#but also carmy and mikey

[roseferncal]

*cardi b's voice* what was the reason!?!

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Be kind and empathetic like a bear.

Remember, Carmy said, "And he had this amazing ability. He could just walk into a room, and he could take the temperature of it instantly. You know, he could just dial it. "

Mikey was the first one to notice Tina. Another thing that stands out to me is that he knows how he's feeling- he can process the chaos of the place makes him sad. This is different from Carmy, who has trouble figuring out his feelings- he only knows he doesn't like the feeling he's experiencing in the moment.

Just an observation.

[knowlesian]

not to project like a motherfucker on natalie berzatto but ohhhh boy the impact of a narrative that says “hey, is your desire to make sure everybody around you is okay also about you? and could that perhaps be partially a maladaptive trauma response you should look into and maybe mitigate? because if it’s a genuine question that’s fine, but if the only answer you will respond well to hearing is yes that’s a You Issue Too, Babe”

[bearsinpotatosacks]

Richie casually being a polyglot. His mum's Polish, so he's able to understand that and speak a little. His dad's family is Ukrainian, his grandparents moving to the US in 1950, so he grows up understanding Ukrainian from sitting at his babusia's kitchen table, listening to her talk to her friend's from church.

Then he meets the Berzattos and knows their hand gestures and few Italian phrases. He likes Italian, wants to be Italian because the Berzattos are more of a family to him than his own, so takes classes.

Tina talks in Spanish a lot in the kitchen, Richie’s good at learning through osmosis so picks up on phrases. Tiff introduces him to Duolingo because she uses it for students and he gets hooked on the competitive nature of it.

Ebra doesn't talk in Somali a lot but when he does, Richie picks up on it, they’ve both been there the longest so he knows what the phrases he mutters under his breath mean, he doesn’t reply but they share knowing looks

They get a lot of different customers in the Beef, so he learns all sorts of tidbits from them, French, German, Korean, Arabic, Mandarin, so many different little things, ways to say Hello and Good Morning, How are You

[giftedpoison]

Rewatching The Bear before the new season.

And the christmas episode is getting to me hella.

I want to give Mikey the biggest fucking hug in the world. The conversation between him and Carmy and Carmy gives him a gift that's a concept of their restaurant "The Bear" and I'm just realizing he didn't want to run a restaurant with his little brother not because he had anything against Carmy but because he didn't want his little brother to realize that he'd been running his restaurant completely illegally and how deep in addiction he was and how much that he was just not good enough for his little brother and he didn't want to crush that illusion because it would kill him.

And then at the table when he throws the fork at Lee. Multiple times. And Lee is going on and on about how much of a loser Mikey is and how Unc should have never given him the money or continued giving him money.

And I can't stop thinking about how it parallels Richie's current state in present day The Bear prior to this ep. (I'm still mad Syd never apologized to him for her part in their dispute where she was telling him how much of a loser he is and how no one cares about him. Like yes Syd needed an apology too but that doesn't mean Riche didn't deserve one either- unless that happens later. Although the fact she didn't really speaks to how it was considered acceptable things to say to him because a lot of people at the restaurant continously treat him like he is worthless and doesn't add anything. Which is because at this point he kind of doesn't but no one sees anything in him either. Because he isn't a cook and he's resistant to change because he is so scared he is going to be left behind.)

And I just think about how Richie's life could have ended up like Mikey's with the end, if it wasn't for the fact he eventually found the thing tm that he could do and well and realized he wasn't as worthless as everyone around him thought and as he thought of himself.

Anyway Richie's my favorite character solely because I adore his arc. And also because when I watched him start learning at that fancy restaurant (i only have vague memories forgive me) I realized I want to do what he's doing although not in a restaurant

It's the always feeling like your on the outskirts of something great but you can't or don't actually want to be like the superstars. The great cooks the great pastry chefs the project manager. You can't do any of that and you feel so fucking worthless because the high of it all is something that means something to you. And then you finally find your place, and you're just like oh shit I'm doing this. I didn't even know this was a possibility I thought I would be folding sandwiches forever. No one told me this was a way to touch the world i love so much. And have a positive impact on the world in a way that makes me feel fulfilled and important at the end of the day and not a fuck up wasting away.

[iamfitzwilliamdarcy]

So here we go, my collected list of Mentions of Carmy's dad in the Bear:

S1E1, Carmy and Richie are arguing about the tournament:

Carmy: “We need the business! Nerds come to Rockford to play.” Richie: “Yeah, in 1987,when you were still in that deadbeat’s balls”

2. S1E4, Carmy, conversing with Uncle Jimmy, as follows:

J: “you ever miss him?” C: “I didn’t really know him well enough to miss him...when’s the last time you talked to him?” J: “around 20 years ago. We had a gnarly fight.” C: “What was it about?” J: “A million things. Drugs, alcohol, gambling. Mostly because he insisted on doing stupid fucking shit all the time. You know he had a new career every 10 minutes, wanted to be a broker then he wanted to be and defensive coordinator dead serious … suddenly he's a restaurateur, really stuck your poor mom with that place.

Later in the conversation, Jimmy adds (I edited a bit):

“I had a dream about him once, your dad, we’re up in lake geneva – we’re driving along, he’s in the passenger seat and we’re driving fast like really fast and i can’t get control– he wouldn’t put on his seatbelt, suddenly some kid, little boy walks into the middle of the road, slam on the brakes, but your dad goes flying through the windshield but he never lands, he keeps on flying” 

3. S2E06- When Mikey is picking a fight with Lee, he says-- “See here’s the thing, you know, I can throw forks because this is our father’s house. My father’s house.”

Earlier in the episode too, Donna references "dad's gun" when she's screaming at Nat, which I think is fascinating that all these years later it's still his gun -- and calls him "dad"

4. S3E06 - Tina asks Mikey if the Beef is a family business, and he answers: “My old man, he opened it. He also ran it into the ground. He just like has a giant stack of unpaid bills and he took one look and split, he hightailed it to the hills, never came back." I liked the following conversation too:

T: "They’ll do that?” M: “What, bills?” T: “Dads” M: “Amen to that” 

5- S3E08 - In addition to telling Nat she has her father's ass, Donna also tells Carmy's birth story, and it's the only one of the three that features their dad:

“Your father was there for that one… I wish he wasn’t No seriously. We were fighting the entire time. And the hospital. The hospital was a fucking mess. It was as if every person in the world decided to have labor at that exact second. And he… [scoffs] He kept asking for a sedative. [Sugar: Dad did?] Like he was about to give birth. Like he was asking for a sedative, and he was panicking, and he freaked me the fuck out.

so in summary: Carmy's dad abandoned the family when he was too young to really remember, he was unreliable, he clearly had addiction problems, there was dysfunction in his relationship with Donna, for some reason they still refer to his gun as his years later

[bartonbones]

the scene where carmy, stressed and at his worst, holds out his cut hand and says "blood! see! good! good! are you all happy now!" to the beef when no one is listening to him or letting him have his way is just. so...so donna. he is his mother's son unfortunately

[currymanganese]

I am blessed to be sheltered enough that Mikey and Richie talking Claire up to Carmy is easily one of the more oafish conversations I've heard in my short life, not the most oafish mind you, that distinction belongs to some real men I've heard, but damn! It's certainly up there...I'm captioning that scene for one of my Sydcarmy edits that's up on YouTube right now and the secondhand embarrassment crazy. 🥴

[goddesspharo]

How did I never notice the All The Right Moves (1983) Tom Cruise poster in the background before?

[caiusmarciuscoriolanus]

Really out here trying hard not to shame anyone for writing or creating. But as I’m milling through what little fic there is for The Bear, I can’t help but be so icked out by the amount of slash fic written for Mikey and Carmy. Like yes, if I don’t like stuff I don’t have to read it. But I’m just confused as to why there’s as much of it as there is. How do you look at such a mentally ill main character and say “ hey, yknow what’s gonna be really great, let’s ship him with and put him sexual situations with his dead brother”. I’m convinced some of y’all either don’t have siblings or don’t understand sibling dynamics. I don’t know. I might just be a hater. It’s just so jarring to see as an older brother.

[lunaicfantastic]

anyway my theories for the bear are: that season 4 will end like season 1--with them announcing the closing of the bear/the beef and the upcoming opening of something new/the bear, that we will find out that Mikey was the one who told Claire about the name of the restaurant being the bear (mb thru a convo btwn Richie and carmy) and this will be the final straw in the clusterfuck of their relationship, at one point carmy will try to burn down the bear, and that Richie will get tickets to go see Taylor Swift with his daughter idk

[chaoswillcalmusdown]

got ready for my re-watch with mum and this appeared on facebook and. yeah.

[november-rising]

The Bear: Season One, Episode Six - Ceres (opening scene)

Last Train Home continues to play on repeat in my mind. It's worth it as it's led me to an episode I didn't pay much attention to outside of this opening scene.

It all begins with Mikey, Ritchie, Nat, and Carm cooking. Mikey is executing the Berzatto Sunday recipe with such ease. It's lovely watching the Berzattos (+ one Jerimovich) packed together, calm, listening and taking time to be with one another.

Mikey is telling such a tale that winds and weaves. With all of my observations. With all of my notes and what I will share. No matter what- it should be noted that his ability to story tell is captivating.

I remember watching this the first time and being enthralled. There's no other term for it. As he speaks, I thought that he can remind anyone that there are simpler times all the while coloring life just enough for it to seem fanciful if you just try - just reach a little more for it. Mikey is providing amusement, entertainment and fun. Mickey knows how to tell without saying anything.

Michael Berzatto was the bond that made the family stay together.

He is doing his thing, talking, laughing, engaging everyone. And he brings up the Ceres statue. The mythos of Ceres is briefly recapped by Mikey. Who Ceres was isn’t important. What’s key is Mikey sharing a moment in his life that is without strife and hardship (Yes, I know he was high but it sounds like a "happy" high story as opposed to some horrors I'm sure the family doesn't mention ever again). He's connecting the history of their hometown with his life. Truly, that in and of itself, is otherworldly.

I believe that anything his shares tends to be cherished with these folks. I say this because, even though everyone knows he uses, Mikey holds many secrets. He probably doesn’t show too much of himself for a plethora of reasons which I could write about endlessly for days. (And I may one day...)

So, during this Sunday dinner prep, Mickey is being Mickey. He’s attentive and as bright as they know him to be before addiction took hold of him. Everyone is savoring this moment. Because, who knows when he’ll be this lucid or sober again?

*Side note: It’s interesting that Mickey knows the bars “traders” (Wall Street traders I assume) frequent. I wonder how that played out in his life. The company created and connected to the tomato cans, perhaps...?*

Someone who tends to be pushed to the side is Nat. I noticed her, particularly when she responds to Mikey with:

“You and your fucking stories."

She sees. She knows. She also feels left out.

She’s stuck at the sink while the older men are reminiscing about some bullshit and Carmy is drinking it all in.

Mickey taunts Nat, saying she could have come with (Mikey and Richie to wherever) to which she says she wouldn’t. I believe her. She’s been the one to keep Donna at bay. She’s been the caretaker. She is the quintessential parentified child. Sugar knows better than to spend time with Mikey and Richie. 

This is the family:

Mikey setting up adventures.

Ritchie co-signing, hanging out on the sidelines.

Sugar cleaning the mess everyone is making.

And Carmy, looking in awe at his big brother - his savior. Carmen is shown waiting to be utilized and jumps that the chance when told. 

Michael: "Hey Carmy, do some parm."

Carmen: "Yeah, I got you. I got you."

To bring this back to the Ceres statue story, it's about something built in the name of being the pinnacle of design based in the classics. That statue was commissioned to be a landmark and a wonderment. But, as time marches on, life evolves and grows. The city around it grew and achieved taller architectural designs/building.

Ceres is stone carved with no face. It has no lasting identity other than history. Same as Ceres. She’s history. 

Same as Mikey.

Everyone around him grew. His façade was exposed to be blank, nothing, masking such history, pain, strife and togetherness just like Ceres.

Mikey only has the past.

And then there's the final puzzle piece from a different box that is Richie. The overall understanding within me, as I watch Richie share that his outgoing VM message as Goddess of Agriculture, is that he’s the historian of the family/friend group. That was his purpose before it all went to hell with Bear on that bridge.

All-in-all, we see Natalie and Carmen smiling, making the kitchen home. Michael and Richard providing the accents and anecdotal purpose. 

An absolutely beautiful moment.

[bearsinpotatosacks]

The beautiful thing about the Bear is that it's such a high stress show that you can apply it to other high stress environments and the AU works. I can see some kind of hospital/medical AU, or, in this case, a dancer AU.

The Berzattos run a dance school for kids, teens, and adults. They do different styles of dance, teach according to syllabus and some of their best students, like Carmen Berzatto even go on to become professionals. Syd used to go there when she was a kid until her dad noticed her passion, and worked extra hard to get into the Joffrey Ballet, then the New York Ballet before she got disillusioned and tried to start her own dance company and failed.

Carmy joined the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, being taught by Andrea, as a child before being picked up by the Paris Opera ballet, before moving to the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen, then moving onto the San Francisco Ballet before finally joining the American Ballet Theatre in New York, this is where David abuses him.

Mikey didn't have as much promise, he was a good dancer at many things, but didn't have the drive that Carmy did, so runs the dance school instead. He met Richie at the school, his mother was a dancer and she noticed his inability to sit still and put him in the dance school, his dad didn't approve at first but he started getting roles in musicals, he's a brilliant tap dancer and could've gone far in musical theatre but Mikey pulled him in. He got roles, worked hard for them but always got brought back to the dance school eventually.

Tina got into musical theatre 'too late', she's been in a local theatre outside of work but after getting fired, she's heard singing to herself at the bus stop outside the dance school, Mikey hears and offers her a job as the musical theatre teacher with Richie.

Mikey dies and Carmy's left the dance school. The place isn't doing well, they could be going out of business. Syd, who's been idolising him since she saw him in the Royal Danish's production of the Nutcracker, starts to work there. Carmy becomes strict on uniform and respect to the teacher, Richie's more relaxed, he's dance teacher but wants it to be fun, not a military school.

She and Richie don't get on, she's used to the skill levels of professional ballet studios, not local dance schools. She starts to see how good he is with the students, he can control the room easier and his students have more freedom and are generally happier.

Carmy decides to up the stakes of the school's usual yearly show, they promise Jimmy a certain amount of profit and a certain number of new uptake of students. They ask Tina choreograph her own section of the show to whatever she wants, she goes with West Side Story.

Sydney looks at some of the previous shows, and some of the previous work of the teachers to see if there's anything they could possibly do and stumbles upon some of Richie's work in musical theatre. She mentions it to Carmy, they talk to Richie, who's unsure as it's been a while.

She's there late one night when she hears something and sees Richie dancing to Singin in the Rain, which he performed on tour. They talk about dreams and goals, she encourages him to perform, but he's hesitant as it's been so long

Syd and Carmy are going to do a duet, but when it comes to the night, Carmy gets locked in one of the dressing rooms getting something for one of the kids. Syd's scared, so Richie improvises and steps in, he's seen them rehearsing and does his best (is this all because I want to imagine Richie lifting Syd like she weighs nothing? yes).

She joins him in doing 'Moses Supposes' from Singin in the Rain (minus the singing), something he used to perform with Mikey, because she makes him feel confident enough to perform again. They get through, make a fair bit of money and get some sign ups. Richie also gets an invitation to audition for another musical, with Syd's encouragement, he does.

Also added on: Eva being in Richie's dance class, Richie and Syd are in suits when they dance together to 'Moses Supposes', Syd and Richie teaching a class together and reluctantly getting along

[glitterslag]

loved the part in the bear when carmy said one sec lemme just go have private time with my girl in the alleyway/apartment so i can press play on my autism again

[bartonbones]

also i understand ppl will have their ship wars ive been in fandom for a decade i know but like what compels me abt the idea of the new girl being an ex or at least someone who knew carmy and mikey well is that i think it is exactly what carmy needs …put down pitchforks and hear me out I couldn’t care less if carmy dates or fucks bc what he DOES do is uses his grief as an excuse not to be known or understood. no one knows or needs to know him deeply because the only person he remembers knowing him was mikey, who isn’t there anymore. from his perspective he’s done the work! he’s not hiding!! he WAS known and then the person that knew him died and that’s the end of it.

i think grief has a very insidious way of changing your beliefs about everyone—yourself, the person you’re grieving, and anyone else around you. it’s something that fundamentally warps every way you understand the world and how to interact with it. even just the grief from mikey freezing him out had convinced carmy that there was no point in pursuing any kind of intimacy with another person because it’d ended so terribly with mikey. to carmy mikey is the only person who ever got that close and the only person who ever would …so i think it is really smart and meaningful to carmy to have someone from his past step in to be like; other people knew you, even the the things you thought only mikey knew, other people did too. and other people will continue to know you whether you can get comfortable with that or not, and that this intimacy you think you’ve completely lost when mikey died is not only something you can find again it’s something you never even really lost !! carmy, even at the end of season 1, was saved only by his brother’s love…i think we did need someone else to convince him that there’s more to his life than mikey and that there always has been