i am a day 1 sydcarmy trutherrr (my predictions on sydcarmy in s5)
got into the show in 2023 when the 2nd season came out
initially shipped marcus and syd but was convinced by the internet to ship syd n carmy with good reason
dropped everything n created a sydcarmy playlist on my first spotify acc
collected like 467 sydcarmy edits in my tt folder
made a 2nd sydcarmy playlist
put my friend on the playlist
got two sydcarmy pinterest boards (one on my old acc one on my new)
like when I tell you i haven’t played about those two since 2023
like chris it’s been 2 years
we’ve sifted through 4 seasons so far
and the slow burn is slow burning for sure
but when will it begin to simmer 💔
just wrapped up an amazing sydcarmy fic on ao3 (shoutout to puzzlepuppy on ao3, the fic was “connecting flights” !!)
in it syd’s catering business failed and her dad got her a job at the airport bc her cousin worked there
she was mad at him ab it so she moved out n into chantel’s place
dad reaches out to carmy thru email n asks if he could help her regain her spark in cooking n help her do what she loves basically
he pulls up at her job n is like “your dad emailed me asking me to help you and i know you’re really talented”
and initially shes like “fuck off” but then they start going to soup kitchens and cooking there every Sunday w him
and they rlly start to like it and the feeling of being around each other and they begin developing crushes on each other
but honestly carmy was head over heels for her when he first saw her and it made me wonder if that was how he felt in the actual show like
and syd felt the same way cs she looked up to him bc of how young he was while getting all these accolades in the culinary world
and throughout the whole fic i couldn’t help but notice how CARING and just like WORRISOME carmy was ab the state of syd
like he would be like “have you eaten today?” and if she said no he’d immediately go get her something to eat,
when she came into the beef for the first time he told richie that she didn’t need to pay for anything and could order whatever she wanted,
he’s quick to take off her jacket for her and open the car door for her and give her his hand when she steps out,
he even called her “baby” in a moment where they were in a small argument like he wanted that cookie indubitably
like he probably smiled in that fic more than he ever had in the show tbh
like chuckling?? giggling?? blushing??!
NEVAAAA WOULD’VE HAPPENED IN THE SHOW UNTIL SEASON 53
see imagine if syd and carmy had met like THIS
imagine how much more healthier their relationship would be with each other if they just got together on sundays to cook at soup kitchens while yearning for each other instead of constantly being in an environment that demands so much energy and emotion that it causes them to crash out on each other unwarrantedly
fic carmy would never scream at syd the way show carmy has
fic carmy would never leave the restaurant in the hands of syd alone when she was under the impression that she was pursuing a partnership with him the way show carmy did
now while i originally shit on carmy’s decision to just leave the restaurant to go pursue who-tf-knows, i’ve gathered enough brainpower to realize that this is probably a good if not great thing for the ship and the restaurant and just hear me out
if you were to ask me if i thought that carmy had too much trauma tied to cooking (that evil ass chef in ny, cooking used as an escape from his crazy ass mama, increasing pressure to be great, mikey dying and leaving his restaurant in carmy’s name), i would have to say yes
however, i think despite all of that, cooking is something he genuinely enjoys doing like it’s not entirely bad or based off negative experiences throughout this life
but based on my main point, i think stepping away from the restaurant will give him some time to self reflect and do some healing through therapy
it’ll give him some time to mend his relationship w his mom; i remember they had a heartfelt moment at her house last season, which definitely could open some doors for healing after all these years
in the MEANTIME syd and richie are running the restaurant and i honestly think that with carmy being gone it finally has time to breathe without being operated by someone who can be emotionally unstable at times and somewhat irrational (for example: changing the menu everyday), taking out his own frustrations on the restaurant and its chefs
furthermore, i think syd and richie would be an unstoppable force in the kitchen just because i feel like syd has better judgment and definitely has all of the great qualities carmy mentioned outside to her during the argument scene
shes caring, thoughtful, and emotionally in tune (at least, a little more than carm is but as im revising this i realize that she can be closed off), and i honestly believe that she will be a great leader for these reasons but also because we already know she’s capable of coming up with some excellent ideas that could benefit the menu, the staff, and even the rating of the restaurant
with that being said, however, i also think it’s important to note that syd WILL be scared starting out as one of the figureheads of the restaurant, we might even have another panic attack scene where the stress of it all finally catches up to her
but with all of that to say, richie is now on the front page with syd as well, and I honestly think he will be an amazing addition to the partnership
y’all i love richie. like i know i don’t talk about him as often as i do about syd and carmy, but his character just radiates warmth and maturity to me
like obviously he went through a tough period of grief after mikey died since they were basically attached at the hip and i kinda feel like that’s overlooked
i love the way that the writers developed him throughout the seasons and fleshed him out to be someone with a well-deserved air of authority and responsibility within the restaurant
on top of that, his personality adds so much life to the show; he’s boisterous, cusses a whole lot, and energetic, but he’s also caring and loves seeing other people happy, even when he loses something in the process (ex: his ex-wife marrying another man and attending their wedding. while he’d come to accept it then, i remember moments in earlier seasons where he was frustrated and depressed about her moving on), and with him building a new relationship with jess, i think richie’s certainly reaching into a new, refreshing chapter of his own story and i think him partnering w syd will allow them to lean on each other emotionally, as well as finally being able to discuss things with each other that syd and carmy might not have been able to themselves
for example, richie might ask what carmy is or was to her, and she’ll get all flustered not knowing how to answer the question or she might answer in denial
hell she might ask a similar question about richie and jess
i love all scenes with syd and richie and i would love to see more dialogue between the two
ok, jumping back to carmy
unfortunately, i do think the show writers are gonna keep pushing tf out of the claire agenda and i think her presence might become increasingly overbearing now that carmy’s a free man
i don’t necessarily want to see it, but i would be lying if i said i don’t think the writers are gonna pull the new season in that direction
while this might strike us sydcarmy truthers as the show writers basically saying “hey, sydcarmy’s not gonna happen, wrap it up”, i think it might actually be another avenue in FAVOR of sydcarmy. let me explain.
as we’ve already acknowledged during carmy’s panic attack scene in s2, the subconscious thought of claire led to a domino effect of overwhelming images reflective of carmy’s past and the trauma he endured. yelling, screaming, fighting over kitchen tables, all intertwined with frames of claire smiling and portraits of her. just when the images were getting closer in his mind and the clamoring was getting louder in his ears, the moment where syd first walks through the restaurant and their eyes meet for the first time suddenly overcomes all these thoughts, and he immediately begins to calm down. the panic attack subsides, and we as viewers are just expected to move on from this moment just as carmy does. or were we?
i think, in its essence, this moment was meant to serve as foreshadowing for the future seasons, as claire technically is another echo of his past. now, don’t get me wrong, i don’t hate claire. i don’t think she’s necessarily done anything wrong (at least not anything intentionally), and i would be lying if i said she deserved all the backlash she was getting. i know she truly cares about carmy, if not loves him, because to her, he’s someone that she can try to piece back together and can teach him how to love (her). i don’t think she’s bad for wanting that, she’s human for God’s sake. however, i feel like carmy will eventually come to realize that claire comes off as too much of a reminder, a carrier of the hectic life he was trying to leave behind. which isn’t her fault, but it is what it is, no shade.
another tumblr user pointed out the scene in s4 where carmy and claire are finally breaking the ice on her brownstone’s porch, two seasons after the whole refrigerator meltdown, mind you. carmy tells her that she’s his fire, that she ignites a flame in him. claire is like “i burn you? i don’t want to burn you.” which is really, really sweet of her to say, but then carm is quick to deny that she’s causing him harm. but, since we know that claire is someone that carm has known throughout his early life and has unintentionally brought back painful memories (refer to panic attack scene), maybe her being with him will cause more harm than good. but i doubt that storer isn’t going to try and flesh out their relationship more before (hopefully) that moment of realization from carmy.
while carm is enveloped in his own romantic life, i think that gives time for a whole other ship to emerge: sydluca. while i DO like sydcarmy and think they should be endgame, sydluca is something that, right now, would be such a cute ship because they shared some short-lived scenes that i predict the show writers are going to try building their relationship with. i can already imagine them in season 5: them softly looking at each other from across the kitchen, luca’s hands lingering on hers for too long, syd laughing at his lame jokes because she’s into him. i wouldn’t even be mad if they ended up together instead, but i think what they might have can also be a catalyst for carmy’s jealousy. he’d still come check in on the restaurant, but when he does, he’ll notice them flirting, holding hands, or even keeping an inconspicuously long amount of eye contact before starting their work. syd is gonna hold some form of resentment against him, as she should, probably making remarks like “you left, so why are you still here?” even if she secretly wishes he would stay. but carm will slowly but surely try to insert himself into their interactions. i can already imagine a scene where syd and luca are having a heart-to-heart in the office, door closed. syd was hiding in there first, eating a sandwich and staring at the wall. luca, who noticed her walking in there, comes to ask her where the caviar is (idk) and she answers apathetically; luca asks her what’s wrong, to which she answers by rambling about how stepping up as the boss is tougher than it looks and how she’s scared asf and doesn’t know what she’s doing. luca tells her a half-funny, half-serious anecdote about when he had to take charge as a leader, hoping to hear her laugh again. she does, they look at each other for a very long time, then they lean in for a kiss, all to be interrupted by carmy cracking the door open. while they quickly try to act like nothing happened, pulling away from each other and nervously smiling at him, carm pauses and clears his throat before he asks them where sugar ran off to. he hangs on to that moment in his mind, to how much it stung to see them almost kiss each other. he just doesn’t completely come to terms with that just yet. he might ask about it later on in an argument with syd, or let it slip out that luca is her “boyfriend”. i don’t know, but i feel like that would be such a good way to kind of lean into carm realizing he has feeling for her.
in conclusion, i think that carmy leaving the restaurant in syd and richie’s hands is something that would be in the best interest of the restaurant, his mental well-being, and for sydcarmy. him stepping away would allow him time to understand and accept himself, why he pulls away from people when met with something good, how his trauma has shaped his behaviors, and could essentially lead to him working on himself. whether or not that’s hindered by claire is something the show writers will have to decide, but i honestly think she should’ve been moved on from him in like s3 considering he only really tried to bring up what happened in the fridge 2 seasons later; i just find it strange how all of a sudden they’re dancing at the wedding like he didn’t ghost her for months on end.
but anyways, i think syd taking charge of the restaurant alongside richie will definitely allow us to see a more authoritative side from the both of them, and i think they both have what it takes to take control over the establishment without carmy.
i predict that luca and syd will interact way more in this season, growing closer and subsequently making carmy jealous but if that’s what it takes to make him acknowledge that he holds a little bit of love for her, then so be it !!
anyways, thank you for listening to my ted talk !! 😭 i’ll be back on my rants when the s5 trailer drops 🙏🏽
