thoughtfulchaos773

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Exactly!!! I say it again.... the bear was for Sydney.

Based on the dialogue in "Goodbye, Part I" there is a decent chance Carmy started the Bear because opening a (Michelin-star quality?) restaurant was easier for him than asking Sydney on a date.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I like that Natalie and Carmy were having mental breakdowns with their significant others Carmy because he can't fathom math, Natalie because of Francine

I love the way they interlaced these scenes between each other in Soubise

Natalie and Pete, a purely romantic interaction/relationship

Gary and Alpana Singh, a purely professional interaction/relationship.

And the secret third thing:

Syd and Carmy which ideally should be a mixture of both.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I was discussing this with @moodyeucalyptus so I think Sydney did tell marcus after graduating she tried all the places she could but I think she's even counting times when she owned her business and she still made trips to try really good food? Kinda vague.

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)

what do you guys think?

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Thinking about the ways in which Sydney sees Carmy the exact way that he sees her. They truly make each other better at this and I’m not sure I’ll ever be normal about them. I can only imagine what will happen once Sydney shares how she feels about him WITH HIM!

*Transcriptions*

[thoughtfulchaos773]

hey would love to interact with you on personal dm about sydcarmy, also love your interpretations 🤍

Glad you like it! If you love SydCarmy and you want to talk about it anyone can DM don't be shy.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

⭐️SydCarmy Week is Back!!⭐️

Calling all Jeffs and Bearitos to the front of the house as we gear up for another week of deliciousness!

Checkout our menu for this year’s offerings!

Art by @devisrina graphic by @ambeauty

Prompts:

Day 1 Mutual Pining

Day 2 Borrowing each others habits (good or bad)

Day 3 5+1

Day 4 Fake Dating

Day 5 Your choice or two fic tropes

Day 6 Life after the bear or Alternate Universe

Day 7 Established Relationship/Wedding/Soulmate AU

Rules/Guidelines

*Be Respectful and Considerate! This is not a competition by any means! Just a way to bring the community together

*Please comment and share/reblog the work you love! It take a village and fuels creators passion*

*Prompts are up to interpretation as long as they are connected to Sydcarmy

*Anyone and any medium can participate (Fan art, video edits, gif edits, moodboards, fics, meta, etc. are all welcomed entries)

Please use #SydCarmyWeek2025 so we can follow and share work as it comes through!

If you are using ao3 to post work please use #SydCarmyWeek2025 in the challenge box

Remember to have fun and take care of each other!

HAPPY SYDCARMY WEEK BEARS!!!!🐻🐻🐻❤️💙❤️💙

[thoughtfulchaos773]

4x01 is a revised user manual

I was reading comments about the bear somewhere recently and one of the commenters was complaining about how the show is so well done but the color grader for the show needed to be fired because there's always one color in every shot that's too much. I burst out laughing and said to myself "jeez, this one is Carmy levels of stupid, bless them". And a line struck me so I went back to 4x01 and realized something;

The season premiere was basically a revised instruction manual

The show has always given subtle pointers along the way about how to consume it, like a waiter explaining a dish to help you enjoy and appreciate it more.

But 4x01, like 1x01 is very instruction heavy.

1x01 groundwork laying was for what the audience was to expect:

- They know how to do spaghetti romance but there will be none because it didn't make sense on the menu.

- Fak is raising the play. In other words, he'll create a complication, ie, bringing Claire into the mix.

- (Hopefully) It is, in spite of what it might look like outwardly, a woke show. So all the "incel, Q-anon, Snydercut motherf_rs wanna get out of line". And we know how many of these are crawling around this show trying to assert themselves. Bear in mind that it's most likely woke in a liberal sense so don't expect too much.

- Even Richie saying bringing in all that crowd in was "not dope at all" if they weren't going to make it easy and make the f_cking spaghetti, seems in retrospect like a comment on the viewership.

And so on, and so forth...

Moving on...

Episode 4x01 has two sections of the manual

Part 1: The review/overview/outlook

This is the part where Cicero and Computer have a talk with Carmy, Syd, Nat and later Richie. They basically go over the state of the restaurant, which is really the state of the show and it's possible outcomes.

- Cicero addresses Sydcarmy as sports fans. Now we know they have alluded a lot to sports in the show but none (exception of Gary) of those characters, and certainly not Syd or Carmy, have shown that much interest in sports as a whole to earn the sports fan title.

That was directly addressing us. The fans.

- "Props are proven to be effective":

Book titled "Fix It Fast" in the scene where Carmy pitches what would become The Bear.

Computer says this in response to Carmy asking why he plugging a clock into the wall. We already clocked, pun intended, that a lot of the props are part of the story telling. There are several props which have proven to be meaningful throughout the show that have been noticed and pointed out in this community (cause were awesome). Eg, the Groundhog Day movie poster from S1 which has come full circle in S4, the bear behind Sydney in S2 (Sundae) which has come full circle in S4 as well with her being named "The Bear".

- "Anyone read anything good lately?":

Cicero takes a jab at the negative reviews and analyses of The Bear in the media.

- "They have an option to deal" :

If the reviews keep tanking there's the risk of the executives taking over the storyline or imposing their own vision on how the story goes and also ending the show.

- They owe the 2 month parachute to the beef window:

Season 1 is still currently the most praised and highest rated season of the show and there's a belief that the show is possibly running on the grace of that season. But there has been no growth or escalation according to several critics and audiences.

- Holes left by negative reviews:

Carmy argues that there were nice words but Cicero counteracts with saying they were also words like "confusing, show off-y, dissonance" which is a variation of words actual review critics have used, calling the show to artsy and pretentious and "like homework".

- "I color coded them for you"

Computer saying this to Carmy was the lightbulb moment. Couldn't be more obvious to me that they are telling the audience that the unusual use of color on the show is very deliberate and pivotal to it's interpretation.

Carmy says "absolutely not" to reading the charts (repping the viewers ignoring subtext). Syd tried but found the colors weird and depressing. Nat read the charts but it got depressing. All of them represent the different levels at which the fans consume the show and all coming down to the same takeaway anyway. Of course we all get this. It's a long running joke about how depressing the show has gotten even as the debate of whether the show is a comedy at all goes on.

- A huge shift

They talk about how a gigantic change needs to happen to save the restaurant/show. A seismic shift must occur to move the story or show, otherwise it's dead already. They talk about beating dead horses in a very dramatic way (in my mind that dead horse is clairmy) which is to say dragging the same old storyline.

- Carmy talks about getting the star: Awards, accolades, etc but Syd looks disinterested now.

- They don't want to spend any more money: Notice how there was no promo for S4? Also Chuckie comes in and talks about droids that have been given to them free by a delivery app. Emphasis on droids, app and gratis.

Are the droids us?

Notice how it's the cult following of The Bear that has done most of the promotional push/heavy lifting so far for season 4, doing gratis work on apps like, Tumblr, Twitter, TikTok etc?

Part 2: The revised user manual

This part is were we get additional rules/instructions to the existing ones. The non-negotiables come in to access, troubleshoot and come up with a game plan. This half of the episode is shot similar to a sports action movie, if you've noticed, from the soundtrack to the shots, to the movement, etc.

Jess starts by asking what seems to be the problem, ie, complaints with the shows storytelling. There's a cacophony of complaints including

- "Whatever this is"

says Sydney, making a circling gesture with her hands. But it's not outward in opposite directions which would denote the whole restaurant or everyone in the room but her hands circle in the same direction so that the movement is limited to the space between her and Carmy. This is direct signal on resolving whatever is going on between sydcarmy, for better or worse. There's been a litany of complaints about the show but we know the sydcarmy of it all has been the loudest.

- "Holes" Fak says. There are holes in the narrative that makes it a bit confusing to the general public.

Jess starts by saying they are going to solve this by using signals to communicate without words. In other words, tell the story without actually saying the words outright. How?

- "Direct eye contact"

In other words, watch the eyes! I for one have been noticing that a lot of emphasis is being placed on Carmy's eyes even before this season. This season though, it's taken a slightly different approach.

Examples of eye contact subtext in S4:

- Prior to this scene, Uncle Jimmy talks about not knowing what Carmy has more problems with, "math or calling people back". When he says "math" he looks directly at Sydney. So when Carmy says he's scared of math, it's even more proof that he's referring to Sydney.

- Stevie uses direct eye contact with Sydney at the wedding conversation to give out some subliminal messaging.

When he says Carmy was a "guy with a passion", he looks directly at Syd. Because she's is his passion right now and he's basically killing himself to make it happen (including sacrificing his stake to make better space for her).

He also looks directly at Syd when he says Michelle gets nothing because she left. I think it's to signal that Syd would lose out if she chose Adam because as we get to see from her last conversation with him where he immediately devalues her because she rejected him, it's obvious he never really valued her as a person and was just looking to extract from her as a talent.

He also looks directly at her again when he says "Donna rules, right?", maybe because Syd's conversation with Donna helped her to see that finding a found family at The Bear was a lucky thing that didn't happen every time and in my opinion was the final clincher to getting Syd to choose The Bear. Also, he makes eye contact again saying "She" when talking about Donna leaving with Lee, signalling Syd as Carmy's "She" as it's been analysed on here, following 4x10.

- Green good, red bad.

Next , Jess tells Tina about the expo card colors red and green. Green means "on time" and red means "behind". Tina concludes "green good, red bad. This gives two meanings actually. Being behind means you can catch up but being bad is just bad and whether a situation in the story is behind and could be caught up to or just outright bad is left to interpretation. Because of course they're not letting us have anything too easy.

- A timing problem

Jess also says "we're going to have a timing problem" which is a very strange wording choice to me. The way things are worded on this show are very important regarding subtext. She doesn't say we have or are having a timing problem, the pasta isn't coming out on time blah blah. She says going to have, which sounds more anticipatory than expository. Maybe meaning that we should watch out for timing discrepancies? Timing problems can also create narrative holes, so perhaps they want us to look out for them?

Tina is also supposed to be the clock and we can see her working to beat the clock the whole season. It's left for us now to figure out the purview of this idea and where the pieces fit in. There already has been observations of how the timeline is already confusing with several attempts to figure it out in the fandom.

One thing I noticed is that, apart from Syd changing from 4 to 5 years on when her mother died, We've all assumed that Syd and Carmy have known each other for total of a little over a year in the way the story is told. But in S1 Eva was 5, now she's 7 and with an upcoming birthday could be turning 8. So there's a giant hole there. Also the loop-loop could include a time loop?

- Pairings and what goes with what

This is a conversation between Syd and Gary (Sweeps) about his career as a sommelier. Gary says "the years are getting trickier", which I think is signaling the "timing problem" especially as this scenes follow each other. There is a problem of "pairings", which again speaks to the issue of coupling in the show. What goes with what, or more specifically, who goes with who. Syd introduces Gary to Alpana Singh who guides Gary on how to choose the pairings and peg down the years and we see them go back to the idea of "what grows together, goes together"

- Don't fold the napkins

This one was brought up by Richie, saying they are "not a passive agressive establishment". Personally, I read this as letting the characters have their mess. Folding the napkins could signify either unnecessarily woobifying or vilifying the characters based on what they are leaving on the table. This is something the fandom is very very guilty of. There's always an attempt to either rid the characters of mess by trying to explain that mess as something righteous or outrightly and totally condemning them for leaving that mess behind. But these characters are modelled to real people and real people will make the wrong decisions sometimes or do bad or questionable things depending on the situation, their core wounds and their desires. Like Ayo said in an interview recently, there are no actual villains in the story, just normal people trying to work through life. Not that we have to like the mess but we could do it with more understanding and compassion.

- There's also a comment about how the lamb is "dragging hard" during service which to me points to Carmy being stuck on the lamb forever and we assume Carmy's struggle with the lamb has something to do with his struggle with Sydney.

‎

‎Now these are just the ones I've observed and chosen to highlight. There are so many more than can be unearthed. It's fascinating for sure how the show is so meta in the way it's meanings are so layered and intertwined as an allegory of systems including itself as a show.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I almost felt disappointed by the season finale goodbye because it seemed like non-shippers were right that Sydney essentially represents the restaurant, confirming that in the season 4 finale, Sydney is the bear.

I watched Omelette again to understand the reasoning behind the panic attack. I remember that some viewers who saw the relationship between Carmy and Sydney as platonic believed that the panic attack recovery was simply due to Carmy seeing Sydney as a reminder to give all his attention the restaurant and his work.

So why, after meeting with Sydney, didn’t he immediately call the fridge repair when she told him she needed his focus? If Sydney represents the restaurant in his mind, why does he still forget to work and call to get the walk-in fixed?

So sydney mentions focus, Natalie walks away, and he asks what about her mom which seems to be a conversation that picks back up from the episode where Carmy wanted to know about Sydney and her personal life?

I thought since Sydney represents the restaurant, he would call the fridge guy, but he brings up her mom... which can be considered a distraction...

Even Jimmy gives another reminder to focus on the restaurant and we are made to believe that Jimmy's uh oh has to do with Carmy dating Claire and not focusing on the restaurant.

But they cut to Sydney because she is part of his distraction perhaps?

Carmy even shows us a third time the message hits because he reminds the staff more so himself to focus.

But let's not forget he doesn't focus, and one of his distractions is fixing a "broken" table instead of a broken fridge. He even tells Sydney, "Hey, you deserve my full focus." Seems like he got the message? Because Sydney=the restaurant?

No, he didn’t because he’s now sharing sweet nothings with Sydney, lying down with her, and giving her gifts.

Sydney is just as much of a distraction as Claire is, and it has nothing to do with the restaurant. If it did, he would have called the fridge guy. Instead, he gets distracted by making gestures for Sydney and showering her with attention. He said, "Focus?" Okay, bet. Sydney deserves my focus. What restaurant?

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I love this ship

By Season 4, Carmy's Syd Obsession has become a 7days out of 7, 24/7 Compulsion

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/thoughtfulchaos773

Over four seasons it has only intensified and I really don't know how Carmy is planning to extricate himself with any hope of retaining a shred of sanity that would get him on the road to actual healing at this point. Frankly, if he is able to function without having a full-on breakdown without seeing Syd for more than 24 hours, my credulity will be strained because that's not computing with what we've seen of his character the past four seasons. Let's review the evidence:

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/thoughtfulchaos773

Hours spent at work together: 12-14 hour days working side by side. By season four, you rarely see him let her out of his line of sight even before service begins. So, if she slips out the back door he follows her and if she is talking to someone, he is watching and overhearing. How convenient that he was distracted (by Chef Fields) and his set menu locking to observe the fireworks between Syd and Luca after he left the party and when she saw him again downstairs, Shapiro approaching her, or Richie dancing with her in her apartment (the first time).

Photo credit: https://www.tumblr.com/thoughtfulchaos773

2. The problem with Sundays. He says it is his least favorite day of the week. Carmy solves the Syd-less Sunday problem by inviting her to the Ever funeral (Season 3 Forever) and Richie helpfully invites her to the Sunday wedding (Season 4 The Bears). The Sunday in between (Season 4 Worms) Carmy blows up her phone with text messages about a spurious issue with the restaurant and then gets Pete to harass her about the partnership agreement. There's no way sweet, busy, new father Pete Katinsky would have texted Syd on a Sunday without Carmy prompting him.

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/themisconceptions

3. Each time we see Syd open her email the DocuSign is refreshed which I don't know if DocuSign does that on their own or if Carmy is continually punting it to be at the top of her inbox.

4. When he sleeps, he dreams about her or about a memory of the idea of the restaurant which is also, by implication, about her.

Photo credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

5. While he is dating whatsherface, he spends time sketching the chaos menu--for Syd which shows how Syd is once again on his mind even when he is with another woman. The Sunday of the Ever funeral evening dinner, we see him spend time sketching a menu and researching ideas from his cookbook collection for her (auditory cue from the song Blowing Kisses: "My dedication's a star") while she delivers food to his sister who has just had a baby. We know he hasn't even visited the baby by Season 4 Soubise. He's completely preoccuppied with his Syd obsession.

6. His Personal bubble overlaps with Syd's. It wasn't always the case as in Season 1 Review, her touching him on the arm led to his instinctive attempt to ward her off with his Chef Terry-gifted emotional support spoon.

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/sonoranbumblebee

His own mother makes him physically recoil as a grown man. But by the end of Season Four, Carmy's personal bubble overlaps so closely with Syd's that there is a good foot of space between them and everyone else as the camera pans past them.

Photo credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

7. Separation Anxiety. If she has to leave (like when her dad is in the hospital), he looks physically unwell. His hair in the scene talking to the crew is sticking up (almost similar to the finale of Season 1 when he wakes from his nightmare and rushes to Al-Anon) and as he is in the back alley awaiting her call, he looks like he has a headache which sonoranbumblee points out is his "connection with soulmate has been disrupted headache." After Shapiro's call we see him tapping his pen on the menu, a deep red flush along the back of his neck, and a kind of brittle energy that prevents him from noticing Sugar and the baby when she first comes up to him. Holding the baby seems to calm him down and in a very fraught Freudian slip he seems to be reassuring the baby as well as himself that "She'll come back." Who is she? Oh, right.

Photo credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

8. Arguably his discomfort in public social settings has gotten worse not better. He needs her by his side at the Ever dinner even if he should be comfortable among his peers who all hold him in high regard; he remains silent during the dinner-table conversation but Syd's conviviality provides a good cover for him. At the wedding he is spiralling out and previous social events (like the birthday party where that old man called him a loser) are contributing to his current panic attack even before his dreaded encounter with Donna. It's only after he chats with Syd that he can regain enough composure to have friendly chats with Stevie, Red Flag (seriously, what are you doing, man?) and help comfort scared Evie under the table.

9. His apartment is quite bare bones for someone who has an artistic bent. However, Syd's scrunchie has a prominent spot on his bedroom dresser. It is next to a box of Kleenex. Are these objects together because he is crying or because he needs a tissue after....?

10. We've seen plenty of suggestions that the soundtrack of his mind is cacophony (the alarms in Season 2 don't bother him) and that Syd's special voice for him is sweet (whenmemorydies has a meta about the violin resembling Syd's voice in his mind according to the auditory cues of the Doris Day lyrics) and it penetrates the noise (in Season 2 we witness his ability to recall what Syd just said while he forgets what he was discussing with Sugar); it is Syd's voice that calms him down and grounds him back. Aside from that deep auditory respite that she provides, there is the aspect of his confessing that he had a stutter as child (likely due to the abuse Donna inflicted). Often even his closest family (like Richie) don't know what he is saying, the fine dining lingo or the way he is apt to being inarticulate. But Syd is on the same wavelength and we see her engage in wordless communication with him, translate him for others and prompt him when he is at a verbal loss. What a comfort that must be to someone like Carmy who has been so lonely, so misunderstood and so friendless that he flounders in personal and professional spaces.

Photo credit: https://www.tumblr.com/whenmemorydies

Burnout is a serious condition and a lot of people are facing it in the past few years after the pandemic. I get that Carmy needs to step away to mourn his brother and finally treat his mental trauma. Yet I also don't understand, given the above, how Carmy as a character will do this away from Syd without being a complete and utter wreck. She calls herself his "accomplice" so are we meant to take that as this being a codependent relationship that is preventing him from doing the work of healing on his own? But then again, healing is not an individual effort necessarily.

Even if leaving the workplace is something I can appreciate for Carmy to manage his burnout, there is an interesting tension here. We live in an economic system that devours every scrap of our lives. That workplace is his community or "found family" as the show keeps showing us, those are his people who are constantly looking out for him in a way no new imagined community/nuclear family with Claire outside the restaurant will be able to match.

All that these four seasons have convinced me of are that "Any chance of any kind of good" in Carmy's life "started when Syd walked in" and any chance of Carmy "surviving" (and thriving) "is with Syd." Which means if he is not reduced to insane Syd-less pieces in Season 5, I'm not going to be convinced that is Carmy.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I want the Berzatto collaboration too! The way Richie has been putting flowers everywhere, hinting on it being his house and now it is, he's got some things up his sleeve to make the Bear perfect for everyone!

It's like opening night do over and meant to happen in a sense because Sydney and Carmy are destined to become a family.

Did Sydney just out of the blue decide in three Saturdays she's taking off to hang out with Mary and Chantel, or did she already have that day free?

This show is trying to be tight with time and uses it as a marker for an event coming the following season. Last year, they made sure to point out in season 3 that Tiffany's wedding was being held on a Sunday via the invitation on the desk; this day mattered so that Carmy and Sydney could go to the wedding.

My guess? It's for Eva's birthday party, which they've been hinting at since season 3, and it's supposed to take place within a few weeks after Tiffany's wedding. Richie is rounding up people - Marcus to make the cake, and Sydney to maybe help with catering. So, since Sydney may be helping Richie, she could take the rest of the day off.

Another potential Bear family event, where Eva mentioned she told Auntie Donna what she wants, so Donna will be there. Carmy is on good terms with Richie and Natalie, of course, he'll be there.

Another event to look forward to is one where Syd and Carmy will have to see each other again outside of work.

There also needs to be a call back to 1x04 dogs in some way since we're dealing with another children's birthday party.

But just imagine after the birthday party ends, Carmy is getting ready to go back to the Bear to start dinner service, but he sees Sydney is not coming back to the restaurant; she's going out.

Or she gets changed at the Bear and meets her girls from the restaurant.

I just want Sydney to go out, and it's a good way to see Sydney, now a Berzatto, spending time with Richie and the family, then having her own identity outside of the in-laws.

Either way, the writers better read this.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Did Sydney just out of the blue decide in three Saturdays she's taking off to hang out with Mary and Chantel, or did she already have that day free?

This show is trying to be tight with time and uses it as a marker for an event coming the following season. Last year, they made sure to point out in season 3 that Tiffany's wedding was being held on a Sunday via the invitation on the desk; this day mattered so that Carmy and Sydney could go to the wedding.

My guess? It's for Eva's birthday party, which they've been hinting at since season 3, and it's supposed to take place within a few weeks after Tiffany's wedding. Richie is rounding up people - Marcus to make the cake, and Sydney to maybe help with catering. So, since Sydney may be helping Richie, she could take the rest of the day off.

Another potential Bear family event, where Eva mentioned she told Auntie Donna what she wants, so Donna will be there. Carmy is on good terms with Richie and Natalie, of course, he'll be there.

Another event to look forward to is one where Syd and Carmy will have to see each other again outside of work.

There also needs to be a call back to 1x04 dogs in some way since we're dealing with another children's birthday party.

But just imagine after the birthday party ends, Carmy is getting ready to go back to the Bear to start dinner service, but he sees Sydney is not coming back to the restaurant; she's going out.

Or she gets changed at the Bear and meets her girls from the restaurant.

I just want Sydney to go out, and it's a good way to see Sydney, now a Berzatto, spending time with Richie and the family, then having her own identity outside of the in-laws.

Either way, the writers better read this.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I've heard enough of the white man's blues

And if anyone thought I was reaching with the White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy and The Bear meta (and the theory that S4 Luca is modelling how Carmy can come back to The Bear as an ally in S5), the song that Christopher Storer and Joanna Calo decided to have playing as new stage Luca arrives in The Bear's kitchen is “Hope the High Road” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit:

The song, released in 2017 (one year after Drumpf another self-involved white man came into a fuck tonne of power and began running roughshod over community...hence the lyrics: "Last year was a son of a bitch!") was described by Rolling Stone as: "[a] guitar-charged tribute to those feeling disenchanted by today’s divisive politics and social issues, the song fires twin blasts of electrified empathy and resolute optimism." Note that the song title evokes Michelle Obama's 2016 DNC speech when she endorsed Hillary Clinton against Drumpf, telling Americans, "when they go low, we go high".

Crucially when Luca makes his season 4 debut in 4x05 Replicants, the lyrics playing from "Hope the High Road" are:

I used to think that this was my town / What a stupid thing to think

I hear you’re fighting off a breakdown / I myself am on the brink

I used to want to be a real man / I don’t know what that even means

Now I just want you in my arms again / And we can search each others dreams

Then Storer and Calo make the decision to cut the following lyrics from the song in the scene:

I know you’re tired / And you ain’t sleeping well

Uninspired and likely mad as hell / But wherever you are I hope the high road leads you home again

They cut these lyrics not because they're irrelevant (they're absolutely still relevant) but because they wanted the following lines to be sung as the camera shifts to Carmy:

I’ve heard enough of the white man’s blues / I’ve sang enough about myself

I laughed so hard when I heard them. These particular lyrics sounded faint in the show (quieter than the rest of the song we get to hear)...I suspect this might be so that the message isn't blatantly obvious for the incel, QAnon, 4chan, Snydercut, Reddit motherfuckers that are already whinging about season 4 from their parents' basements.

Still, the song choice is unmistakeable in its meaning:

I used to think that this was my town / What a stupid thing to think

White men/Carmy: your ancestors were colonisers and slaveholders and you need to reckon with that legacy and the intergenerational wealth, power and bodily safety its given you. The ownership you used to pride yourself on is morally reprehensible, so still thinking that way is categorically stupid. Also towns - communities - aren't owned, they're made. Made by the people and the relationships in them.

I hear you’re fighting off a breakdown / I myself am on the brink

White men/Carmy: you're deeply unhappy and facing a breakdown because capitalism won't save you and the path to joy isn't by smoking motherfuckers. Like Toni Morrison said here: "if you can only be tall because somebody's on their knees, then you have a serious problem. And my feeling is that white people have a very, very serious problem. And they should start thinking about what they can do about it."

I used to want to be a real man / I don’t know what that even means

White men/Carmy: you cling to the idea of violent, aggressive masculinity to assert your power, but doing this meant cutting off parts of yourself too: the parts that love, that are scared, that are vulnerable, that can be happy. Because its harder to be violently aggressive if you allow yourself to feel those things. Now you know there's no such thing as a "real man". White supremacist capitalist patriarchy sold you that idea and that idea is a lie.

Now I just want you in my arms again / And we can search each others dreams

White men/Carmy: put your bullshit down and allow yourself to feel, to dream. You might find some peace in the quiet. You might find some inspiration.

I’ve heard enough of the white man’s blues / I’ve sang enough about myself

White men/Carmy: Its time to stop centering yourself in the story of America/The Bear. Its time to talk about the community that makes a place and all the people that do the work of relationships to make those places home.

All of this gives me lots of hope for S5 led by Sydney and the team and to see Carmy's growth and integration. And if the latter can do that and model it onscreen, maybe some other white folks might have a crack at it in their lives offline too.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Caution: Bear

Somebody asked for Sydney eating Carmy and I had to provide🫡 i actually had more gruesome gorish shit in mind but I guess I've never properly drawn some so. gonna have to experiment on that (dw i got other refs to do it)

anyways... why do i think carmy would be slightly turned on at the idea of sydney eating him. is it me or... (meta sydcarmy genius pls elaborate for me thank yew)

hope you liked this!!

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I know.

Syd is the bear in his dreams.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I need Carmy to be more assertive going into season 5 when it comes to Sydney. If he really wants her, then he's going to have to challenge Syd more instead of always caving every 10 seconds. At least in season 3, he was able to get her to go with him to the Evers' funeral despite being so closed off; he didn't take no as an answer!.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

It surely means nothing that 4x05 Replicants features an apron-clad Carmy waiting for someone with another apron over his shoulder, before we cut to Sydney taking shots on a basketball court.

Probably means nothing that while Carmy waits for Sydney, we hear Doris Day singing the opening lines of love song “It’s Magic” featuring the lyrics:

You sigh, the song begins.

You speak and I hear violins.

Can’t mean anything that 4x03 Scallop begins with a scene from Carmy’s POV (as @moodyeucalyptus pointed out here) featuring a sensual vision of Sydney cooking whilst St Vincent’s “Slow Disco” plays - a song featuring instrumentals made up almost exclusively of violins.

Again all super normal coincidence that makes perfect sense for platonic coworkers who just love cooking so darn much and have no romantic or amorous feelings towards one another. Totally normal.