the image there. They are usually jokes that depict voyeurism and also sexual jokes about orifices (mouth, vagina and anus). The way he looks so enraptured by that hole is so very sus. Also after Sydney falls through it, he puts his hand in it too. Curious.
Another thing I caught was, while encouraging Nat to consider the PM offer from Syd, he says "do me a favor keep thinking about it?" But if you look at the articulation of his lips, it sort of looks like he's saying "her" not "it", but we do assume "it" because that's the logical way he's supposed to say it.
{Now, a non-sexual layer to this scene also is a play on:
1) Hole-in-the-wall restaurants : A term for a restaurant that is not fancy or expensive. The Beef transforms from one kind to another kind of a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the show.
2) The idea of breaking the fourth wall. Carmy is looking into the hole and straight at us (interesting since our role as viewers is voyeuristic), and it's a room so it's literally THE FOURTH WALL. We see other instances of them breaking the fourth wall later in season 2 and 3.}
Cleaning floors
Someone on here linked the image of cleaning floors with being sexually frustrated. I fully agree with them based on the timing of when this happens in show.
-Only Carmy and Sydney have been shown cleaning the floors on all fours.
- 1st time we see Carmy cleaning the floors, he goes home and dreams of the castration scene from BB while sleep walking.
- 2nd time, in Braciole , while Syd is gone, he cleans the dining room with BB going off in the background.
- 3rd time, in Tomorrow, he is shown cleaning the floors before the montage of his relationship with Claire is shown.
- In Bolognese, Syd is shown cleaning the floors in the infamous montage of Carmy and "his girlfriend", suggesting that she is now sexually frustrated herself after Carmy has found a new love interest.
Under the table
This one is famous and has been talked about to death because well, it is THE SCENE!!! The theory of this scene as a metaphor of the actual act of love-making has been explained several ways. I especially love the one by @chefkids.
One thing I want to point out is that before this scene is the hilarious "fuck me" "okay" exchange between Carmy and Syd which could be interpreted as Sydney giving him prior consent for them to screw under the table. And right before this exchange is the curious bit with Carmy pointing to Sydney's crotch- with an elongated object, no less!
Sex in Carmy's Art (tap heading)
Carmy's artistic side came to light in season 2 when he shows Sydney his drawings of the menu and since then we've seen several features of his art through seasons 2 and 3. Is he just drawing food though, or is there a deeper meaning to them?
Food and eroticism
There are many ways in which food is used to portray eroticism in every day life. We see it everywhere in media. Food and sex have a very strong connection since they pretty much produce the same chemicals in the brain. There's a reason hedonism and debauchery go hand in hand. There are terms like foodgasm, food porn, etc.
Carmy displays a lot of eroticism in his art but as I've said earlier, he doesn't want sex for the sake of sex. His art goes further than just the deed, it explores the chemistry, the biology and the magic behind it.
There's a reason there was all that mentions about "going very fast" and being "anti-climatic and underwhelming" in the dialogue between Carmy and Claire. He was doing the exact opposite thing. Seeking sex for the sake of it, before knowing what you actually wanted/needed from the relationship. That's why the sex scene ends with him looking...well, underwhelmed and regretful.
Carmy wants the total package. He wants a mental, emotional and spiritual connection with the person he does these things with. You can see even with the way he interacts with nature that he's a romantic at heart.
And Carmy wants a family. That's why his knee jerk reaction to Nat announcing her pregnancy was that of dramatic fascination. He wants that too and it shows in his art. There's also procreation symbolism in his James Beard award certificate. The name of the restaurant is taken from Shakespeare's sonnet, Fairest creatures we desire increase- a poem encouraging "the beautiful ones" (🙄 kinda eugenicist, but whatever) to have children and populate the earth. Also when Richie and Carmy fought, Richie used Carmy's childlessness as an insult. That's a very specific dig to someone still so young, which means it may be something Carmy expressed in the past or Richie came to know somehow.
Ultimately, what Carmy really wants is a soulmate.
for me, THE main reason I think the show is gonna go with the romantic route, is the hamachi dish.
in s1, we get to know that Sydney's best meal was what Carmy made in New York
in s3, we get to know how much abuse he took in new york, how with the fennel it wasn't his dish anymore, but was forced to make that way, and that one day, after Mikey died, he said fuck it, this plate, this one plate is gonna be mine, he rebelled against the abuse, and that one plate was the one Sydney got. The one that was life-changing, and probably was a big part of why she took the job at the Beef. (And also, it looked like a bleeding heart.) She had a taste of the best of him, that spark that was there despite all the abuse, the anxiety, the sudden grief and guilt, that spark that in s4, we know he can't draw from anymore. and that best part was the best she ever had.
in s4, Sydney tells Donna that she flew to new york, becuse she wanted to taste his food so badly, and hands down that was the best meal of her life, and that "i don't even know if he knows this"
They keep bringing this up, telling us that he doesn't even know this. Why is it important? It could be professional reasons. That they are really platonic soulmates in the kitchen, that she's gonna be his legacy - he made her best meal, now she's gonna do the same to someone else.
And it would make sense, because season 4 was all about that:
in s3, they have a talk about legacy, and if he's gonna leave something behind, he wants it to be panicless, anxiety-free, he has to filter out the bad to make it good
and in s4, we see the absolute calmest, almost sensual sequence with Sydney making the scallop dish, then he sees her plate the cavatelli under 3 minutes, without even really trying, when that's something even he couldn't do, and realizes, that this is it. Syd is the panicless, anxiety-free version of the restaurant, that he can leave behind. And to make it good, he has to filter out the bad, aka himself, and he has to leave to change, it's the best for the restaurant and him (and he believes for everyone, including Sydney).
him realizing that she's just plain better than him, and more, she's better without all that extra trauma he had to endure to get to that level
and that, well, is painful for him, and is jealous a bit (as Sydney tells TJ, he acts weird and funky with her when she's better), but the season shows us that he ends up accepting it, embracing it, welcoming it (he fully expects her to get that best chef title, with a gentle smile on his lips, absolutely no jealousy or hurt there anymore) (also, there's a big visual emphasis on when he gives her his signature spoon, like it's her turn, she's his legacy)
And the revelation of the hamachi dish would fit in this so well. It could have been like: all the best that he still had in himself, he gave it to her, only her, and she ate it, she internalized it, and now it's hers, and he doesn't have it anymore. It would fit the legacy theme so well.
But they didn't do that. Instead, the crescendo of the theme is their arguing in the finale: "Syd, you're everything I'm never gonna be. I believe in you more than I believed in myself. You're The Bear."
And it feels final. Syd accepts it. She has self-doubt, of course, but she doesn't say "You're wrong." She says "And what if you're wrong." Because she knows it's true. "I know I don't need you." Their argument isn't about the restaurant. That's done. He knows it, she knows it.
So what else is there? What else could they use that reveal of the hamachi dish?
back to the legacy conversation, he says in order to leave something anxiety-free behind, he's gonna have to be square with everyone, and that's what we're seeing he's doing
he apologizes to Claire, calls her and tells her what he should've told her many-many times before, he finds her sweatshirt to give it back to her, to open up a way to see her again
he visits Donna, he lets her apologize, cooks for her, maybe it's a start to be in each other's life
I didn't put a picture, but he calls Cicero to thank him and telling him how much he appreciates him
at the news of him leaving, Nat is just plain happy for him, she hugs him, that's all she wanted for him, to get better, to find peace and joy
even with Richie, their argument came to an end, it was the revelation that he did in fact came to the funeral, he did resent Richie because he was more a part of his family than he was, and that he was blind to the fact the Richie lost someone, too. Then Richie confessed he feels the guilt, too, because he couldn't help Mikey, and he though that's why Carmy didn't go to there funeral. Richie tells him he resented him, too, and missed him. Carmy tells him they're more than cousins. They cleared the air.
However, Sydney and Carmy's argument wasn't over, it was interrupted by Richie. By then, it was already established that she's The Bear, she's everything he's never gonna be, and that she doesn't need him.
"but that's not the point" - Syd tells him, and it tells that it's not about the restaurant and whether or not she could do this without him
"you're my partner" "i'm your friend" "you're not acting like it" "i'm your fucking friend" - they are literally arguing about what they are to each other when Richie stops them
and it's not resolved
when Richie and Carmy fights, at the end of the scene, she already accepted that Carmy leaves - the reality of it at least, and now they have a new plan. So the emotional side of the restaurant's future - it's resolved.
more than that, when Nat asks Carmy "Bear?", like "tell me, is this true?", it's cut to Sydney and Carmy having a silent conversation, nodding to each other, as if Sydney is giving him some kind of "permission" to tell Nat, making it final, making it reality, and just after that he turns to Nat.
but the thing they last argued about, what they are to each other - it's not resolved in the slightest, not like with the other characters.
Carmy said in order to leave, he's gonna have to be square with everyone - and that leaves Syd in S5. It has to be some kind of change in their dynamic, some kind of turnover, and I think that the reveal of the hamachi dish will be the catalyst, like, the realization of love. (He literally gave her his one and only bleeding heart.)
Because they shouted "partner" and "friend" at each other - it would be really disappointing if the resolution of their conflict would be - yeah, we ARE partners and friends. I think it should be a third thing, one that they are both blind to at this point. Like, from a storytelling perspective.
So how I think will turn out? Well, we were given:
we were shown Sydney taking a picture of the hamachi dish
in s4, we were shown Sydney taking a picture of the lamb dish, inspired by her dress she wore at the wedding, where
Sydney's and Donna's conversation took place - Donna now knows how inspired Sydney is by her son, and that he cooked the best meal of her life, she says "wow", because yeah, that's a wild little coincident, and a good story
Carmy mentions the photos at his place, then Donna eventually got him to bring them to her, which leads to this:
"when I saw you at the wedding, and you're all grown, and you're this guy and so handsome, and I'm happy for you" and "people say such nice things about you and tell me how wonderful you are, and I hear about what you do" (that was all Sydney btw) "I hear about your life from other people, I don't know you and you don't know me and i did that, and I know that me saying this doesn't mean anything except that i'm trying, i'm trying to be responsible and accountable and apologize and trying to make things better" "and i'm here asking if i can be part of your life again"
she wants to know her son, because he lived a whole life she wasn't part of
So I can see her trying gather as much knowledge as she can about her kids, Carmy, looking and collecting articles, photos, then maybe reaching out to Sydney (maybe through Nat), asking if she has a photo of his dish, because it was so good to hear how her son did that, inspired someone so much. So maybe Sydney gives her a photo, and maybe Donna one day shows him an album she made about her kids, to show him that she's trying to get to know him. And he's turning the pages, smiling, then bam. He's facing a photo of the blood orange hamachi, and it's like he's hit by a train. It shouldn't be possible. How the fuck is this possible? So he asks Donna, and she tells him this cute story that his coworker told her at the wedding, and that she just had to ask for a photo... and the world is upside down, things clicking into place.
I think it would be such a satisfying revelation, and such a strong resolution to Carmy's and Sydney's interpersonal conflict of "what are we?", and I think with this route, it has to be romantic, bc what other resolution is there? "omg, she's INDEED my friend?" come on.
(btw, I'm literally writing a novel-length fic with this theory right now, bc i'm feeling feral about this idea)
I’m happy more people are talking about the genocide in Gaza. Keep doing that. Keep supporting Palestinian families and challenging Zionist talking points.
But also don’t forget about Sudan. Don’t forget about the DRC. Do not abandon the millions of people suffering from what some are considering the worst humanitarian crises in the world. They deserve your unwavering support, too. Anything less than that is just racism.
Syd isn’t opening up to Carm until he shows her he can collaborate.
He is still not doing that in S4. He’s just not resisting her like he had been in past seasons.
He’s making his little solo lamb dish and she’s taking a picture and not commenting on it at all. She’s perfecting his scallop dish and telling him she doesn’t need him in the kitchen but that he’s supposed to be there.
(It would be funny if she has a Pinterest board of all the times Carmy makes that dish based on her, though, and she’s saving that evidence for when he finally figures his shit out.)
Based on her dream in S4, I think Syd knows Carmy has been trying to pursue her and she’s still running. The red light sweaty part of the dream (snow + fire = steam) with the bear growl is about that. Syd isn’t the only Bear, the restaurant isn’t the only Bear, the show made that plain this season.
She knows, she’s not even signing partnership agreements with him until he collaborates with her. Richie collaborated with her on Friends & Family. He’s in, Carmy is out. Carmy doesn’t like this at all, that Richie has her trust and not him.
Now, I also think Carmy thinks he is trying to still fix things outside of the kitchen. But he’s still not collaborating. He’s still making plans and not cluing her in. Maybe he thinks this is what friendship looks like? Syd does not think so.
I do think he’s trying to figure himself out probably with the hope of trying to impress her by being less miserable, because I do think he’s that far gone.
However, by not opening up to him, she’s pushing him away and he’s left trying to figure her out indirectly. She was going to leave and he smoked Shapiro’s offer. Here, have the restaurant without what was in your way: me. But he also heard her say she wants him there and she considers him her partner and I don’t think he thinks she’s talking about the restaurant at that point.
He knows she wants him, too, but she won’t let him in, so they’re at an impasse.
I doubt Carmy will be able to stay away from Syd, he never has since the moment they met. He wasn’t even able to when he tried to date someone else.
